A career in Software Development

Phil @leggetter #YRS2013

A bit about mePhil @leggetterhttp://www.leggetter.co.uk

* Because these are my opinions I want you to have a bit of information about me. It's a basis on which you can decide whether or not to take any notice about what I'm going to say.* Stirling Uni - Software Engineering 2001* First job at Caplin Systems in London (who I work with now) - I don't feel I was a great dev when I left University. But I became a reasonable by applying Software Engineering practices in industry.* I've worked for a company delivering cutting edge technology to financial organisations* I've also worked for 1 largish company ESRI and 2 startups - VeriSIM and Pusher* I've been bootstrapped trying to create a service* My current job is back at the company I started with* My job is a "Developer Evangelist". I've seen great things in this job but I am biased towards community-based companies and technologies. Not closed corporate ones. I believe that even corporate organisations are going to have to open up and that startup and corporate principles are merging slightly.* And I've written a book - http://realtimewebapp.com

You

* You clearly enjoy software development. You're at YRS. If you follow your passion for technology you'll have a career.

* You're at Young Rewired State 2013* You're career has already started* In fact your career started with your first line of code

● Keep coding● Grow knowledge● Continue/Start sharing

○ Code○ Blog○ Talk

● Stay/Get involved○ Events like Young Rewired State○ General tech events○ Hack events○ Open Source projects

Where do you go from here?

* Stay/Get involved - all great ways to learn and share* Start building your CV / Social profile* All these are simply things that you should probably do throughout your career - starting now

How to Code?

Hack v Engineer?

* Hacking is a fantastic way of fast prototyping, proving concepts and achieving things quickly. But it doesn't always result in the best code.* But IMHO to build a quality software product or services you need to be a Software Engineer * Some upfront design * Development processes - find one that works for you and the people you work with. But have one. * Testing should be core to your development process * Continuous integration * Software development trends will change - be aware of them. You may even set them.

University?

* My personal opinion is that most people will get a lot from University. Socially and academically.* But, for a career in software development it isn't 100% essential for all companies.* The ability to demonstrate you are a good developer through code examples and communication can be enough.

You first job?● Already had one?● Contracting● Permanent● Do your own thing● May not exist yet!● Juggle?

○ Don't let a job title define you

Where to work?● Gaming● Digital Agency● Finance● Tech for Tech● Big/Small company?● ...

* There's lots of choice. Don't be constrained by traditional and obvious trends.

Career Progression● Dev, Team Lead, Line Manager, Dev

Manager, CTO● Dev, Team Lead, Line Manager, Dev

Evangelist (Marketing), ?● Dev + CTO + CEO

?The options really depend on: * Who you are* What industries you are involved in* These roles and opportunities are available

Again, the roles may not even exist yet.

Follow Your Passions

* You clearly enjoy software development. You're at YRS. If you follow your passion for technology you'll have a career.

Questions?