Brian Jennney
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brianjenney.bsky.social
Brian Jennney
@brianjenney.bsky.social
Rants about software careers, learning to code and JavaScript stuff
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Doesn't it seem a little odd that we were just about to ban Tik Tok but then decide to start integrating a free AI tool into our work flows and codebases without a second thought?

Like, what could possibly go wrong?
Doesn't it seem a little odd that we were just about to ban Tik Tok but then decide to start integrating a free AI tool into our work flows and codebases without a second thought?

Like, what could possibly go wrong?
January 31, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I walk through the basics of building a TypeScript app using RAG here: youtu.be/TMNpjpHQ0l4

Source code in the description ;)
Let's Build a Cringe LinkedIn Influencer Post with OpenAI, TypeScript and NextJS
YouTube video by Brian Jenney
youtu.be
January 25, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Learning to code didn’t change my life.

Getting sober and exercising did however.

I went from a fluffy, anxiety-ridden addict to a much less fluffy, anxiety-ridden software developer.

I share how I made the transition here: open.spotify.com/episode/5r1A...
#207 - From Addict to Software Developer: A Story of Habit Stacking
Develop Yourself · Episode
open.spotify.com
January 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
This dude got 2.5k rejections as a CS grad. Does that mean we're all screwed?

Here's my take: youtu.be/SaPHePWKnYE
2.5k rejections as a CS Grad?! My response
YouTube video by Brian Jenney
youtu.be
January 19, 2025 at 9:28 PM
One thing I'm genuinely curious about when it comes to AI replacing junior and mid-level devs - who will replace the senior devs who go into management?

Why are we scaring off our talent pipeline with all this hype?
January 19, 2025 at 4:53 PM
According to this study, developers code less than an hour per day: www.software.com/reports/code...

This isn't usually the case for me but I certainly don't spend more than a few hours at a time in the code, even at a small startup.

There's a lot more to writing code than writing code.
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January 16, 2025 at 4:01 PM
5 phases of a software developer’s career:

1. I got hired! My work is done!

2. I know nothing. I’m an awful developer and a burden on this team

3. Perhaps I’m not the absolute worst developer in the entire universe.

4. I should be paid more. Time to interview.

5. I got hired! My work is done!
January 13, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I'm getting more and more convinced that the only people who think AI can fully replace developers haven't built anything beyond moderate complexity.

Who knows what the future holds.

I'm not over-confident but I'm also not sold on this dystopian outlook just yet.

open.spotify.com/episode/3GZc...
#204 - AI Is Coming for Your Dev Job (But Not Really): AGI, o3 and Fear Mongering
Develop Yourself · Episode
open.spotify.com
January 9, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I’m in the SF Bay Area and I’m hosting my first in person event in years.

If you’re looking for no bs information on how to break into tech then meet me here: www.meetup.com/develop-your...
Breaking into Tech As an Outsider: A Step by Step Roadmap, Sat, Jan 25, 2025, 11:00 AM | Meetup
Learning to code is tough and getting hired requires an entirely different skill set. What should you learn? How should you learn it? How long until it takes you to get hi
www.meetup.com
January 9, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Got rejected from a company 8 months ago - zero feedback.

Last week they reached out and said they made a mistake and want to move forward.

How big of a red flag is this? Or is it actually a green flag?
January 8, 2025 at 9:48 PM
If you're learning to code and want to break into tech, you should check out this interview with 2 self-taught developers who made it and share how they did it.

They break down the courses they took to how they got people to take them seriously as career changers: open.spotify.com/episode/7owj...
#203 - Breaking into Tech: Self-Taught Success Stories with Vanessa and Wilfredo
Develop Yourself · Episode
open.spotify.com
January 6, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Just wait bucko!
January 5, 2025 at 8:59 PM
My hunch is that learning some rudimentary linear algebra (vectors, dot product) and Python will be my best investment this year.

Next up - building a SLM (Small Language Model) to go just under the hood of how LLM's work. I'll share the code here once I get something ugly to look at.
January 2, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Most developers would get a hell of a lot more value from reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" rather than"Cracking the Coding Interview"

I've read a lot of good (and not so good) books that have helped me in my career.

I break down the best ones 👇 open.spotify.com/episode/6zmp...
#202 - The Best Books for Developers (That No One Talks About)
open.spotify.com
January 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Let's see AI sit through all these meetings!
December 30, 2024 at 11:33 PM
I’ve been writing online for a long time. I’m making more video content going forward. I’m not looking to make money from YT.

What the hell kind of content do early career coders need to watch?
December 27, 2024 at 6:30 PM
A few mentees at Parsity had interviews last week.

Not a single LeetCode problem was solved.

The problem is that most interview advice is really only relevant for the top 1% of all companies
December 24, 2024 at 1:20 AM
It's not NextJS || ReactJS 🙄

React is a UI library.
NextJS is a framework to build ReactJS apps.
React does not have routing, bundling or data fetching OOTB.

So yes, learn ReactJS && NextJS.
December 22, 2024 at 8:51 PM
My favorite mental models for computer science concepts:
December 22, 2024 at 8:46 PM
Writing code for a living is hard.

You need to master:

- Debugging
- Problem-solving
- Version control
- Software architecture
- Patience and persistence

And at the start you think you’ll never be good enough.

But it's still 100x better than working on something you hate.
December 17, 2024 at 3:03 PM
Your guide to beating the non-technical tech interview: open.spotify.com/episode/40L5...
#197 - Your Guide to Nailing the Non-Technical Interview in Tech
Develop Yourself · Episode
open.spotify.com
December 16, 2024 at 3:01 PM
10 years of coding advice in 2 minutes 👇
December 15, 2024 at 5:47 PM
My business parsity.io just got its first lead via Chat GPT?! Meaning someone found out about us via Chat GPT… nuts.
December 14, 2024 at 3:02 AM
Your next technical interview might not be so technical at all.

This week a mentee at Parsity.io had an upcoming interview and I gave him the same advice I'll share tomorrow with anyone who is interested.

You can get it for free here: www.parsity.io/free-resources
December 13, 2024 at 9:23 PM
Congratulations! You got hired!

Now here comes the hard part:

- exploring a massive codebase
- JIRA
- using Git but like, for real
- peer reviews with 1.2k comments

Here's how you can nail your first day as a dev: youtu.be/nubGhOOUEtk
What to expect on your first day as a software developer
YouTube video by Brian Jenney
youtu.be
December 12, 2024 at 4:53 PM