Category: Web development

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One year ago I got an employment as a junior developer. Since then I’ve learned quite much, especially things about working as a junior developer.

Things that might be useful:

  • If you have someone more experienced on the office who could review your code before launch, insist on that they do it. She or he can tell you how they would have done stuff (and things you have missed), you’ll learn tons from it. If you’re lucky you might even get a mentor you’ll be able to ask questions, and who’ll be glad to review your code.
  • Just because you just got hired doesn’t mean that you should stop reading. Continue to read, write and evaluate your methods. This is a way to keep the work funny and interesting as well. Never stop learning.
  • Take initiatives, ask around. Take the chances you get to get to know your team mates better.
  • Ask your team mates what they are doing, and why they are doing it that way. Question everything.
  • Write down the stuff that you learn and share with others who are, or will be in the same position.

And then we have a few optional things that I personally do:

  • I keep my desk clutter free. At my workplace, it’s not a requirement or anything, but I just like to be able to focus on the screen and the tasks ahead of me.
  • Always show up early, or at least in time. This is not a solid requirement at my work place either, but I like to show up early, and then leave early. I tend to do the heavy tasks in the morning, and more light weight tasks in the afternoon.
  • Be polite and generous with compliments, remember peoples names and details about their personal life. But don’t pretend to be interested if you’re not. Falsehood always shines through.
  • Do your work. You might find this point very obvious, but I’ve seen enough people showing up at work to just spend the time procrastinating.

Most of these things are common sense, but you’ll be surprised of how many who wouldn’t agree with them. The important point is that you deliver what you promised, and that you do it on time. When you work in teams of more experienced people and you get to work with different projects (both fresh and uh-oh-so-old-and-completely-idiotic) you learn the most important things. The small things that no one ever seem to cover in those books that you read, or that tutorial that you walked. You learn things that could only be learned through hard earned experience.

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I’m a total noob at Django, and I’m just starting out to play on my own without the help of tutorials and guides. It goes so so, but it sure is a lot of fun.

Django is well documented but I think that the latest stable version lacks tutorials! Since Django now is quite old (in hype terms, that is) not nearly as much people is producing tutorials any more. I’m awaiting the update of James Bennett’s book Practical Django Projects.

By the way, how cool and out of the way isn’t this minimal and thought through design?
http://tomayko.com/

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Today is the day I started developing what right now is called TLW, which stands for the Lagom model.

Loosely based upon the Swedish model, and “Lagom”, which means “Enough is as good as a feast”, this is an attempt to make it easier to show your gratitude towards the musicians (and later movie makers and game creators) who we all love. It’s all about contributing in order to support further creations.

Today means that I will work from home every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during a limited time.
Technically speaking, I will build TLW using the Django framework (for order), together with a sprinkle of jQuery (for magic matters, that is). As my web hosts, I’ve chosen to work with Webfaction which offer good and reliable support for Django.

In order to setup a temporary office, I’ve bought a keyboard and a mouse.
This is how it looked yesterday:

Before

And this is how it looks today:

After 2

After

Todays workload consisted mostly of setting up a proper development environment, such as installing django, postgresql and django_openidconsumer and writing a proper business plan. Tomorrow I will focus more on pure development.

And for all of you who cares: as my OS I use Ubuntu 8.10, Geany as my editor and I run Ubuntu with compiz on normal, just to make up for my now, slow machine (1st gen Dell XPS M1330).

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Before I started working in an office, I exercised martial arts three times a week. But then, after I started my new job at the office, I lacked the motivation and the time.

About four weeks ago, I started exercising 15 – 20 min morning before having breakfast.
Usually I wake up at 06:15, then I cuddle a bit with Sanna, gets dressed, drinks a moutful of water and then gets outside for a 3-min jog to get the morning newspapers.
After that I start exercising, by using my own body weight as resistance.
Push-ups, sit-ups, dips, squats, back lifts and other well known exercises.

It’s totally worth it! Instead of feeling drowsy and weak, I feel energized and alert.
Exercising is proved to have a very positive effect on your life and overall well-being.

It’s not for nothing that HealthyOntario.com states:

”Physical activity is a key factor in the health and quality of life for Canadians of all ages. It is essential for healthy growth and development in childhood: it develops a strong, healthy heart; muscular strength and flexibility, and bone density. It also contributes to maintaining healthy weight, building positive self-esteem, and setting healthy habits for life.
In adults, regular physical activity provides almost limitless benefits, including:

  • maintenance of healthy weight
  • reduced stress levels
  • relieved symptoms of depression and anxiety
  • increased energy
  • improved sleep and digestion
  • improved posture and balance
  • stronger muscles and bones
  • more confidence and a more positive outlook on life
  • ability to perform daily tasks with more ease and less fatigue
  • increased bone density
  • better circulation
  • strengthened heart and lungs
  • improved mood
  • strengthened immune system
  • prolonged good health and independence in seniors
  • better quality of life.

Regular physical activity also reduces the risk of premature death from heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer; reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure; and lowers total blood cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high density lipoproteins (HDL or the “good” cholesterol).”

Every little step counts, each minute is an investment. Place it wisely, and have fun while doing it.
Also, if you exercise regularly you’ll find it much easier to keep your eating habits healthy. It’s just like when you were a kid and you’d just built your first sand castle.
The coolest part about exercising early is that you then have the hardest part of the day behind you. If you organize the rest of your day in a similar fashion, it is quite easy to keep yourself motivated and disciplined. That’s the way I like it, what works for you?