How Femgineers End the Year: By Becoming Better Developers

“Becoming Better Developers” By Frances Advincula

With all this nonsense about the world ending today, I couldn’t help but chuckle at a post I saw on my Facebook feed, “I’m expecting the world to end with a bang, not a whimper.” Although we definitely don’t entertain such laughable notions, I think we could very well apply that to 2012 as it comes to a close.

This year was a big “growing up” year for me. I got interviewed at a dream company, didn’t get in, graduated, got published, moved countries, moved cities,  got a ding from b-school (Please don’t ask me what I was thinking…), traveled around Asia, got into a masters program, got heartbroken a few times, lived out of a suitcase, started writing for Femgineer, ran a race, and took a job at another dream company. I actually took a picture of all the things that I wanted to accomplish this year, and when I look at it, I feel torn between feeling happy about what I did accomplish and a bit guilty, even scared about the things that I didn’t get around to, or the things that I failed at. What if I could’ve tried harder? Did I waste the last year just coasting along?

Unfortunately, all that moping around is not going to get me anywhere. I want to stop thinking about things, hoping for things, regretting things, and JUST DO THINGS. So, my fellow femgineers, in the spirit of the witty Facebook comment above, I invite you to join me to end 2012 with a bang. Do the one thing from your list that you didn’t get around to.  Don’t list all the what-ifs, the could’ve beens; just do it. You don’t have to finish — just start now.  Go write that book, apply for that job, start that project, join the gym, ask the boy out.  Mainly for me, I wish I could’ve invested more of the year in becoming a better software engineer. In all honesty, sometimes, when I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is code some more. But it is all a matter of perspective, balance, and making steady progress. “Baby steps,” a good friend of mine likes to remind me. On that note, I thought I’d make a round up of the things we could start doing this holiday season (instead of watching re-runs of NCIS) that would make us better software engineers. If you have any suggestions, feel free to share in the comments!

Read the classics. A mentor of mine once said that one should read the top books in whatever industry you work in. I asked around the guys at work, and these are a few of the favorites. I’ve read some of these or a variation in undergrad, but I think it’s time we revisit them.

• Code Complete  and  The Pragmatic Programmer . The first two books I honestly have never read, but the reviews say it should teach us design and programming best practices.

• The C Programming Language. C is the lingua franca of all programmers, and well, if you follow Joel Spolsky, you know how he feels about being proficient in C.

• Introduction to Algorithms. What makes a good programmer is a solid foundation in algorithms. Working in front-end has made me a bit rusty, so although I didn’t pick up this huge book, I did get Algorithms in a Nutshell just recently.

• Design Patterns. The ultimate classic and pioneer on software design. We had a design patterns class at work, so if you are looking for a more gentle approach to design patterns, you can try Head First Design Patterns. It’s hilarious.

• Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. This has improved the way I think about code like no other. I even wrote a summary about it here, but really, you have to read it!

 Get started in open source. I planned to do this over Thanksgiving break. Instead I flew to the desert, rock climbed, hiked the Grand Canyon, learned Salsa, and did a mud run. Oh well, it’s all about balance right?  But I did finally set up my GitHub account and picked the projects I want to start! If you need more convincing why we women especially need to be active in open source, you might like this article. Finally, here is a  hands-on tutorial on open source “rules” and other things one must know (and cool projects in the site too!), plus a fun guide on using git.

Learn the things you’ve always wanted to learn. For me, these are the two books I’ve always wanted to read when I have time someday. Yeah, well someday arrived yesterday. I finally bought the books, so I have no excuse not to get started!

SMACSS  is supposed to teach me how to architect the CSS in an application.
Granted that in my current project, I have ownership of the styling of an entire product (under the watchful guidance of a software architect), I am pumped to dig in!

Seven Languages in Seven Weeks. Mostly because I do believe exposure to different programming paradigms allows a developer to be more creative in coming up with solutions. Partially because I have always wanted to be a polyglot — nevermind that these aren’t human languages.

Be an expert in something, starting with a blog. I cannot tell you how many great new connections I have made through the blog posts I write. I had no idea people even read my random musings — my blog isn’t that great, let me tell you. However, as a professional, having a blog shows that you care about your industry enough to pay attention to trends and that you are passionate enough about the work to spend time on it outside of the normal 9-5.

From this very well-written article by Tim Ferris, “8 Steps to Getting What You Want… Without Formal Credentials“, he lists more reasons why you can position yourself to be an expert in something through a blog.

• You get the education of reading practical books related to your field.
• You demonstrate to potential clients/employers that you understand content related to your chosen field.
• You demonstrate your willingness and curiosity to continue upgrading your knowledge in your chosen field.
• You demonstrate your researching ability.
• You demonstrate your writing ability.
• You demonstrate your critical thinking ability.
• You demonstrate your creativity.
• Through your writing, you develop and demonstrate your unique professional personality and character, setting you apart from the zillions of faceless resumes.
• You develop and demonstrate your social media skills.
• You begin developing your profession.

Plan your days/weeks/months/life like a ninja. A friend of mine runs his life like a business, and although I don’t take it to that extreme (maybe that’s my problem?), he is a big fan of the 4th generation planner suggested in the classic book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It allows you to see the big picture as far as the week goes, and your roles as a person (software engineer, student, writer, daughter, friend, what have you), so that nothing slips through the cracks. You can print out a DIY page here.

Although I am also a big fan of usual Todo.ly/Evernote/Google Calendar, I really am more of the paper and pencil type. I absolutely love this beautiful, magazine-like planner that I used to have when I lived in Manila.

 Be grateful. You didn’t get to where you are by yourself. Don’t forget to take the time to show your appreciation to all the people who believed in you. Reach out to the old classmates who were always there with the can of Red Bull during finals week, to the girl who was nice to you on your first day at your first internship, to your bosses who took a chance at hiring you even though you blanked out when they asked you to do a wiggle sort, to your mentors who know when to serve you with that much-needed reality check. Whether by card, by phone call, or by email, make sure you take the time to say thank you.

Finally, don’t forget to volunteer this holiday season, to use your talents and skills to give back to your community, whether it is through a hackathon for a charity or even just helping a friend with a programming assignment or job applications. Put those skills to good use! Plus, isn’t it just so fulfilling and refreshing to be a part of something greater than yourself?

I love it how this holiday season, everyone is just eating, watching TV, and spending money. Not you. You’re starting your 2013 Year of Awesomeness several days ahead of the rest of the world. So go forth, fellow femgineer, happy holidays and have a prosperous, productive new year!

Frances Advincula writes the series Frances Fridays.  Frances recently graduated with a degree in Computer Science with specialization in Software Engineering, she now works as a Software Developer for Accenture (Software).  A proud geek girl, she’s sure she is the only one who can’t play video games. Follow her random musings at @FranAdvincula.

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