Tips to help you up your SQL game — According to JetBrains’ 2020 Developer Ecosystem Survey, 56% of developers utilize or interact with a SQL database in their development environment. Even so, most developers view SQL concepts as a secondary concern, as they are often interacting via their chosen language and do not play much of a part in…

Hire for company fit, not a culture fit — It is common advice in the tech industry that employees should change jobs at least every two years. According to Monster.com, moving jobs often gains you a 25% increase over the typical yearly raise. …

Should you go back to school or try to teach yourself — let’s discuss your options — You may or may not have a degree, a career, or an education in computer science. None of these are necessary to break into the technology industry. Regardless of your current condition, wanting to switch careers is understandable. The technology industry is booming — yes, still — and worth the…

When Scrum does actually work, it’s indeed magical — Almost every team I’ve been on has claimed to use some form of Scrum methodology to manage their workflow. Rarely has it been effective or even real. Honestly, earlier in my career, the idea of a strict agile, Scrum workflow was terrifying. Having to get work done in a set…

Coding challenges are stressful, but your response to the stress speaks louder than your technical skills ever could — When interviewing for a position in the tech industry, you will typically go through at least three rounds of interviews before any offer is considered. The rounds usually look something like this: HR screening: HR is contacting you to make sure you’re not crazy or completely lying about your experience…

Interviewers aren’t robots, but they can read you like a polygraph machine — One thing that the tech industry can agree on is that technical interviews suck. Unfortunately, we also agree that they are necessary. The ideal compromise is that applicants will prepare for technical interviews and employers will not try to stump us. …

Imposter Syndrome is a very real and problematic experience for anyone entering a new career, a new company, or any new experience. I work in tech and the concept gets a lot of airtime in our industry, but this issue affects people in a variety of fields. When things get…

Yes, I mean it — put down the lists and the outlines and the brainstorms and just start somewhere. Even better, start at the point that makes you most excited about whatever project it is you are considering. This advice might sound counter-intuitive and I think it actually is. And…

Full disclosure: This tutorial is inspired by a couple of workshops that I attended at the Virtual Grace Hopper Celebration this year. Thursday was Open Source Day at the conference and, though I didn’t get to attend all of the workshops, I attended those aimed at beginners and learned a…