Eight years ago I wrote a post called You Should Blog. In it, I made an argument that I still believe in: public, professional writing is something every engineer should try. Today, I want to share why I write, and have for over a decade.

Something I’ve learned as an engineer: when presented with the option of working on a big project, or doing anything else, take the big project.

Here’s some advice about programming I’ve found useful: “Don’t ask for advice; ask for a code review.” In this post, I’d like to explore what I think this adage means.

You have experience in another field. You want to be a programmer. You need a resume that helps you do that.

I believe that luck is part of every professional journey. Here’s a sampling of the luck I’ve had.

Great programmers aren’t fast because they’re great. They’re great because they’re fast.

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb

I mentor adults who are learning to program after serving in the military. Some are in their late twenties, and some are twice that age. A common concern is that they are too old to be changing careers to programming.

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone learning to program: build.

This advice might be most helpful to beginners. But it’s been valuable to me to revisit at different points in my career. In some ways, this post is for me.

Steve Martin once said the secret to success is to “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” How do you get that good as a programmer? The most direct path I know is to build things.

Which operating system is the best for programming? This is a perennial question in code boot camps where I’ve taught. I think students see the choice as a fork in the road, and they want pick the right direction. I don’t think there is a right direction. When you’re starting out, my advice is to try each one and choose for yourself.

I have collected a group of mentors over the years. I call on them frequently to talk through tough problems. I think I’m better at my job because of this regular, impartial outside feedback. I’d wish this for everyone! In this post, I’ll try to reverse-engineer the path I took to get here.

What should you focus on at the beginning of your programming career? My unflashy answer is: being really good at programming.

What is a skill one could learn to set themselves apart from other entry-level programmers? Testing.

A few years ago, I wrote my first computer program. Today, I am a full-time programmer. In this post, I’ll list the resources and ideas that helped me get started.