Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
Episodes
The Poltergeist Anti-Pattern - When Design Goes Bad
20 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Best practices are like everything else. There are times to ignore or break the rules. The anti-pattern we cover in this episode results from not ...
The Boat Anchor Anti-Pattern
17 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes ideas that are good at one time become horrible later on. This is one of many ways to get stuck in the boat anchor anti-pattern. It is a...
The Continuous Obsolescence Anti-Pattern
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As hard it is to spell the Continuous Obsolescence anti-pattern is easy to fall into. The lure of shiny new versions of products often leads us into...
Spaghetti Code Anti-Pattern
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The spaghetti code anti-pattern is one that has become less prevalent in applications. However, we can still see some excellent examples in the worl...
The Golden Hammer Anti-Pattern
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The next anti-pattern we look at is the golden hammer. It is another situation that seems to come up often. Thus, it is one we need to keep an eye...
The Blob Anti-Pattern
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We will kick off the new season with a look at the Blob anti-pattern. This is one that is common and easy to fall into. The tendency to kick desig...
A General Anti-Pattern Definition - New Season Kick-off
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It is time to kick off a new season. Thus, we will set the tone by providing a general anti-pattern definition. Spoiler alert, this season will fo...
Success vs. Successful
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Some recent pondering has me considering the whole idea of being successful. I think we can find success and happiness without worrying about being ...
Creating a Podcast - Not Just a Lot of Talking
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are a vast number of tutorials for creating a podcast. These cover the technical issues and often include some suggestions to help you be succ...
Writing A Book - What You Should Know Before You Begin
29 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the popular suggestions for passive income is writing a book. There are some pros to doing so. However, it is not a project to be undertake...
Habits, Roadmaps, and the Value of Career Momentum
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of our professional lives, the result is a marathon, not a sprint. Thus, there is a need to develop a form of career momentum that can...
Adding Soft Skills To Advance Your Career
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It is probably not going to shock you to find that soft skills are an essential piece of success in your career. Technical skills are your primary a...
Advancing Your Career Through New Challenges
22 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As you move through the years, you might find that advancing your career becomes a more significant challenge. There was so much to learn when you s...
Giving Back As A Mentor, Coach, and Lead
19 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We have looked this week at how to get the most out of mentors and teammates. However, we also should think about giving back. There will be oppor...
Learning From Peers, Teammates, and Co-Workers
17 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are a wealth of teachers in our professional community. I have found the most common contributor to my success is learning from peers. The p...
Finding Mentors To Advance Your Knowledge and Career
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are many tools that will help us keep up with technology and even advance our career. These have differing values. However, finding mentors ...
Developer Tool Categories You Should Know
12 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While we have discussed a broad range of tools over the years. There are a lot of good ones out there that are free and even better ones that are co...
Increasing Productivity and Quality With Proper Tools
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the side effects of becoming a better developer is increasing productivity and quality. You literally get more value from time spent on a tas...
Enhancing Your Resume With Development Tools
08 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A big part of advancing your career includes enhancing your resume. There will be new skills you pick up along the way, and it helps to let others k...
Researching New Tools and Technologies
05 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Learning for our personal purposes is not the limit of what IT workers are asked to do. There are also situations where we need to learn the latest ...
Career Advancement Through Training and Conferences
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are many ways to add to our skills and advance our career. While on-the-job learning is essential, formal learning situations can move the bal...
Learning New Tech Skills On The Job
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
An IT career demands that we include learning new tech skills as part of our regular routine. This requirement often leads to a lot of time spent on...
Playing Your Professional Role as An Employee or Consultant - Career Intangibles
29 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We all have seen situations in our career where we are asked to play a role. The role is sometimes a broader one than we are used to. However, we ...
Best Practices For Travel and Related Expenses
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A side hustle does not preclude travel. Thus, sooner or later you will face the question of how to handle travel and related expenses. You might n...
Consulting Intangibles - Building Relationships
25 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
An excellent measure of long-term success is how much your customers like you. Thus, building relationships are a critical part of your job. You m...
Explicit and Implicit Project Deliverables
22 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We have touched on the idea that there are explicit and implicit project deliverables in most cases. These may be due to our customer simplifying a ...
Deliverable Packaging and Creating a Customer Experience.
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When we complete a project for a customer or employer, we give them a product. Thus, there is a form of deliverable packaging that we need to consid...
Project Deliverables, Quality, Guidelines and Best Practices
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sooner or later, every developer is asked for project deliverables. This may be source code, binary files, or full-blown documents. No matter whi...
Communicating Progress and Status - Consulting Tips
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
No matter how good you are at your job, sooner or later communicating status will be required. A helpful hint is to avoid waiting until this become...
Your Code Repository and Ownership of Source - Consulting Tips
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A software consultant brings intellectual tools with them as well as applications. This capital comes in the form of experience and also the more co...
Developer Tools and Licenses as a Consultant (or Employee)
11 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the common aspects of consulting that is missed is clarity about developer tools and licenses. In particular, this obstacle is natural to ove...
Consulting Project Enhancements and Follow-Ups
08 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The completion of a project is not necessarily the end of a customer relationship. To the contrary, consulting project enhancements are a common wa...
Writing Proposals and Winning Projects
06 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Once you find a prospect your next step is turning them into a customer. In the IT world (as well as most other lines of business) this is done th...
Finding Consulting Projects Without Cold Calls
04 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The challenge of finding consulting projects is not one you should overlook. However, the first is the hardest. Once you have a couple of projects...
Fixed or Hourly Project Pricing
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the critical choices in accepting a project is whether you will bill based on a fixed or hourly basis. The bottom line is that one approach p...
Consulting Invoices and Getting Paid
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you are running a side hustle or a full-blown business, at some point you will need to create consulting invoices. Well, unless you do not c...
Setting the Price for Software Consulting
25 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The most common discussion I have had around consulting is setting the price on my services. Yes, customers care about my rates. However, the conv...
Honest Communication Is Critical For Consultants
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a book on having difficult conversations. The challenge is that we do not like having them. They tend to be difficult. Unfortunately, t...
When To Vent (never) as part of Consulting Communication
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As we continue to discuss consulting communication, we turn towards venting. This topic includes negative communication as well. To be clear, nega...
CYA Documentation : Getting Started With Consulting
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are all sorts of documents that are needed for a consultant. However, the ones that provide a form of CYA documentation may be the most vital....
Plan For Disruptions - Getting Started With Consulting
15 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the hardest parts of building a consulting career is the disruptions that always occur. This is a path that often follows the feast or famin...
That Final Push - Getting Started On Consulting
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As we look at how and when to start a consulting business (or project), it helps to consider timing. Sometimes you can select when to start, and oth...
Getting Started - Preparing for Consulting
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This season is focusing on lessons learned from a consulting career. A lot of the content can be found in the Develpreneur book. However, we will ...
Season 7 and Beyond: Advancing Your Career
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is a perfect time for us to look ahead at season seven and beyond. We will continue providing content for advancing your career starting with a...
The Mentor and Mastermind Group - Bringing Accountability to Your Goals
06 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We have run a weekly gathering for the last few years that is called our mentor and mastermind group. This is a resource we rarely push. However, ...
The Source Code Of Happiness - A Develpreneur Book
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode covers the new book "The Source Code Of Happiness" that is our first Develpreneur published work. It contains a lot of ideas that we ha...
Software Design - The Observer Pattern and Series Wrap-Up
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We wrap up the season with the observer pattern and a review of what we have learned. This pattern is one that you probably have already encountered...
Software Design - The Visitor Pattern
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The visitor pattern is the last of the behavioral ones for us to review. This is going to feel similar to some others that allow us to abstract func...
Software Design - The Template Method Pattern
28 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the last episode, we looked at abstracting algorithms. Now we examine the template method pattern and how it allows us to abstract steps of an al...
Software Design - The Strategy Pattern
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our review of the behavioral design patterns moves on to look at the Strategy pattern. This is one that you might not recognize from the name. How...
Software Design - The Memento Pattern
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We tackle the memento pattern in this episode. If you ever wanted to store the state of an object, then this is the one for you. You can think of ...
Software Design - The State Pattern
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look at the state pattern. It is a design that uses object-oriented tactics to provide a class with very different functionality...
Conference Solutions - Free and Low Cost Tools
18 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The number of conference solutions available out there can be overwhelming. A large number of them are free or close enough that it can make decidin...
Software Design - The Mediator Pattern
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We spend this episode looking at the mediator pattern. This is a pattern that provides a great deal of flexibility. However, it is not used as oft...
AWS Services - New Since We Started and Looking Ahead
14 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We started this series on AWS services in the late 3rd quarter of 2018. As we start in 2019, there are over a dozen new AWS services that have come ...
Web Browsers - Free and Low Cost Tools
11 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Internet has become so pervasive that web browsers are everywhere. It is hard to find anyone that does not at least know how to launch one on th...
Software Design - The Iterator Pattern
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At long last, we come to my number one pattern. The iterator is one of those software concepts that you come across and do not know how you managed...
AWS Internet of Things Services
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the latest advances is the Internet of Things. As one would think, this focus on small and connected devices has not been lost on Amazon. T...
Hosting Options - Free and Low Cost Solutions
04 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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Software Design - The Interpreter Pattern
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look at a behavioral pattern that is key for solving certain types of problems. These happen to be grammar and translation app...
Amazon AWS Analytics Services
31 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The AWS analytics group of services has a lot of members. These are some of the newer offerings from Amazon. However, they are very effective to u...
Hot Technology and Advances for 2019
28 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Every year it is common to see articles about the next hot technology that will be part of our lives in the year ahead. We are not going to skip thi...
A Look Back on What We Learned in 2018
26 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
One of our annual topics is a look back at the year we have completed. In this episode, we cover precisely that and look at what we learned in 2018....
Making The Most of Your Holiday or Vacation Downtime
24 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode before the Holidays, we look at some ways to make the most of your downtime. We have focused on how to squeeze more out of ...
Cross Platform Mail Client - Free and Low Cost
21 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There are those that say email is dead and texting is the most popular form of communication. However, those people are also the most likely to have...
Software Design - The Command Pattern
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our look into the behavioral patterns with an examination of the Command pattern. This is another one of them that will seem very famili...
Amazon Mobile Services
17 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Amazon mobile services group is one of the newer ones in their offerings. However, that does not mean it is something you want to skip over. T...
E-Commerce Solutions - Free and Low Cost
14 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
E-commerce is one of the primary drivers of the Internet. Although funny pictures of cats may seem like the largest draw, those pictures and social...
Software Design - Chain of Responsibility Pattern
12 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode covers a pattern that is not as well known as some of the recent ones. This time we look at the chain of responsibility pattern. This...
AWS Application Integration Services
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week we look at a shorter list of services in the Application integration group. The list may be short, but these are highly useful and valuab...
Time Tracking Solutions - Free and Low Cost
07 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We all need to measure how much of our life is spent working. Thus, time tracking is one of those features that we all can make use of. The good n...
Software Design - The Proxy Pattern
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We continue a look at the structural patterns with a look at the proxy. This is much like the flyweight we reviewed in the last episode. However, ...
AWS Machine Learning Services
03 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The AWS machine learning services are more examples of the newer offerings. Nevertheless, these are growing fast and can help you embrace cutting e...
Mail Services - Free and Low Cost
30 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week we look at mailing and communication tools. These mail services have a wide range of features and focal points. That is just part of the...
Software Design - The Flyweight Pattern
28 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We continue a look at the structural patterns with a stop at the flyweight. This pattern is one I find ignored more often than it should be. In pa...
AWS Media Services
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The AWS media services are among their more recent offerings. Nevertheless, these are applications you may find critical to your cloud strategy. T...
Technology Toys for the Holidays
23 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It is a great time for us to talk about technology toys you can give or put on your list. As we wrap up our Holiday week episodes we have some fun ...
Technology-based Reasons to be Thankful
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We continue the Holiday week of episodes by dishing out some of what we are thankful for. It is beneficial for all of us to occasionally sit back an...
Affiliate Marketing Opportunities During the Holidays
19 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Affiliate marketing is a popular form of passive income. You just put out content and hope that visitors take advantage of your partners. This ...
Cloud Storage Tools - Free and Low-Cost
16 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Cloud storage is one of the most game-changing products in recent decades. We have seen the cost of storage drop on a regular basis, and these tool...
Software Design - The Facade Pattern
14 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look at the facade pattern. This is one we have likely run into when we have dealt with complex systems. In general, a facade ...
AWS Management Tools
12 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The AWS Management Tools are an excellent way to set up, configure, and monitor a cloud infrastructure. Many of these are free or have low fees that...
Integrated Development Environment Tools (IDE) - Free and Low Cost
09 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most significant choices a developer makes is the integrated development environment (IDE) they use. Nevertheless, there are new options ...
Software Design - The Decorator Pattern
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Decorator Pattern is not only a common one, but it is also one of the best ways to embrace object-oriented design. This approach is a form of "...
AWS Compliance, Identity and Security Services (Part 2)
05 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This second part of AWS compliance, identity, and security-related services should feel familiar. These are solutions that nearly everyone needs, an...
MS Office Alternatives - Free and Low Cost
02 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we will look at Microsoft Office alternatives. The suite of applications can run up to over one thousand dollars which are not in ...
Software Design - The Composite Pattern
31 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Composite Pattern is one that is not taken advantage of as often as it might outside of frameworks. This is an approach to design that allows yo...
AWS Security Services (Part 1)
29 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The compliance, identity, and security services of AWS covers a large number of offerings. Therefore, we will review these in a multi-part series of...
Social Site Management Tools - Free and Low-Cost
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Social networking is all the rage. Unfortunately, all of those platforms that allow us to share our story can be hard to keep up with. When you wa...
Software Design - The Bridge Pattern
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Bridge Pattern is commonly configured but often due to templates and generators rather than understanding the true intent. Since it is more of...
AWS Customer Engagement Tools
22 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
You may think of Amazon web services as all technology-focused. That is not the case. There are plenty of offerings to help you run your business...
Software Ticketing Systems - Free and Low-Cost
19 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bug tracking and software ticketing systems are used in every shop I have ever worked with. Some of these are decidedly low-tech solutions that are ...
Software Design - The Adapter Pattern
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Adapter Pattern is one of the easiest to understand and relate to the real world. We see adapters used every day and they have become a critica...
AWS Business and Productivity Tools
15 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode tackles the AWS business and productivity tools group of services. It includes Chime, Alexa for business, WorkMail, WorkDocs, and we ...
Customer Relationship Management Tools - Free and Low-Cost CRM
12 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Customer Relationship Management Tools are big business. You can see examples in vast and expensive solutions like SalesForce.com. However, not ev...
Software Design - The Singleton Pattern
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The last of the creation patterns we will cover is the Singleton. This is a pattern that has a little controversy around it and may even be an anti-...
AWS Developer Tools - Your Entire Environment
08 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As we move through the groups of AWS services, the developer tools group is one of the most impressive. Amazon does an excellent job of providing yo...
Content Management Tools (Free and Low-cost)
05 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Content management systems were all the rage about a decade ago. However, that market has settled down a lot and has only a few top contenders. Th...
Software Design - The Prototype Pattern
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Our tour of the creational patterns takes us to one of the fastest ways to create a new instance. The prototype pattern provides an option to clone...
The AWS Networking and Content Delivery Services
01 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The AWS networking and content delivery services provide you the means to put your infrastructure in the cloud. These offerings are focused on the ...