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
299 episodes
#290 - 4 things no one tells you about learning to code after 30
Am I too old to learn how to code?If you're alive then the answer is NO.BUT, you are going to need a different game plan than your 22 year old co-workers if you want this to work.I was 31 when I got my first job as...
•
12:54
.png)
#289 - This Year Nearly Broke Me - Here’s What I’m Changing...
There are some major changes coming to Parsity and this podcast. As a listener, I appreciate you sincerely for listening and I want to extend the largest discount we've ever done for our 30 day Javascript program. It's usually $49 b...
•
12:10
.png)
#288 - AI Hype is Ruining Software (A Rant)
"We don't really need developers any more""In 2 years, the tools will be so good, that no one will be writing code""Learn a trade bro"I've heard all of these phrases in the last week and it's hone...
•
18:30
.png)
#287 - From Smoothie King to AI Engineer
Ryan is a current student at Parsity who build an app for his employer, Smoothie King, to suggest drinks in a chat interface using a powerful and lesser-known AI technology: RAG.RAG stands for retrieval augmented generation. Basically, p...
•
19:19
.png)
#286 - How to Know When You're Ready for ReactJS
You’ll learn the six core JS skills to master before frameworks, why TC39 keeps changing the language, and how to test your skills with a challenge you can access below.👉 Try out the JS Form Ch...
•
13:06
#284 - The Junior Developer Interview Guide (From Recruiter Screen to React)
Let's be honest - interviews suck.But you can't suck at them.In this episode I break down what your next interview as a junior developer will LIKELY include.Your mileage will vary.Grab the interview guide below which...
•
29:27
.png)
#285 - Listen to This Before You Learn to Code with AI
Thinking about learning to code with ChatGPT, Cursor, or Copilot?Hit pause for ten minutes.In this episode, I break down why AI isn’t replacing developers but it is making it harder to learn. You’ll learn the ...
•
13:46
#284 - Are We in an AI Bubble?
Original article: https://medium.com/@wlockett/you-have-no-idea-how-screwed-openai-actually-is-8358dccfca1cYour AI engineer...
•
15:27
.png)
#283 - The Practical Guide to LinkedIn for Developers Who Hate LinkedIn
Grab the templates for posting to LinkedIn here: https://www.parsity.io/learning-in-publicI’ve grown from 0 to nearly 40K followers on LinkedIn with barely any viral posts, a...
•
25:06
#282 - From Overwhelmed To Hired: A Realistic Plan For Learning To Code on an Adult Schedule
👉 Your adult time audit worksheet 👈I get it.There is no time. You have kids, maybe adult dependen...
•
11:13
#281 - Coding Bootcamp, College, Or Self-Taught? Which is Right For You and How to Decide
Let's weigh college, bootcamps, and the self-taught route with blunt pros and cons, then map each path to market realities, hiring filters, and long-term growth. The goal is to help you choose a route that gets you hired faster with...
•
12:55
.png)
#280 - The Missing Guide to AI for Web Developers
I just quit my job as a senior AI developer, and while helping hire my replacement, I realized how few people actually know how AI apps work. In this episode, I walk through Retrieval-Augmented Generation step by step—the same syste...
•
28:19
.png)
#279 - Recruiter Exposes the Truth About Junior Developer Jobs
Just give up?Everyone says no one’s hiring junior developers anymore — but is that actually true?In this episode, I sit down with recruiter David Roberts to uncover what’s really happening in the job market, why most appl...
•
44:20
#278 - AI Does NOT Replace Junior Developers, Here's Why
Every headline says AI is eating developer jobs. But spend a week in production and you’ll see the opposite: brittle code, flaky tests, and tools that look fast until you actually ship something.In this episode, I break down w...
•
12:43
#277 - RAG: The Only AI Skill Web Devs Need to Learn in 2026
I thought Ben was a troll when he slid into my DMs after a LinkedIn argument. Turns out, he’s building some of the most practical AI systems I’ve seen. In this episode, we talk about how that disagreement turned into a friendship—and why Retrie...
•
36:14
.png)
#276 - Claude Code Failed: What Anthropic’s Postmortem Means for Developers
Ever had your AI pair programmer stop helping and start breaking everything? I did—and this time, the data proves it wasn’t just me.Claude fell off. TypeScript that wouldn’t compile, migrations stuck in loops, refactors that ...
•
16:18
#275 - Terrible Advice for Software Developers (that you're hearing in 2025)
After 11 years helping hundreds of career changers switch into software development, I've found the hardest part isn't teaching technical skills but rewiring brains from misleading online advice that hurts new developers. Much of th...
•
17:45
.png)
Developer Career Change Hotline: Networking, Breaking In, and Not Giving Up
Let's tackle three of the most common struggles career changers face: 1. Breaking into tech from another field2. Networking without feeling fake3. Staying motivated when the job search drags on. If you’re w...
•
18:53
.png)
#274 - The Cost of Being Nice: Why Good Developers Don't Get Promoted
Have you ever wondered why some developers keep getting promoted while others stay stuck at the same level despite their technical skills? The answer might surprise you.Through practical, actionable steps, I break down exact...
•
20:01
#273 - When You Don’t Know What to Build—Build This
Breaking into software development isn’t about finishing another tutorial—it’s about building something that matters. In this episode, I’ll show you how to choose a side project that proves your skills, keeps you motivated, and actuall...
•
18:19
.png)
#272 - The State of the 2025 Tech Job Market: Is AI Helping or Hurting Us?
The tech job market is sending seriously mixed signals in 2025. While social media overflows with doom and gloom about hiring freezes and impossible entry barriers, actual data tells a surprisingly different story. Job openings are ...
•
14:23
.png)
#271 - The Physics of Career Change: How Long It Actually Takes to Become a Software Developer
Remember when coding bootcamps promised you could learn to code and land a job in just three months? That golden era of easy entry into tech has fundamentally changed, yet the marketing hasn't caught up with reality.In this ...
•
37:25
.png)
#270 - Coding in the Age of AI: What No One’s Telling You
AI is changing coding faster than anyone expected. Two years ago, autocomplete felt wild—now people with zero dev experience are shipping apps over a weekend. The question isn’t “is AI replacing developers?” It’s “how do...
•
20:13
#269 - I'm Burnt Out! The 3 Worst Parts About Being a Software Developer (and why I still love it)
It’s Labor Day weekend and, honestly? I’m burned out.Maybe this isn’t the best business move, but I’d rather keep it real with you than fake the whole “everything is great in tech” narrative.I’ve been plenty vocal about why AI isn...
•
12:43
#268 - An AI Agent Horror Story: What Happens When AI Runs a Business?
What happens when you give an AI agent full control over a small business?I mean, what could go wrong?Things started off rough and then got down right creepy near the end of this experiment.You can read the original article...
•
12:15