If you're trying to grow your startup you've come to the right place. Get my 170-page ebook on how to grow a startup and join thousands of self-funded entrepreneurs by subscribing to my newsletter at right.This is the first of what I hope to become an ongoing series about non-technical ways to improve yourself as a developer.Becoming a better developer involves more than learning new technical skills; learning about your company and co-workers will dramatically improve the software you build. One of the most important lessons I learned during the first year of my career is to be so nice to...

First off, welcome to the fraternity. There aren’t too many people who want to create stuff and solve problems. You are a hacker. You are one of those who wants to do something interesting.“When you don’t create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than ability."– WhyTheLuckyStiffTake the words below with a pinch of salt. All these come from me – a bag-and-tag programmer. I love to get things working, rather than sit at something and over-optimize it.Start creating something just for fun. That’s a great start! There’s no way you ...

1.- The all code is crap, except mine, attitude.I have bad news for you buddy, all code is crap. No matter how much effort you put on it, there is always a majority of programmers who are going to think that your code sucks and that they could have done it 10 times better. I have already covered this topic in previous posts, you can find more information of what exactly I mean when I say that all the code is crap here and here.How to fix it: Don’t criticise others people code, it could be yours the one in the spotlight, try to make objective and professional observations instead, but do...

"I will learn it when I need it"! I've heard that phrase a lot over the years; it seems like a highly pragmatic attitude to foster when you're in an industry as fast-paced as software development. On some level it actually IS quite pragmatic, but on another level I am annoyed by the phrase. It has become a mantra for our whole industry which hasn't changed said industry for the better. The problem is this, in the guise of sounding like a wise and practical developer, people use it as an excuse to coast. There is too much stuff to know, it is necessary to be able to pick certain things up ...