DEV Community: Anthony Eli Agbenu

The 5 most neglected skills of professionals

Anthony Eli Agbenu — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 16:59:51 +0000

I initially wrote this post as “The 5 most neglected skills of web professionals”. I amended it as I thought it would be better if I expanded the scope. So I would try not to restrict this only to web developers, but also to other professional groups. This is really only from personal experience.

Hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoyed to write it, and a few of us can learn from it.

Being diplomatic

Although there are several soft skills, I believe being diplomatic is very important if not the most important. Don’t anger your boss, and common sense stuff like that. From my experience some workers are full of themselves ( that is their own ego ) and have an opinion on virtually everything. Sometimes it pays just to be quiet. Listen first and then act upon feedback. This is make more preferrable to acting first then thinking second.

Sticking to project time lines

Before coming into coding and especially before working in groups of other professionals I never once had to think about beating the deadline to a project. I hate working under pressure, although I can. What ‘good am I if I cannot? Yet still I would appreciate it better if professionals appreciated that skill much more. I mean it cannot hurt to be a little time conscious.

Growing your skillset

Some might raise eye brows but I think this is important. The skill of introducing new skills into every project is really needed. After all competition is fierce, why be comfortable with what you currently know. Aspire to be more. I certainly do, you should too.

Documentation

I might be wrong here. But most of the workers I have met are not crazy about doing paper work. They just want to sit infront of their laptops and work. This is all wrong. Personally, I have realized the need to have a trail of paper on your work. It leads to a longer life span for your work which can only be good for you in the long run.

Inspiration

Sometimes it is difficult to come up with new ways to improve upon your work. And before you know it you have reverted to the old way of doing things. Be creative. Take a walk, research , just have a different outlook on life to bring out that unique product for your client and your workspace.

That’s all. I hope this post touched someone. Thanks again and keep learning.

Zend framework as your next PHP enterprise framework

Anthony Eli Agbenu — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 06:44:07 +0000

Are you shopping for a PHP framework for your next enterprise app? Usually, when you say enterprise, languages like C sharp and Java spring quickly to mind. Today let’s consider using a different language.

Let’s opt for the world’s most used language on the web (that being PHP), and use that in your company. One approach to build an enterprise app is to do that with flat PHP files. However, who does that these days. Everyone uses frameworks!

Going forward, it is my opinion is that frameworks are likely to replace other projects that have already being built from flat PHP files. Building with frameworks usually contribute to speeding up the pace of development. So the next question becomes, which framework should you choose.

That is a difficult question to answer definitively. Why? Because unlike other languages for which have you can name one dominant frameworks (for example Rails for Ruby and Django for Python), PHP has no dominant framework. There are several very popular frameworks to choose from. Each of these frameworks is known to excel in some areas and fall short in other areas.

The major consideration in looking for a PHP framework, is one that promotes MVC, and would give a standardized web app development approach. I would hit the nail right on the head and say pick Zend framework for enterprise apps.

Other favorite PHP frameworks of mine (like Symfony, Laravel and Yii) are both capable of being used as the framework of choice in a traditional company setting. The case for Zend framework as the PHP enterprise language of choice is a subjective matter. Still here is why I would recommend Zend framework;

It has official partnerships with companies like Microsoft, IBM to provide interfaces for developers to work with. It is important, since the lack of a principal sponsor sometimes halts the ability of the developer to access certain web services that could have aided in their work.
You want a framework that is going to be around for a long time. Their heavy involvement in the PHP language makes a statement. You can have faith that they would not just pack their bags and leave anytime soon.
The absence of a CLI tool, means that there is no scaffolding. Everything is done intentionally. Developers would not generate pieces of code would not knowing where they are going end up.
It offers certifications to prove not only proficiency with the Zend framework, but also the PHP language. Thus it puts the programming team in a good stead when it comes to recognition and reasons why projects should be done in-house.
It is used by some world renowned organizations that are corporate in nature, thus would be appropriate for your company (since it would like to model itself as corporate in nature)
Enterprise apps can grow to a huge size. And for big web application you need a framework that has been tested to do this at other big organizations. It has proven to be very scalable and decoupled.
It also has some features such as

*View Helpers
*Action Helpers
*Database Relations
*Models, Mappers and DbTable
*Plugins

The only downsides are that the lack of much scaffolding (as compared to some others) makes it not as preferable for rapid application development. Forgive me if Rails has spoilt me somewhat. For example, scaffolding is a game changer when you are in a hackathon.

Let my endorsement of the Zend framework not be seen as a criticism or rejection of other frameworks. I especially liked working with Laravel and Yii to great effect, and built some really nice apps.

The subject of frameworks is only is make work easier. No demerits were deal breakers on why a framework should be taken over another. Still on this subject matter of which PHP framework to use to build your next enterprise app, I pick the Zend framework.

This post was also published on my blog at https://agbenu.wordpress.com

Programming is dedication

Anthony Eli Agbenu — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 12:41:23 +0000

Hello,

I want to keep this post as short as humanly possible and just get to the heart of the matter.

I realize compared to some people I know I have had relatively short life span for a programmer. Yet still these are some truths I have come to learn about being a programmer. I feel that being committed is a bit like the image above or sports players. They have to be really committed to achieve their dreams, and maintain success levels

Being committed is in 2 parts; it's first the profession and then the person himself.

First let's cover the profession.

Programming is confidence:

If you think you cannot solve a problem or write an application, you are bound to disappoint your client before you have even begun. The client is not blind, he is bound to see that you do not know what you are about and he will lose confidence in you soon enough.

Programming is repetition:

Like all things in life if you do it often enough, it will become second nature.

Programming is dedication:

Programmers are not geniuses. They are normal people who must come up with intuitive ways to meet a need. They just do it on a daily basis. And they are determined to see the predicament to its most logical end. Watch the 1995 movie Apollo 13 and you will understand what I mean.

Now, let's cover the people

Programmers are workaholics:

I have not met a coder who was not a perfectionist. If you are lazy and want a quick fix to a solution, you are in the wrong field.

Programmers attempt the impossible:

When of the reasons I personally love programming is that it is never routine. Every problem seems to bring with it a higher complexity or difficulty than one you have done before. After all, who does not want to be a David slaying a Goliath?

These are the few truths I have learnt. Do you have any to share?

Hi, I'm Anthony Eli Agbenu

Anthony Eli Agbenu — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 11:39:00 +0000

I have been coding for 6 years.

You can find me on Twitter as @_agbenu (https://twitter.com/_agbenu)

My site is agbenu.com

Its really nice to meet you.