This week, I published Doug Arcuri's #DevJourney story on my eponym Podcast: Software developer's Journey. Among many other things, here are my main personal takeaways:

• Doug started learning C++ to modify the Half-Life video game. He tinkered his way into learning C++ so to say. The modding followed him for many years and helped him forge his way to university.
• In his first job, Doug had a lot of fun creating software at the fringe between software and hardware. Being able to see and feel the product he helped design was a source of pride and joy.
• Doug's ability to learn quickly helped him progress through his career. He was asked on multiple occasions to research a new field and thus moved from WebDevelopment to iOS, then iOS to Android, and then from Developer to a more managerial job.
• Doug spend a long time in media companies. He advises to dig deep and learn the domain of the field you are working in.
• Even if you work remotely, don't forget human contact. Bring the team together once in a while, specially at the end of a project, during the "crunch phase".
• Doug was a manager when his team had to chose between sticking to Java or going to Kotlin (before it was officially endorsed by Google). I love how he presented the discussion with both sides of the equation: technical excellence and fun on one side, but also hiring-, learning- and productivity-issues on the other side.
• Learning from others and teaching to others, became one of his core values. Feedback is a gift that everyone should cherish. And this includes applying for jobs. Every interview is an opportunity to grow.
• Doug encourages new managers, to pick a narly problem that will take them through the whole organization. For Doug it was procuring Fussball tables for a team. Somehow, it was an outstanding problem that took him many months to solve, but which helped him understand how to navigate the organization. I love the idea!
• At some point, Doug used his blogging to communicate in a subtle way with his teams :D
• As a recruiter, Doug encourages us to look for passion, energy and motivation. Then, take chances on people, and finally, praise the small things.

Advice:

• Ask for more feedback, feedback is a gift!

Quotes:

• "Even if your company goes belly up, no-one can take the learnings from you!"
• "Take every opportunity to learn what others are building"

Thanks Doug for sharing your story with us!

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You can find the full episode and the shownotes on devjourney.info or directly here on DEV

Did you listen to his story?

• What did you learn?
• What are your personal takeaways?
• What did you find particularly interesting?