Advice to young developers: Get the job and stay cool

CodeConnexx 2013

There are two key career stages every singe developer and designer has to go through for which advice is really forthcoming. There are places that people can go when they are students to get advice and when they have cemented themselves in the industry where they can go to expand their horizons and share their ideas. But what about in between?

The reality is you are left to your own devices when looking for a job and when you do get one many young developers and designers fall into traps driven by their fears and egos. I want to help you in those two steps and share my experiences.

Transcript

1. Advice for young developers: Get the job and stay cool Richard Askew @richaskew
2. Who am I? • Went to Uni • Got a job as part of course • Left that job, got another job • Set-up my own company • Teach at the University on a part-time basis.
3. Today Two parts, aimed at “Young” developers - Getting a job - How young developers interact and common traits
5. Flickr: Bunches and Bits
6. Getting a job Tip 1: Create a portfolio
7. Create a portfolio
8. Create a portfolio
9. Alternatives
10. Alternatives
11. Alternatives
12. Implications - Implies you don’t love what you do - Implies you aren’t curious - Implies you do the bare minimum
13. Getting a job Tip 2: "You get the work you do"
14. “You get the work you do”
15. “You get the work you do”
16. “You get the work you do”
17. Getting ideas
18. Getting ideas
19. Getting a job Tip 3: Become part of the community
20. Become part of the community
21. Getting a job Tip 4: Finding work
22. Finding work
23. Finding work
24. Have fun
25. Getting to work caseorganic
26. Making life easier for you: Understand your code Flickr: bobsfever
27. Tips on working with yourself - It’s OK to rewrite - Don’t be afraid to Google - Complexity != Quality
28. Value other disciplines Flickr: jakedobkin
29. Value designers
30. Value designers: We all design stuff! Flickr: hackny
31. Tips for working with designers - They are perfectionists - Technical limitations (Don’t stagnate) - Compliment
32. Value project managers Why do business analysts and project managers get higher salaries than programmers? - stackexchange.com
33. Value project managers - Programming is more difficult, but managing sucks more. - “Programmers are usually logical, intelligent, individuals, who tell it like it is. Executives hate that.” - Reducing management to creating charts and writing documentation is like saying that programming is typing.
34. Value project managers - Business pressures - Are you comfortable with what you are doing?
35. Tips for working with project managers - You might not know the whole picture - Become an ally - Business reasons don’t make everything OK
36. Value Customers
37. Top tips for working with customers - Be proactive - It is OK to assume - They don’t speak your language - Referrals are important - Say ‘No’
38. Dealing with Users - BUFH - You are the BUFH!
39. Value everyone.
41. Give feedback Flickr: b@nfy
42. Give feedback Flickr: b@nfy
43. Looking down on lack of knowledge Flickr: Lorena Cupcake
44. Jargasm
45. The mocking of recruiters
46. The mocking of recruiters
47. Don’t be how I was
48. Tips for being happy - Take responsibility - Money. Money. Money. - Perspective
49. Thank you.