How to Live Long and Prosper in Tech

"Being a developer is not for everyone. To survive in this industry, you have to be passionate about technology and coding. Learning is just something you do day in, day out. That's not to say once you get into tech as a coder, you can't morph into something else. That happens all the time.".

That was roughly my introduction to a talk I recently gave to a class of adult developers in the midst of a 20 week coding boot camp. They came from many backgrounds, but the common theme was they were just beginning to learn to code, and quickly. The prospect of tripling triple their income without going to college (or back to college) was highly appealing, and why wouldn't it be? I just wanted to give them some lessons learned over my career and make sure they were on this path for the right reasons. Here is a summary of my "words of wisdom"... for better or worse.

Read, Learn.. Everyday

Technology changes so rapidly. Fad languages and frameworks go in and out of fashion all of the time. Some survive (like Java) when they are broadly adopted and address deficiencies in the market. Even a fixture like Java changes though. You need to stay on top of new features, projects, design patterns, etc. Constantly. Others technologies fall to the wayside for various reasons, but the gist of the issue is lack of adoption for reason x, y and/or z. You have to know which tech to stop following and in a timely manner.

One of the questions a student asked was what do I read? I had to think about that, but the answer was "it depends". I mostly follow links to articles on Twitter or LinkedIn from colleagues or industry leaders that I respect. I don't exactly have a set "go to" sources.

The learning part can come from various blogs, tutorials, YouTube, Udemy, whatever gets the job done. Most of us are self-taught when it comes to learning new tech after our first job. Rarely have I attended training other than conferences that were paid for by my employer. Not to say that many companies won't provide that as part of your perks though. I guess I was too busy to go that route and with plenty of books and online resources, self-learning is too convenient.

Don't Pigeonhole Yourself, Embrace Change

Don't get too comfortable making widgets. That is the surest way to become extinct. There will be a better, cheaper way to make widgets at some point in your career or widgets will become out of favor. Diversify. Expand your purview and in turn, your value. Full stack developers are in high demand. If you are a backend developer, create a side project and learn the front end. You don't need to be an expert, just know it. Understand it. Believe me, it will create value for you as a developer and employee. Despite what touchy feely phrases human resources may use, we are commodities. If you are not adding value, your company will find someone that does. In the end, you have to deliver.

Change is inevitable. Embrace it. Own it. I'm not talking about change for the sake of change, but legitimate changes coming from internal or external sources. It may be changes in technology trends, re-organization at your company, new responsibilities added to your job description, etc. If you have positioned yourself for success, you will come out on top. This can really be thought of as making your own luck. Being proactive in your career will better ensure that you will continue to be successful in times of change.

Take Care of Yourself

Sleep

I can't stress how important sleep is. Sleep deprivation affects every aspect of your life. Mood, performance and productivity, health, on and on. Your brain needs adequate sleep to function properly. I need a minimum of 6 hours but do best with 7.5-8 hours. Everyone has a different need here. Find yours and make it a priority.

Stand up/Exercise

Sitting is the new smoking... even worse. The metabolic changes that occur from sitting for long periods of time can lead to so many health issues. Stand up! Exercise helps, but an hour of exercise can't negate the damage10 hours of sitting does. Use a standing desk if available, otherwise stand up every 15-20 minutes. I have to get creative to get my exercise in. I stretch and do squats and calf raises while I brush my teeth (to the ridicule of my son).

Work Life Balance

It is talked about a lot today, but it is really important to make time for family and friends. All work and no play can lead to burnout. Hobbies are important too. One of my hobbies is actually creating mobile apps. I also like giving technical workshops for kids and adults outside of work. It's ok if your hobbies are technical. It's YOUR hobby, do what makes you happy.

I will lump vacation into this category as well. Taking vacations, even if they are stay-cations, will improve your productivity and increase your value and longevity as a developer. When is a good time to take it? Never. There is always something you have to delay or put on hold to take time off. Don't stress. It will be there when you get back.

Paying it Forward

As developers, we have gained skills that others want. We have added value to contribute. Think mentoring co-workers, junior developers, kids, or adults.I enjoy teaching because I feel like I have been gifted with knowledge that others can benefit from. Paying it forward means doing something for someone without expectations of them giving us something back. However, the truth is by teaching and helping others be successful in our profession, you do get something back. It feels good, obviously, but you also add value as a developer when you can mentor junior developers. Employers take notice when they see you giving brown bag presentations or working side-by-side guiding other developers. You will be looked at as a leader in your department. Also, you learn while preparing to teach a class or give a presentation. You'll also re-enforce the skills you already have during preparation of materials or creating demos. Paying it forward is not just a professional mantra for me, I incorporate it in my everyday life. It just feels right.

Open Source - The Opportunity

Open source software (OSS) is community-driven software with the source code freely available. OSS solutions cross a gambit of industries and use cases. Most, if not all, OSS projects usually have more needs than active developers which equals an opportunity for you. Pull down the source code. Look at the issues/enhancements list. They may be in Jira, github issues or something else. Most OSS project have documentation to follow for developers to contribute. Grab some low hanging fruit issue or whatever issue appeals to you and submit a patch. The committers of the project will review your code and make suggestions or merge your code as is. This is your chance to show off your skills! Don't take shortcuts. Following any guidelines laid our by the project owners to a T. If the project is upstream to some companies product, it is not uncommon to get job offers from said company. This happens often at Red Hat.

In Conclusion

There is a growing backlog of jobs in development. That's a good thing for us of course, but it's not for a lack of interest from job seekers. It's due to a lack of qualified candidates. I believe following these guidelines will separate you from the pack and help you extend your technology career over 30-40 years (or more?). Happy coding!