The varieties of development experience with Andrew Harmel-Law

This meeting will be online via Zoom

Let's be honest with ourselves and talk about how it feels to write code. Let's examine how being open about the highs and lows might tell us about what's going on when we write code, why it's so hard (and exhilarating), and how we might get better at it.

Have you ever wondered why it feels like it does to write code? Have you ever stopped and thought “if this is supposed to be such an intellectual exercise, why am I experiencing so many emotions, from the heights of elation to the pits of despair?”

I have.

Since this first occurred to me years ago I’ve pieced together a theory which I believe gives not only an explanation for such mental states, but also offers a new means of evaluating how we work with software, and perhaps even becoming better at it.

In this session I’ll explain the theory, bringing in the latest views from neuro and cognitive science. I’ll then consider how it can be applied, not only explaining how it feels to write code, but also interrogating why each of us has such wildly different experiences. In doing so you’ll gain a far deeper understanding of this daily activity and consequently drive significant personal improvements.

About Andrew Harmel-Law
Andrew is an over-enthusiastic Tech Principal specialising in Java/JVM technologies, agile delivery, build tools and automation, and domain driven design. Experienced across the software development lifecycle and in many sectors including government, banking, and eCommerce, what motivates him is the production of large-scale software solutions, fulfilling complex client requirements. He understands that people, tooling, architecture and process all have key roles to play in achieving this.

Andrew has a passion for open source software and its communities. He has been interested in and involved with OSS to a greater or lesser extent since his career began; as a user, contributor, expert group member, or paid advocate. Andrew enjoys sharing his experience as much as possible. This sharing is not only seen in his formal consulting engagements, but also informally through mentoring, blog posts, conferences (speaking and organising), and open sourcing his code.

The Zoom link will be available to anyone who RSVPs to the event.
We endeavour to have guest speakers for each meeting, so if you have something you'd like to present, please let us know!
We will also have the usual news and events roundup. Our virtual get together are always warm and welcoming - we hope to see you there.