Life Beyond Tech

Software Development is More Than Writing Code

April 17, 2014March 28, 2024 Andrew Comeau

Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023

Ask a lot of people about the requirements to be a computer programmer or software developer and they’ll probably start talking about computer science degrees and years of formal training. Those things don’t hurt but they’re not strictly necessary, either. I personally do not have a degree aside from the accounting diploma I earned from a local college many years ago. I am certified by Microsoft in Windows application development, a certification I earned through self-directed and cooperative study with a few co-workers. Most of what I know about programming is through self-teaching and experience. Nevertheless, with my current experience, all I have to do is post my resume and send copies to a couple of recruiters and my phone starts ringing. It’s about the demonstrated skills, not the paper.

Articles, Careers, Programming

Alcatel OneTouch – Fixing dark video problems on the camcorder

April 16, 2014January 4, 2015 Andrew Comeau

Yesterday, I reviewed the Alcatel OneTouch Fierce smartphone that I picked up last week. As I mentioned, one of its quirks is that the videos taken through the camcorder feature are sometimes extremely dark, so dark as to be unviewable. This only seems to happen inside and I was not able to get it to happen outside, even in dim surroundings.

Personal Tech

Alcatel OneTouch Fierce – Budget Phone Review

April 15, 2014November 8, 2022 Andrew Comeau

About a year ago, I got tired of the high smartphone bill I was paying for my HTC EVO
and, after trying out an ultra-budget TracFone solution, I decided to switch over to MetroPCS and a $20 Huawei phone. Over the past year, that’s probably made up for at least some of the money I threw at Sprint but I missed my mobile Internet connection and all the Android utilities I’d become so used to. I also got tired of pocket-dialing people on the cheapo Huawei keypad and the phone was starting to act flaky.

610214634436 So, this past week, I started looking at some of the budget offerings from MetroPCS and saw the Alcatel OneTouch Fierce. Since it’s been out for a few months, it was as low as $29 depending on the line options and that was good enough for me.

The OneTouch actually surpasses the EVO that I had in some ways, although three years later that’s not completely surprising. it’s running Android 4.2 (Jellybean) and has a hi-def 4.5 inch screen with plenty of room to work. This is a 4G phone which is already an improvement over the 3G service I was limited to with Sprint. The service from the combination of the MetroPCS and T-Mobile networks has been pretty good so far, even outside a major metropolitan area.

Personal Tech, Reviews

The Heartbleed Bug – What You Need to Know Now

April 14, 2014November 8, 2022 Andrew Comeau

One week ago, it was announced that a new security threat had been discovered on the Internet, one that has affected many of the most commonly used sites such as Facebook and Instagram. This threat, known as the Heartbleed bug, was discovered by a member of Google’s security team and researchers from a company called Codenomicon which subsequently named and publicized the bug in order to prompt affected sites to apply the needed fixes.

Not surprisingly, there was a lot of immediate confusion, hysteria and misinformation making the rounds. Now that the dust has settled a little, here is what you as an Internet user still need to know in order to keep your information safe.

Internet

Ocala I.T. Professionals – Come Join Us!

March 10, 2014November 8, 2022 Andrew Comeau

The Ocala I.T. Professionals is a new I.T. networking group in Ocala, Florida. It’s purpose is to provide a forum for people from all areas of I.T. and all levels of experience to come together, discuss the latest technologies and work together on projects and new opportunities. We’re currently using Meetup.com to organize the group…

Resources

On unpaid overtime …

February 12, 2014April 14, 2023 Andrew Comeau

From TheCodist.com ….

Why I Don’t Do Unpaid Overtime and Neither Should You

From the article …

“In many countries working overtime is unusual and unpaid overtime is rare or may even be illegal. People value having a life outside of work and the thought of slaving away for their employer for nothing is unimaginably stupid to them. Yet we in the US (and in many parts of Asia as well) often think nothing of it.”

A few years ago, I left a company where my boss actually told us that the company felt it could ask us to work as many hours as necessary because we were salaried. He also said that if we weren’t working overtime, we weren’t busy. At the same time, the department maintained a time logging system and procedures that made it so painful to declare hours that it virtually ensured the records wouldn’t be complete.

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Careers, Personal

Surviving the Job Interview: Asking the Right Questions

January 29, 2014June 16, 2025 Andrew Comeau

“Do you have any questions for us?”

For some people, that’s the most challenging question in a job interview. They’ll spend time preparing a resume and anticipating the interviewer’s questions but thinking of questions to ask in return gets the least attention. Some people don’t even see the point in asking questions when they’re just hoping to get the job so they can start paying bills again.

Still, the questions that you ask tell the interviewer a lot about you as a potential employee, especially your level of interest in working for the company rather than just collecting a paycheck. When a potential employee has no questions about the company at the end of the interview, he or she can appear lazy or apathetic, which are never desirable traits in an employee.

In any professional position, it’s important to find out as much as you can about the company where you might be working for years. That company will have a place on your resume and will impact the future of your career. The right questions will also demonstrate your knowledge and perspective on your chosen field and that you take the time to do research before making a decision. This demonstrates an intelligence and analytical skill that companies like to see in their professional employees.

Articles, Careers

Should I become a computer programmer?

January 28, 2014June 18, 2025 Andrew Comeau

So, I was glancing at Reddit first thing this morning and saw the following question …

I’m exploring the possibility of being a programmer, wondering what there is to it, and why you enjoy your job.

A very articulate high-school student was thinking about career choices and wanted to know what being a computer programmer was about and if he should explore it. Always wanting to encourage potential programmers, I offered my answer …

Careers, Programming

On software design …

September 18, 2013November 8, 2022 Andrew Comeau

In my upcoming book, Your First Guide to Database Design, my goal is to provide a clear guide for users at all levels of experience on how to organize their data into an efficient database, regardless of whether they’re using a desktop database like Microsoft Access or a network software such as MySQL. The first chapter…

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Database Design, Programming, Reviews

Removing Duplicate Records in Microsoft Access

May 26, 2013November 6, 2025 Andrew Comeau

Occasionally, you might have a table in Access that contains duplicate records. Fortunately, Access offers a couple of options that you can use to remove the duplicates from your table quickly and easily.

Databases, Microsoft Access