Software Development Career Advice
It can be hard to find software development career advice with the politics at most companies.
Who do you trust? And how do you know the advice doesn’t have a hidden agenda behind it?
I’ll share advice here that I wish someone would have told me in my software development career.
Hard-won advice to help you have a realistic mindset and healthy expectations over your career in software development.
Many people think about technology, salary, and promotions when they think of their software development career.
But I think it’s more important to understand the dynamics of people and snags you can get into with how your expected to work.
I hope this helps you stay growing in your software development career!
All Content about Software Development Career Advice
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2023/12/ai-programming-fear-thumb.png)
December 19, 2023 | 22:53
As a programmer, it’s important for you to see through AI sensationalism and make informed decisions about your career!
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2023/12/got-the-coding-blues.png)
December 6, 2023 | 11:53
If you’re feeling like programming isn’t as fun as it used to be, you’re not alone. You should probably discover the root cause though!
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2023/12/heal-20-year-programming-burnout.png)
November 6, 2023 | 44:56
Burnout is one of the most common dangers to programmers over their career, and I was no exception.
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2023/12/programmers-trust-managers.png)
October 23, 2023 | 29:10
Trusting people is getting tougher than ever these days, and nobody seems to have a harder time than programmers and managers.
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2023/12/tech-lead-wrong-2.png)
October 16, 2023 | 24:29
Understand the Tech Lead role in-depth, debunking myths and revealing key responsibilities to help you decide if it’s your ideal career path.
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2023/12/self-documenting-code-1.jpg)
August 3, 2022 | 14:23
Explore the balance between self-documenting code and comments in programming, and discover the best practices for clear, maintainable code.
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2022/06/200-programmers-thumb.jpg)
June 26, 2022 | 15:36
I thought I knew what developers needed, but then I met over 200 people online to learn what unlocks their career. The results were surprising in some ways, and not in others….
![](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2022/06/impossible-to-know-how-good-programmer-1.jpg)
June 14, 2022 | 14:28
It’s tempting to compare yourself to other devs or take assessments to see how you measure up, but it’s impossible to know if you’re a good programmer!
![4 developer career desires youtube thumbnail](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2022/05/programmers-are-never-satisifed.png)
May 11, 2022 | 15:21
The 4 developer career desires is a concept I discovered through career coaching other people in tech positions over the past 3 years
![canceling developers for mistakes youtube thumbnail](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2022/05/dont-cancel-developers-youtube-thumbnail-1.jpg)
May 4, 2022 | 20:54
Today we’re going to talk about how canceling developers and other IT professionals for mistakes can hold you back from the career you want in software.
![Pause Software Project](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame3-enhanced.png)
July 17, 2018 | 8:34
Blocking multiple people to pause a software project so you can fix a problem can be hard if everyone’s focused on how much people are getting done.
![Lead Software Developers By Letting Go](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/07/frame-enhanced-1.png)
July 10, 2018 | 11:16
Over the years I’ve had to lead many software developers, and it’s become much easier since letting go of being seen as “the expert”.
![Comparing Your Career To Other Developers](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-1.png)
June 27, 2018 | 10:47
As you grow, it can be tempting to start comparing your career to other developers. But it’s a slippery slope that can easily send you off track.
![Stop Learning Write Code](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/05/frame-enhanced.png)
June 2, 2018 | 7:06
Software development draws us in with endless opportunities, but are they right for every project? There’s a time to stop learning and write code!
![Safe Software Project Mistakes](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-2.png)
May 30, 2018 | 18:15
At some software companies, it can be hard for people to learn from mistakes they make together on a software project.
![Software Project Help](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/05/frame.png)
May 25, 2018 | 7:02
There’s no shame in getting help from a friend on a software project! In this episode I tell a story about how getting help was critical to my success.
![Iain Lowe Interview 1](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/iain-lowe-1.png)
May 19, 2018 | 1:10:42
Iain Lowe is an experienced software developer and manager based out of Montreal, Canada who I interviewed about healthy development topics.
![Healing The Rift Between Programmers and Managers](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-4.png)
May 4, 2018 | 24:19
It’s common in many companies for there to be animosity between programmers and managers. But it’s smarter to consider healing that rift.
![Software Developers Promoted](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-6.png)
April 26, 2018 | 12:47
It can be confusing when most companies don’t make it clear how software developers can get promoted for more senior roles.
![Product Manager Programmer Friend](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-7.png)
April 24, 2018 | 28:43
Software developers are often frustrated when a product manager changes the design at the last minute. But product managers are a programmer’s best friend!
![Accepting Circumstances Change Software Project](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-9.png)
April 9, 2018 | 12:56
Have you ever been confronted with accepting circumstances you couldn’t change on your software project that were really difficult?
![Thinking About Programming At Home After Work](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-10.png)
March 29, 2018 | 8:02
There’s something about software development that makes it hard to stop thinking about programming after work.
![Programmers Lose Hope](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-17.png)
March 9, 2018 | 20:26
Programmers can lose hope in just a few years in the industry if they don’t have the tools to cope with pressures unique to the job.
![Take Credit for Software Ideas](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-19.png)
March 5, 2018 | 20:08
Ever had an idea for something on your software project, but someone else takes the credit? This sucks, there’s no way around it.
![Software Industry Lies](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-20.png)
March 2, 2018 | 12:05
Though having a career in software development can be exciting, there are software industry lies that if you believe – can ruin your career.
![Narcissist](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-25.png)
February 20, 2018 | 14:25
Could it be that you’re on a project with a software leader that’s a narcissist – one who criticizes everything you do?
![Best Software Project](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/03/frame-enhanced-26.png)
February 19, 2018 | 20:28
You can find the best software project for your personality if you consider a few aspects of software companies I’ve learned.
![programming is hard](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/02/frame-enhanced.png)
February 17, 2018 | 17:09
I hear a common complaint that programming has gotten harder over the years. But often we do it to ourselves with how we work!
![Programmer Flow State In The Zone](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/02/flow-state-no-overlay.png)
February 12, 2018 | 17:06
Once you’ve solved programming problems easier when “in the zone” or “flow state” – it can be hard to work any other way!
![Earn Respect on a New Software Project](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2020/02/frame-enhanced-2.png)
February 10, 2018 | 19:14
Overcome walls people can put up – and instead have them welcome your suggestions on a new software project.
![new framework](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/02/frame-enhanced.png)
February 6, 2018 | 21:48
Technology addiction hurts your software development career if materialism makes you get caught in “new framework disease” and chase shiny objects.
![DevOps CI/CD](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/02/frame-enhanced-1.png)
February 5, 2018 | 15:28
There’s plenty of “fake news” from the software industry, so beware of the DevOps lie. In all the confusion – just follow the money to see why.
![Software Project Death Spiral](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2019/07/frame-enhanced-1.png)
February 4, 2018 | 14:36
If you get the feeling your software project is in a death spiral, there are several things you should try before you give up hope!
![Programming Estimation](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/02/frame-enhanced-2.png)
February 1, 2018 | 13:06
Programming estimation is a dangerous activity that should be approached with caution! But it doesn’t have to be so stressful.
![Say NO On A Software Project](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/01/frame-enhanced.png)
January 31, 2018 | 12:11
How you say no on a software project can build resentment if you don’t establish clear boundaries – and decline the request with grace.
![Software Tasks Will Be Late](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/01/frame-enhanced-1.png)
January 30, 2018 | 10:48
How you handle late software tasks often has far reaching implications on your career, reputation and your health.
![Software Project Burnout](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2018/01/software-project-burnout-is-it-them-or-you-frame.png)
January 28, 2018 | 24:15
It’s easy to blame your company when a software project seems to require so many hours, that you suffer from software project burnout.
![Imposter Syndrome Software Developers](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2019/07/Can-Imposter-Syndrome-Help-Software-Developers-Grow-Frame.png)
January 24, 2018 | 23:03
Imposter syndrome is something software teams often talk negatively about, but it can actually be a sign of growth.
![Failing Software Project](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2019/07/frame-enhanced-4.png)
January 23, 2018 | 35:42
We all to realize we’re on a failing software project. What you do then will have a bigger impact on your health than your reputation.
![anxiety of software development](https://jecoaching-site-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/app/uploads/2017/08/video-frame.png)
August 8, 2017 | 21:25
Anxiety can cause you to feel worried that you won’t get what you want out of your software development career, and it makes people do funny things…