Brian Gates

36: Bama's On It!

March 30th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 44 secs

On the latest episode, Podcast Brian interviews his former student Testing Brian on his career, from starting out in the kitchens of Alabama to going back to school in his late 30's, to becoming a successful QA engineer. The guys chat about testing and its importance to the modern software ecosystem, and the challenges involved with learning how to break things in a structured manner. NOTE: This episode was recorded at the end of February. The live company event mentioned in this episode was cancelled and the hosts are WFH full time now. Fortunately the podcast was always remotely recorded, so no interruption to our schedule!

35: The Old Man and the SQL

March 17th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  56 mins 16 secs

Ben's dad Joe just had to make it a three-peat. He's back again with updates on what it's like to look for a new job at 60, how to deal with recruiters, how to promote yourself online, and most importantly, whether the advice we gave him was actually any good! Advice and experience is shared that's applicable for professionals at any point in their career.

34: Almost Software

March 2nd, 2020  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 7 mins

The guys continue their tour of software and software-adjacent roles within an organization. Today's show is all about the roles that are integral to the success of a software product, but aren't directly involved with producing code.

33: The NFL or the A-Team

February 17th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  36 mins 58 secs

The guys continue their discussion from last time on how to decide what kind of developer to become. They talk team size preferences, whether you like to be on the frontier or work with established best practices, and finish up with the importance of UI/UX to a project and how you might decide if that's a possible path for juniors. Stay tune for the next episode where they will get into all the other jobs that surround the core development team.

32: The iPhone is a Submarine

February 4th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  43 mins 41 secs

Ben and Brian explore the different kinds of developer you can become and how you might go about picking a platform/language to learn. There was so much to talk about, we needed to cover this in two episodes, so stay tuned for more next time.

31: A Textbook Case of Developer

January 13th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  52 mins 10 secs

Ben and Brian sit down with Brandi Bailey, a lifelong learner and a current iOS student at Lambda School. Brandi recounts her earliest memories of exploring the world of programming all the way to her current struggles and triumphs of learning iOS programming as a second career. She has lots of great advice to impart to others who may be on the same journey or about to start down the path of learning to code.

30: A Festivus for the Restivus

December 23rd, 2019  |  Season 2  |  45 mins 30 secs

Happy Festivus everyone! On this last episode of the year, Ben and Brian tell you about all the tech things that have annoyed them so far in 2019, as well as their biggest tech accomplishments and a vision for a possible future in 2020.

A departure from out usual style, but we wanted to bring you something hopefully a little more fun for the end of the year.

We hope you all enjoy the holidays and remind you to take the opportunity to step away from the computer and any tech learning you might be doing to enjoy a breather. Breaks often produce an even better understanding of the learning material when you return.

See you next decade!

29: Don't Join the Nerd Wars

December 11th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 1 min

Ben and Brian discuss the age-old and never ending debate on code structure and organization. They help disambiguate requirements from conventions and some stuff that's just one person's opinion.

28: You Can't Make a Second First Impression

November 25th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  58 mins 7 secs

Ben and Brian discuss the happy news of Brian's new job and what might be the best practices for starting off a new job on the right foot. They chat about everything from making a good first impression, to relationship building with co-workers and leadership, to work in your personal life that can lead to more happiness at your job.

27: The Old Man and the C

November 11th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  45 mins 53 secs

Ben and Brian chat with their first returning guest of the podcast, Ben's dad Joe! He's back and he's got news (and a little wisdom) to share with everyone. Listen to find out what it's like to be on the job hunt at 60 years old and how the challenges faced in that scenario are in some ways remarkably similar to when you're just starting out in your career.

26: Jump in an Elevator and Talk to Yourself

October 28th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 6 mins

Ben and Brian dive into a discussion about how to sell yourself during the interview process. They talk about the importance of having a personal elevator pitch, how to change your approach with each kind of person you'll encounter in the interview, and how best to approach each step to ensure you've done your best to showcase your skills and abilities.

25: Refill Your Social Battery

October 7th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 49 secs

The guys run through the advantages and usefulness of attending and potentially speaking at technical conferences. They provide advice on how to find the right conference and techniques for maximizing your experience while you're there.

24: A Need to Nerd Basis

September 23rd, 2019  |  Season 2  |  58 mins 29 secs

The guys sit down with Lee Warrick, a junior front end web developer who recently attended a local bootcamp after years of being a firefighter and nurse. They talk about his transition from healthcare to programming, how the college experience differed from his development training, how he keeps his skills sharp on the job, and how you can run a bunch of extracurricular activities for developers, but maybe just attending some is at least as effective a use of your time.

23: Refill Your Tank with Fun

September 2nd, 2019  |  Season 2  |  56 mins 28 secs

Ben and Brian discuss the importance of nurturing other interests besides coding, and how to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Whether you're just starting out, in the middle of an intense school program, or involved in a busy work schedule, it's important to give yourself opportunities to engage in life outside of code. Also, it's our 1 year anniversary! Thanks so much for listening, and we're super excited for the next year of the podcast!

22: Jack of All Trades, Master of One

August 19th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 2 mins

Ben and Brian discuss how the educational landscape has changed since they became educators. They touch on how to create a nurturing classroom environment despite the pacing of the technology industry and both the improvements and setbacks in they've experienced in teaching and mentoring on software development.

Episode 21: Tell Your Story

August 5th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 10 secs

Season 2 has arrived and Ben and Brian are back after a much appreciated hiatus! Thanks for sticking with us. On the season premiere episode, they discuss how to build a public narrative around your current career achievements as well as the goals you...