Hello!
Uh. Now what?
Okay, so my plan is to start sharing my journey in code here, and I figure I should begin with a "who is this guy" type of thing. So let's do that.
The Basics
I'm John/Fitzy. I've been writing code for 25 years (since I was 11), I've been doing it professionally for 15, and I've been self-employed full-time as a software developer/consultant for 10.
I began building PHP web apps and have transitioned in the last 2-5 years to almost exclusively DotNet development with a sprinkling of Node.js and legacy PHP maintenance.
The Journey
Along my way, I've encountered plenty of roadblocks. Ethical choices, overbooking, getting in over my head, etc. I'm sure I'll discuss some of those here.
The biggest hurdle I'm still leaping and the reason that led to this project of streaming / blogging / otherwise capturing my CURRENT journey is this:
I stopped learning for nearly a decade.
Seem ridiculous? It is.
I suspect it's also pretty common.
It's very, very easy to get "stuck into your own code," particularly on long-running projects or client relationships (I've been working with my primary client for all of my 15 years, and my other main client for 5, on the same projects).
It's then ALSO very easy to stop focusing on keeping up with the latest languages, frameworks, best practices, patterns/anti-patterns, etc.
So while I was/am a "decent developer" (I love "world's okayest" as a mantra), and while my abilities to understand systems and logic were not affected and even grew, my ability to apply those basic skills diminished considerably.
Imagine trying to apply 15 year old basic PHP skills to a microservices architecture.
I've spent the last 2-3 years, then, beginning to "catch up." I think I'm making decent progress, but I've got a long way to go yet.
The Plan
My work centers around fintech applications and online learning systems, and I'm also seriously interested in blockchain technology (especially as it can be applied to those first two things).
My goal is to share more of my journey as I learn to write better code to support my clients and my own projects, and I'm doing that on Twitch, on Dev, and on a soon-to-be-relaunched personal site.
Documenting my progress is a way for me to solidify it, and it is my sincere hope that by sharing it I can help other devs avoid the pitfalls I've jumped headlong into or encourage my fellow "stuck" devs to get "unstuck."
Thanks for tolerating me along the way.
To better code!
- John / Fitzy
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