From Space Invaders to Strictly

A talk I gave to the Tech Returners (https://techreturners.com/) in Manchester on my career and how I got into technology and software development. Find out how my love of Space Invaders and an Atari VCS got me into computer programming and how I went from videogames to building the authentication system from one the UK's largest media companies. I also share tips on how to get started for people who are new to the technology industry.

Any questions? Tweet at me: @marclittlemore

Transcript

1. FROM SPACE INVADERS TO STRICTLY MARC LITTLEMORE
2. MARC LITTLEMORE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING TEAM LEAD BBC ACCOUNT @marclittlemore
3. THE EARLY YEARS
11. 128 BYTES OF RAM
12. 128 BYTES OF RAM 64 CHARACTERS
13. 128 BYTES OF RAM 64 CHARACTERS 9 LINES OF CODE
22. GAS CHROMATOGRAPH
24. FIND YOUR FUN
25. FIND YOUR FUN IT’S PROBABLY NOT GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
26. THE VIDEOGAME YEARS
33. LOVE WHAT YOU DO
34. LOVE WHAT YOU DO BUT THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN WORKING
35. THE BBC YEARS
52. EMBRACE CHANGE
53. EMBRACE CHANGE THINGS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING IN DEVELOPMENT
54. EMBRACE CHANGE ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE WRITING JAVASCRIPT
55. YOUR FUTURE YEARS
56. F.A.Q.
57. WHICH LANGUAGE?
58. WHICH LANGUAGE? IT DOESN’T MATTER USE WHATEVER YOU ENJOY
59. HOW DO I GET BETTER?
60. HOW DO I GET BETTER? PRACTICE #SORRYNOTSORRY
61. HOW DO I GET BETTER? ALWAYS BE LEARNING LITTLE PROJECTS MAKE IT USEFUL FOR YOU SET A DEADLINE
62. I’M NOT VERY GOOD
64. I’M NOT VERY GOOD NEITHER AM I EVERYONE GETS IMPOSTER SYNDROME
65. I’M NOT VERY GOOD GO TO BED RUBBER DUCKING TEACH SOMEONE ELSE
66. WHAT TO LEARN
67. WHAT TO LEARN WRITE MAINTAINABLE CODE READ MAINTAINABLE CODE
68. WHAT TO LEARN CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE & STICK WITH IT
69. WHAT TO LEARN YOU. MUST. LEARN. HOW. TO. USE. VERSION CONTROL
70. WHAT TO LEARN COMMUNICATION AROUND CODE CODE REVIEWS EXPLAIN YOUR THINKING
71. FAIL OFTEN
72. FAIL OFTEN FAILING IS LEARNING DON’T BE AFRAID
73. @aimee_knight
74. OPTIMISE FOR ITERATION NOT FOR PERFECTION @aimee_knight
75. THANKS!
76. THANKS! @marclittlemore
77. QUESTIONS? @marclittlemore