936 karma · joined January 26, 2010
Be consistent in both producing value, and in sharing it. Try to get better at both of these activities as you progress.
Your 'luck surface area' [1] will, over time, increase and then network effects will take over.
[1] - https://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-sur...
Good documented can indeed be a work of art, and is the first port of call for anyone who'd like to engage with your technology. Why would you not want to take that seriously?
Why most people tend to feel 'exhausted' when communicating synchronously online is that it's usually not very synced at all (interruptions both online and off are constant). So makes empathy more difficult to cultivate.
Async communication does seem to have more of an advantage here, as it is by definition a more thoughtful style of correspondence (writing a tutorial for example). And ironically, is a more synced style of communication, when the information passed on is actually being consumed.
I touched on this, and the ways in which async communications can be made to be even more effective in a recent post on my blog: "Why Most Programming Tutorials Are So Hard To Understand – (And A Solution To This Problem)" - https://fromtoschool.com/why-most-programming-tutorials-are-....
As others have stated here, it could be as little an hour to as long as a few days.
There is, however, a framework that I use to speed things up a bit and put probability a bit more in my favor when it comes to helping my potential reader to understand better what I'm trying to explain.
I share some tips on the ways in which you may do this here: https://fromtoschool.com/why-most-programming-tutorials-are-....
But if interested you can leave your email address on the form at the bottom of the post.
The style we use to teach is optimized for speed of learning and teaches this way using the 'constructivist' method. I expand on this learning style, and why it is so effective more in this post: https://fromtoschool.com/why-most-programming-tutorials-are-....
Pick a topic you'd like to cover in-depth, set up a blog and start writing about it and sharing it.
When applying for jobs, share this with the prospective employer.
I don't believe that this field is advanced enough to have its own qualification requirements as yet. It's mostly just a 'show me' rather than a tell me style of assessment from what I've seen.
Source: Have created courses online w/ over 6,000 students. And am currently in the process of creating another series of online courses and books for developers.
Here's a post where I share some tips on the better methods of teaching software engineering: https://fromtoschool.com/why-most-programming-tutorials-are-....
A major issue that I've seen is that of most beginner-focused educational content not being fast enough to learn with for the more experienced developer. This along with the fact that time is often a big issue for us. I've had numerous times where I had to learn a new framework within a 1-2 week time span in order to plug some work gap or speed up a project, and found no legitimate resources that could allow an intermediate developer like me to learn faster.
This is why I am currently creating content targeted specifically at intermediate to advanced developers and teaching new languages and frameworks (using the 'constructivist' method) in a way that makes the process of learning them much more efficient. In short, faster.
It's a little rough around the edges but you can check out the blog where I share my current tutorials here: https://fromtoschool.com.
To gain a better understanding of why the method of teaching that I've described is more efficient than others for the intermediate developer, check out this post: https://fromtoschool.com/why-most-programming-tutorials-are-....
A major issue that most of the developers like me and you within this demographic face is that of most beginner-focused content not being fast enough to learn with. This along with the fact that time is often a big issue for us. I've had numerous times where I had to learn a new framework within a 1-2 week time span in order to plug some work gap or speed up a project, and found no legitimate resources that could allow an intermediate developer like me to learn faster.
This is why I am currently creating content targeted specifically at intermediate to advanced developers and teaching new languages and frameworks (using the 'constructivist' method) in a way that makes the process of learning them much more efficient. In short, faster.
It's a little rough around the edges but you can check out the blog where I share my current tutorials here: https://fromtoschool.com.
To gain a better understanding of why the method of teaching that I've described is more efficient than others for the intermediate developer, check out this post: https://fromtoschool.com/why-most-programming-tutorials-are-...
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-consis...
There are two things you need for ideas:
1. The raw material from which to generate them: Other older ideas.
2. A mind that is able to synthesize ideas appropriately.
Ideas becoming 'harder' to 'find', is simply a function of one of these two things not being fully optimized.
I personally don't think that we have less of either of the two.
So no, I don't think Ideas are getting harder to find.
I expand on this idea more here: https://fromtoschool.com/why-most-programming-tutorials-are-...
Remote: Yes
Location: London, England
Willing to relocate: Yes
Github: https://github.com/Tapha.
Email: taphangum7@gmail.com
I maintain a coding blog at: https://fromtoschool.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapha-ngum-42a2944a/
I'm a full-stack developer with 10+ years in Web and Hybrid Mobile/Desktop Apps using front-end and back-end technologies.
Have developed relatively popular open-source software in the past: see Github link.
Specialized in Web development, with additional experience in that I founded a popular niche app templates site called https://myapptemplates.com, which I was fortunate enough to grow using SEO and then, after a year, subsequently sell. Through this, I solidified my SEO/marketing-related skills, as well as my ability to create and manage complex projects within the context of the marketplace that I was operating in.
This, along with a solid grounding as a developer, allows me to provide a unique perspective, and ultimately, a high-quality result to any individual or business I work with.
Remote: Yes
Willing to relocate: No
Github: https://github.com/Tapha
Email: taphangum7@gmail.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapha-ngum-42a2944a/
Rate: Either fixed per project or $50-$85/hour (based on project type);
I'm a full-stack developer with 10+ years in Web and Hybrid Mobile/Desktop Apps using front-end and back-end technologies.
Have developed relatively popular open-source software in the past: see Github link.
Specialized in Web development, with additional experience in that I founded a popular niche app templates site called https://myapptemplates.com, which I was fortunate enough to grow using SEO and then, after a year, subsequently sell. Through this, I solidified my SEO/marketing-related skills, as well as my ability to create and manage complex projects within the context of the marketplace that I was operating in.
This, along with a solid grounding as a developer, allows me to provide a unique perspective, and ultimately, a high-quality result to any client I work with.
I personally think that it has something to do with simplicity indicating that you are dealing with an individual. Not a 'faceless' company. Hence the charm.
In the 90's, you were almost always interacting with a site designed by an individual. Think GeoCities/AngelFire - so this was always a given. Now much less so.
Keywords, Google keyword tool, forum chats, Reddit comments. Use tools like these to find EVIDENCE that people are trying to find a solution (similar to yours) to the problem they have.
If you find this evidence, it proves that:
1. There is an inefficiency present (opportunity is simply inefficiency by another name).
2. It shows that the problem is painful enough that people are trying to find a way to solve it. And..
3. It proves that the customer is aware enough of the problem to be able to see you as a likely solution (so you don't have to educate them).
I used this process to come up with my own successful ideas. One of which being: https://myapptemplates.com.
This video will help shed more light on the above https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exMoRoaxKtQ
The most recent one has obviously been crypto. Whatever will be next is probably bubbling somewhere on a forum or subreddit with a few people who really believe in it, but most not really taking it seriously. The Paul Graham 'looks like a toy' [1] heuristic is a good one.
The chief requirement seems to be a small, organic but very intense group of people, with a long term view, who are unflinchingly sure that it - whatever it is - will work, eventually.
This seems to be as, if not more important than what the thing actually is.
If for-profits didn't help people, they literally would not exist.
So if I'm understanding you correctly then the best thing to do on my end is:
1. Look for a niche in which I have a deep level of expertise.
2. Target only those employers. With evidence of this expertise.
3. When targeting those employers, only seek out the ones that tend to hire people on a short term basis. I.e. project-focused company, like an agency or something along those lines.
Is this a good assessment of the heuristics I should be following?
Use tools like these to find EVIDENCE that people are trying to find a solution (similar to yours) to the problem they have.
If you find this evidence, it proves that:
1. There is an inefficiency present (opportunity is simply inefficiency by another name).
2. It shows that the problem is painful enough that people are trying to find a way to solve it. And..
3. It proves that the customer is aware enough of the problem to be able to see you as a likely solution (so you don't have to educate them).
I used this process to come up with my own successful ideas. One of which being: https://myapptemplates.com.
This video will help shed more light on the above https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exMoRoaxKtQ
I'm actually in the process of writing a book about the key differences between the two frameworks, enabling people to shorten the time it takes to get the hang of Laravel. It'll document the differences and similarities between the two frameworks so that you can use your CodeIgniter knowledge to learn Laravel.
I.e. the difference between routing methods in CodeIgniter vs. Laravel, and how migrations work in one vs the other.
Almost everything to do with migrations still has to be done manually, for the most part. I.e. having to create your own controller (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9154065/how-do-i-run-cod...) in order to run a migration in CodeIgniter vs the more slick 'php artisan migrate' command in Laravel.
If you want to know more about it, you can add your email here: Book info (it's a google form) https://goo.gl/forms/gCAT33rl1h6JbQsw2