What possible mistakes should I be aware of as a new engineering manager? Typical mistakes that almost every new engineering manager makes, why they are bad, and how to avoid them.

016: Unconventional ways to kickstart a career in tech (Interview with William A. Adams)

Jan 23rd, 2022 38m 56s

How can people without a traditional tech background get access to jobs in technology? As a manager, what can I do to find that kind of talent, and provide on-ramps to a career in tech? What roadblocks are there typically, and how to solve them

Holiday Special: Christmas gifts for nerds, Christmas gifts by nerds

Nov 21st, 2021 26m 41s

Holiday gifts from nerds - how you can give the gift of technology to make your loved ones' lifes better. Some services or products mentioned: Online backup: https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-backup.html Photo backup: https://play.google.com/s

Books: What are the best books about software engineering?

Oct 31st, 2021 28m 59s

This time the title says it all: The best books about software engineers, and for software engineers, from timeless classics to books that everybody knows and nobdy reads, to books that are not about software development at all but still highly

What should I wear to a job interview?

Oct 3rd, 2021 10m 33s

One of the most frequent topics when giving advice to new graduates about an upcoming job interview is: "What is a suitable outfit for a job interview?". The most important answer here is: Do not worry too much about it, what you are wearing is

Skills: How important are foreign languages?

Sep 20th, 2021 13m 51s

How important are foreign languages for a career in software development? There are really two kinds of foreign languages: English - and everything else. We talk about why that is, what matters about being able communicate in a foreign language

Management: What does an Engineering Manager actually do? A.k.a. What did you do at work this week?

Sep 5th, 2021 20m 51s

I assume the questions is supposed to mean "What does an engineering manager actually do?" But to start with, lets answer the question literally: If you've wanted to know what an example of a work week looks like for me, here's your chance to f

Engineering: Do you think unit tests are important?

Aug 22nd, 2021 18m 52s

The short answer here is of course "yes". The episode elaborates why, when, and for who unit tests have the greatest value, how to overcome reasons not to write tests, and lists arguments for why unit tests are important. Note: I mis-spoke i

Career: How do I pick a company to work for?

Aug 8th, 2021 38m 33s

It's not only about getting a job - it's about getting the right one. But how can you figure out if a company that makes you an offer is actually a company you want to work for? This episode describes a few non-obvious factors, like how the s

Education: Should I get a PhD?

Jul 25th, 2021 18m 52s

Today's question: Should I get a PhD? We depart from the usual well-balanced answer style to provide a definite recommendation - but of course, including all the reasoning behind it, as well as possible alternatives.

Job Applications: What is a job interview really like?

Jul 12th, 2021 26m 51s

Today's question: "What are job interviews really like?" Do you like going on job interviews? Almost nobody does. I will talk about things we do to make things as pleasant as possible for the candidate, but also tell you how to take advantage o

Job Applications: How long should my resume be?

Jun 27th, 2021 15m 36s

Today's question: How long should my resume be? The answer goes into details like: - how to experience yourself why a resume needs to be short - which information is most crucial to include in your resume - what to do about resume sections like

Education: What advice do you have for someone just starting college?

Jun 13th, 2021 14m 34s

In the answer: Reasons to go to university - and reasons not to go. How to successfully graduate with a degree in computer science. And some personal advice on how to have fun while doing that.

Cloud: Why use AWS vs. on premise datacenter

May 30th, 2021 15m 18s

What "running things in the cloud" really means. Why your dedicated data center is not as cheap as you think it is. Why it probably makes sense to use a cloud provider - but might not. What purchasing classifications have to do with servers.

Career: What do you think of people changing jobs very often?

May 16th, 2021 16m 46s

Today's question: What do you think of people changing jobs very often?" I will tell you what I think, and also how to avoid a negative impression - and why sometimes job change in quick succession might be perfectly OK.

Tech: Which language is the most useful to learn?

May 16th, 2021 36m 28s

So which programming language is the most useful to learn? This episode considers that question from all possible angles, starting with "I want to build a specific kind of application" to "Which languages is best as the first language for someo

Roles and Responsibilities: What is the difference between a lead developer, an architect, a project manager, and an engineering manager?

May 16th, 2021 19m 19s

A question about what different job titles commonly found in software project teams mean: What is the difference between a lead developer, an architect, a project manager, and an engineering manager? The episode contains answers like: - why t

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