Some gems for you

Last Update: 12.07.2018. By Jens in Developers Life | Learning | Newsletter

I’ve recently listened to the Freelance Transformation Podcast Episode with Alan Weiss and I think there are some gems in it even when you are an employed dev.
Don’t let names or his books fool you into thinking it doesn’t apply to you. Yes, it is focused on consulting and self-employed people. But in today’s crowed dev world (and stupid interview processes), it will help you too to tune out from the typical dev point of view.

Seeing and using marketing is alienating for us devs, usually, we scoff at those. Yet, if you ever wondered why the “guys who can’t code” are being promoted and you not, marketing is one possible answer to that. So, check the podcast out. I bet you won’t regret it.

Second email:

Maybe you had a chance to read it, maybe not. Anyways, for you employed devs out there I still highlight one gem for you.

“Take a look at your tools and skills and what you can do, and you ask yourself why they are important.”

This exercise helps you move away from introducing yourself by the skills you have, such as programming or being an expert in Photoshop, to introducing yourself by the value to provide. A good mentor or peer group will help you figure this out.

This will give you an idea and in the long run an understanding, why people hire you. It isn’t about your mad Java skillz or alike. Nope, it’s about solving particular problems. Try looking at your projects or jobs or whatever you are doing weekly from a business perspective. What are you helping the business with?

Things like making more money due your UX skills or reducing customer support and/or maintaining costs due to automation of processes, or removing error-prone manual labor through automation and thus reducing costs.

Feel free to send your over, I am glad to help.