I have been building software since 1984. Other than to my family, I owe everything I have today to the software industry, software engineers and the world of computers and technology.

Why Blogging

A few months ago I decided to start writing about my experience and what I've learned. I started a blog called CoderHood and I have been enjoying the process of thinking and organizing my thoughts in the form of posts. I also regularly cross-post some of my posts here on dev.to because it is a fantastic community in great alignment with my mission.

I tackle topics related to life in the software industry: technology, careers in tech, software development processes, engineering culture, and anything else that has to do with the people who build software and how they work.

My goal is not to make money on my blog. Blogging is far from an easy way to get rich. I have a fulfilling career with a fantastic company in the EdTech business, and I get to help kids learn math every day. How cool is that? That keeps me happy, fulfilled and financially stable.

The goal of my blog is to help engineers and other software technology workers to have successful and fulfilling careers. In other words, my goal is to give back to you.

Technology Changes Quickly, People Change Slowly

Things have changed dramatically in the software industry during the last 30+ years, and they will continue to evolve. One thing, however, hasn't changed very much: people.

Software engineers continuously switch the tools and technologies they use. However, developers are people, and people today are the same as they were decades ago. They get into coding because they have the same burning passion for technology, love for programming and they are on a mission to learn and improve every day. Some are flow-junkies, others are visionary thinkers; some are leaders and team builders, others like solitude and the comfort of a screen and a keyboard. All are passionate about solving problems and building working virtual pieces of machinery that we call software.

In 2050 technology will be completely different from what it is today. People, however, will be pretty much the same. People evolve slowly, while the context in which they operate shifts dramatically faster. It is a constant race. On on hand, technology zooms forward quickly. On the other hand, humans still need water, food, and shelter. In the middle --- that strange place between humans and software --- there is friction. Where there is friction, there is heat. Dealing with that heat is an art that takes time to master.

My hope is to help you with that art, sharing what I have learned in a lifetime of hard work and passion, and helping you not make some of the mistakes I made or saw others make.

My Growing List of Topics

I maintain a list of topics I want to explore. A few items on my list are:

• When is a software engineer no longer junior?
• Engineer personalities and programming paradigms. Object Oriented, vs. Functional, vs. Imperative
• The role of QA.
• Doers vs. Leaders.
• How to say "no".
• How to deal with rejection.

The list continues and grows every day. While I have no lack of self-generated ideas, I realized that this is MY list, and my blog is for YOU. So, it is time to ask you what you would like to see on that list.

Help me help you!

What topic, question, issue, concern or idea would you like to see tackled on CoderHood and here on dev.to?

Open call with no expiration date

Please leave a comment with your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions. Alternatively, you can email me using this contact form or get in touch with me on Twitter.

I am always listening and taking notes.