The “Fizz-Buzz test” is an interview question designed to identify programmers who don’t actually know how to program. The text of the programming assignment is as follows: “Write a program that prints…
#BlogElul Day 9: See
Unlike “know” (which I wrote about earlier), “see” is powerful in the IT context all on it’s own. “Let’s see” expresses open-ness to the truth that our data shows “We’ll see” is…
#BlogElul Day 8: Hear
It’s an understatement to say that working in the world of Information Technology means that sometimes – perhaps many times – you need to fight to make yourself heard. This is a…
#BlogElul Day 7: Be
When talking about personal believes, attitudes, and states, “Be” applies well. “Who AM I” is a question oft pondered. And also often proferred is the advice that “whatever you DO, that’s an…
#BlogElul Day 6: Know
Over on my other blog (EdibleTorah.com), I suggest that “I don’t know” is a powerful phrase with regard to personal growth. I submit that it is equally powerful in the world of…
#BlogElul Day 5: Accept
Larry Wall (creator of the Perl programming language) famously said, “Most of you are familiar with the virtues of a programmer. There are three, of course: laziness, impatience, and hubris.” In one…
#BlogElul Day 4: Understand
IT is one of the few places I can think of where people who call themselves professionals can be successfull even while they don’t understand huge swaths of the technology they use….
#BlogElul Day 3: Search
In the context of IT, searches are an every hour, if not an every minute, experience. Almost nothing that we need is at our fingertips. Which is interesting, since IT Professionals tend…
#BlogElul Day 2: Act
After 27 years in IT, I’ve developed a conflicted relationship with the idea of “acting”. On the one hand, I’ve seen coworkers locked into an infinite loop of planning, research, testing, etc…
#BlogElul Day 1: Prepare
For IT professionals, there is all kinds of preparations that we have learned are essential, if not extremely wise: As my friend Tom (SQLRockstar) says, having backups is job #1 Also from…