1. 7 Habits of Successful Software Engineers For software engineers and other talented types Ken Nelson President Scitools.com nelson@scitools.com NiftyBytes.com nelson@niftybytes.com

2. Alternately…. How to contribute Have secure employment And have fun. Because being a key part of a successful venture is fun.

3. Why you should listen to me B.S. C.S. and Mathematics Army Enlisted, NCO, and Officer Serial Software Entrepreneur Hired … and fired… many dozens over the years

4. Question? Why did you choose computer science? Like video games Stable career, good opportunities Can’t imagine doing anything else

5. Let’s Discuss What makes someone succeed (in a software job/project) I asked my staff this… I’ll tell you what they said after we discuss it Traits of Success

7. No substitute for elbow grease Work more than required Be positive Thankful for work Hard work is as easy as easy work #1 problem we see in new hires

9. Keep focus away from people The problem with “YOUR” algorithm is… The problem with that is…. The algorithm needs… It’s pretty clever, I worry about memory use. BE POSITIVE… DO NOT PERSONALIZE!

11. Most software projects are HUGE Like learning a song…

12. Working Smart Spend 5% to 10% of your time figuring out what the problem is and how you will solve it. DO NOT RUSH TO IMPLEMENT! No matter what this guy says

13. Working smart Do the hardest part (the solo at 3:54) Or Do the biggest visible payoff (the chords you can sing with)

15. Review Yourself After action reviews / self-assessment What went right? What went wrong? What tools? What people and/or training?

18. Love what you do Learn to learn Continue to learn LEARN Learn ANYTYHING

20. Good programmer?

21. Order Chaos Which would you like to work on?

22. 3 minutes Write a synopsis of the last big project you did for school or work? Is it: Organized? Clear? Concise? Understandable? Does anybody want to read theirs to the class?

23. Know what you need to do Russ Armstrong’s Whiteboard Keep ToDo Lists! 2 nd biggest problem we have with new hires

25. All projects have a first line of code Why not write it now? Procrastination makes it worse Have initiative, be assertive. DO SOMETHING! 3 rd biggest problem we see with new hires

26. To Get here… Start here.

27. 7 Habits of Successful Software Engineers Work Hard Get Along with Others Work Smart Evaluate yourself, not others Keep on learning (professional and personal) You cannot be organized enough Have initiative

28. Questions… Ask freely As long as you like Technical, Business, or Personal And later, feel free to e-mail me: nelson@scitools.com nelson@niftybytes.com