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    Swizec's articles in the "opinions" category

    I aim to write mindblowing emails with real insight into the career and skills of a modern software engineer. "Raw and honest from the heart!" as one reader described them.

    Below are 84 articles filed under opinions. Enjoy ❤️

    Software engineers, exercise, health, and productivity

    Don't worry about the hype, just get some sun, some rest, and remember to hydrate.
    March 31st, 2023

    The programming tutorial SEO industry is dead

    20 years ago greybeards laughed at us for Googling. Now they laugh when we ask ChatGPT. But the leverage is 🚀
    March 28th, 2023

    Reader question: Should you learn the latest hotness?

    Great question. Common concern. *What if I get stuck in a technology that isn't hot??* Or worse, burn out re-learning every new thing 😱
    September 22nd, 2022

    Balancing serious sidehustles and full-time work

    Erik, the author of Developer Hegemony and founder of Hit Subscribe, invited me to chat about balancing sidehustles and full-time work
    November 5th, 2021

    Stop SHOUTING = 'shouting'

    A hill I will die on 👉 global CONSTANT = 'constant' are bad
    September 21st, 2021

    Reader question: "When do you fix tech debt?"

    Long time reader Phil asks when do you fix the tech debt you used to ship faster. Heroic efforts don't work. The real answer is "always" – a mindset of gardening.
    August 17th, 2021

    Tech debt is a tool

    If your house was on fire, would you mow the lawn first?
    August 13th, 2021

    Complex vs. complicated

    Would you rather work with a complex system or a complicated system? 🤔
    August 3rd, 2021

    Tips for a fulfilling tech career

    When I dropped out of college to focus on freelancing back in 2012, I set 3 ground rules:
    July 23rd, 2021

    Your career needs a vision

    In his book, The Art of Science and Engineering, Richard Hamming says the key to a great career is vision. What does that really look like?
    July 14th, 2021

    Preventing RSI for programmers

    I've been computering daily for 24 years, since I was 9, and managing RSI since high school. People often ask how it never gets bad. This is the article I always wish I had written.
    July 9th, 2021

    How to own projects like a senior engineer

    The best skill you can learn is ownership. The second best is to let go.
    July 2nd, 2021

    Do important work

    Next time you finish a project, ask yourself: *"Might this work be important?"*. Add the polish.
    June 19th, 2021

    What matters in a senior engineer job interview

    Degree matters if you have nothing better to show, consulting and BigTech backgrounds are negative, too many seniors can't code.
    May 7th, 2021

    the trashcan metaphor


    April 30th, 2021

    Flow good for programming, not engineering

    Friend, how good are you at your best? ... Nobody cares. How good are you at your average? What about your worst?
    April 24th, 2021

    Can you code faster?

    What slows you down most while coding? It's not lack of skill. It's not lack of ideas. It's uncertainty. Fear.
    February 26th, 2021

    "silicon valley is like hollywood"

    and I don't mean Silicon Valley the place, I mean Silicon Valley the concept.
    January 29th, 2021

    What's your code for?

    Perfect code that doesn't solve the problem is useless. Perfect metrics that don't serve the user are a distraction.
    November 6th, 2020

    How I use delegation to get more done

    Productivity porn shows you how to pack more into your day. Productivity porn is wrong my friend. You need to remove things to grow.
    October 23rd, 2020

    Should you take a pay cut for equity

    Would you take some % of your salary in bitcoin? The joke is that compared to pre-IPO equity, bitcoin is predictable and has a known value.
    October 9th, 2020

    Computer science is not software engineering

    Wow, college was such a waste of time ... when did you ever invert a binary tree outside of an interview? Honestly I never inverted a binary tree in college either ☹️
    October 2nd, 2020

    Why senior engineers get nothing done

    You start a new job and it's amazing. Code all day, clear objectives, easy guidelines, ship a bunch of features be a hero. Then something happens and suddenly you get nothing done. 🤔
    September 11th, 2020

    Why Understanding beats Knowledge

    Understanding beats knowledge every day. To have a strong career, learn to understand, not just to know.
    August 28th, 2020

    Why engineers are worth so much

    Engineers don't do the day to day work, they build assets the business can exploit for years to come. That's the magic
    July 24th, 2020

    Hackers


    June 22nd, 2020

    Don't just wait around


    April 24th, 2020

    "I just need an idea"


    April 20th, 2020

    Ready to build your future?


    January 31st, 2020

    What makes you a true master


    November 25th, 2019

    DO more _work_ less


    October 11th, 2019

    San Francisco v. Europe part 2


    September 16th, 2019

    Friend, go offline


    July 12th, 2019

    What a hockey legend can teach you about career development

    Say your boss gives you $1000 to grow your career. What do you do?
    May 9th, 2019

    What makes you a senior software engineer anyway?

    I used to think a senior engineer was someone who gets a project, understands the context, puts their head down, and gets it done. But no. A senior engineer does so much more than just write code and design systems.
    February 13th, 2019

    How resumé-driven development shapes our industry

    All that once was new is old again
    October 19th, 2017

    Magic shiny paint


    September 23rd, 2016

    It's Just Like Knitting


    August 24th, 2016

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