Episode 317 | Steven Hicks - Scary Things

Guest:

Steven Hicks

@pepopowitz

Steven Hicks talks with Dave Rael about conference speaking, solving problems, JavaScript, and

Steven Hicks is a full-stack web developer with nearly 20 years experience. He believes in clean, readable, and maintainable code. Steve likes to use the right tool for the job, especially if the right tool is JavaScript. He strongly believes that if you ain't falling, you ain't learning. Steve embraces continuous improvement and believes that a developer's job is to solve problems, not just write code. When he isn't talking to the duck or playing with his kids, you can find Steve at a triathlon, on his mountain bike, or in a climbing gym.

Chapters: 2:04 - Dave introduces the show and Steven Hicks5:41 - Steve's enjoyment of web and JavaScript7:47 - How Steve became a software developer14:26 - Steve's early browser experiences16:23 - The things that "light Steve up"17:51 - Steven's story of failure - mailing it in on a project that wasn't interesting21:19 - Steven, the conference speaker28:58 - Pushing against self-doubt in social situations29:45 - How Steve stays current with what he needs to know31:30 - Conference speaking role models33:44 - Steve's book recommendations38:02 - Confidence and social comfort40:35 - Steven's top 3 tips for delivering more value44:59 - Keeping up with Steve

Resources: Print Shop Medicine Man Cory House on Developer On Fire That Conference Scott Hanselman on Developer On Fire Kansas City Developer Conference Jon Mills on Developer On Fire Lee Brandt on Developer On Fire Feedly Pluralsight Frontend Masters Jeremy Clark on Developer On Fire CodeMash Uncle Bob Martin on Developer On Fire Public speaking with Scott Hanselman, Kendra Havens, Maria Naggaga Nakanwagi, Kasey Uhlenhuth, and Donovan Brown Kent Beck on Developer On Fire

Steven's book recommendation: The Confidence Gap: A Guide to Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt - Russ Harris Getting Results the Agile Way: A Personal Results System for Work and Life - J.D. Meier Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship - Robert C. Martin

Steven's top 3 tips for delivering more value: Tighten your feedback loops Find a way that works for you and do it unapologetically Do scary things