Technology Careers v2.0 Service Pack 1 Ultimate Edition

Fanboys, Keyboard Cat, and You

Who is this guy?

John Bristowe

Senior Developer EvangelistMicrosoft Canada

http://www.flickr.com/photos/husseinabdallah/4713576870/

Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School

Bishop’s University

http://www.flickr.com/photos/husseinabdallah/2076445779/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Qu%C3%A9bec,_Canada.svg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/selma90/3675162262/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Haiku_OS.png

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marfis75/2939337382/

john.bristowe@microsoft.com

bristowe.com

twitter.com/jbristowe

That’s Me

Developer & Platform Evangelism

What’s it like?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwl/4764667152/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwl/3478660349/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnaby_jeans/63482412/

More Generally Speaking…

A Career in Software Development

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotbenjamin/2762712999/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cowcoptim/4104360701/

maybe want

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbristowe/516559029/

want

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownpau/222921320/

too much want

So, what’s my take?

A Super-Mega-Awesome l33t Life and Career that will make all of Your Friends Insanely Jealous

Seriously. It’s pretty awesome.

A Few Ways to be a Better Developer

1. Learn more than one programming language

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdecomite/3872685816/

2. Read source code from other people

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyuhuhuu/4443886636/

3. Read programming sites and blogs

http://www.flickr.com/photos/schani/14508908/

4. Listen to technical podcasts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nite_owl/405946852/

5. Talk to other developers (e.g. user groups)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mastermaq/2890484346/

6. Just do it (e.g. code kata)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/renfield/351556390/

7. Find a mentor / Be a mentor

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbristowe/3968349579/

8. Lead a development team

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76074333@N00/318034222/ and www.Futuristmovies.com

9. Know your tools

http://www.flickr.com/photos/furryscalyman/312210315/

10. Do what you love

Software Development Today and Tomorrow

Some Final Thoughts

1. You + Passion = Awesome

2. Own Your Brand

77% of recruiters surveyed say thatthey use search engines

to check out job candidates

ExecutNet

1 in 4 hiring managers say thatthey use search engines

to research potential employees

CareerBuilder.com

“Over time, the lack of a Web presence - particularly for IT

professionals - may well turn from a neutral to a negative.”

“If someone came looking for a senior-

level job and had left no mark on the

Internet, I’d see that as a big negative.”- Tim Bray, Google

"Mere competence in a technical discipline is not enough. That's the

minimum required to keep your head above water. To have a personal

brand, you must do something remarkable."

- Jeff Atwood, Co-Founder of StackOverflow.com

2. Own Your Brand

3. Don’t Fear Failure

3. IOW: Fail Hard. Fail Often.

http://www.threadbombing.com/details.php?image_id=3036

Resources

Microsoft DreamSpark

dreamspark.com

Imagine Cup

imaginecup.com

Go DevMENTAL

GoDevMental.com

Track 1 Track 2

6:30 PM Registration

7:00 PM Let’s Kick Some App: Your First Windows

Phone App

What is the WebMatrix?: Awesome and Free

Website Building Tools

7:45 PM Break

8:00 PM Get Your Game On: Your

First Windows Phone Game

Express Yourself: Silverlight Animations with Expression Blend

8:45 PM Finish

December 14

Round-Up Centre

GoDevMental.com

Go register. Now.

Seriously. I’ll wait.

Thanks!

Creative Commons Photo AttributionCalgary - Olympic Plaza & Calgary Tower

Drapeau du Québec - Québec flagQuébec, Canada.svg

AppleHaiku OS.png

Café con leche – MilchkaffeeEven the Dark Side needs motivation

The trip homeIMG_5747

064/365: N is for NerdSad LucyFat Cat

From Babel with lovereturn undefined;

ReadingL1070294

DemoCampCalgary10kaminoto

Introduction to monstering and www.Futuristmovies.comWe Still Work

Canadian Developer Connectionblogs.msdn.com/cdndevs

bristowe.comjohn.bristowe@microsoft.com

twitter.com/jbristowe