Healthy Developer

Learning new technologies, frameworks, and processes as a programmer gives you a feeling of accomplishment. But unchecked, learning can become a dangerous addiction that damages your software development career.

In this episode, I share how software engineers can cap their earning potential if they fall into common traps when learning is the absolute wrong thing to do. If you want to have a long career in software and get the rewards, recognition, and success you deserve - knowing when to (and not to) learn is essential.

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:22) 1. How Learning Addiction Harms Tech Careers (1:28) 1.1 Procrastination (3:03) 1.2 Sunk Costs (3:57) 1.3 Declining Value (5:41) 1.4 Social Avoidance (7:15) 1.5 Work/Life Imbalance (8:48) 2. How To Know When Learning is a Trap (8:54) 2.1 Self-Delusion Your Project Requires It (10:01) 2.2 Self-Delusion You Need It To Get a New Job (11:20) 2.3 Influencer Hype and Vanity Metrics (13:03) 2.4 Tech Industry Pushes Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) (15:10) 2.5 Current Challenge Looks Easier in New Tech

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com

Have you ever seen another programmer who wasn't as skilled as you get promoted? Did you tell yourself management was making a mistake?

Earlier in my career I didn't realize I was doing some things that caused managers to lose confidence in me. I would spend all my time writing code and never think about how I came across to other people.

In this episode, I share some harsh truths I've learned about how being a software engineer can cause us to do things we think the company wants - that actually hurt our reputation in the long run.

Companies are actually paying you for confidence as a programmer. And this episode is full of practical strategies for making sure you don't fall into traps that stop you from getting recognized for the great code you write as a programmer - before your career is really getting started!

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:19) 1. What Companies Really Want From Programmers (2:12) 2. How To Build Employer Confidence as a Programmer (2:22) 2.1 Minimize Communicating Problems and Doubt (5:42) 2.2 Repeat Management's Desires (7:46) 2.3 Anonymize Blame on Dependencies (10:57) 2.4 Reduce Your Throughput (14:52) 2.5 Elevate Your Coworkers (17:05) 2.6 Over-communicate Status (20:11) 2.7 Highlight Discovered Shortcuts (22:20) 2.8 Document Verbal Decisions (26:58) Episode Groove

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com

Making videos, podcasts, or blogs could be just what your career as a programmer needs. But it could also be a complete waste of time. Many programmers become influencers, but there are two very different reasons for doing so.

In this episode, I share the difference between being a pure influencer, or posting online for content marketing. Content marketing is helping people solve some problem they have with your content to encourage them to consider doing business with you.

If you're considering working for yourself by starting a software product company, becoming a consultant or freelancer, or selling courses on software development or engineering - becoming an influencer through content marketing is the key to making sales and actually having a business.

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:27) 1. The 2 Purposes of Online Content (1:31) 1.1 For Social Status and Influence (3:49) 1.2 Demonstrating Competence (6:09) 2. How Content Marketing Helps Your Career (6:14) 2.1 Getting a Better Job (7:38) 2.2 Sell Products and Services (10:03) 3. 5 Myths of Content Marketing (10:12) 3.1 Your Ideas Must Be Original (12:31) 3.2 You Have To Post Everywhere (13:40) 3.3 You Have To Post All The Time (17:04) 3.4 You Should Post a Variety of Topics (20:40) 3.5 You Must Post in All Mediums (23:51) 4. Building a Business Through Content (24:13) 4.1 Give Away Something Valuable (26:37) 4.2 Have a Contact Form (29:40) 4.3 Get Referrals Through Shares (32:53) Episode Groove

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com

Six years ago I was suddenly struck with chronic insomnia where I couldn't sleep more than 3 hours a night. This lasted for nearly 3 years, and I struggled through sleep studies, behavioral changes, and all the typical tips you read online about overcoming insomnia.

Working as a programmer in the tech industry can create a lot of anxiety because we work with our mind. And if your mind is stressed out, add on to that the pressure of personal relationships and finances - and you've got a recipe for horrible sleep problems.

What ultimately treated my insomnia and helped me heal was a combination of psychological, behavioral, environmental, and physical changes I made. In this episode I share 25 practical steps you can try if you're personally struggling with getting a good night's sleep. I hope if you've lost hope that healing your insomnia is possible, my story and what I did gives you the courage to give it another try.

Learn about the CBT-i app: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/cbticoach_app_public.asp

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:15) Negative Effects of Insomnia (2:19) Categories of Insomnia Solutions (2:29) 1. Psychological Sleep Solutions for Insomnia (2:35) 1.1 Wrap Up Your Workday (3:57) 1.2 Keep a Notepad By Your Bed (5:03) 1.3 Schedule Worry Time (7:04) 1.4 Do 1 Thing You're Putting Off (8:41) 1.5 Reduce Social Media Use (9:21) 2. Behavior Sleep Solutions for Insomnia (9:27) 2.1 Set a Realistic Sleep and Wake Time (11:54) 2.2 Don't Look at The Clock (12:58) 2.3 Only Use Your Bed for Sleep or Sex (14:10) 2.4 Stay off Devices for an Hour Before Bed (15:19) 2.5 Quit Drinking or Doing Drugs (16:35) 3. Environmental Sleep Solutions for Insomnia (16:40) 3.1 Keep Your Room Dark and Cold (18:28) 3.2 Use a Fan or White Noise Generator (19:37) 3.3 Use Tungsten Light Bulbs (21:32) 3.4 Use a CPAP Machine or Tape (23:05) 3.5 Side Sleeping with a Tall Pillow (24:20) 4. Physical Sleep Solutions for Insomnia (24:24) 4.1 Don't Eat or Drink After Dinner (25:33) 4.2 Cardio Exercise Every Morning (28:45) 4.3 Reduce or Eliminate Caffeine (31:07) 4.4 Drink Water Throughout the Day (32:29) 4.5 Get Enough Magnesium

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com

We programmers love to "do it ourselves", and this can help us stay productive and keep ourselves busy. But the dark side of this tendency, is that it can make it harder to get help - when we actually need it.

In this episode, I share some ways I've learned that software engineers are trained by society, the workforce, and the software industry to resist getting help from others. Then I offer some practical questions you can ask yourself to know if you're in a situation where you should really adopt the DIY mindset - or avoid getting trapped into learning something you don't need to.

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:22) 1 3 Reasons Why Programmers Don't Get Help (1:28) 1.1 Individualized Education (2:02) 1.2 Corporate Reinforcement (2:41) 1.3 Gossip over Substance (4:49) 2 5 Reasons DIY Can Be a Bad Idea (4:57) 2.1 Low Repeatability Activity (6:41) 2.2 Outside Your Core Skill Set (7:41) 2.3 You've Failed 3 Times (9:23) 2.4 You Keep Putting It Off (10:41) 2.5 Easy Access to An Expert (12:33) Episode Groove

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com

Ever try to sell someone on why you're the right person for them to hire in tech? Or maybe you have a software product or offer freelance IT consulting services you need to sell? I'll bet you've run into the situation where the other person you're talking to doesn't seem to "get" why you're the best solution to their tech problems.

In this episode, I share what I've learned through digital marketing about how to really connect with the person you're convincing in tech, so they can understand the value you offer - and buy your idea. This can help you escape the corporate grind and work for yourself as an entrepreneur, consultant, coach - or sell courses. But it can also help you with the everyday challenge of convincing software architects, managers, and anyone you work with to support any idea you have.

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (3:02) Episode Outline (4:25) 1 How Aware Is Your Prospect of The Problem? (5:10) 1.1 Problem Unaware (7:27) 1.2 Problem Aware (9:46) 1.3 Solution Aware (10:43) 1.4 Ready to Buy (13:46) 2 How Well Do You Know Your Prospect? (14:44) 2.1 Basic Demographics (16:12) 2.2 Industry-Specific Demographics (18:21) 2.3 Psychographic Profile (21:29) 3 Are You Selling To The Right Prospect? (21:37) 3.1 Who's The Ultimate Buyer? (23:52) 3.2 What's The Prospect's Budget? (25:47) 3.3 How Urgent Is Solving The Problem?

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On the first software project of my career, I thought doing a good job was all that mattered to move ahead. And while I was successful, I was manipulated by many other programmers through political games. After that experience, I was tempted many times in my career to fight dirty. And sometimes, I made the wrong decision.

In this episode, I share the reasons why we're tempted as coders on software projects to throw ethics to the wind when the temptation for money, power, or prestige are strong. And how falling prey to that temptation may get you ahead in the short term, but it hurts you in the end.

I hope you find some encouragement to take the high road when faced with political games on software development teams, and refuse to bend to other people's will who are unethical!

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (2:04) 1. Why Programmers Are Tempted To Fight Dirty (2:09) 1.1 High Stakes Competition (3:00) 1.2 Visibility and Recognition (3:50) 1.3 Fear of Obsolescence (5:32) 1.4 Cultural and Structural Encouragement (8:22) 1.5 Misguided Notions of Success (9:37) 2. Resisting Corruption in Tech (10:31) 2.1 Long Term Results & Reputation (12:39) 2.2 The Power of Networking (14:54) 2.3 Personal Peace and Satisfaction (17:17) 2.4 The Ripple Effect of Positivity (18:42) 2.5 Faith In Doing The Right Thing (20:10) Episode Groove

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com

After my first decade of coding, I learned so much I thought: "I must be at least somewhat intelligent, right?". But there was something more valuable I lacked - wisdom. Without wisdom, you'll make decisions in your career that look right in the short term - but turn out disastrous over time.

Wisdom is the ability to make decisions when the rules don't apply. There's no book you can read, no guide to follow, and no clear cut answer. It's derived from experience, sound judgment, a broad perspective, and considering the ethical implications of a decision. And if you learn to cultivate wisdom, you can achieve the things that really matter in your career - and life.

In this episode I share why people in tech careers often mistake intelligence for wisdom. Then I'll help you understand why our industry is so prone to making unwise decisions. I'll go on to help you see the dangerous outcomes of short-term thinking. And finally, I'll share some practical things you can do to become a wiser programmer - and technologist in general.

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://healthydeveloper.com/coaching

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:23) Defining Intelligence and Wisdom (2:14) Stories of Intelligence and Wisdom (5:10) 1. How Tech Jobs Confuse Intelligence and Wisdom (5:20) 1.1 Equating Problem Solving with Broad Insight (6:27) 1.2 Prioritizing Speed over Sustainability (7:51) 1.3 Specializing vs Holistic Understanding (9:44) 2. How Ignoring Wisdom Hurts Us in Tech (9:51) 2.1 Ethical Implications (12:42) 2.2 Short-Term Over Long-Term Thinking (13:45) 3. How To Be a Wiser Technologist (13:52) 3.1 Expand Your Breadth of Knowledge (16:35) 3.2 Get a Mentor (18:30) 3.3 Reflect and Be Mindful (22:02) 3.4 Seek the Counsel of Generalists (25:02) 3.5 Engage with Non-Technical Communities

If you want a lasting career in software development, you've got to be wiser than your average coder. There's a lot of advice that promotes short-term thinking around programming, and if you aren't careful you can burn your bridges before you reach the finish line.

In this episode, I share what I've learned about why most programmers don't last in their career. There are 8 laws to a lasting career as a programmer. If you follow these laws, you'll not only move ahead much faster than most programmers - you'll be able to develop software in a healthy way!

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:33) 8 Laws to a Lasting Programming Career (1:52) 1. Embrace the Imposter (3:08) 2. Make Technology Stupid Simple (4:27) 3. Buffer and Delay Commitments (7:21) 4. Skip the Leveling Grind (9:29) 5. Pick Your Battles (11:18) 6. Always Be Networking (12:40) 7. Know When You're The Code Monkey (14:27) 8. Get Out While You Can (17:50) Episode Groove

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com

The familiar question "should I stay or should I go?" is common to programmers, or really anyone in a tech job. But it's tempting to just bail the moment you don't like some aspect of the job, hoping for greener pastures.

The flipside of this is when you probably should have left a long time ago but you stick around! Hey, I've been there. It's easy to have fear and blind spots make it hard to know what to do.

In this episode I share 7 signs it may be time to quit your toxic tech job and move on to something better. If you only see several of these signs, that's actually pretty normal. But if you're stacking up a bunch of these (or a few are particularly bad) you need to take action!

Join my Patreon: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon

Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/coaching

TechRolepedia, a wiki about the top 25 roles in tech: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/techroles

The Thriving Technologist career guide: https://thrivingtechnologist.com/guide

You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:57) 7 Signs it's Time to Quit Your Tech Job (2:42) 1. Personal and Professional Stagnation (3:32) 1.1 Self-Serving Pitching of Opportunities (4:42) 1.2 Career Advancement Opportunities (6:15) 2. Misaligned Goals or Ethics (6:22) 2.1 Unethical Asks by Company (7:19) 2.2 No Passion for Company (8:20) 3. Toxic Work Environment (8:30) 3.1 Poor Decisions by Management (9:47) 3.2 Micromanagement (10:56) 3.3 Lack of Support (11:50) 3.4 Overwork Culture (13:15) 3.5 Undervalued Employees (14:25) 3.6 Rife with Politics (15:56) 4. Work/Life Imbalance (16:04) 4.1 Unsustainable Work Hours (16:59) 4.2 No Flexibility (18:28) 5. Compensation Below Industry Standard (19:08) 5.1 Mismatch betweeen Qualifications and Pay (20:27) 5.2 Lack of Benefits (21:31) 6. Diminished Quality of Work (21:42) 6.1 Lack of Motivation (22:28) 6.2 Overlooked Contributions (23:24) 7. Better Opportunities Elsewhere (23:41) 7.1 Talk to People When Employed! (25:14) 7.2 Failure to Follow Industry Changes (26:32) Episode Groove

Visit me at thrivingtechnologist.com