@mralexlau

Make Yourself Expendable

Apr 2, 2024 · 2 min read · I used to idolize the "rock stars" and lone wolves who knew everything about a particular subsystem in the projects that we were working on. The only problem is that they were the only ones who knew about what they were working on. I've heard people ...

The Virtuous Cycle of Testing

Mar 29, 2024 · 3 min read · There are many good reasons to write tests for your code: catching bugs, preventing functionality regressions, defining better interfaces to your modules, the list goes on. But one reason isn't discussed quite as frequently that I like to call "the v...

In Praise of the Timebox

Mar 26, 2024 · 3 min read · You may have heard before that when you work in software development, you eventually build up a sort of "mental toolbox." The more you try out different tools, the more you familiarize yourself with them and know when to apply the right tool for a sp...

OO to Elixir: Clean Code With Pattern Matching

Jan 29, 2024 · 4 min read · One of the joys of working with new programming languages is uncovering new ways to solve problems. New patterns and tools within languages expand your horizons in terms of how to structure code. A few years ago, I went from working with Ruby to work...

How the 80/20 Rule Can Make You a Better Developer

Jan 25, 2024 · 3 min read · In a previous job, I had a brief stint where I had transitioned from a software engineer to a product manager. I learned many things in this role (including that I did not want to be a product manager in the long term), but by far the biggest lesson ...