Bugfree.dk – Ronnie Holm's blog

In my previous post I looked at 2009 in hindsight. Consequently, in this one I look ahead at 2010 and what I want to accomplish professionally this coming year. I don’t plan on anything too esoteric. Instead, I want to consolidate my skills around building web applications with C#.

My goals for the coming year are:

• Focus more on architecture and design. Not in the architecture astronaut connotation. But as in becoming more aware of how to build better software. I want to apply the SOLID principles more consciously and re-read classics such as Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software and Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture.
• Continue exploring LINQ. It’s a fascinating technology that’s going to get only more popular in years to come. Truly understanding LINQ is a way to getting into the habit of applying the more functional and succinct style to my own code. To get started on this endeavor I’m going to read and apply LINQ in Action.
• Learn Entity Framework. Using an object-relational mapper should be second-nature to most developers. In the past the light-weight LINQ2SQL has served me well. Still, I want to step up and learn how Entity Framework deals with the impendence mismatch. I want to write an application that uses Entity Framework.
• Become better at browser technologies. JavaScript and jQuery are high on the list, but I want to improve on HTML and CSS as well. My goal isn’t to become an HTML or CSS Jedi. I simply want to have enough knowledge to avoid making rookie mistakes. The technologies all come together in jQuery, making Learning jQuery a good starting point. Besides, I want to use a tool like Firebug to learn from others.
• Be on top of SharePoint 2010. SharePoint 2007 and 2010 is what I want to work with daily. That doesn’t imply me not keeping up to speed with the rest of .Net. Just that SharePoint will act as my gateway to other technologies. The great thing about SharePoint is that work is frequently divided between working inside and outside SharePoint, integrating with external systems.
• Become more involved in higher-level development decisions. By the end of the day, developers don’t deliver software, they deliver value to stakeholders. Writing code is but a means to that end. I want to be involved from idea to completion.

To me these points strike a good balance between technical and non-technical goals and between short and long term goals. However, by the end of the day, building great software is about being attentive to the entire stack and its surroundings.

As 2009 is drawing to a close, it’s time to look back and see what I’ve accomplished this past year. My professional goals for 2009 were to work on challenging software development tasks, preferably on larger projects. I wanted to continue to grow my skills working with .Net in general and SharePoint in particular. In addition, I wanted to be more involved with higher-level development decisions, such as requirements gathering and solution design.

So how did the year go?

• Changed jobs to one that gravitates more around larger projects. The rationale being that larger projects come with larger engineering challenges. I spend six months on an Asp.Net project followed by three on a SharePoint project. For various reasons, I wasn’t as involved in higher-level development decisions as I would’ve liked to.
• Did two presentations. One on Unit testing and mocking for the Asp.Net project that I was working on at the time. The other presentation was on Parallel page rendering with Asp.Net and SharePoint for my current project. None involving rocket science, but I find so few are familiar with the techniques.
• Made my way through three certifications. The 70-536: MS .NET Framework, Application Development Foundation, 70-562: MS .NET Framework 3.5, ASP.NET Application Development, and Prince2 Foundation. I’ve mixed feelings with regard to certifications, though. Certainly, I learned valuable lessons studying for each one. Yet, given the same amount of time, I’m inclined to think I would’ve learned more studying books, blogs, listening to various podcasts, and writing.
• Attended the Jaoo conference on software engineering. It was my first time ever attending a conference and it sure was enlightening. I intentionally went for a conference not tied to a specific vendor because I felt I’d learn more that way. My issue with Microsoft conferences like Tech-Ed or PDC is their focus on the latest technology buzz. Buzz that quickly becomes obsolete or is already heavily exposed on the web. Not to mention that most sessions are available online afterward.
• Learned functional programming. My focus on new technology has mostly been on various aspects of functional programming. A subject that’s interested me for years, but one that’s only recently started to permeate C#, my language of choice. I learned a great deal about F# when I generated fractal terrains and about XSL when I had to jump through functional loops and about functional programming in general.
• Wrote 16 blog posts (25 pages, 10,000 words). Compared to previous years it’s a record. Naturally, not all posts were equally good. Nevertheless I enjoyed learning about the subjects and feel they helped advance my writing skills. The posts on Basic unit testing guidelines and Why not to comment code did manage to gain traction on Reddit, though.

All things considered, I’m pleased with 2009. The only thing I regret is not being more involved in higher-level development decisions. I like coding, but it’s a means to an end. Being involved with a task from start to finish is what ignites my fire. I must push harder on that in 2010.