Are you too old to learn software development at 30?
I know what you’re thinking… You’re on the young side of 30 and you’ve either started learning software development and are looking for a job, or maybe you’re back on the job market again; ready to see what new cards you get dealt, but is it too late? Will the landscape have shifted so much that you’ll feel out of place compared to theses 20 somethings who are younger, faster, and seem to run on a poor diet of espresso curtado and some 12$ packets of nuggets with kale in them? Can you compete with that? Is 30 to old for being a software developer?
The Answer, which most of you probably already know is ‘NO’, you’re going to be alright! To put this into perspective, we have talked about being much older and doing this and still making it work, so 30 will (comparatively) be a piece of cake. “30-32: you should not be worried about that, for sure. If you were in your late 40s or 50s working for startups could be an issue -although there’s lots of opportunity if you’re that age to get into freelancing, small business web development, small business development [consulting], but [30 years old], it’s not even close to being an issue.” In the previous articles we also spoke about domain knowledge ( the industry you might have previously worked in) and how that is worth way more, especially if you’re intending to use your software/web development in the very domain/industry you were a part of. “…if you have domain knowledge, that’s more important than knowing another framework or another programming language …you’re probably going to be a more valuable programmer in that regard…”
So there you have it, “generally speaking if you want to go work for a young startup, if you’re in your 40s or 50s you’re probably going to have an issue, unless you happen to be highly experienced in a particular area where that startup needs people. On the other hand there’s so much opportunity in terms of software development, that all the statistics that I’ve seen, there’s going to be this huge shortage (especially in North America) of software developers.”
The VLOG goes into more of an explanation plus some very interesting anecdotes about the state of software development, you should check it out. Speaking of ‘checking out’, our courses are linked at the bottom and they take advantage of almost 3 decades in the industry and are created to get you up and running and ready to create and tackle most problems you’ll encounter out there; also worth checking out. -Enjoy!
Getting into game programming with C# or C++ and talking about the realities…
So, should you learn C++ and C# to get into game programming? Well, as we’ve explained many times on this BLOG and the VLOG, “learning programming and how to code, regardless of the language, makes no difference really in the end, because if you learn language “A” and you realize there no jobs there, you have the opportunity to quickly and easily go to language “B”, “C”, “D”, or “E” -it isn’t a big deal. The only time you shouldn’t be concentrating on a programming language of course, is RUBY…” <BOOM!!> RUBY joke [gotta have at least one, where we can]. “…yeah, even RUBY, there’s lots of work out there for RUBY developers: Rails. And even if you end up not using RUBY, you’ll probably end up learning Python, and knowing RUBY will make learning Python pretty easy.”
But with that out of the way, let’s talk about ‘fun’ and what is ‘perceived as fun‘. “Any industry -any type of job that people perceive as fun- it will drive up competition -because a lot more people are going to be involved, and then employers know that it’s perceived as fun, so they’re going to be able to adjust their work environment -meaning it could be tougher and lower to pay- this is not uncommon, it’s not just with programming, it’s with any industry. If you look at the film industry for example: actors will be in there 10 hour days, 18 hour days and unless you’re a star you’re not making anything -it could be rough. On the flip side, you look at professions like plumber, which is perceived as ‘dirty work‘, because it’s not perceived as glamorous and fun plumbers make a ton of money.” If you don’t believe us (the game industry thing, not the plumbing), google ‘EA workers’, or even just general ‘video game industry workers horror stories’. We’re not trying to steer you away from the video game industry, far from it (someone is going to need to make Borderlands 10: the border-lands-ening, and it’s not going to be me), but like anything else, do your research and ask yourself if this is what you really want to get into. The extreme stories are not the norm by any stretch, but they’re not far off and you should prepare yourself for their eventuality…
The VLOG is worth a little ‘eye validation’, and there’s some sweet MTL scenery at the end. Whatever your dream, keep it alive but don’t get taken advantage of for having it! -Enjoy!
Contrary to what the title would suggest, we’re not trying to pit software developers against programmers in an all out brawl to the death in a post-apocalyptic forum for our amusement… *mental note for the end of the world*
No, what we’re presenting here is the subtle and (sometimes) not so subtle differences between the jobs, tasks, and expectations of these careers so that you can know what’s right (or interesting) for you when thinking about which path you may want to take.
We will also mention the role of architect and scriptor but the VLOG itself will go into way more detail about these jobs. Also, be ready for some shameless promotion because this is pretty much our milieu (area of expertise) here, and our courses reflect that.
Before we get started, I just want to point out that we are speaking in generalities, and yes, it’s quite possible that the position in your company or your freelancing gig has you filling different roles. These jobs can be quite fluid and we are only going to speak to what’s generally expected of you in these roles…
“A software developer is someone who is able to create entire systems, while a programmer (can also be a software developer), [but more likely], is someone who just writes code and can write programs. A software developer would develop an entire web app from scratch, would be able to design all the different layers, etc. … A software developer [in a nutshell] is a very experienced programmer… A lot of very experienced programmers never become software developers because they don’t go to that level, they work on very specific things here and there and they don’t develop entire architectures.”
A scriptor is someone who writes very simple lines of programming code. Little bits of Python code to automate software, a lot software out there (video rendering engines, etc) they’ll use Python to control how the software operates (batch operations, etc.), and that’s traditionally someone you would call a scriptor, because they’re writing little scripts (short pieces of code). And there’s a lot of demand for that as well!”
Software architects are quite literally architects of the software. They may not have time to do the task of the software developers, programmers, or scriptors, but they take care of the overall, top-down structure. For example, they could pick the languages, the frameworks, they get into the nitty-gritty with the lead developer, going over the best way to tackle situations/problems. Look, if you’re a software developer, and once a week (or more) you have a meeting with someone who you bring problems to, or someone who points you in certain directions or chooses the very foundational cores from which you work in…chances are they’re the architect.
And here’s the [SHAMELESS PROMO]: The courses we offer, “I think it’s more directed towards making you a [software]developer rather than just a scriptor or a programmer. Because they get into all those big picture issues, I help you understand the choices that you make as a developer (or a programmer), and why and how [for example] does JavaScript fit into this equation, into the stack, what’s it used for… And what I’ve seen, a lot of other course they don’t touch on that. They say here’s some JavaScript, we’re going to create a bouncy game and that’s it! But they don’t show you how to use it in the real world. That to me is super important, so that’s integrated into what I teach.”
So there you have it. Again, the VLOG goes into way more detail, we recommend you check it out. And no matter what you choose to be, check out our courses because they are made to give you the tools to see the bigger picture, which is always good. Believe me, you want to be overqualified for your job, people notice that and usually want to put you in a better position…or just pay you more money. -Enjoy!
Can you still make money as a freelance web designer in 2019-2020?
No clever title today, young devs… We received an email that had so many good, topical questions that we decided we didn’t have time to get ‘cute’ and just wanted to dive right in…
Is freelancing web design still viable in 2019-2020? -More than ever. There is an unprecedented amount of freelancers in North America and the world. “I’m not talking about web programming; just general purpose autonomous people working on their own businesses, whether it be in the tech space or outside of the tech space: this is the trend. …It has jumped quite a bit in the last 10 years and continues to accelerate. All these independent contractors and small business owners if they don’t already have a website, they’re going to need websites.”
Re: Freelancing in AI/Machine Learning: This is big but still in the early stages, I don’t see there being too many freelance jobs in that space -probably lots of work working for people full time- but in terms of AI/machine learning, I don’t see it as a freelancer thing yet. It’s not to say that it won’t be a ‘thing’, it’s just to say that it might take longer for people to come around to it. Like in the way that most companies didn’t even know what a website was in ’95 and now [pretty much] every company has one…
Another thing we’d like to add on the viability of being a freelancer in 2019/20, is “there was a period 4 or 5 years ago (give of take) where people were looking at websites as being less important -better to build your social media presence (like on Facebook or something)- but things have changed, we’ve seen how FB can take people down -they ultimately control your presence on their platform- so smart business owners are starting to realize it’s much better to have your own website, your own space on the web and then have a ‘satellite’ FB presence (Instagram, YouTube, etc…).” Meaning there will be a continued rise in the need for web development professionals (web design, etc).
So there you have it. Now the VLOG goes into a much deeper dive and the answers are much more robust (I mean how much can you really read here in the five minutes you have to drink your coffee while you’re supposed to be working… :] ), you should really check it out. And if it turns out you have 10 minutes instead of 5 for slacking off, check out our courses (especially ‘WEB DEVELOPMENT‘ ) which are not only built from the ground up, but also take advantage of almost 3 decades in the industry! -Enjoy!
We definitely covered this in a past article, but in the words of my proctologist doing his 3 colonoscopy in 2 days, “It’s always good to check in…”. So, how does one go from average developer, to master code? What is the quickest way to having a deep understanding of code and software development … how do you develop deep coding skills?
Well…practice. And by practice we don’t mean doing tutorials or coding camp, etc. We mean putting on your speedo, inflating your water wings, getting on your swim goggles and jumping in the deep end like a real man…hehe. “Short answer is by actually building real projects. Don’t get caught up in the game of continuously doing tutorials, or code camps, or code competitions, or studying algorithms -that is not going to give you a deep understanding of code. The analogy I like to use is the ‘pad hitters’ and the people that actually jump in the ring and fight. This is in reference of course to martial arts…and you [have] a group of people who would just do training drills and combination drills, and pad hitting and heavy bag work, but they didn’t want to get in the ring…because they were scared. But when they eventually got in the ring (some of them do), what they discovered is all that pad hitting, all those types of exercises didn’t really do too much to prepare them for fighting -you can take someone whose done 6 months of pad hitting training vs. someone whose done 3 months of sparring, and the guy whose done 3 months of sparring will be a much better fighter: meaning they will have a much better understanding of fighting…”
Now, it’s very true that we simply could have used the martial arts metaphor instead of the imagery of a grown man putting on a speedo, water wings and goggles, and then jumping into the deep end of the pool (to gain their experience), but I say to you good sir or madam…why can’t we have both?
Check out the VLOG, it’s a nice and candid talk about experience and growth, plus a story about when Stef was a “JavaScript theoretical master”, and also a sweet, somber Montreal skyline to take us into autumn… -Enjoy!
How will a web developers job change over the next five years?
First off, If you’re a dev, a programmer, employed or freelance, or someone who generally doesn’t get to see the ‘light of day’ (or is a shut-in), you’re welcome… We are out and about today!! Also, if you were in the mood for Dim Sum and talked yourself out of it…sorry.
Today we’re contemplating how the web-stack will change over the next 5 years. What devs and programmers should expect in terms of changes to their jobs, and delicious Dim Sum…sorry, I’m really hungry now…
In General: “The languages that we see now are pretty much baked into the cake. I don’t see any new languages replacing any of the leaders now (PHP, JavaScript, Python, etc.), the reason is… simply because they’re very good, they’re all very productive, and with computers getting faster and faster, I don’t see where we would need more efficient languages or faster languages.”
Web Frameworks: Re: front-end frameworks, “…that’s more difficult to predict because web frameworks are more volatile. …My best guess -barring any new framework coming into the game/ some new disruptive technology- …I think you’re going to see React and Vue are going to be the dominant players, followed by Angular (but you can’t lose with any of them). This is a prime exmaple of why I always tell people to learn your fundamentals: frameworks change, libraries change, but the fundamentals don’t change.”
Complexities of Web Development: “Another thing you’re going to see …is the move more and more to the server. You’re seeing more and more sophisticated server tools that are pretty mind-blowing (from an old nerd’s prospective), [for example] virtualized database management: …instead of having to worry about charting your database and database optimizations, the advanced hosting companies -they provide that for you. They take care of that; scaling, auto-backups, all this kind of stuff that normally you would have to do yourself -you’d have to work it into the development cycle- not anymore! And you’re going to see more and more of this offloading of complexity in terms of application design and architecture…onto sophisticated hosting solutions. …So that’s another you’re going to see, that obfuscation of the complexity -and that’s a good thing.”
Closing Thoughts: “I think it’s going to shift from day to day ‘nuts and bolts’ type of coding, and going to go more towards architectural. Now what people use is a content management system; the most popular being WordPress. Which has given rise to the ‘WordPress Professional’, …[they] know how to install, configure WordPress, know the environment -the ecosystem around WordPress: know what the good themes are, the bad themes, the good plugins, the bad plugins, how to install and debug, how to lockdown and secure WordPress -there’s a whole skill set. Now you don’t necessarily need to be a coder, but having coding skills does help…and you can’t discount these type of skills… It’s very little about code but you gotta really know your stuff. …And this is a trend that been going on for awhile; this move away from nuts and bolts’ coding, to being someone who leverages different libraries and frameworks and understands how to use them/when to use them, and what circumstances to use them.”
So there you have it. The VLOG really goes into a much deeper and detailed dive, you should check it out. Also, speaking of fundamentals -SHAMELESSS PROMO- check out our links (below) to various courses we offer, particularly web development. It’s super effective. As for your job; it doesn’t mean coding is going to go away, just that there will be a shift. Again, know your fundamentals and you can’t go wrong. “A little less code, a little more architecture…and Dim Sum…always leave room for Dim Sum…so hungry!!! -Enjoy!
Young developers are hyper concerned about learning the newest programming languages and frameworks only … but the most popular languages today are 20+ years old!
Alright yung’uns, gather ’round the fire… I know, everyone has indoor heating and there’s no need for fires anymore but this is gonna help with the over all ‘flavor’ for this blog…
Many you young devs are focusing on the shiniest, newest programming languages and frameworks, and while I salute your moxi, your gusto, heck; even your gumption… I’m here to tell ya, that there’s a difference between new and popular. I know when you’re listening to your CardiB’s and your Lizzo’s, you may not see a distinction but in the programming world, lemme tell ya, bucko, there is definitely a difference…
“…For a long, long time -like 10/20 years- especially when it came to the web stack, the technology changed so often…websites and web apps…it has changed so radically.” Now, as I understand with you yung’uns, 10 or 20 years ago might as well be 100 years ago but, “…when it comes to the actual programming languages (the popular ones that are used to date), …they are pretty much entrenched. I think you’re not going to see a big move away from the major players over the next long time. Why? There’s just no need to. Now in the past you would create a programming language because there was a particular need that was very important, but it was not addressed by current languages.”
Also, over the years as computers have become markedly faster (CPUs and memory both have become faster and cheaper), the need for highly optimized programming languages have become arguably less and less important, because a human eyeball won’t necessarily notice execution speed on most modern computers because they process that information much more efficiently than a computer from 10 or 20 years ago.
The VLOG goes into waayyy more detail, we’re talking SQLs, Bootstrap, even RUBY (and only an inkling of an insult too). But, “when it comes to the major programming [and coding] languages of today, not much has changed in many years. …On the advanced stuff yeah, but in terms of language, not much has changed. …When you’re looking at the languages, at the technology, it’s not as critical to have stuff that was created in the last two minutes. The big ones [programming languages] they’re not going anywhere because they’re good, they’re good at what they do and the problems they may have can be addressed with some small updates, and they just keep getting more performance with the updates…”. Now, it’s almost 4pm so you better git gone and think about what I’ve said while I get ready to sit down to my dinner… -Enjoy!
Will AI replace software developers in a short time?
For those of you keeping score at home we actually dove into this a year ago, but since a newly published Forbes article has pointed out some advancements in AI learning, we’d like to comment on the, ‘next step towards Skynet’.
So in the interest of calming your fears, we’re going to heighten them -only for a little while, I promise! But essentially, “… AI has really accelerated quite a bit over the last ten years, and they’re saying it’s about to go into a hyper-accelerated wave…”. There are very understandable reasons for this: 1- I Got the Power!: From a purely material stance, specialized AI chip sets have greatly increased their computing power. 2- We’re Feeding the Beast: For AI to work, it needs data, “…so the nerds came up with these things called data lakes -where all the data is pooled- so you can throw your AI at it and the AI can learn. The more data, the better the data -the better the data is segmented- , the better your AI will operate.” 3- Smarter, Faster: The AI algorithms are just getting better.
The latest application of AI has been the ‘Tab9‘ project wherein, “…a couple of guys basically took their AI, pointed it at 2 million github files and now they have a plugin…and the AI can do code completion much more effectively than traditional code completion”. But don’t start stocking up on canned food and making plans to reinforce your basement just yet, because now that we’ve whipped you into a frothing mass of fear and foreboding, we’re going to calmly bring you back down to the serene, put together, and well mannered developer you are…
The Road is Long… We’re not going to lie to you; AI is a growing technology and everyday new applications are being found. But that doesn’t mean that AI will be taking your job anytime soon. “…they’re not replacing developers, they’re [AI] just assisting developers in [their] process.” However, we can’t say with great certainty that everyone else’s job is safe; “…long before AI replaces software development, it’s going to replace truckers, replace accountants, many legal jobs, many medical jobs -you get the idea… .” But just in case you’re not a programmer and you’re reading this blog and feeling a little ‘tight’ in the chest, let us offer you an olive branch; “…before it gets to developers, AI will have replaced huge parts of industry, and as a result of that, …the entire infrastructure of society will have to be modified accordingly -so I wouldn’t worry about it because there’ll be warning sign years in advance before developers will be taken out by AI.”
The VLOG goes into way more detail and some more sweet scenery of the MTL skyline. Plus, we’ve teamed up with InMotion hosting for a really amazing offer where they pay for you to take our courses and learn how to become a web developer. Link below. -Enjoy!
Vue.js, React and Angular are the big three JavaScript frameworks. But which one is the best in 2019?
There are many JavaScript frameworks out there but Vue.js, React, and Angular are easily (though, I guess also arguably) the top three. All three have their strengths and uses, but if you want to find the best one for your needs, let’s look at a brief overview (more details in this VLOG and way more in the article).
Before we get started, this is the article we are …framing?… our references around, and full transparency: we use Vue.js (henceforth called ‘Vue’) for our needs with StudioWeb. Here we go:
Angular: Developed by Google in 2010 (making it easily the most mature), this behemoth (500kb) is more in the realm of big projects with ‘advanced developers’. “Angular is basically positioned for larger projects. There’s a much steeper learning curve with Angular, …it’s a very powerful framework.” Another feature of Angular is that, “it separates out the logic from the application/the behavior of an element and the element itself is separate.” So while you would be gaining flexibility with Angular, you might be sacrificing a certain amount of simplicity that you would get with the other frameworks..
React: Developed by Facebook in 2013 this slimmer framework (100kb), offer way more simplicity than Angular (at the cost of some flexibility) and has an equal market share with Angular. This Framework tends to be adopted by more flexible small-medium sized companies.
Vue: Open source-developed, holding approximately 20% of the market share (and growing), weighing in at about 80kb (soaking wet), we have the staple of most start-up/small businesses: Vue. Boasting an easy, practically non-existent learning curve, Vue is the compromise between flexibility and simplicity.
So what’s the best option for you? Well, all these frameworks have their strengths and weaknesses, and they’re all used by many companies, businesses, and corporations, so they’re not going to vanish anytime soon… I guess it all comes down to what you want to do… Want to work for a big corporation? Angular. Spunky start-up with a can do attitude? Probably Vue. We really want to stress that one framework is not better than the other, they just offer different options, benefits, and drawbacks.
Check out the VLOG for a deeper dive into the pros/cons and features of all three frameworks, and remember, “…your choice of framework -of any technology- largely depends on the type of work you wanna do, the job market, a personal choice… there’s no language that is ultimately best, …no framework that is ultimately worse; it really depends on what you want to do.” -Enjoy!
All jokes of ominous soothsaying and portents aside, Oracle has released Java 13 with a promise of updates every six months. This is kind of a big deal because they are famous for releasing updates every 3 years, up until about 2017…
This article goes into more detail and provides a little historical content too, but let’s focus on a few things; mainly two new features:
Text Block: “The Text Blocks feature is designed to simplify writing Java programs by easily expressing strings that span several lines of source code without escape sequences.”*
There is the caveat that these are ‘preview features’, which means they may be removed in the future at some point or not, but this coupled with other improvements has given Oracle the image of coming out of the gate swinging.
Which brings us to the big question, should you learn Java in 2019? “Why not, you can’t lose. If you want to get jobs in the enterprise/android development, Java is going to be good for a long time. …And if for some reason an asteroid hits the earth and Java starts tanking in terms of popularity, you will have the [nerd] background to be able to move to any language you want.” This of course referring to the fact that Java is one of those big languages that has inspired so many other languages after it, and as such has many roots (for lack of a better term), in so many other languages that learning those other languages when you have a competent understanding of Java makes it so much easier. “…Java teaches you all these different concepts, best coding practices and so forth, which carries over 102% into any other language.”
The Vlog goes into some more detail and is worth a look. Plus, we’ve teamed up with InMotion hosting for a really amazing offer where they pay for you to take our courses and learn how to become a web developer. Links to all these offers are below. -Enjoy!
*: To quote Liam Tung’s ZDnet article (link above).
