code is a job

Writing great code is a challenge. We have to use the best frameworks, spend every hour of every day at the keyboard.. The key to writing great code, we're told, is passion. But what if, in order to write great code, we need to do exactly the opposite? Code is a job, after all. What if the simplest way to improve our code is to treat it like one?

Transcript

1. code is a job MediterráneaJS / @garannm
2. buenas tardes • circa 1997 • Etsy, Editorially, Joyent • community organizer • technical author • conference speaker
3. please allow me to pick up where i left off
4. “I
5. but today tho • writing better code • ignoring nonsense • not believing the hype • doing a good job
6. participate in your own exploitation
7. meritocracy is a hell of a drug
8. “we’ve been trying different things for a while, and these seem to be the common threads among ourselves, and the most successful and trustworthy people we’ve lived with before”
9. falling off the level playing field
10. self reinforcing • you didn’t learn the latest framework • you didn’t put enough time into open source • you didn’t stay late and let your outside interests atrophy • you weren’t “passionate” enough
11. passion is poison
12. too much “passion” ruins good code
13. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/bransons-holidays-right-graph-shows-4323133
15. there is no right tool for the job
16. you still have to get the job done
17. JS templates • jTemplates • jQuery Templates plugin • Mustache • Angular / React / etc
18. JS templates • jTemplates: independent • jQuery Templates plugin: ecosystem • Mustache: independent • Angular / React / etc: ecosystem
19. JS templates • jTemplates: uses JS to produce HTML • jQuery Templates plugin: uses JS to produce HTML • Mustache: uses JS to produce HTML • Angular / React / etc: uses JS to produce HTML
20. it’s all bike- shedding
21. all that matters or will ever matter is the user’s experience
22. performance • browser game? • news site? • collaborative tool?
23. performance • eliminate bad performance in code • don’t make a bunch of requests • get whatever you can from cache • don’t block loading
24. performance • eliminate bad performance in code: good judgement • don’t make a bunch of requests: good judgement • get whatever you can from cache: good judgement • don’t block loading: good judgement
25. as coders, we work below the surface
26. what makes a great coder isn’t code
27. there are no natural coders
28. pro code skills • ability to organize tasks • very simple logic • very simple math • rules of grammar and language • things you learn before your 20s
29. pro code skills 1. problem solving 2. communication
30. you don’t learn to code arguing about editors
31. great code comes from not coding
32. hot code tips • go for a walk • make friends • read a book • watch the news • make something physical
33. myopic code makes a half- assed product
36. “natural” just means you anticipated the problems
37. a “natural” coder remembers people use their code
38. but that’s design!! • code involves design work • building anything does • the more of the big picture you see, the better your design • hence, the better your code
39. code experience is meaningless without human experience
40. code is a living
41. passion don’t pay the bills
42. food, water, sleep safety and security friends, love respect code
43. after a decade “good” code isn’t enough
44. food, water, sleep safety and security friends, love respect a better world
45. “just” a job • in capitalism, a job is essential • in a job, accountability is essential • if the code is important, make it a job
46. stop pretending you’re going to cash out at 30/ 40
47. #goals 0k 50k 100k 150k 200k 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s
48. over your career, results matter most
49. great code is more than just some typing
50. great code gets you home in time for dinner
51. someone is always wrong on the internet
52. even the biggest tool authors will probably fade into obscurity
53. usefulness is the only metric that matters
54. just like any other job in the world
55. gracias! @garannm !