Develop Yourself
To change careers and land your first job as a Software Engineer, you need more than just great software development skills - you need to develop yourself.
Welcome to the podcast that helps you develop your skills, your habits, your network and more, all in hopes of becoming a thriving Software Engineer.
Episodes
236 episodes
#233 - How Mindi Navigated ADHD, Bootcamp Burnout, and Landed a Dev Role
We cover:Why even smart, driven people need help when learning to codeWhat ADHD looks like as a software engineer—and how she manages itHow burnout hit hard after landing the jobWhy public speakin...
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39:14
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#232 - The Harsh Truth About Coding, AI, Bootcamps, and Breaking in to Tech
Think you need a CS degree to get hired? That bootcamps are scams? That AI is making developers obsolete? In this episode, I share some very hot takes on what it really takes to break into tech — and why most of what you’ve...
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16:09
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#231 - Roasting A Listener's Resume, LinkedIn and GitHub Profile
A listener, Andrew, was kind enough to send me his resume, LinkedIn and GitHub profile for me to roast.Overall - he did a good job BUT there are some issues I would fix that I've seen in many of the hundreds of resumes I've seen over the...
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14:21
#230 - AI Will Replace Most Coding: What Chief Scientist Laly Bar-Ilan Says Developers Should Learn Next
Laly Bar-Ilan has been working in AI and natural language processing for over two decades—long before it was trendy. She’s now the Chief Scientist at Bit, where she’s helping build composable, AI-first developer tools that might just rep...
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29:54
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#229 - The 2025 Tech Job Market Sucks? Here's How You Beat It
The job market in 2025 feels broken—and you’re not imagining it. AI-generated spam is clogging recruiter inboxes, resumes are becoming less relevant, and LinkedIn is more influencer platform than job board. In this e...
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17:51
#228 - The 3 Stages of Learning Javascript: What to Build && What to Learn
No one said it would be easy.If you're having trouble learning JS, you're not alone.I nearly quit coding when I had to learn JS. I even considered trying to become an email developer (yes, this was a thing). Fast forwa...
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14:31
#227 - How Busy Professionals Can Learn to Code (Without Losing Their Minds): A 3 Step Process
Ever feel like learning to code is impossible with your packed schedule?You're not alone. Ten years ago, I was juggling parenting two kids, working full-time with a brutal Bay Area commute, and driving Lyft on the side just ...
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15:42
Special Episode: Answering Fan Mail
Have you ever sent a message into the void? That's exactly what's been happening to listeners who've tried to contact me through Buzzsprout's messaging system.From a father in Dayton balancing family responsibilities while trying to bre...
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14:55
#226 - New Coders Can't Code?
The rise of AI coding tools has fundamentally changed how people learn programming, creating a concerning trend: developers who can produce impressive-looking applications without understanding how they work.What makes a developer truly...
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28:36
#225 - The 3-Month Coding Bootcamp Myth: 4 Things You Actually Need to Get Hired
Thinking about joining a coding bootcamp to land a job in three months? Let’s get real. I’ve been coding professionally for over a decade, and while a bootcamp kick-started my career, it didn’t teach me everything I need...
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17:30
#224 - How Jeremy Went From Tutorial Hell to Front End Developer at Apple
Jeremy spoke with a couple mentees at Parsity which led to a conversation where I learned about his unusual (and long) journey into software.If you're a career changer and you're dealing with impostor syndrome or tutorial hell and need s...
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37:18
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#224 - Should You Still Learn JavaScript in 2025?
With the rise of AI and Python’s dominance, is JavaScript still worth learning?In this episode, I break down why JavaScript remains the best starting language for new developers, how it sets you up for success in web development, and eve...
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20:01
#223 - AI for JavaScript Developers: What You Actually Need to Know
I started off 2025 knowing jack sh*t about LLMs besides how to ask Chat-GPT questions.Since then, I've built a multi-agent app for work, learned some linear algebra to understand how LLMs work at a basic level and started using a new tec...
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19:58
Has Cursor Cooked Junior Developers for Good?
Cursor is an AI-powered text editor for coders. Let me be honest - if I was a junior developer, I'd feel a little nervous looking at what it's capable of doing.But I'm not. So I'm not.Let's explore why Cursor is an amazing tool...
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15:28
#221 - How AWS Used AI to Save 4,500 Years of Work – with AWS’s Director of Generative AI Applications
I've been using AWS Q Developer for a few months now but it turns out I've barely scratched the surface.Srini, Director of Generative AI Applications and Developer Experiences at Amazon Web Services, who leads the team behind Q, agreed t...
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31:39
#220 - Real-World JavaScript: Why Loops and Arrays Are the Backbone of the Internet
You’re learning about JavaScript arrays all wrong.For loops, zero-indexing, blah blah blah.But WHY? What makes arrays so damn important?Let's break down why arrays and objects are the backbone of the internet and a c...
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13:09
#219 - The 3-Step No-BS Guide to Getting in Shape After 30
Don't worry - this won't become a fitness podcast... or I dunno, maybe it will.Seriously, I know how much exercise has changed my life and directly contributed to my ability to debug code, stay sane during stressful periods and make me f...
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28:16
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#218 - The 3 Worst Developers I Ever Worked With
There are enough stories out there about how to be a 10x developer, whatever the hell that means.I want to share with you the 3 worst developers I ever worked with and what made them so awful.The names have been changed to protect...
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17:13
#217 - How to Get Your First Tech Job - Straight from a Recruiter
Henry Ngo is a tech recruiter who wants to see you win the game of job hunting. We chat about:• The Importance of a compelling hero section in resumes• Utilizing technology and AI in the recruitment process• Tips for ...
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24:31
#216 - Take-Home Coding Challenges Suck. Here’s 3 ways to Beat Them...
I might be in the minority on this one but I cannot stand these types of interviews.IF you must participate, you might as well give it your best shot.Let's go over 3 ways I've personally seen mentees at
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10:59
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#215 - Building Software with AI: Dr. Robert Toth on the Future of Coding, Cursor and True Prompt Engineering
I used to roll my eyes when someone talked about "prompt engineering."Then Dr. Toth showed me what's possible in a video where he created facial recognition software in under 9 minutes.Toth is the CEO of an AI Medical Tech company...
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31:36
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#214 - A step by step guide to building a really good side project
Let's cut to the chase.Here's the video for building a side project: Watch on YTGrab the cheat sheet for side projects
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20:36
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#213 - The Google Interview: Luck, LeetCode, and What Actually Matters
Can you believe I never asked Zubin about his interview at Google?I failed the Google interview a couple times (so far) but Zubin crushed it.And he did it without studying hundreds of LeetCode problems, using an approach which no ...
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37:08
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#212 – Learn Fast(er): The Uncomfortable Method That Actually Works
Your most powerful skill as a software developer isn't how many languages you know or what technology you've used.You're real power is in how fast you can learn.Tech changes quick. You got to keep up.I break down a method I...
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14:29
#211 - 5 Things Salespeople Know About Getting Hired (That Developers Don’t)
Want to get hired faster? Start thinking like a salesperson.Developers often struggle with the job search—not because they lack skills, but because they don’t know how to sell themselves. Meanwhile, ex-salespeople seem to l...
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32:08
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