Leviathan's Door: Part 2 - The Office

It's here! I finally finished part 2 of my mini-novel. It's still a long way off but I hope to get in more pages by next week. Hope you enjoy reading it. Comments welcome as always! :D

Nearly done with the next installment of my mini-novel...

Ok, I have to admit. I actually didn't think I could finish another installment of my writing project. Anyway, i'm glad i'm almost done with the 2nd part of Leviathan's Door. I try to write whenever I can on my trusty P900's jotter. Mind you, my phone's old, scratched and obviously battle-weary, but it still serves its purpose very well. Sony Ericsson sure made their phones to last (unlike some Nokia which seems to churn out new models every few months). I should be able to post the 2nd part over the weekend...

Honestly, it's very hard yet exhilirating when your ideas turn into visions and then the words start pouring out like a stream inexorably flowing towards a raging waterfall... I try not to think too much about where i'm going with the story, I just write everything that comes naturally to me and when I read it again it all seems to fit somehow. Quite rewarding!

P.S. Watching Finding Forrester (great movie starring Sean Connery) helped me quite a bit too! :D

Good old Gundams...

I was just going through my collection of Gundam images and re-discovered these old favorites...

Leviathan's Door: Part 1 - A New Day

Finally, I published Part 1 of my mini-novel. Check it out here...

I hope I finish this. Comments welcome as always... Just be gentle... :D

Career path for programmers?

I just read an interesting post from one of the Java user groups I subscribe to (PinoyJUG to be exact). The question was "what is the career path from a software developer to CTO (Chief Technology Officer)?" Now that I've actually had some more time to reflect on the matter after sending in my reply, I'm going to repost it here with a few minor improvements.

Obviously, not everyone is destined to become a CTO (or even a CIO for that matter). From my experience, very few developers would even consider doing project management work since it detaches them from doing actual software development. In reality, career paths for software development personnel vary from company to company. Big companies normally have a pretty clear career path set, SME's usually just have it simpler, you're either a developer / systems analyst or a PM / CIO / CTO. From what I've seen so far though, this is what a typical career path from developer to CIO/CTO would look like:



From the diagram, the yellow rectangles represent roles that entail actual development work, while the blue rectangles represent management-oriented work.

Ok. Let's put things in perspective first. Why would someone want to work as a developer in the first place? Typically, it's because that person wants to do software development (obviously), experiment with the latest technologies, loves to solve programming problems, etc. So now the question becomes, after spending so much time being a developer / team leader, what's the next step for me? Where do I go from here? You have to bear in mind that this becomes the point in your career when you have to decide where you feel you will be more productive and happier. Do I want to take on a management role (i.e. become a PM) or do I want to stay where I can keep my hands dirty with actual software development work (remain a developer or advance to being an architect)? Happiness can mean different things to people. This is when HR has to listen carefully to the person being considered for a promotion to a management position. HR has to carefully determine whether or not a person is ready to manage people. Why? Because a management role will either make you or break you, and if it breaks you, it will have adverse consequences on a project as well as the company. That is why most big companies have new PM's go through management training and seminars/workshops first before they even get assigned to actual projects. Some companies have new PM's do apprenticeship work under Senior PM's in order to assess their capabilities and potential. Unfortunately, not all companies have the luxury of doing this.

Let's take a simple scenario: Joe developer has been recommended by his boss for promotion to a PM because of his consistently good performance. But does being a good programmer directly translate into being a good project manager? Remember that just because you have great programming kung-fu doesn't mean you can resolve squabbles between programmers bickering over non-programming issues. As a PM, people skills come into play when you are put in a management role. You will also find yourself becoming more and more detached from doing actual programming. You will become more preoccupied working out project schedules, coordinating with clients, coordinating with the development team, trying to manage the expectations of the project stakeholders. Making sure deadlines are met, planning for contingencies, trying to reduce and mitigate risks to the project, trying to control scope creep, trying to keep everybody informed in a timely fashion, etc. There's a lot more but I think you get the general idea. Now you have to ask yourself: Do you honestly think you will find this the challenge you are looking for in your career? Do you find yourself wanting to overcome the challenges mentioned above? Do you want to know what the bigger picture really is and how you can be part of its inner workings? Are you prepared to take on the responsibility of a project's success or failure? If the answer is yes, then you probably should take the plunge into management. Otherwise, either stick to being a programmer or consider advancing to the role of architect which is another challenging and exciting path. But remember, the role of architect is not just a fancy role with more pay. It share the same weight of responsibility with that of a PM. PM's and architects work hand-in-hand. The architect decides what technologies to use and how the system should be designed. So if the system architecture fails, the project fails. Also, becoming an architect is not a career dead-end because there are different fields of specialization as well. The certification path offered by Sun Microsystems offers a good idea of just what your options are as a Java developer.

If you're curious about what a program manager and portfolio manager is, there's a good primer from Techrepublic on the subject.

Also, if you're thinking that a CTO position still has something to do with actual programming, think again. It's a management position where one decides what technologies the company / enterprise should implement in order to meet its business goals.

So there you have it. Hope this helps explain why few developers ever become part of management.

My Movie Review: The Forbidden Kingdom

This movie is a landmark event in the mere fact that it brings together two living legends of martial arts movies. Jackie Chan and Jet Li!

Kung-Fu fanatics everywhere will surely be delighted to see these two go against each onscreen. Obviously, their fight against each other will only be temporary as both are portraying good guys, which is typical for most movies having two stars sharing equal footing.

I was impressed by the tight choreography of the fight scenes between Jackie and Jet. Jackie Chan got to reprise his "drunken master" fighting style. The part where they show off different fighting styles was a thrill to see as well. Jet Li used the "praying mantis" style while Jackie Chan used the "tiger claw" to counter.

The whole movie can be enjoyed by the entire family as there isn't any observable bloodshed or even a kissing scene. I'm actually thinking of watching it again later since you don't get to see these two guys in a movie together. :D

My Rating: 4/5

Never too late to Dance-Dance Revo!

After much begging and promising to do good at school, I finally agreed to get my kids two (yes, you read it right, TWO) dance mats for their Sony PS2. My two daughters looked like they were having a hell of workout when they finally got it up and running.

My wife and I couldn't resist as well and joined in the fun. It was one heck of workout!

IMHO, they should make more games that actually get you to exercise your muscles (not just your fingers)! :D