Blog

February 25, 2015

Greg Thomas

Find your Focus

When I first started out as a junior developer, I was working on two parallel projects – A database entry system and very early website.  Both were exciting, both were interesting and on both I scratched the surface on what I was doing.  I realized at that time that I enjoyed doing both but that I couldn’t do both well and learn everything I would really need to become really great at it.  So I thought about what I wanted to focus in on and learn about more – web-based development or databases. I chose web-based development and then started the

February 11, 2015

Greg Thomas

How not to Prep for an Interview – Part II

So part deux (two) in this epic series of how not to prep for an Interview.  In our first part to this mini-series the focus was on the Interviewee and what that individual needs to do to prepare for an interview.  But like any road, it runs both ways, and yes, you the interviewer need to be just as prepared. There are some old adages that you know within the first 30 seconds, 5 minutes, the colour of their shoes, etc, etc that you are going to hire someone that walks through your door.  People are very proud to state their track

February 3, 2015

Greg Thomas

How not to Prep for an Interview – Part I

I’ve been trying to figure out how to name this post because I knew from the get-go that it was going to be done in two parts where the viewpoint in Part I is from that of the person being interviewed (the interviewee) and Part II is from that of the person conducting the interview (the interviewer).  Both perspectives are in regards to how one should not conduct themselves at interviews. I’ve been involved in a least 100+ interviews, being on both side of the fence (more on the interviewer side) – can’t say 1,000+ and I am actually happy to

January 21, 2015

Greg Thomas

Thanks to the Process

I’ve worked on a lot of releases that have come down the wire.  Not always a great trend, but in what I do, it can happen.  However, the best part when it happens, is when you have a team with you, you’re all in it together, it’s late, you’re trying to close the last bug, run the last test, give it one more shot.  I’ve been in these situations as the jr developer, the tech lead, the manager and more and each time you know you’re going to make it through because you have a great team beside you.  And

January 13, 2015

Greg Thomas

Insulate the Failure

I know this is one of those topics out there that people might go – “oh great another blog about letting people fail and everyone being happy and unicorns and rainbows and let’s hold hands and save the world, etc, etc, etc…”.  And to some extent it might be, to some extend it might not. One of, if not the hardest part about managing/leading a team is giving your team the opportunity to fail because at some point, the little voice in the back of your end starts connecting the dots and going “Red Alert!  Red Alert!  We’re going to crash”.  And