Career on Jake Worth

Consulting

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

After more than a decade in the field as an engineering leader and hands-on practitioner, I’m thrilled to be offering a consulting service.

I am a strong contributor in three areas: technical consulting, mentorship, and workshops & teaching.

Technical consulting

I love digging into tough problems in greenfield and legacy code. A few things I’m good at:

Raising code quality (tooling, testing, monitoring & observability, building CI/CD pipelines)
Big scary bugs
Process improvement
Internal/external communication and meeting/ceremony refinement
Refactoring
Complex feature building
Requirements gathering and story-carding
Pair programming, code reviews, and hands-on coaching
Technical writing and documentation modernization

Mentorship

I have mentored dozens of software engineers. I love listening and helping people get better! My mentees are successful software engineers across the industry. I can meet on your schedule and cadence.

Leave a Trace

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:40:18 -0400

Always leave something behind. If you find something interesting, leave a trace that you were there.

You Learn a Codebase by Changing It

Thu, 28 May 2026 14:26:41 -0400

How do I “get up to speed” in a new codebase? Changing it.

Learning to Program in 2026

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 12:00:19 -0500

If I had to start over as a person who wanted to become a professional programmer, in 2026, what would I do?

Why I Write for Software Engineers and Engineering Leaders

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 09:47:19 -0400

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.

My Annual Review 2024

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s my annual review covering 2024.

Hard-Won Software Development Habits

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:19:47 -0400

This post is about how to write software well. It was inspired by this post with a similar title. Read it and write yours.

Being the Third Engineer

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:37:01 -0400

I was the third engineer hired by my company, not counting our technical co-founder. I like that position, and it seems to play to my strengths.

The Secret to Being a 10x Engineer

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Our industry has a concept of “10x engineers”, individual contributors who have the impact of ten colleagues. How can you become one? I’ll try to answer that in this post.

Reflections on Ten Years Professionally Programming

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I recently hit a decade of professional programming. I’d like to take a moment here and reflect on what I’ve learned.

My Annual Review 2023

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s my annual professional review covering 2023.

Take the Big Project

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Don't Ask for Advice; Ask for a Code Review

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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.

How to Write a Resume for Transitioning to Programming

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

As a mentor at Code Platoon, I’ve been able to help many people transition into programming. In this post, I’d like to focus on a vital part of that process: crafting your transitioning-to-tech resume.

How Luck Played a Role in my Career

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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

You Have to Get Fast to Get Good at Programming

Fri, 06 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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

Am I Too Old to Become a Programmer?

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

“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.

Stop Studying, Start Building

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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

Which Operating System Is the Best for Programming?

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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.

How to Find a Programming Mentor

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Why Getting Good Solves Most Career Problems

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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

Consultancy Cycles

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Working at a quality software development consultancy like Hashrocket early in your programming career could be a game-changing move.

My Annual Review 2019

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s my annual professional review covering 2018.

Learn to Test

Fri, 15 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000

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