PinnedMember-onlyCode Review Champion is Open for Beta Readers!I’m excited to announce Code Review Champion (my book on code reviews) is open for beta-readers!! I’ve been working on this short book to help engineers embrace technical feedback so they don’t have to dread code reviews. …1 min read1 min read
Published in ITNEXT·PinnedMember-onlyI’m Changing How I Review CodeI’m a big advocate for code reviews. I’ve written about my experiences reviewing code, including lists of dos and don’ts, how to survive your first code review, and why we should review code at all. My views have been mainly shaped by my experience with a particular kind of code…Software Development6 min readSoftware Development6 min read
Published in Better Programming·PinnedMember-onlyOur Obsession With Design PatternsDesign patterns are great to use. However, they can lead to roadblocks when used in excess — Learning patterns has become a core aspect for many people on their journey to becoming software engineers. Countless articles have been written about patterns and how to apply them. Courses, YouTube videos, and GitHub repos all exist to help engineers master the power of patterns. …Programming4 min readProgramming4 min read
2 days agoMember-onlyFour Tips When Joining a New TeamYou might have heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s an expression to keep people from making knee-jerk judgments about someone based on an initial impression or short interaction. …Software Engineering6 min readSoftware Engineering6 min read
Jan 9Member-onlyIdentity, Goals, and Systems: A Better Approach to 2023 ResolutionsJanuary 03, 2023 While wandering the streets during New Year’s Eve several years ago (pre-COVID), I came upon a tree. Our fellow NYE participants had covered the tree with small strips of paper using bits of twine or string to affix them to the branches. On each was a short…Goal Setting6 min readGoal Setting6 min read
Dec 10, 2022Member-onlyThe Problem With Feedback — It’s Hard to Listen ToThe day is August 18th, 1969. A dwindling crowd remains after an endless night of music at a farm outside Bethel, New York. After a long and full lineup of music all weekend long, only one artist is left to play at Woodstock. Jimi Hendrix and his band began playing…Careers6 min readCareers6 min read
Nov 25, 2022Member-onlyBe Willing to Change Your MindI heard something not too long ago that stopped me in my tracks. I was listening to a podcast while doing some yard work. The guest on the show was an author who had recently unpublished a book of theirs, citing it has caused more damage than good. …Software Development5 min readSoftware Development5 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Oct 18, 2022Member-onlyWhat’s the Point of Observability Anyway?October 17, 2022 Last week my team had a huge win: we recovered quickly from a bug in production. 🎉 At first, that doesn’t sound like a win. “You let a bug get through to production? How is that a win?!” I agree that bugs in production aren’t great. But…Software Development6 min readSoftware Development6 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Aug 25, 2022Member-onlyFlow and Developer ProductivityWe live in a culture obsessed with productivity. We want to read the morning routines of successful people. We analyze our calendars to avoid wasting a single minute. We track our output over time and learn every trick to increase it daily. While I caution against such an obsession, I…Software Development6 min readSoftware Development6 min read
Published in Level Up Coding·Jul 23, 2022Member-onlyStay Close to the CodeEveryone wants to progress in their careers. To go from junior to senior; from associate to partner. Maybe you want to move into management. It’s a noble pursuit, and for most of us, with enough work and skill, we will get there. And as we do, there is a phenomenon…Software Engineering5 min readSoftware Engineering5 min read
