DEV Community: Dan Benge

The Week in Learning for Friday, June 15th, 2018.

Dan Benge — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 12:58:24 +0000

As part of a technical screening project I did this week, I had to create a web app that would show 10,000 markers on a Google Map. Each coordinate had to be randomly generated and fall within a specific range of Latitude and Longitude. Each marker had to have a specific color that was based on another set of ranges. The screen had to display the total number of markers by color. Finally, you needed to be able to turn the markers on and off.

Then comes the kicker: this has to happen in SalesForce.

Yes, my friends, I had a crash course in Apex Script and generating web pages using VisualForce. I also had to learn the Google Map API.

I started with what I knew and decided to do the Javascript using JSFiddle and then when I was happy with that, I would move it to SalesForce.

When I began this project, I was wondering about showing 10,000 markers on a map. I mean what's the point of that? When I was finally able to get it to render, this is what it looked like. I laughed as it all clicked into place.

So I had to create a custom SalesForce object, generate the coordinates in SalesForce using an Apex Script, transfer the Html and Javacript into a VisualForce page and then get the data from the created objects. Remember, I had never used SalesForce at all before starting this project.

I was only marginally successful. The issue is that the RemoteObjects feature of VisualForce can only grab up to 100 records. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get all the records by doing multple requests and chunking the data.

So what did I learn?

Sales Force and two of it's related APIs(Apex Script, Visual Force)
The Google Maps API.

What did you learn this week?

My Survival Guide to a Layoff

Dan Benge — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 01:32:02 +0000

Disclaimer: This is definitely not one-sized-fits-all advice. Adjust to your own circumstances accordingly.

Ugh, I got laid off. Yes, and I saw it coming a mile away. The fact is, you will probably be laid off several times during your career and so you should be prepared for when it happens and learn to detect when it's coming.

Being laid off the first time can be a bit of a shock. Suddenly that place you went to every day is no longer in your life. You wake up with nowhere to go and the uncertainty of where you're going next. Not only is an end, it can also be the beginning of the next phase of your career.

After awhile you'll develop a sort of sixth sense when things are going bad for the company. You might notice employees jumping ship from other departments, or suddenly your manager can't look you in the eye. Suddenly the twelve bullet points you had at your weekly planning meeting have been stuck at one bullet point for awhile with no new work being assigned. There are a lot of things that can tell you the end is nigh.

If there was a prior round of layoffs and you survived, that's really a good time to start looking. Pay attention to whether the company is changing course in order to try to save itself. If not, you might want to start looking or at least being prepared. Not to be cliche, but doing the same thing expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

If you know there's a good chance you'll be laid off, update your resume and start saving money immediately. Put extra money in savings and try to get at least two months ahead for expenses. If you're okay with jumping ship, then start looking for another job while you're still at your current job.

No matter which strategy you take, see what skills are currently in demand. Use the time you have to plug any knowledge holes and get some examples out on GitHub. For example, when I felt that my job was in jeopardy, I hopped on the Angular bandwagon. Everyone in Atlanta seems to be wanting to convert their existing .NET Websites over to Angular. Udemy is a great resource for learning, and it's cheap.

After you've been laid off, the first thing to do is tell your recruiters you are looking for a new job. If you already have a relationship with a recruiter(s), then notify them immediately and send them an updated version of your resume. do not turn on the "IM LOOKING FOR A JOB!" beacon at LinkedIn unless you really need a new recruiter. You'll be overwhelmed with phone calls and emails. They will insist on sending your resume to places that are two hours away with no work from home. It's also better to use a recruiter you've used in the past since you have good history with them and they can vouch for you. They probably already know what not to send you.

If you live in the US, sign up for your unemployment insurance during the first week as soon as possible. Even if you're getting severance. Having that bit of extra money coming in on top of your severance can be a nice bonus. If you are forced to visit your Department of Labor (DOL), stop and treat yourself to something nice like a Coffee at Starbucks or a burger somewhere, then take the rest of the afternoon off.

By the end of the week, you'll hopefully have scheduled some interviews or had a tech screening or two. You might even find something that sounds like your "Unicorn Job" that comes with a raise. That possibility along with a couple of backups, can make you feel a bit more motivated and can help you relax during the weekend. You're doing something, you're getting results and now you just need to make things happen.

While not at interviews or talking with your recruiters, practice your skills and take on-line courses. Work on an open project and keep yourself engaged in your skillset. Rest during the evenings. Make sure you follow the same routine you would while you were working. Don't stay up late and sleep in. If you like to work out, keep up your exercise regimen. Eat lunch when you would normally eat lunch. Take breaks from studying/looking for jobs when you need to.

During each week, unless you have an interview, try to take Fridays off and give yourself a three day weekend. Reward yourself for trying to find work.

The best part is when you get that offer. Now you can relax. Even better is when when your first day is a day or week away and you get a bit of vacation time before reentering the workforce.

When you're like me and been in this biz forover 21 years, being laid off is sort of just part of the developers career. Companies come and go, as well as positions. So make sure you're prepared for when if and when it happens.

By the way, as of the time of this publishing, I am currently waiting for an offer my recruiter a company is going to make me by the end of this week.

You Only Get One Chance (most of the time)

Dan Benge — Fri, 25 May 2018 18:42:34 +0000

You're dying to get out there to interview for that new job. You stumble upon that dream position for that start up with the type of team you've always wanted to work for. Except, one of the requirements is experience with a framework you might only have passing knowledge of and they want someone who is confident.

You might be able to BS your way through. You might be able to cram enough knowledge about that framework to get your face to face interview.

STOP! Turn around. Get back here.

I know how hard it is to want that dream opportunity so bad that the fear of losing it can drive you to make you take an interview you aren't ready for.

Even though you might miss that awesome position you've always wanted, you don't want that employer to know who you are until you are absolutely ready to take that interview. You never know when another position at that company might open up, and you do not want them to remember you as that person who tried to fake your way through the interview.

I bring this up because I recently had to let the unicorn go. It was a company in Distributed Cloud Storage, which is something I'm extremely interested in. They wanted someone who knew VueJS so well that I could architect a solution using it. I've only used it professionally as a UI plug-in. I'm still taking courses and building out practice projects. I'm still filling out my Github with examples. I'm still a little green. So I passed on it and turned off my Linked In ready light. Maybe in a couple of months I'll have something I'm proud to show a future employer. I'll have fun learning in the mean time. I also know that I haven't blown it with a company that I might get a second chance at some day.

An Old Dog Learning New Tricks

Dan Benge — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 22:46:14 +0000

After surviving a recent round of layoffs in my current position, I decided to compare my current skillset against what is being sought after on LinkedIn. I was shocked about how much had changed in four years. I was also a little disappointed in myself for not keeping my skills up to date. I knew very little about Node.js, Angular or any of the reactive frameworks. I used Handlebars from time to time, but that's about as close as I ever got to templating. I also haven't really been apart of "the conversation" beyond what I do at work.

I decided to learn Node.js, TypeScript and Angular. Someone at work tried to introduce Vue.JS to my team, so I added that too. Udemy was a big help in getting myself up to speed in these technologies. Suddenly coding was becoming a joy again. These frameworks like Vue and Bootstrap took a lot of the tedium out of coding UI so that you can get to a prototype stage a lot faster than ever before. Gone are the days where you have to write Javascript code to crawl through a table to aggregate data to send it back to the server, now it all gets updated directly with every form control update. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

The best thing that came out of this is that I feel like I am a part of the coversation again. I started listening to developer podcasts and I have signed up for a couple of local developer meet-ups. I also feel like have gained leverage in my current position because now I knew skills way beyond what I do.

Something else I've learned is that you shouldn't limit yourself to what you use in your current position. Learning new skills can help reinvigorate your interest in being a developer.

I forgot to mention I'm 46 old. I cut my teeth on VBA, HTML and SQL Server. I was coding before there was an ASP or a .Net. There have been a lot of conversations about older developers and how hard it would be to get a job later in life if I ever needed to. I think that as long as you stay excited about the industry, keep yourself in the middle of the conversation and understand that there is a world to explore that goes way beyond your place of work, you'll always be relevant. Making excuses for why you shouldn't learn is the fastest way to make yourself obsolete.

Now excuse me, I have a .Net Core/Angular class to go take.

Here's to learning!