A passion for programming. Part 1. Tip 3. Coding is not all
While there is a little time (although it is, of course, not), I continue to translate Chad Fowler’s book Passion for Programming.
PDF as always here .
<- Supply and demand
It is not enough just to think about the technologies in which you are going to invest your time. After all, technological knowledge is not yet a finished product. You do not think that you can just sit and calmly improve your knowledge of the programming language or operating system while the managers take on the rest of the business stuff. If they just needed a robot coder, then it would be easier to outsource the development. If you want to remain necessary, you will have to thoroughly study the subject area in which you work.
In fact, the developer must understand the subject area not just at a level sufficient for programming, but to be an expert in it. At the previous place of work I came across an example of this. The database administration team consisted of people who were not very interested in database technologies. When I realized this, for me it was amazing. I thought, “What do they do in IT at all?” In technical matters, they were not very savvy. But there was something special about this team. In addition to the fact that they stored and protected our data, they understood the subject area better than almost all of our business analysts. Their knowledge made them very attractive in the domestic labor market. While we, geeks, looked at them condescendingly, businessmen valued them very highly.
Imagine that you have your own repertoire and knowledge of the subject area - a very important part of it. For a musician, adding a song to his repertoire means that he does not just perform it once, it means that he knows it perfectly. Same thing in business. If you, for example, work in the field of insurance, this does not mean at all that you understand the difference between electronic data interchange transactions according to the HIPAA 835 and HIPAA 837 standards. It is this kind of knowledge that distinguishes two equally valuable developers in a certain situation.
You can be “just a programmer,” but speaking with a client in his language is one of the most important skills. Imagine how much better life would be if everyone with whom you work understood how software is developed. You would not have to explain why it’s bad to return 30,000 entries to one page of a web application, and why you shouldn’t send links to the internal development server. So your business clients think the same about you: oh, how much easier it would be if these programmers understood what they were asked to do and I would not have to chew everything to the smallest detail. And what is surprising: these people pay you money too!
In the same way as technologies, subject areas can be in greater or lesser demand and be selected on the basis of the same considerations. Java and .NET are now on the rise and if you know them, you can apply for a job in one of the many companies that hire specialists in these technologies. The same is true for subject areas. You should pay attention to the choice of the industry in which you will work, and the choice of technology in which you will improve.
The time has come to think about in which subject area you will invest your time.
In light of the importance of choosing the right subject area when building your portfolio, choosing a company and an industry for which you are going to work becomes an important part of your investment for you. If you have not seriously thought about what subject area you will invest in, then now is the time. Every last day is a lost opportunity. It is like keeping savings on a low-income deposit when more profitable ones are required. Leaving your development in the direction of business in stagnation is not the best investment at all.
Schedule a lunch with a person doing business. Talk to these people about how they work. When communicating, ask yourself the question, what would you change or study if you would like to work in their place. Ask about the features of their daily work. Ask about how technology helps them (or interferes) with their work. Look at your work through their eyes.
Repeat it regularly.
This may seem strange and not very convenient. This is normal. I started doing this a couple of years ago and felt a huge change in my understanding and attitude towards the business in which I worked. Another positive effect was that it became much calmer for me to talk to customers.
Take a magazine that reviews your company's field of activity. You may not even have to buy it. In most companies, there are a bunch of old issues of such magazines lying around. Begin to work through these files. At first, you may not understand everything that is written in them, but be persistent. Make a list of questions and ask them to your management or ask your customers. Even if your questions look stupid, customers will appreciate your eagerness to learn.
Also select sites in your area that you can browse on a regular basis. Both on the websites and on the pages of magazines pay special attention to the main news and innovations. What problems do people face and struggle in this area? What is the most important and hotly debated issue now? Whatever it is, discuss it with your customers. Ask them to explain it in more detail and get their opinions. Think about how these changes affect your company, your department, your team and, ultimately, your work.
PDF as always here .
<- Supply and demand
3. Coding is not all
It is not enough just to think about the technologies in which you are going to invest your time. After all, technological knowledge is not yet a finished product. You do not think that you can just sit and calmly improve your knowledge of the programming language or operating system while the managers take on the rest of the business stuff. If they just needed a robot coder, then it would be easier to outsource the development. If you want to remain necessary, you will have to thoroughly study the subject area in which you work.
In fact, the developer must understand the subject area not just at a level sufficient for programming, but to be an expert in it. At the previous place of work I came across an example of this. The database administration team consisted of people who were not very interested in database technologies. When I realized this, for me it was amazing. I thought, “What do they do in IT at all?” In technical matters, they were not very savvy. But there was something special about this team. In addition to the fact that they stored and protected our data, they understood the subject area better than almost all of our business analysts. Their knowledge made them very attractive in the domestic labor market. While we, geeks, looked at them condescendingly, businessmen valued them very highly.
Imagine that you have your own repertoire and knowledge of the subject area - a very important part of it. For a musician, adding a song to his repertoire means that he does not just perform it once, it means that he knows it perfectly. Same thing in business. If you, for example, work in the field of insurance, this does not mean at all that you understand the difference between electronic data interchange transactions according to the HIPAA 835 and HIPAA 837 standards. It is this kind of knowledge that distinguishes two equally valuable developers in a certain situation.
You can be “just a programmer,” but speaking with a client in his language is one of the most important skills. Imagine how much better life would be if everyone with whom you work understood how software is developed. You would not have to explain why it’s bad to return 30,000 entries to one page of a web application, and why you shouldn’t send links to the internal development server. So your business clients think the same about you: oh, how much easier it would be if these programmers understood what they were asked to do and I would not have to chew everything to the smallest detail. And what is surprising: these people pay you money too!
In the same way as technologies, subject areas can be in greater or lesser demand and be selected on the basis of the same considerations. Java and .NET are now on the rise and if you know them, you can apply for a job in one of the many companies that hire specialists in these technologies. The same is true for subject areas. You should pay attention to the choice of the industry in which you will work, and the choice of technology in which you will improve.
The time has come to think about in which subject area you will invest your time.
In light of the importance of choosing the right subject area when building your portfolio, choosing a company and an industry for which you are going to work becomes an important part of your investment for you. If you have not seriously thought about what subject area you will invest in, then now is the time. Every last day is a lost opportunity. It is like keeping savings on a low-income deposit when more profitable ones are required. Leaving your development in the direction of business in stagnation is not the best investment at all.
Act!
Schedule a lunch with a person doing business. Talk to these people about how they work. When communicating, ask yourself the question, what would you change or study if you would like to work in their place. Ask about the features of their daily work. Ask about how technology helps them (or interferes) with their work. Look at your work through their eyes.
Repeat it regularly.
This may seem strange and not very convenient. This is normal. I started doing this a couple of years ago and felt a huge change in my understanding and attitude towards the business in which I worked. Another positive effect was that it became much calmer for me to talk to customers.
Take a magazine that reviews your company's field of activity. You may not even have to buy it. In most companies, there are a bunch of old issues of such magazines lying around. Begin to work through these files. At first, you may not understand everything that is written in them, but be persistent. Make a list of questions and ask them to your management or ask your customers. Even if your questions look stupid, customers will appreciate your eagerness to learn.
Also select sites in your area that you can browse on a regular basis. Both on the websites and on the pages of magazines pay special attention to the main news and innovations. What problems do people face and struggle in this area? What is the most important and hotly debated issue now? Whatever it is, discuss it with your customers. Ask them to explain it in more detail and get their opinions. Think about how these changes affect your company, your department, your team and, ultimately, your work.
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/86590/
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