How do software developers market themselves?

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Permalink Reply by P.J. Hinton on November 15, 2008 at 10:56pm

Set aside some spare time and start working on a software project that does not compete directly in the same space as your employer.

To make sure that you don't lose steam working on it, try to make the project solve a problem you are personally interested in. There is a quotation from Eric S. Raymond's The Cathedral and the Bazaar where he says, "Every good work of software starts by scratching a developer's personal itch."

Be sure to develop the software using hardware and tools that are completely separated from your employer so that there is no infringement of your employment agreement.

While it's OK to start with a core set of tools and platform that you are familiar with, try to make some aspect of the project involve some areas where you would like to improve your knowledge.

As you develop and improve it, ask yourself how this work might be applicable to your value to a customer, so that you are addressing that question of "how can I make their business better". Keep a journal of these thoughts on a blog so that you can chart your progress.

When you have something that is working, set it up on a web hosting service so that you can point others to it. Add the URL to your resume.

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