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5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Programming

5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Programming

There's more to being a successful developer than simply being great at programming. The gotchas that slow us down or trip us up are often outside of the code we write, manifesting instead in our process or how we work with our peers. Whether you're new to programming or a veteran of many projects, these 5 things can improve your code, your career, and your team. If you're just starting out, you'll be glad to hear that you frustrations are not unique -- there are strategies for overcoming them. For experienced developers, this talk is a refresher course on what goes into the day-to-day, reminding us to have some empathy for individuals new to our community. Come (re)discover these 5 (sometimes surprising, always honest) truths, tips, and tactics for success.

Kerri Miller

May 29, 2015
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Transcript

  1. “SOMETIMES IT WILL BE FRUSTRATING. IT'S OK TO BE FRUSTRATED.

    USE THAT AS TOOL TO GUIDE HOW YOU WRITE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION AND LEARN WHAT KINDS OF PROGRAMMING AND WRITING YOU DON'T LIKE.” -- Pete Higgins (@pete_higgins)
  2. “SOMETIMES IT WILL BE FRUSTRATING. IT'S OK TO BE FRUSTRATED.

    USE THAT AS TOOL TO GUIDE HOW YOU WRITE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION AND LEARN WHAT KINDS OF PROGRAMMING AND WRITING YOU DON'T LIKE.” -- Pete Higgins (@pete_higgins)
  3. “IT'S EASY TO GET THE WRONG IDEA AND THINK THAT

    BECAUSE YOU'RE SPENDING MOST OF YOUR TIME ON THINGS THAT ARE HARD FOR YOU, YOU'RE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB. YOU HAVE TO SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME ON THINGS THAT ARE HARD FOR YOU IN ORDER TO DO A GOOD JOB.” -- Andrew Gorcester (@marginoferror)
  4. “IT'S EASY TO GET THE WRONG IDEA AND THINK THAT

    BECAUSE YOU'RE SPENDING MOST OF YOUR TIME ON THINGS THAT ARE HARD FOR YOU, YOU'RE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB. YOU HAVE TO SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME ON THINGS THAT ARE HARD FOR YOU IN ORDER TO DO A GOOD JOB.” -- Andrew Gorcester (@marginoferror)
  5. “YOU'LL BE TOLD YOU'RE WRONG REPEATEDLY, BY THE COMPILER, BY

    YOUR FAILING TESTS, BY BUG REPORTS, AND THAT'S TOTALLY NORMAL AND OKAY.” -- Mary Ann Mierau (@mabmierau)
  6. “DON'T BE AFRAID OF TOPICS THAT SOUND DIFFICULT. SOME CONCEPTS

    IN CS ARE INHERENTLY HARD TO THINK ABOUT, BUT NOT AS MANY AS YOU MIGHT THINK.” -- Sam Livingston-Gray (@geeksam)
  7. DEFAULT ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT RUBYISTS "We all use vim" “We all

    do TDD" "We all enjoy whisky" "We all love Javascript"
  8. "ALWAYS WANTED TO GO BACK IN TIME TO TRY FIGHTING

    A YOUNGER VERSION OF YOURSELF? PROGRAMMING IS THE CAREER FOR YOU!" -- Elliot Loh (@loh)
  9. “TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH, BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL. GIVE

    YOURSELF A BREAK FROM TIME TO TIME, AND BE MINDFUL OF YOUR MENTAL STATE.” -- Elizabeth Naramore (@elizabethn)
  10. “YOU ARE MUCH MORE COMPETENT THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE.

    IF YOU WERE HIRED FOR THE JOB, YOU CAN DO IT! DON'T DOUBT YOURSELF.” -- Cordelia Dillon (@cordeliadillon)
  11. “BEING GOOD AT PROGRAMMING DOESN'T LOOK LIKE BEING GOOD AT

    OTHER THINGS.” -- An Anonymous Ada Student
  12. “ALWAYS KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF AND LEARNING MORE. THE INDUSTRY MOVES

    FAST AND PART OF EVERY DAY SHOULD BE LEARNING SOMETHING NEW.” -- Greg Tarnoff (@gregtarnoff)
  13. Dear Princess Celestia: Letter About Equestria. Today I learned How

    to say Hello World! I said "Hello, Equestria". That’s all about How to say Hello World! Your faithful student, Kerrizor.
  14. I learned how to add to get a number using

    the number first and the number last. Did you know that the number sum was 0? As long as first was no more than last, sum became sum plus first... first got one more. That's what I did! Then I said sum! That's all about how to add!
  15. “YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MAKING IT UP AS YOU GO ALONG

    AND THAT'S THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART ABOUT PROGRAMMING.” -- Eric Hodel (@drbrain)
  16. “EVERYBODY THINKS DEVELOPMENT IS HARD SOMETIMES. GOOGLE ANY PROBLEM YOU'RE

    HAVING AND YOU'LL FIND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO SWEAT, STRUGGLED, SOBBED AND SWORE OVER THE SAME THING!” -- Jaime Lyn Schatz (@edupunkn00b)
  17. “IT'S ESSENTIAL TO FIND THAT DEV ON YOUR TEAM WHO

    IS WILLING TO TAKE THE TIME TO TEACH YOU THE ROPES.“ -- Mitchell Lee (@theevildev)
  18. SHARE THE LEARNING • Teach a class • Volunteer at

    RailsBridge or GDI • Study Group • Book Club • Write a blog post • Give a lightning talk
  19. “THE BEST THING I DID FOR MY PROGRAMMING CAREER WAS

    FOCUSING ON LEARNING BOUNDARIES AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS.” -- Sonia Connolly (@sonia_pdx)
  20. CULT OF DONE MANIFESTO • Accept that everything is a

    draft. It helps to get it done. • Pretending you know what you're doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing • Laugh at perfection. It's boring and keeps you from being done.
  21. 5 THINGS I WISH I KNEW... It’s Supposed To Be

    Hard You Do You There’s No Magic
  22. 5 THINGS I WISH I KNEW... It’s Supposed To Be

    Hard You Do You There’s No Magic Learn How To Learn
  23. 5 THINGS I WISH I KNEW... It’s Supposed To Be

    Hard You Do You There’s No Magic Learn How To Learn Find Your Community
  24. CREDITS • @srbaker • @marginoferror • @gelicia • @moishel •

    @ssoroka • @pete_higgins • @_zph • @sonia_pdx • @edupunkn00b • @eassumption • @TheEvilDev • @carols10cents • @shadowspar • @pfctdayelise • @gregtarnoff • @ChrisAnnODell • @drbrain • @geeksam • @muness • @anthonyarnold_ • @CodeFancier • @c9952594 • @mrezaurrahman • @dead_lugosi • @spargonaut • @iosengineer • @ariellauthentic • @kevdog • @_redwire • @dawnmoyer3 • @pestophagous • @phad • @infixum • @mwop • @ElizabethN • @mark_menard • @lornajane • @JC_SoCal • @sammikes • @mabmierau • @needshortername • @scrumdilligent • @cordeliadillon • @ln1draw
  25. KERRI MILLER (@KERRIZOR) • glass artist • Vespa mechanic •

    lighting designer • author & teacher • player of games • software developer