NOT Easy: What software development is.

I am, as a small population of you out there already know, a computer programmer/software developer/software engineer/enterprise architect/hacker.  Just in my job “title” alone you can already see that defining what I am and do, a creator of or creating software, can be difficult, and inherent to that is the job itself which is of developing software, is also equally difficult to do.

There is design, prototype, develop, iterate, refactor, prototype, design, iterate, iterate, refactor, and so on. And I did not even mention how requirements, specifications, documentation, validation, and the-list-goes-on-ations come into play. So it is not a wonder that the occupation, or pre-occupation thereof, of software development is a very complex activity that can only be described, defined, specified, and estimated as, yes, simply put, as very complex.

Blogs about “Oh just learn it!”, “Just *expletive* do it, learn coding, and build it yourself!”  And yes it is easy with all the resources at hand and available, but let’s face it.  There is a “shortage”, a need, a gap in the workforce that is programmers and techies.  And like they say, “If it was easy then everyone would be doing it.”  And frankly (or bobly or joely or whatever-ly), not everyone is doing it are they?  Yeah right, yes, it is easy somehow, but let’s face it, it is certain types that get programming and that makes it easier. But just like I learned to make a loud whistling sound by putting 2 or 4 fingers in my mouth and blowing (I get it), but it was hard to learn and I am not especially good at it. I accept that and you can also rest easy knowing that programming is NOT EASY!  IT IS HARD to learn, HARD to do, and when you do either or both, you may not be especially good at it. Accept it and move on with life.  You do not have to be the best at everything and will not be that so… whatever!

In the meantime put in a good word in your blogs or comments on blogs that want all those people out there to believe that anyone and everyone can just magically become a programmer. WRONG! Programmers unite! Put in a good word that they are WRONG and that you tried it and that you actually can say first hand that it is hard and that there is nothing wrong with saying that and owning that.  Take it from someone who has put in the magical Ten Thousand Hours and I tell you from personal experience that developing software is a lot of things, but EASY is not one of them.

“Pass or Fail? How to avoid failure and never fail again: Step 2

“Why did the duck cross the street?”  I think most people know this joke and I guess what makes it timeless is that it is easy to remember, maybe not the most funny joke in the world, but definitely easy to remember.  For those who don’t know it then the answer is as simple as it is memorable: “To get to the other side.” (insert huge laughter and applause here)

We are on the topic of failure and more importantly, how to never fail again!  In Step 1 we talked about “the Dream” and the why this dream.  Step 2 is about never giving up on “the Dream”.

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“Pass or Fail?  How to avoid failure and never fail again.

Today I failed.  Actually I failed before today too, but today I failed and today I am going to tell you the most sure-fire way how to avoid failure in 5 steps:

1) Dream!

2) Never give up!

3) Lifelong learning!

4) Improve!

5) See step 1!

Spoiler alert!  We are going to avoid failure because we are going to try to change our perception of failure and re-define failure in terms of our goals. REDEFINE:   “failure” is not a “stop sign” or “the end of the road”, it is only a “speed bump in the road”.

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da Lewis Xperrmints: my storyventure

I am a dad that built a voice recording room for my daughters to communicate with my family back in the US. This room is what I am working on now. Over the last year and a half I have spent time and money turning this idea/project into a full blown software development startup. I have used countless hours developing and learning about entrepreneurialism and along this journey I have also learned a great deal about life, my life.

I am not done, quite the contrary (had to find a good time to write that expression, yay!) and even though it has been a long and hard journey I realize that actually every morning that I wake and get after it, it is really only beginning! Yes, I said it, everyday I wake is a new beginning and new time to make this idea come to life and I do hope that one day soon that it becomes big, big, bigger than life, I know that the true lesson I have learned here is that I will never be finished with my storyventure! I will always be learning and trying to get things done that make my life interesting, make my loved ones life interesting, and make everything just a little bit sweeter to be a part of!

Message: Find out what your storyventure is and never give up on telling it to yourself, to your loved ones, and to the world!

da Lewis Xperrmints: SWEDU – And the beat goes on!

Well, I am completely knackered so this will not be the typical rambling…no, it will be short. It has been a great weekend of building experiments. I was at the Startup Weekend Education in Copenhagen from Friday until Sunday and now just a bit over midnite you get one tired madd founder. Story Venture rocked the scene and won the chance to pitch at EDU Disrupt, and this all happened because of the energy. One thing to remember tomorrow about today: Remember the energy, build the momentum, start a movement!

da Lewis Xperrmints: SWEDU – Just F -expletive- Do It!

Because I am so proper I did not swear in my title above, but funny enough, as Louis C.K. said well just by putting it that way, ya know, just by phrasing F -expletive- as if that hides it makes it not hidden for me and so you might as well have said the word, but now you have gone and made me say it and that is even worse because shame on you, you could have just wrote it. I mean, do I, or you, really believe that it is actually better slash more polite or proper or correct then just saying “Just Fucking Do It!”

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da Lewis Xperrmints – Life: the ultimate challenge

Segue from blogZ…or is it???

As a startup entrepreneur, you have to (uh oh, random thought:  as I am writing this my first thought was to write “u gotta”, but then my pro cap got put on and I started thinking that “No, you gotta write in proper, so u set a good example for your kids, since you do emphasize it soooo much to them about writing properly!” – so anyway, I decided to go for writing entries as proper and writing comments in plain. p.s. if you understood the above random rambling then you are awarded 50 bonus “Cool! U get me!” points.  You can earn more by just continuing to follow the saga that is me)… but I digress.

As a startup entrepreneur, you have to learn a tremendously lot of things and the idea is to be effective in acting upon your learnings.   Read More