How to be a Successful Software Engineer

http://blog.darkhax.com/2010/11/16/how-to-be-a-successful-software-engineer

by darkhelmetlive • 16 years ago

47 13 16 years ago

blog.darkhax.com

kertap2• 16 years ago

I really liked this article.

I've been using dropbox in much the same way you use Google docs. I like that added feature that the files are available on my computer and I can easily get them through the drop box site if I need to.

I've also been using my ipad in much the same way as you use your kindle. I've read so many books since I got it.

I could probably increase my online participation. I think this is my 6th comment on HN. I should really fix up my blog too.

darkhelmetlive5• 16 years ago

Thanks!

Dropbox is another tool I use, mainly for quick file transfers. I used it a lot in school, where I would print out finished assignments (have to hand something in I guess), but then put it on Dropbox as well in case something happened to the hard copy (like I stupidly forgot it at home...).

The iPad is good for reading too, though I imagine my eyes would like the Kindle better. It's really easy to stare at for hours. I want to get an iPad for reading Instapaper stuff and RSS feeds.

What's your blog?

sudont• 16 years ago

What's your experience with the Kindle's screen? I'm pretty much sold on it, but have a lot of image-based PDFs that wouldn't convert to the native format.

kertap2• 16 years ago

My blog is http://www.turtledome.com/blog/. It's in need of some love and i really need to do something about the landing page of the site.

Hominem• 16 years ago

hahah he left out "write blog posts about NoSql and Node.js" and "talk about how awsome your macbook pro is"

darkhelmetlive5• 16 years ago

I knew I forgot something... :)

pluies• 16 years ago

A post on how to be a successful software engineer from someone who left school two years ago... Isn't a bit preposterous to write such patronizing articles so early? :)

(Of course this criticism comes from someone still in school, so you should take it with a grain of salt. Or appreciate the irony.)

darkhelmetlive5• 16 years ago

Well, I did sort of pick the title knowing it is a little bit of link bait. :)

I did throw in the disclaimer at the top...hopefully I can look back at this article and see that I was right, at least for me. If I can follow my own advice, keep doing what I am, and kick ass, then I'll be happy. If some or all the points I talk about work for you, even better!

What school are you in?

strlen• 16 years ago

When I was 13, I thought I was an excellent programmer because I could use inline assembly in Pascal to put my graphics card into VESA mode and draw circles. I gave everybody advice, with absolute confidence. My geocities web page was full of tips and tutorials.

Now, at 27 I think there are many things I should improve upon and many things I have to learn. Isn't it sad how much worse I've gotten in those 14 years?

(For the sarcasm impaired: < http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/1343 >)

MaysonL• 16 years ago

At 64 I'm finally learning Lisp. Ah the wasted years.

SkyMarshal• 16 years ago

I started reading and my first thoughts were, 'yeah, yeah, seen this all before, newb software engineer thinks he's the first person to realize all this stuff...'

Then I hit 'Be Asynchronous', and thought it was brilliant. This is the solution to the multitasking craze, a systems-term with business buzzword potential I can actually get on board with. This is what Harvard Business Review and MBA lemmings should have been advocating all those years ago - don't multitask, be asynchronous. Prioritize, and renice the lower priority stuff and push it into background processes where it gets CPU cycles only if the high priority stuff isn't busy. Get the same stuff done without running yourself ragged while maintaining the capacity to achieve flow and think thoroughly and deeply about the higher priority stuff.

Nice work. You should write an article on just Multitasking vs. Asynchronous, then send it off to Harvard Business Review. They've published a few articles lately critiquing multitasking, but without clear next steps. Show them the way forward.

"Be asynchronous

This one is weird, but I wanted to talk about it anyway.

Actually use todo lists and RSS feeds. Like email, these are asynchronous systems. You send an email, subscribe to a feed, or write down a todo item, and you don’t worry about it too much anymore. Sure, you check your email the next day or read your feeds before bed, but you don’t have to keep checking a website for new content or be sitting staring at the “John is typing…” text on Skype. You can dedicate time to dealing with things, write them down when you think of them, and deal with them in the time you’ve set aside. The more you can get out of your brain into some other system the better. This allows you to focus on the task at hand. Later, when the time comes to deal with email, or read feeds, you can focus on that.

These are some things that apply more to computer related fields , but I list them because they’ve really helped me out."

darkhelmetlive5• 16 years ago

Thanks! There's always more to learn, and I'm definitely not the first to realize these things.

Glad you found some of it insightful. I'll take you up on your suggestion, and I've added the "Multitask vs Async" post idea to my list.

How to be a Successful Software Engineer

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