[AMA] Ask me anything about software developer life.

[cryuff]

I've been working for more than 5 years as a software developer (for the last 3 only remotely).

I've been writing in C#, Javascript (Node, Vue, React, Angular), Object-Pascal, Ruby.

Ask me anything, I've got nothing to hide

 

[DunderMannen]

I have heard the times you work are very hectic, and you're basically obligated to work 10 hour shifts to be able to beat the deadlines. Is this true?

Do you have workfriends that you actually enjoy? (I guess this is a harder one since you're remote)

Usually the companies looking for workers specify A TON of different languages you should be familiar with, are they really looking for someone that knows 3 completely different languages or are they just trying to filter out the "bad" guys?

 

[williewat]

what convinced you to become a software developer?

 

[cryuff]

I have heard the times you work are very hectic, and you're basically obligated to work 10 hour shifts to be able to beat the deadlines. Is this true?

I've also heard that before I landed my first job, but in few companies that I worked for it was never a thing. I think I've had maybe 10 days in total that I worked more than 10 hours for past 5 years.

Do you have workfriends that you actually enjoy? (I guess this is a harder one since you're remote)

Actually I'll be changing companies in a few weeks because ex-colleague from a company we've worked together for recommended me. He is even from a different country, but we try to see each other at least once each year.

Usually the companies looking for workers specify A TON of different languages you should be familiar with, are they really looking for someone that knows 3 completely different languages or are they just trying to filter out the "bad" guys?

In my first job, they were very specific to look only for people that know object-pascal. Back then I only knew ruby & a little bit of javascript and I was still able to get that job. I would say that it is good to get to know one technology or language pretty well at the beginning, then it's easy to land your first job. Then it's getting easier, you can get a position in a technology that you will work with for the first time, but as you've got more and more experience, people that will want to hire you will know that you've got overall knowledge that will be sufficient to manage.

 

[DunderMannen]

In my first job, they were very specific to look only for people that know object-pascal. Back then I only knew ruby & a little bit of javascript and I was still able to get that job. I would say that it is good to get to know one technology or language pretty well at the beginning, then it's easy to land your first job. Then it's getting easier, you can get a position in a technology that you will work with for the first time, but as you've got more and more experience, people that will want to hire you will know that you've got overall knowledge that will be sufficient to manage.

So you're saying I could get hired if they're looking for a Java developer but all I know is Python? That's banging!

 

[alurosu]

Where do you find your projects?

 

[cryuff]

what convinced you to become a software developer?

I've started programming when I was 16, I earned some good money with Viral Facebook Apps, I also played a lot of games at that time (like FIFA & CS).
My mother pushed me to go to university, so I wanted to choose something that will be connected with computers, that how I became a computer science student. I've got a bachelor's degree now, but I don't think it's not necessary to have it really ( I've put my diploma into drawer after graduation and it is still there).

So you're saying I could get hired if they're looking for a Java developer but all I know is Python? That's banging!

I was a ruby developer and I get hired as an object-pascal developer. Then I switched to be a C# developer and my next position was Javascript developer, so it happened to me on multiple occasions

Where do you find your projects?

I've found my first job through a job offering site, then I switched companies by recommendations of my friends.
Right now I work for 6 hours per day for 4 days a week, rest of the time I spent on my side projects, like amazon affiliate sites, so I don't have much time to do freelance work, but from time to time I'll take project if it is for a friend or family (or they're paying really good).

 

[Abhi Balesh]

I have a little know of HTML and CSS, I moved to JavaScript but I don't seems to understand it, what do you advice for someone to better understand Javascript?

 

[lazguy]

what are your 3 biggest mistakes until now?

 

[cryuff]

I have a little know of HTML and CSS, I moved to JavaScript but I don't seems to understand it, what do you advice for someone to better understand Javascript?

I learn the best by doing, so I would say the from my point of view the best thing for you will be to create a small project, like a task list. By doing you will understand more and more, you will have time to learn design patterns etc later, the first thing should be to create something, so you will prove to yourself that you can.

what are your 3 biggest mistakes until now?

I'm a little bit lazy and I like stability just too much, so I would say I should have changed jobs more often, I always have learned the most in the first few months in the new project/company.

I'm thinking if going to university was a mistake, but I don't think so. You will always have a diploma and some big companies are still looking at it (I don't want to work for big companies, but maybe I'll be forced one day), and also you have some deeper knowledge about how computers & systems works, and out of nowhere it can be useful one day (at least I hope so, if not I wasted 4 years ).

Also during my last chat with my manager about my salary, I should have asked more

 

[ATuringtest]

If you have to create an app from scratch how do you plan its production.
Where do you start first?
Are there any tips on streamlining the process so that don't over complicate it.

 

[siarhei]

Where can I make a portfolio? I want to do it myself! tell me what are the tools for creating a portfolio?

 

[jamie3000]

As a fellow developer I have some questions I'd find your answers to interesting.

What's the worst code/system you've ever wrote? And what did you learn from this if anything?

Have you ever considered contracting?

How has Covid-19 changed anything for you or your company?

What does your workflow look like? Jira tickets? Sprints? Retros? Gitflow?

Have you ever considered becoming a specialist? The best of the best in a small niche. Eg k8s or microservices

Are you finding more companies are offering remote work slowly?

Thanks

 

[cryuff]

If you have to create an app from scratch how do you plan its production.
Where do you start first?
Are there any tips on streamlining the process so that don't over complicate it.

If I start a project alone I create a new Trello board, I create a Backlog column and add everything that I'll need to have MVP. I try to include everything I can think of that I'll need to have a working product.

That will ensure that you will have a working thing as soon as possible, so it increases changes that product will be created.

Where can I make a portfolio? I want to do it myself! tell me what are the tools for creating a portfolio?

What kind of portfolio? Websites, designs?

As a fellow developer I have some questions I'd find your answers to interesting.

What's the worst code/system you've ever wrote? And what did you learn from this if anything?

Have you ever considered contracting?

How has Covid-19 changed anything for you or your company?

What does your workflow look like? Jira tickets? Sprints? Retros? Gitflow?

Have you ever considered becoming a specialist? The best of the best in a small niche. Eg k8s or microservices

Are you finding more companies are offering remote work slowly?

Thanks

1. Delphi environment in my first job. Not because of the object-pascal, but because codebase was really old, methods, variables, etc not in English, etc.

What have I learned?
That monolith architecture works only for limited & small applications, and from colleagues, that if you will stay in a job like that for a long time it's hard to get another job.

2. I start my first job as a contractor in three weeks I'll work 4 days a week, for better money than I earned in 5days work before. I also have a client for some small system from time to time, so I'll have full one day a week, to either relax or work for somebody else.

3. Nothing really, the company that I've worked for the last 2 years is fully remote, though we've got two offices. They even had their best month in terms of revenue during COVID. And as I mentioned above I've found new job during COVID time, so from my pov it looks like it didn't after it sector that much.

4. It depends on the project really. I'm mostly using Asana or Trello for card-based coordination. I'm working in sprint-based teams, with everything included, so planning, daily's, reviews, retro etc.
When it comes to GIT I like to have three main branches, one for production, one for a client to check everything, and one for myself to check stuff before merging to client branch with production config.

5. I started to work for my previous company when they've released a new CMS enterprise system and I've become the guy who knows it the best as I was part of the first big project build in it.
Still, if you really know your stuff, you will be able to learn anything to work comfortably with language/system in a reasonable time and I prefer to work with people who know how to pick the best tool for what we are doing, and they don't want to always stick with technology just because they know it.

6. I don't have an opinion. I haven't been looking actively for work for a long time, as I only wait for good offers from my friends or Linkedin recruiters. I would say the ratio of no's for 'are you offering fully remote work?' on Linkedin has been quite the same for the past few years.

 

[siarhei]

If I start a project alone I create a new Trello board, I create a Backlog column and add everything that I'll need to have MVP. I try to include everything I can think of that I'll need to have a working product.

That will ensure that you will have a working thing as soon as possible, so it increases changes that product will be created.



What kind of portfolio? Websites, designs?



1. Delphi environment in my first job. Not because of the object-pascal, but because codebase was really old, methods, variables, etc not in English, etc.

What have I learned?
That monolith architecture works only for limited & small applications, and from colleagues, that if you will stay in a job like that for a long time it's hard to get another job.

2. I start my first job as a contractor in three weeks I'll work 4 days a week, for better money than I earned in 5days work before. I also have a client for some small system from time to time, so I'll have full one day a week, to either relax or work for somebody else.

3. Nothing really, the company that I've worked for the last 2 years is fully remote, though we've got two offices. They even had their best month in terms of revenue during COVID. And as I mentioned above I've found new job during COVID time, so from my pov it looks like it didn't after it sector that much.

4. It depends on the project really. I'm mostly using Asana or Trello for card-based coordination. I'm working in sprint-based teams, with everything included, so planning, daily's, reviews, retro etc.
When it comes to GIT I like to have three main branches, one for production, one for a client to check everything, and one for myself to check stuff before merging to client branch with production config.

5. I started to work for my previous company when they've released a new CMS enterprise system and I've become the guy who knows it the best as I was part of the first big project build in it.
Still, if you really know your stuff, you will be able to learn anything to work comfortably with language/system in a reasonable time and I prefer to work with people who know how to pick the best tool for what we are doing, and they don't want to always stick with technology just because they know it.

6. I don't have an opinion. I haven't been looking actively for work for a long time, as I only wait for good offers from my friends or Linkedin recruiters. I would say the ratio of no's for 'are you offering fully remote work?' on Linkedin has been quite the same for the past few years.

I would like to create a portfolio site about my professional services! can you tell me the tools to create such a site?

 

[CoderFromHell]

Would Git Hub projects spice up my resume for software developer jobs? How would a newbie be able to break into the industry today?

 

[siarhei]

Would Git Hub projects spice up my resume for software developer jobs? How would a newbie be able to break into the industry today?

Of course they will revive! This is a very important indicator for a recruiter.

 

[cryuff]

I would like to create a portfolio site about my professional services! can you tell me the tools to create such a site?

Do you know any programming language? If not you can use Drag&Drop tools like Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Scrivito, etc.
To create a page on your won you only need to know HTML & CSS, if you want to have some interactions/animations then you will need to use JS.
If you want to be able to change your site from some kind of administration panel, then there are many languages that are good for creating backend stuff, like JS, C#, Java, Python, Ruby etc.

Would Git Hub projects spice up my resume for software developer jobs? How would a newbie be able to break into the industry today?

It's a nice to have, but for sure not a must. I don't have a big open-source portfolio. If the recruiter asks me about it I just tell the truth, I work on projects that are making money and these projects are not open source or company that I'm making this for is the owner of the code I create.

Thought, if you want to land your first job quickly, then a small side project can for sure help & lower the number of interviews you will need to have to get that first job.

IMO if you've got some knowledge about programming, then you should work mostly on your interpersonal skills, it helps a lot, companies are often not choosing the best candidate when it comes to pure coding skills.

 

[BHTC]

you dont feel bored after prolong programming for different tasks and staring at the PC for several hours?

 

[tubeboost]

Are you going to use Asm or C?