We're Emma Bostian, Sidney Buckner, Kelly Vaughn, and Ali Spittel - four seasoned software developers working in different sectors. Since there's a major lack of technical podcasts out there, we've decided to start one. Just kidding -- there's already a ton! But, we wanted to add our voices to the space and share our experiences and advice. We'll have great discussions around how to start coding, the hot technologies right now, how to get your first developer job, and more! Check out our website!
Web Developer Learning Path
There are so many ways to learn to code, and so many things to know. Today we’ll give our perspectives on different paths you can take. Whether you’re looking for your first dev job or you’re looking to advance your web development knowledge, we’ll be covering a ton of different options for you. 01:50 - What did we know before getting our first jobs? 06:40 - T-shaped knowledge 08:38 - HTML 14:07 - CSS 18:24 - JavaScript 25:00 - Backend 31:00- How the web works 32:15 - Testing 37:13 - Tooling 43:46 - Git 46:12 - Terminal 47:12 - Design patterns 48:26 - Data structures & algorithms 49:07 - How to level up Read more on our site
Learning How to Learn
On our podcast, we talk a LOT about what to learn as a developer. But today we’re switching gears and talking about HOW to actually learn all this information. We’ll discuss the concept of metacognition, or how we learn and retain information as well as some strategies for making the process easier.
Indie Hacking
This week we have a super exciting episode, we’re chatting with Courtland Allen, the founder of Indie Hackers. We’re going to talk about what indie hacking is, how to get started with it, and his advice for gaining traction with indie products. Let’s get started!
What's on Our Computers?
This week we’re giving you all the details about our computer setups including our hardware preferences, browsers, desktop software, code editor and CLI settings, and top productivity tools. We’ll also tell you some of our miscellaneous preferences like most used emoji and current desktop photo.
Behavioral Interviews
Show notes 1:43 - What is the flow of the technical interview process 6:50 - The salary conversation 15:25 - Behavioral questions 27:32 - Interview prep strategies 34:17 - Red flags 45:17 - Shoutouts Resources Star technique Data structures & algorithms episode Frontend interview episode The Culture Map Levels.fyi Thread on Negotiating Radical Candor Adam Grant podcast Andrew Certain Brotopia Bad Blood Society 6 Transcript We provide transcripts for all of our episodes. You can find them here.
Engineering Management
In one of our previous episodes, we talked about different jobs within tech, one of which is engineering management. Today we’re joined by the wonderful Amal Hussein, engineering manager at NPM and we’re going to chat more in-depth about her career path. 1:27 - Tell us about yourself 3:10 - Last fall you transitioned into a new role as an Engineering Manager at NPM. How did you make that leap? 5:38 - What does your day to day schedule look like? 8:32 - What’s the hardest thing about being a manager? 13:37 - Hands on vs. hands off management style 17:01- How long have you been in engineering management? 18:33 - What’s the best thing about being a manager? 21:49 - Do you think someone should be an engineer prior to being a manager? 30:15 - Do you still write code? 33:13 - Do you have any book recommendations for management? 36:53 - How do you build personal relationships w/ employees while working remotely? 42:13 - Advice for those looking to become an engineering manager 46:44 - Where can we find you online?
Invisible Women
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, where in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be seriously injured, where every week the countless hours of work you do are not recognized or valued. If any of this sounds familiar, chances are that you're a woman. This month for the Ladybug Podcast book club we read Invisible Women: Data Bias In A World Designed For Men by Caroline Criado-Pérez. In this episode we’ll discuss our thoughts on the book, what shocked us, what felt a bit forced, and have a discussion about gender bias in the world around us.
Frontend Interviews
Programming interviews are terrifying. There’s so much to learn and nobody enjoys answering technical questions in front of a complete stranger. In this episode, we’ll dive into the frontend technical interview and give some tips and tricks for nailing it. 2:06 - Our experiences with technical interviews 3:36 - The interview process 14:15 - Phone screens 20:32 - Take home challenges 34:43 - In-person interviews 46:08 - Resources to get better at interviewing 49:00 - Shoutouts
Building a Resume
Whether you’re seeking your first developer job or you’re looking to move to a new company, your resume is the first thing employers will see. Having a strong resume is what sets you apart from the competition. In this week’s episode we’re discussing all things resume-building, including what’s important to include, what can be skipped, and best practices for creating your resume. 1:24 - What do our resumes look like? 3:40 - CVs vs. Resumes 12:20 - Resume design 17:09 - What if I don’t have formal computer science education? 23:44 - Should you have an objective or a summary? 25:00 - Should you put references on there? 29:02 - How can I create a resume? 35:57 - Using social media and personal portfolio to back up your resume 37:57 - Shoutouts
Game Development
This week we’re talking all things game development! Joining us today is Arianna Rudawski, a software engineer with a super cool job. We’ll be discussing what a career in game development is like, the skills needed to become a game developer, and advice for getting into game development.
Data Structures and Algorithms
Computer science concepts like data structures and algorithms can be super intimidating, especially if you’re cramming the night before an interview. In this episode, we’ll discuss common algorithms and data structures and give you some tips for your next whiteboarding challenge. 01:44 - Our experience with data structures and algorithms 05:00 - What are algorithms? 06:17 - What is Big O notation? 13:57 - Sorting algorithms 17:55 - Graph traversal 19:20 - Searching algorithms 20:04 - What are data structures 23:05 - Arrays 26:03 - Linked Lists 29:15 - Sets 30:22 - Objects, maps, heaps 34:50 - Binary Trees 35:47 - Stacks and queues 40:08 - Graphs 41:00 - Common interview questions 43:27 - Tips for interviews and where to learn more
Book Club: Atomic Habits
We're so excited for the first-ever Ladybug Podcast book club episode! This is a bonus episode which will occur at the end of each month. This month we’re discussing Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you want to follow along you can check out our Goodreads group and ladybug.dev/books. 0:36 - Our thoughts on the book 04:15 - The importance of habits 06:16 - Systems vs. Goals 08:01 - Layers of behavioral change 09:58 - Stages of habit formation 13:43 - Steps of breaking a bad habit 15:52 - Habit stacking 17:40 - Reward systems 22:00 - What makes habits attractive 28:49 - Our ratings of the book
Personal Branding
Every day we see companies market to us with a specific brand voice, and we can recognize the differences from one brand to the next. But what about personal brands? You as a person are a brand - it’s how you portray yourself on the internet and how others perceive you. I’m a brand, Emma’s a brand, Ali’s a brand. We’re all our own unique representations of ourselves. This week we’re discussing what it means to have your own personal brand and everything you need to know about building and managing your brand. 1:43 - What is a personal brand? 8:21 - Why would you want to build a brand? 11:10 - What are the benefits of having a personal brand? 13:29 - Who in tech has done a really good job of branding themselves? 15:29 - How did we build our brands? 18:03 - What platforms can you use to build a brand? 22:55 - The downsides of social media branding. 28:32 - How to build an audience. 32:08 - What we’re excited about in 2020.
Design for Developers
Design for Developers One of the biggest things that developers struggle with is design. It’s easy to look at an application and know that it looks terrible, but hard to explain why. This episode we’re joined by Steve Schoger, co-author of the hugely popular Refactoring UI. We’ll learn some design tips and dive into the story behind the book as well as his other projects Hero Patterns and Hero Icons. Show notes 1:40 - Who are you? Tell us a bit more about your coding/design journey. 10:22 - What is your typical day-to-day? 15:40 - What are Hero Patterns and Hero Icons? 21:25 - What is Refactoring UI? 31:40 - What area of design do you think developers struggle the most with? 34:11 - What are the differences between UX design and visual design? 36:56 - Design tips for developers. 41:40 - Where to find Steve online. Resources Refactoring UI Steve's Twitter Steve's Portfolio Steve's YouTube Adam Wathan's Twitter Adam Wathan's Portfolio Tailwind CSS Hero Patterns Hero Icons Refactoring UI Screencasts Transcript We provide transcripts for all of our episodes. You can find them here!
20 Tips for Developers in 2020
To kick off our new season and a new year, this week we’ll be discussing 20 tips to start off strong in 2020. From mentorship to debugging to strategizing your learning, we'll give you all the advice you need for starting the year off right! 0:32 - 1. Challenge yourself to do something new. 04:30 - 2. Do a little bit each day. 07:03 - 3. Track your wins. 09:30 - 4. Get comfortable with failure. 12:08 - 5. Don't compare yourself to others. 16:28 - 6. Find a community. 19:24 - 7. People can be assholes, that's on them not you. 21:50 - 8. Find a mentor. 25:05 - 9. Take time to learn keyboard shortcuts. 30:30 - 10. Create your toolbox. 34:45 - 11. Learn how to debug. 38:30 - 12. Figure out how to stay up to date. 40:37 - 13. Overcome shiny object syndrome. 44:14 - 14. Pick one skill at a time to work on and learn it until you feel comfortable. 46:50 - 15. Decide if you want to be vertical or horizontal in knowledge. 50:09 - 16. Identify your learning style. 52:18 - 17. Take breaks. 54:29 - 18. Prioritize your values. 57:48 - 19. Use your powers for good. 59:33 - 20. Don’t forget that working in this field is a massive privilege. 01:02:59 - Shoutouts of the week