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Lee Warrick and Edwin Otero explore what it's like to break into the Tech field as junior developers as well as how to stay up-to-date on new technology.

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Coder to Soldier and back! Howard Salter shares his wisdom as a veteran soldier, coder, and boot camp instructor

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Howard Salter was working as a developer in the late 90's and early 00's. He was making good money and had a solid career. But after 9/11, Howard left all that behind to serve his country and fight in Iraq.

Howard served in the Army infantry for 7 years before deciding to hang it up and return to civilian life. He decided to pursue a career in tech again as a programmer.

Howard succeeded and eventually started teaching a coding boot camp, becoming Eddie's instructor!

We talk to Howard this week all about his amazing journey as a soldier, developer, and teacher. He shares his lessons learned about leadership and how to apply them to the tech industry. We also talk about how to survive a code boot camp and market yourself to get hired.

Show Notes:

  • 1:01 - Intro and Howard's story
  • 4:58 - Why did Howard join the U.S. Army?

  • 10:54 - Why did you leave the Army after 7 years?

    • Learning PHP
    • jQuery
  • 14:00 - Do you look back on your career and regret your service?

  • 16:00 - What did you take from your military career and apply to the technical industry?

    • Leadership, 1:1's
    • Taking charge of your own career
  • 19:12 - How did you get started teaching?

  • 21:33 - Howard sounds off on how awesome Eddie was in class and why

    • Eddie's final project for bootcamp

  • 23:00 - Howard talks about the perils of teaching an online class

    • The types of students in a bootcamp
  • 27:29 - The type of student Lee was in his bootcamp

  • 28:07 - Howard's opinion of bootcamps

    • The importance of student effort in the bootcamp
  • 30:27 - Calling on the weaker classmates to boost confidence
  • 32:02 - Calling on Eddie in class and Impostor Syndrome
  • 33:53 - How do you keep everyone on task in a classroom?
  • 39:33 - Howard's advice for bootcamp students entering the workforce and searching for jobs

  • 45:18 - Howard shares his experiences working for Electronic Arts

    • Working as a contractor
    • Agile
  • 50:31 - Ageism in Tech

  • 55:16 - Are there a lot of leadership/architecture positions out there for experienced devs?

    • The Orlando Market
  • 1:00:50 - Putting in 100% and taking charge of your career

  • 1:03:02 - Where to find Howard online

  • 1:04:16 - Nerd Minute

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Wed, November 27, 2019, 1:00 PM UTC