7 Confessions of a Retired Software Engineer

Have you seen a talented software developer who is broke or struggling to get a job? If yes, they should attend this talk because that story would change.

This talk is designed to take the audience to the other side of software engineering, beyond the lines of code.

Everyone has been focusing on the technical side for too long and is frustrated at not making much career growth.

After 5 years in tech, I have observed and concluded that there are three (3) career paths in tech - freelancers/contractors, blue-collar developers, and software entrepreneurs.

Sadly, only a few are able to understand what to do to excel in any of the career paths and so they keep doing “blue-collar” things and expecting “entrepreneurship” results and vice versa.

This is one of the reasons many drop out of tech.

In my talk, I aim to take the audience on a mind shift by breaking down 7 mistakes that new and talented developers make in their careers and helping them with practical ways to correct them.

I titled this talk “7 Confessions from a retired software engineer” because the lessons I’d be sharing are from my experiences and in speaking with 23 software engineering mentors.

Transcript

2. 7 Confessions of a Retired Software Engineer. Trust Onyekwere @iamtjah
3. Meet Trust - I build products at Beacamp - I manage Tech-Ed programs at Mastering Backend - I Lead at Google Developers Group, Aba - I wrote Coding is not Enough Trust Onyekwere @iamtjah
4. 7 Confessions Mistakes of a Retired Software Engineer. Trust Onyekwere @iamtjah
5. 1. I was a Jack of all trade, master of none. @iamtjah
6. It all began with Nikita Season 1 (2010)
7. How to do better 1. Start with one 2. Do you like what you see? Focus and become a master 3. Do you not like what you see? Try another and repeat step 1-3
8. 2. I did not market myself early on. @iamtjah
9. How to do better 1. Sell your skills shamelessly 2. Market from Day 1 3. Let everyone around you know what you do.
10. 3. I was blown about by the tech breeze. @iamtjah
11. This is Zen
12. How to do better 1. Stay focused on your path 2. Filter the noise online 3. Join groups & communities that are related to your Path.
13. 4. I failed to introduce myself well. @iamtjah
14. What do you do?
15. “I’m a software Developer” “I’m a coder” “I build software” “I’m a python developer” “I’m a Java developer”
16. Open Source Festival 2022 It only tells the tool you use to do your work and not the type of software development you do.
17. How to do better 1. Narrow down to what you do 2. Remove jargons as much as you can 3. Don't tell what you're not.
18. 5. I wish I knew the power of building products. @iamtjah
19. How to do better 1. Build usable software 2. Copy and twist existing solutions. 3. Fix your own problems
20. 6. I neglected personal branding. @iamtjah
21. How to do better 1. Don't position as what you're not. 2. Don't build in silence. Show us your stuff! 3. Explore multiple areas but have a stronghold
22. 7. Don’t be afraid to switch careers (within tech). @iamtjah
23. Thank you! Trust Onyekwere @iamtjah