In this episode of The Programming Podcast, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel dive deep into the topics of consistency, networking, and the actionable steps that can help you achieve your career goals in tech. Whether you’re trying to break into the industry, level up to a senior role, or simply stay on track with your New Year’s resolutions, this episode is packed with advice, real-world anecdotes, and motivational insights to keep you moving forward.We cover:The power of networking: Why building connections is critical, how to send effective messages, and what you should avoid.Consistency and goal-setting: How writing down your goals and staying accountable can create lasting change.Overcoming fear and self-doubt: Tips to push through the fear of rejection and take the first step toward success.Real-life success stories: Hear how people have transformed their careers with simple but effective actions.The importance of action: Why taking even small steps daily can create exponential growth over time.If you’ve ever wondered how to get a coffee chat, write a cold message that gets a response, or break through the mental blocks holding you back, this is the episode for you.Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at [email protected]!If you enjoyed this video, please Like, Share, and Subscribe for more tech career insights and tutorials.

Chapters

0:00 -Introduction: Learning from Conversations
Danny and Leon reflect on their experiences helping thousands of people and how common trends emerge in success and failure.

1:05 -Welcome to The Programming Podcast
Danny and Leon introduce themselves, the podcast, and how listener feedback fuels their motivation.

2:12 -Leon’s Wildfires and Community Support
Leon shares his experience dealing with wildfires, his community’s incredible support, and the value of consistency in building trust.

4:35 -The Power of Showing Up Consistently
Leon explains how consistency has been the foundation of his success, even in difficult situations.

6:08 -How Your Goals Reflect Your Actions
Danny and Leon discuss the importance of keeping your goals visible to stay motivated and accountable.

10:05 -Why People Break Their New Year’s Resolutions
Exploring the concept of "Quitter’s Day" and common mistakes people make when building habits.

13:02 -Identity and Goal Setting: Key to Consistency
Leon dives into how adopting an identity tied to your goals helps maintain motivation.

16:30 -Making Your Goals Visible
Danny shares his system for writing goals on index cards and keeping them in sight as a daily reminder.

20:00 -Planning Your Days with Intent
Why planning your days, weeks, and years intentionally is crucial for long-term success.

23:06 -Networking: A Game-Changer for Your Career
The importance of networking and how it’s helped people land jobs, build opportunities, and grow professionally.

27:14 -Overcoming Fear and Taking Action
Leon discusses how fear and self-doubt hold people back and why taking that first step is critical.

30:00 -Danny’s First Freelance Project
Danny shares how a conversation at a restaurant led to his first freelance web development project.

40:52 -How to Write a Great Coffee Chat Message
Tips and strategies for crafting personalized, effective messages that get responses.

50:00 -Consistency in Podcasting and Helping Others
Danny and Leon talk about their commitment to showing up for the podcast and scaling their impact.

54:01 -Final Thoughts and Call to Action
Danny and Leon encourage listeners to take action & network.

Where should you invest YOUR time in tech? Are you trying to break into tech, learn to code, or just stay ahead in a rapidly evolving AI landscape?

In this episode, Danny Thompson (Director of Technology at This Dot Labs) and Leon Noel (Managing Director of Engineering at Resilient Coders and Founder of 100Devs) dive deep into how to stand out in today’s competitive tech job market. They discuss common mistakes, the importance of qualifying yourself before you even get to the technical interview, the power of referrals, and what hiring managers are really looking for.

In this episode of The Programming Podcast, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel dive deep into the world of feature flags—what they are, why they matter, and how to use them to ship faster and smarter. They cover real-world examples of rolling out new features in production, the debate around staging environments vs. testing in production, and the pros and cons of unit testing. They also tackle freelance pitfalls—especially those 50/50 payment splits—and share practical tips on ensuring you always get paid. Whether you’re a startup engineer or working at a Fortune 500, you’ll find valuable insights on scaling, testing, and collaborating in modern software development.

Listen to The Programming Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts!

Spotify link

https://open.spotify.com/show/6d59PZ138KeoKfq5hoVvyQ

Danny's GitHub demo

https://github.com/TheDThompsonDev/featureFlagDemo

📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?

Email us at [email protected]!

Learn about the huge software developer mistakes that could cost you job opportunities in the hiring process. Don't make these critical errors!

Join Leon Noel and Danny Thompson as they discuss how to get a job in today's market as a software developer!

Danny Thompson

https://x.com/DThompsonDev

https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev

CommitYourCode.Com

Leon Noel

https://x.com/leonnoel

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/

https://100devs.org/

📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?

Email us at [email protected]!

Chapters & Timestamps

0:00 Intro & Catching Up

1:22 Leon’s Updates: 100 Devs & Job Hunt

2:40 Danny’s Updates: Building a Conference

4:05 Chasing Yeses (4,000 Emails!)

6:00 Introducing Feature Flags

9:00 Enterprise Use Cases for Feature Flags

13:00 Testing in Production vs. Staging

18:00 The Debate: Staging Environments

20:00 Edge Cases, QA, & Best Practices

23:00 Unit Testing Pros & Cons

28:00 Best Tools for Feature Flag Management

31:00 Freelance Question: 50/50 Payouts

34:50 Ensuring You Get Paid as a Subcontractor

37:10 Outro & Next Steps