Emerging Technologies

Software Developer for 18 Years: What’s Next?

After 18 years in software development, professionals may find themselves at a crossroads, particularly in high-cost cities in the East. While staying in a technical role for a lifetime is seen as honorable in the West, economic pressures and societal expectations in the East can make it challenging to maintain a comfortable lifestyle as a developer. The escalating costs of living and competitive job market push many developers to advance beyond the technical track into roles like project management or team leadership. Additionally, the fast-paced nature of the tech industry and the influx of younger talent with new skills can make it difficult for senior developers to stay competitive. As a result, exploring new avenues such as technical leadership, specialization, management, entrepreneurship, or consulting and mentorship becomes crucial for maintaining financial stability and career satisfaction. The key is to recognize the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the cultural and economic context and align one's next steps with personal aspirations and market realities.

Learnings of a Solo Game Developer — Wacky Drivers video game

The author shares their journey of creating a video game called "Wacky Drivers" for Android and iOS. They had the idea for the game since they were a teenager and decided to use Unity as their development tool. They emphasize the importance of having a Game Design Document (GDD) to stay on track and discuss the development process, including creating reusable components and optimizing performance. They also highlight the importance of refining aspects such as controllers, game balancing, settings, and particles. The author advises releasing a minimum viable product (MVP) and gathering feedback early on. They also discuss their marketing efforts and future plans for expanding the game. The author encourages readers to try the game and provide feedback, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of consistency and sharing their enthusiasm for video game development.

Building Effective Test Frameworks: Lessons from My Experience

In today's agile software development era, building and maintaining effective test automation is crucial for delivering high-quality software products. Building a test framework can be complex and challenging, but with the right approach and mindset, it can be a rewarding endeavor. To navigate through the complexities, it is important to understand the architecture of your application, identify the tools and skill sets of your team, design for reusability and maintainability, implement a robust test data strategy, utilize CI/CD pipelines, and implement effective logging and reporting mechanisms. Documenting your approach and seeking input from stakeholders is also essential. After implementing the framework, thorough documentation and knowledge sharing within the team are important for adoption and maintenance. Continuous learning and enhancement, overcoming frustration and self-doubt, and embracing others' opinions and feedback are also key factors in building an effective test framework. By following these strategies, you can successfully build a test framework that contributes to the success of your team and organization.

Navigating Partnerships with Unicorns and Large Enterprises: Protecting AI Startups' Interests

This article explores the challenges faced by AI startups when partnering with unicorns and large enterprises, and provides strategies to protect their interests. It suggests engaging legal expertise to negotiate favorable terms and review contractual agreements, implementing NDAs and non-compete agreements, and considering jurisdiction and governing law. On the technical side, it recommends encryption, access controls, authorization, watermarking, model protection, federated learning, secure collaboration frameworks, and regular auditing and monitoring. By combining legal and technical safeguards, AI startups can mitigate the risks of theft or unauthorized usage of their AI models.

Team Development Framework for new managers

When transitioning from an Individual Contributor to a Manager, it can feel overwhelming. This post focuses on the mindset shift needed to better utilize the advice available for new Managers. The key difference between the two roles is the core action (Developing code vs. Developing team) and how it is done (high quality vs. high engagement). Managers must have a core set of skills such as building trust, active listening, decision-making, and emotional intelligence. Despite having the development framework and required skills, being a Manager is still hard due to the high cost of being wrong, solutions not always being logical, and non-determinism.