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Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

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Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#61

Post by aswanson »

noad wrote: post #21

I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…

Make a backup plan now

Truer words rarely spoken. Tech is Logan's Run, No Country For Old Men.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#62

Post by kemiller2002 »

codesections wrote: post #56

I was very surprised to read > 90%, of what I learn at one job is completely useless for the next one. That has not been my experience at all (and I've had some pretty major job changes, including lawyer -> software developmer). If I had to put a number on it, I'd say more like 50% of what I've learned at each job is transferable. How about everyone else? Closer to 10% or 50%?

Almost everything I learn on the job is transferable. I use anything I pick up to build associations with how other things work. If someone is throwing away 90% of what is learned, something is wrong.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#63

Post by kumarvvr »

deweller wrote: post #44

> PHP is banned at Amazon due to security reasons, but its successor, Hack, runs a lot of.. Just to be clear, Hack is not PHP's successor. Hack is a fork of PHP developed by Facebook. Hack will not overtake PHP any time soon. PHP has had security issues in the past. Sure you can do stupid things with it if you want, but modern PHP is security conscious out of the box. Frameworks like Laravel make great default choice…

A small question. Is PHP still a preferred platform for any sort of complex web development?

I have never even looked at the php site or docs, but I am curious.

In this day and age, is there a subset of Apps that PHP is suited for?

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#64

Post by ptero »

noad wrote: post #21

I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…

In my experience being under 40 is not a prerequisite for being hired in software. A suggestion: two of the biggest turnoffs that I personally see and would work hard to avoid (not saying you have either of those):

1. Sounding desperate. Do not cast a very wide net at one company -- you can apply to mid level and principal level positions at different companies, but do not blanket all job postings at one company. Choose one that fits you best and apply there.

2. Attitude. People with lots of experience often come in with "let me tell you how you should be doing this instead" approach which in most cases is a fatal wound. Learn what problems the company is solving and help them within their constraints, including using their tools and languages even if they look suboptimal.

Just as an anecdote, a friend (close to 50) working in software changed positions in Feb-March and had offers within 2 weeks. He chose to sit out at the dying unit to collect retention money; retention $ required not searching for jobs before he was officially let go, so he started his search from the "unemployed" state as well. It is certainly possible, good luck!

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#65

Post by codingdave »

maps7 wrote: post #58

I'm not sure how I should be reading the article so maybe it's going over my head. > Rule 10: When to make a microservice > I would use a microservice when I have a relatively small and simple chunk of code that needs to run every once in a while. Isn't this wrong? There's no reason a microservice should just run once in a while. It also creates a lot of complexity for a simple chunk of code.

Most of this article could be ripped to shreds based on its accuracy. But that isn't the point - he has developed a set of rules and guidance that work for your average developer just slinging code in an enterprise. And while yes, almost everything he says is "wrong" if we push the details... I can see that they are all "close enough" to build a workable framework for your basic 9-5 1x dev.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#66

Post by Tade0 »

> At first it was pretty simple, but then we got a lot of new frontend requirements and in no time, managing the front-end state was a total nightmare

If there's one thing I envy backend developers it's the fact that they don't receive even half the requirement changes the front-end does.

But I would refrain from pushing as much logic to the server as possible - it's never the better experience for most users in comparison to striking a balance between having it all on the server vs the client.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#68

Post by di4na »

A slight point on Erlang:

Erlang is good on business logic and not really good on making something "mathematically nice". It is more in the same place than the one you give to Go/Rust. Low latency good performance and great reliability (these things are linked) for web is a classic use of erlang or elixir.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#69

Post by gregoryl »

joelbluminator wrote: post #22
mozey wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Everyone knows that debugging is twice as hard as writing a program in the first place. So if you're as clever as you can be when you write it, how will you ever debug it?" -Brian Kernighan Over time I've come to appreciate this sentiment. Banging out clever code super fast isn't that important... Spending some time up front thinking about types and architecture pays off in the long run. Especially for server side c…

So every dynamic code is a "super fast" banged out clever code, and every static code is a well thought out architectural masterpiece right? Could you be more biased?

Do you have something better to contribute? I'd like to hear it, rather than just hearing you being a bit upset :)

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#70

Post by pc86 »

llarsson wrote: post #33
noad wrote: post #21

I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…

If you chose the word "desperate" deliberately, would you mind telling us/me why someone with two-to-three decades of experience becomes "desperate" for a job? What did you work on during those years? Did you keep up with the industry? I am asking out of interest for both you and me. For you, I want to help you regain confidence that is rightfully yours, because someone with your experience should not need to feel de…

Not the GP but I can hazard a guess:

> What did you work on during those years?

Line-of-business apps. VB.NET maybe? Or Java/J2EE type stuff. Probably jobs involving mainframes as core legacy systems? Things where "design" was more a function of where your WYSIWYG editor placed controls than conscious decisions.

> Did you keep up with the industry?

Enough to read HN, but not enough to keep learning new technologies and not languish at the same company for a decade writing the applications mentioned above.

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