The Laracasts Snippet

We love tools: linters, type checkers, test runners, asset compilers, et al. Whilst these tools can help solve problems, they might also be a sledgehammer when all you really need is a screwdriver. Let me tell you a little anecdote about upgrading my personal site to Laravel 11, and why sometimes removing a tool is even better than adding one.

Tell me what you think of this. We all have certain stories about ourselves that we repeat, like mantras. "I am the type of person who is X, therefore..." But, for all the reps, I'm not sure these are doing us any good at all.

Luke, here! I recently got the chance to attend and speak at Laracon EU 2024, and it was fantastic. The venue was awesome, the talks were amazing, but what really makes the event special are the conversations you have with like-minded developers. Let me tell you about it.

It occurred to me recently that, if my job consisted exclusively of writing code 40 hours a week, I don't think I'd be a programmer today. I might go out of my mind. The secret, from my experience, is to find your fit. Figure out how to combine all of your skills into some unique concoction that gets you through the day with a smile on your face.

If someone on your team presents a business idea to you, they've likely had it simmering in their head for quite some time. Don't be so quick to toss that idea aside. If there's such a thing as anti-patterns in business, this is one of them. Give the idea its due.

Programming taught me an interesting life lesson: be a stickler for the details. You see, getting the thing to work is only half the battle. You’re not done. Not even close. Yes, make it functional. But then make it readable. Should it also be flexible? Then do so. And certainly make it beautiful.

When it comes to business, I - like many developer-turned-small-business-owners, I’d imagine - am really quite green. Not just green, deep green. No MBA in sight. I’m not even sure what that stands for, to be honest. Master of Business Administration? Is that it? Yep, a master of business… yours truly is not. Can you relate?

In this episode, we'll talk about stealing techniques and approaches from other hobbies or industries. What have you learned from one hobby that might be useful for your programming career? I can think of a few.

It's hard to believe, but the last Laracasts Q&A episode was published over two years ago. Let's fix that with a new 2022 edition. I'll answer a wide variety of questions, including: how to initially plan a business, are lifetime accounts worth offering, why don't we have dedicated Laracasts apps, how to avoid content creator burnout, and more.

I often hear about flat organizational structures and how they lead to more autonomy and better collaboration. That could be true! It sounds appealing. But my worry is: don't you lose the zoomed out perspective in the process? From my experiences, that multi-focus hierarchy is essential.