Tag: Engineer

Avoid These 5 Workplace Traps to Get Ahead as a Software Engineer

Working overtime If you have read my articles on improving as a Software Engineer, you know I despise the overtime culture. I've experienced burnout at the hands of a corporation multiple times in my 20+ year career as a software engineer, and it's not fun. I currently work f...

Advice From a Software Engineer With 8 Years of Experience

Hello, and welcome! My name is Benoit. I have been a software engineer for the past eight and a half years. I stayed at my previous (and first) company for seven and a half years, then I joined a new one in early 2022. This article comes from a recent self-reflection on the things I wish I had...

Career Planning as an Individual Contributor Software Engineer

As a Principal Software Engineer, I get to see a lot of folks joining the industry and trying to find their footing to climb the software engineering career ladder. Some people have a very clear idea of what they want from their careers and some have no idea what the next levels look like – or...

2 Regrets of a 55 Years Old Retired Software Engineer

I have started thinking about my long-term plan and what I want to do in my life. Soon, I will share those with you. But as part of the plan, I decided to make a plan to talk with different kinds of programmers. My main goal is to learn as much as possible from them. I also decided to write funda...

Avoid These 5 Workplace Traps to Get Ahead as a Software Engineer

To be productive as engineers, we need strict control over our workday. And we cannot let up on protecting our time. Because the vultures will come swooping in and try to waste it. Many things are out of our control in the modern workplace, but we can control what and who we give our time and how...

How to Quietly Upgrade Yourself as a Data Engineer (while Working 9 to 5)

When I began my data journey, I thought it would be sunshine and rainbows all the way to the top. I believed (naively) everything would make sense, things would be easy, and all the puzzle pieces would fit perfectly in place as the years went by. The data world doesn’t work that way. There ...

The 5 paid subscriptions I actually use in 2023 as a software engineer

I care a lot about the tools I use. Especially when they aren’t free. Some tools are too good to keep to myself. I have to share them! Here’s what I’ve spent my money on in 2022–23 that has genuinely improved my life as a software engineer. Please note: None o...

The 5 paid subscriptions I actually use in 2023 as a software engineer

Become a 10x Software Engineer with Bayesian Thinking

Bayesian thinking is extremely powerful when it comes to software engineering. At its core Bayes Theorem is a way of updating our beliefs about the world with new knowledge that we gain. Bayes’ Theorem is extremely powerful because it allows us to use the additional specific information we ...

The Software Engineer as Tool-User

Engineers develop and use tools to make our work more efficient. Digging dirt with a stick is difficult — a shovel makes things go more quickly. If a large amount of dirt must be moved quickly, a more advanced tool can be employed, such as an excavator. Similarly, joining together two ...

A Tale of a Deceptive End-to-End Test Automation Engineer

As a software engineer and test automation engineer, I believe it is essential to emphasize the term “engineer” in our job titles. Engineering, according to widely accepted norms, involves a systematic and reliable approach that aims to create durable and lasting solutions. For inst...

How to advance as Software Engineer. How to be a more Senior Software Engineer

I will try to share with you some career advice for programmers. I want to start straight away with a truth that we may not know. We have no idea in our industry what a good programmer looks like, which is a little bit alarming given we’re talking about career and growth, and that presumably i...

Become a 10x Software Engineer with Bayesian Thinking

7 Books to Be the Top Data Engineer

In today’s data-driven world, data engineering plays a pivotal role in transforming raw data into actionable insights. Aspiring data engineers often seek guidance and knowledge to master the essential skills required for success. While online resources and courses are abundant, the power of a ...

How to Quietly Upgrade Yourself as a Data Engineer (while Working 9 to 5)

The 5 paid subscriptions I actually use in 2023 as a software engineer

A Roadmap to Become a Machine Learning Engineer

As a Machine Learning Engineer, I remember feeling uncertain about the path ahead when I first started out. Back then, I had no idea that the title “Machine Learning Engineer” even existed when I was working on my Text-to-Speech study for my Bachelor’s thesis. But it has become a p...

Be an Engineer, not a Frameworker

As always, caveats first: Engineers definitely should and do use frameworks. They’re beautiful bits of engineering that get stuff done in a maintainable way. Frameworks are not the enemy of this article. Bravo, frameworks. OK, enough of that. Sorry, w...

From Actor to Data Engineer: An Interview with Jeff Vermeire

Welcome to the DET’s “From Anything to Data Engineering” blog series! At DET, we believe that everyone can build a data engineering career regardless of their background. In this blog series, we interview data engineers from various backgrounds and share their unique career journ...

Good Engineer, Excellent Engineer, Architect

I know many different engineers — many of them very good, some of them outstanding, but only a few of them have traits of good systems architects. Let me explain. Engineers' focus area is systems construction. They naturally need to become experts in answering a “how to build a sy...

DRI#3 Thoughts about Software Engineer Career Path

Today is September 4, 2023. Today’s “Daily Reading & Insight” I would like to share about our career path as a Software Engineer. As a software engineer, to most of our employers, that our job is to connecting all piece of data input scattered in every places, build some log...

I’m a Software Engineer but financially independent :)

Are you a software engineer working diligently in a company? Chances are you’ve had that nagging thought at least once: “Why should I rely solely on my monthly salary?” If that notion has ever crossed your mind, this article aims to illuminate your path towards financial independen...

Do You Need to Be a Math Whiz to Become a Software Engineer?

Do you have a knack for logic and solving complicated problems but mistrust your mathematics abilities? If so, you may be shocked to find that you do not need to be a math whiz to become a good software engineer. While a solid foundation in mathematics is vital, software engineering is primarily foc...

Why We Over-Engineer Software (and How to Break the Habit)

With ready access to public cloud computing, container orchestrators, and microservices architecture, it has become trivial to create distributed systems of nearly limitless scale and complexity. While all of these tools have their purpose, it’s important for engineers to carefully consider wh...

As a Senior engineer, how do I know if I’m operating at the Staff level?

When you’re a senior-level engineer (i.e., focused on being impactful in a single team), it’s hard to tell how far you are from being Staff+ in impact. Here are a few questions I ask folks around heuristics that can indicate when you’re near or at a Staff+ level. Does it feel li...

A Wake-up call (or a rant from an underperforming Software Engineer)

Have you ever feel like you wasted the better years of your youth chasing clouds and resting on your laurels as money coming from your software developer job keeps flowing into your pockets? I work for a software consulting firm as a remote-based Junior .NET Software Engineer. Salary is good, wor...

Processing/Equipment Engineer to Software RD

People seek change while they do not feel good/right about their current state. Maybe it’s good enough for their others, but definitely not for the changing ones. While I was in University, my major is Biomedical Engineer and Environmental Science. That major seems kind of fancy right? Well, ...

The Real Obstacles I Faced to Become a Software Engineer (It Wasn’t My Gender)

How did you discover the job that you do now? For those Software Engineers out there: when did you know that programming was what you wanted to do? When did you first write some code? I studied computer science at university, but it took some luck, trial and error to find out that this is what...

GPT-Engineer: Generate an Entire Codebase with 1 Prompt!

We’ve seen how ChatGPT can generate code for us. Then we’ve seen how Auto-GPT could make GPT-4 fully autonomous. And now we can build entire apps with one prompt with GPT-Engineer. How does it work? Simple, you only have to describe your project and GPT-Engineer will build i...

A Roadmap to Become a Machine Learning Engineer

Advice From a Software Engineer With 8 Years of Experience

My name is Benoit. I have been a software engineer for the past eight and a half years. I stayed at my previous (and first) company for seven and a half years, then I joined a new one in early 2022. This article comes from a recent self-reflection on the things I wish I had started doing earlier ...

How I developed a trading system as a software engineer with no formal finance background

Over the last six years, I taught myself the ins and outs of trading and built a fully autonomous system that’s now managing several hundred thousand USD in assets. In this article, I want to share my journey with you. I’ll discuss the challenges I faced as a software engineer with no fi...

How a Software Engineer Created and Sold His SaaS in Just 5 MONTHS!

Ever since ChatGPT’s debut, there’s been an influx of apps leveraging its capabilities in various forms. Tapping into popular technology can indeed create a buzz, yet the reality remains that nearly 99% of these apps fade away soon after their much-hyped launches on platforms l...

Former Engineer Now Top-Selling Author on Amazon Due to Selfless Act of Kindness

“One guy saw another sitting there, bored and alone trying to sell his stuff, and he just came over to say hello out of an act of kindness…And that one act by one person triggered a tsunami of generosity after.” — Author Shawn Warner, per NBC News Intoday’s...

How to delegate tasks as a senior/lead engineer?

After staying in the same company for years as senior or lead, we always find ourselves overwhelmed by the increasing requests. — From everyone. Because: you are the one, who is familiar with everything, does things fast, and knows everything. So, you must have been here Look at t...

How To Update Your Status During Standup Like a Senior Engineer

Imagine this — they assign you a task to finish up this sprint. It is a task that requires you to push a new feature within a brand-new architecture you have never touched on. On the first day, you look through all the documentation on the Confluence page to get more clarification about the fe...

The Engineer Bouquet: Making a Team Where People Can Grow

I use the same interview for software engineers, regardless of their level. Can you write code? Can you design software? Can you lead people? What are your strengths and weaknesses? The actual mechanics vary from company to company. Some will use take home tests, some will do pairin...

Things I value in a Software Engineer

While it’s true that sharp technical skill is in high demand, there are other things that I appreciate which are in equally high demand. If you possess even half of these then consider yourself ahead of at least 80% of your peers. Feel free to add these to how you approach interviews! 1. Yo...

How I passed the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate Certification

Introduction: The Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate certification is an examination that evaluates an individual’s proficiency with the Databricks Lakehouse platform. This certification is intended for those comfortable writing code in SQL and Python/Scala. As the Lakehouse p...

How I Passed Databricks Data Engineer Associate Exam in 7 Days

Databricks has several role-based and specialty certification line-up that you can choose according to the role you are interested in. However, I am only going to cover how I prepared myself for Data Engineer Associate certification exam in just 7 days. Databricks Certified Data Enginee...

Passing the Databricks Professional Data Engineer Exam

How to prepare for the Databricks Data Engineer Professional Exam Databricks Certification: source I recently passed the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional, and I highly recommend any serious Spark developer consider taking this exam. I won’t sugarcoat it. The ...

Popular Software Design Principles You should know as iOS Engineer

In the last article we have talked about solid principles, So in this article we’re going to talk about another software design principles you should know iOS Engineer. DRY principle: The DRY principle (Don’t Repeat Yourself) is a software development principle that st...

How To Become a DevOps Engineer In Six Months or Less

This part is an overview of a multi-part series. Start here for a brief intro to DevOps or skip directly to Part 1 to start your journey. Part 1 is here. Target Audience Are you a developer looking to shift your career towards a more DevOps model? Are you are a classically traine...

A Step-by-Step Guide for a Secure SSH Setup As a DevOps and Cloud Engineer.

Introduction In the fast-paced world of DevOps and Cloud Engineering, secure and efficient remote access is paramount. Whether you are managing servers, deploying applications, or automating cloud infrastructure, setting up SSH (Secure Shell) is a fundamental step in ensuring the integrity and co...

Senior Engineer Interview at Booking.com Amsterdam

I finished my first few months at Booking.com and thought that I should share my experience of searching for a job, interviewing and eventually moving to Amsterdam from India. I was working as Lead Engineer in SAP, Bangalore when I successfully interviewed with booking.com remotely. The company work...

My first three months at Glovo as a Junior Software Engineer

Hi, I’m Javier Rodríguez and I joined Glovo as a Junior Software Engineer this July. I’m part of the logistics cluster, helping to improve the app for the couriers. These past few months have been productive, fulfilling, and enjoyable, and I would like to tell you about my experie...

From Sound Engineer to Scam Artist:

In the labyrinthine realm of global financial scams, the Unique Finance scheme stands as a notorious emblem of deception, leaving a wake of devastation that transcends borders and nations. Amidst the intricate web of deceit, one name emerges as a pivotal figure, casting a long shadow over this fraud...

Structural Engineer Inspection Cost in Australia [2023]

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of structural engineer inspections, let’s tackle the burning question: How much does it cost? Well, in Australia, the cost of a structural engineer inspection can range from as low as $300 to a substantial $15,000. Now, let’s break down why this range...

Backing Up a Stellar Engineer: Open for New Opportunities in Taipei

I am writing this post to recommend my colleague  Jill Hsu  for any relevant job opportunities in Taipei. As her teammate in the backend and machine learning data engineering team, I can attest to her outstanding work ethics, attention to detail, and passion for delivering high-quali...

Software Engineer Rina Artstain shares the reasons why she thinks Dropbox Tel Aviv is so special — including the breakfasts

Can you tell us a little about your education and journey to Dropbox? I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Hebrew University, and a Masters MBA also from there. I was actually part of a special program where we did it together in four years, which was cool. It was very impres...

My Time as a Black Woman Software Engineer at Capital One

Being a Black woman in technology, despite the immense amount of privilege that we have with our skill set and our compensation for said skill set, is hard, but I would like to think I have persevered despite the odds. I love my career path. I travel to conferences to talk about my experience techni...

When 97% of your Machine Learning Engineer Interviews are with Men

In November and December of 2021, I interviewed for machine learning engineering roles at 9 companies. I interviewed for a variety of companies: software companies, AI startups, R&D groups within larger organizations, and data science consulting groups. During the interviews, my interviewers ...

Becoming a Self-Driving Car & Machine Learning Engineer

The past year has been quite a journey for me. A year ago I left my full-time job in computer chip design, to go “back to school” for a career change into machine learning. However, I didn’t go back to school in a traditional sense — I decided to pursue online education via U...

Thank God I Didn’t Become A Train Engineer

I’ve loved trains since I was a little kid. I’ve always had a train set(the title pic is from my current layout), I hung out by the tracks a rail served industry in my hometown, getting cab and caboose rides. As a ten year old, I wrote to the Santa Fe Railway and got a tour of their down...

SynBio — p.20: A Plasmid Design-driven Directed Evolution Approach to Engineer Enzymes

Directed evolution is an innovative technique that emulates the natural selection process to engineer enzymes with improved properties, such as increased activity, specificity, or stability. The method involves three steps: a) subjecting a gene to iterative cycles of mutagenesis (generating a varian...

Immigration to Canada as a Geological Engineer in 2023

Undoubtedly, there is a high demand for geologists in Canada. According to data from the Canadian government’s job bank, the demand varies across different sub-fields. However, the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador...

When AI is useless: the thoughts of a Machine Learning engineer

When a lot of people was talking about crypto, I didn’t care too much about it. I mean, I’m not an expert, and nowadays I’m not interested on it. And despite being a computer science, I still don’t understand what is blockchain. But… machine learning is m...