Tick, Tick: A Software Engineer's Guide To Hustlin'

Without a doubt, I love being a Software Engineer. According to this year's U.S. News Best Jobs report (link), Software Developement is #2 on the list of the top 25 careers. It really doesn't come as any suprise to me - I've enjoyed quite a bit of success in my career and see unbounded opportunity for the future. Demand is high for guys who can do the kind of work that I do, and the pay is really good. Sure, the work can be stressful and the hours are long sometimes, but on the whole software developers have it pretty good.

While I am feeling very confident about my future in this field of discipline, I have started to become aware of the sentiment expressed in a recent Bloomberg article that proclaims software engineering is a career dead-end (link). I already feel the clock ticking, and it's definitely not ticking in my favor. I am constantly struggling to keep my skillset fresh and up-to-date while also trying to build up on my soft skills and leadership qualities. One of my greatest fears is that my skills and experience will one day prove irrelevant as the younger, faster crowd will try to swoop in and take the same opportunities that I now thrive upon. I might very well have been that kind of guy myself, though I can't imagine myself that way.

I used to think that I would be playing the catch-up game for a few years before I could settle into some sufficient level of life-long technical mastery. I'm eleven years wiser now and it turns out that I have to be just as, if not more, tenacious as I've ever been as I grow older and more experienced. There's no such thing as a tenured engineer or a made-developer. I don't even want to know what it would be like to be just a step behind the competition. And while this is proving to be quite a tiring exercise, I know that I can't settle for anything less than greatness. That is just the legacy I want to leave for my children.

So, to my fellow colleagues, I have a few points of career advice. First, be aware of the copious resources at your disposal. I can't think of any other career where it is as easy (or as cheap) to grow and learn as it is in our profession. There is an endless of free resources spread all across the web that can help you build your technical brand. Don't ever stop seeking out opportunities to be hands on with new ideas and technologies. And try visiting sites like Google Code or CodePlex to explore other peoples code to build your own programming literacy. Every little bit can be the difference in getting that promotion, higher pay, or more employment opportunites.

Secondly, know your worth. We software developers build useful stuff out of practically nothing all the time. That's a gift that not many people in this world possess, so figure out how to harness that knowledge to your advantage when negotiating your career path. We are professional problem solvers, adept thinkers, and can be just as creative as any other artist, actor, or musician out there. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself and test your limits, you'll be suprised what you can achieve.

Lastly, make sure to write down a list of your goals. Writing them down is important because it forces you to think about what you want and make it clear. It also helps you to seek out and identify the right opportunities that will help you meet those goals. Written goals will help motivate you to work for what you want, and will provide you a measure with which to determine how well you're doing as you progress in your career.

Think like a hustla, and you'll be fine. Move with urgency and always think a step ahead. Slack off, and you might find yourself out of a job real quick. It's how the game is played.

From Ghetto To GitHub: A Software Engineer's Testimony

I would like to dedicate this first post of the "Spittin' Bits" blog to everybody that represents my hometown, the City of Compton. As an African American growing up in the 90’s in a place like Compton, where hope was at a deficit and gang violence a primary export, there weren't many success stories around for guys like me. It is my hope that I can give a voice to the bright and brilliant youth in every ghetto, hood, project, and barrio. The world will know that, in spite of all difficulties, we are here and are ready to usher in a new generation of success and accomplishment.

The story of my life preceding my success is not unique. Many of the youth that either grew up or are now growing up in impoverished neighborhoods like mine have been abused, bullied, abandoned, and sexually molested. They faced the threats posed by gangs and drugs on a daily basis just like I did. I had friends that succumbed to gang life. Even lost a couple who were killed blocks away from where I lived on Mayo St. Guys like me had the makings of a life that would lead, in many cases, to death or imprisonment. Worst of all, even working hard in school didn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t catch a stray bullet or end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was just the reality of growing up in Compton.

Fortunately for me, I ended up being adopted into the home of a loving couple who I came to know as my true mother and father. They fought hard everyday to ensure that I received the best education that Compton could offer. As a family we couldn’t afford much, and half way through my childhood, my father was laid-off from his job a year before his retirement was due. That didn’t stop them from ensuring that I had everything that I need to be successful later in my life. They instilled within me very high expectations which included attending and graduating from a four-year university and obtaining a respectable career. Without them, I would not have cultivated a love for technology and engineering.

Today, I am a Senior Software Engineer for Junction Solutions and a graduate of the University of California, Irvine. I've benefited from a career of over 6 years of industry experience, during which time I have been credited as co-inventor of a patent-pending method for processing bank transactions (US 2009/0037332 A1) while working as a programmer at City National Bank. I am also an INROADS alumnus and former Intern of the Year recipient in 2005.

I may have grown up in the hood, but that’s not what defines who I am. I believe that my work and my accomplishments will send a message to the world, however small, that investing in the young men and women of America’s most down and out communities does pay off. There are so many talented young men and women like me who can positively impact the world, but they can’t do it alone. That’s why I’m sharing my story with the hope that someone else may be inspired to invest in the education and development of minorities in business and technology.

Yeah, I used to live in the ghetto. Now I’m on GitHub. And as my dear, late grandmother once said, “may the work I’ve done speak for me”.