Writing Archive

Setting up a Remote Development Environment with Google Chrome and DigitalOcean

2024, Mar 26 — 8 minute read

My Macbook Pro is a couple years old now and I’ve been thinking about switching...

Becoming a Senior Software Engineer

2021, Oct 31 — 7 minute read

I used to speak regularly at many of the Chicago-area coding bootcamps and one of...

API Development: The Complete Guide for Building APIs Without Code

2021, Aug 16 — 23 minute read

The term “API” gets thrown around a lot these days, but what does it mean?...

Sprint Planning and Agile Metrics

2021, Jun 01 — 10 minute read

In late 2014, I was managing a team of software engineers working diligently on a...

Alternatives to Basecamp for Project Management

2021, May 19 — 7 minute read

Basecamp has recently come under fire for changes the founders implemented including the prohibition of...

What to do After Your Coding Bootcamp

2021, Mar 02 — 6 minute read

I have been a guest lecturer, instructor, and mock interviewer at half a dozen Chicago...

What to Expect from a Coding Bootcamp

2021, Feb 08 — 7 minute read

You’ve probably noticed the rise coding bootcamps over the past few years. If you come...

Using the Bubble App Builder to Launch Your Startup Faster

2021, Feb 03 — 9 minute read

There are an average of 12,000 new startups founded daily in the US. To gain...

What it's Really Like Working for a Startup

2021, Jan 20 — 10 minute read

After almost ten years working for startups, I’ve seen some pretty wild things. One startup...

Laravel Forge: Deploy Laravel Applications Fast

2020, Dec 08 — 5 minute read

As a long-time PHP developer, Laravel is one of the most exciting additions to the...

The World Needs a Non Profit Search Engine

2020, Dec 06 — 4 minute read

Google is the most widely-used search engine in the world, and the company now offers...

Testing Microservices: A Layered Testing Strategy

2020, Nov 29 — 9 minute read

We made some considerable improvements to the tech stack at The Graide Network during my...

The Importance of Software Testing

2020, Nov 21 — 8 minute read

I’m currently writing a series of articles about test frameworks, and it got me thinking...

Recruiting and Hiring Software Engineers

2020, Nov 13 — 13 minute read

When I took my first real management role as Packback’s Head of Engineering back in...

The One Reason Software Engineers Should Write

2020, Aug 30 — 7 minute read

I’ve been thinking a lot about writing lately. I recently left a career as a...

How to Start Freelance Technical Blogging

2020, May 26 — 6 minute read

I like writing. I lived with a bunch of English majors in college, so we...

Building a Resilient Career

2020, May 16 — 5 minute read

I was reading another engineer’s story this week about his 65-day job hunt. I’ve avoided...

The Evolution of Our Product Management Process

2020, Feb 17 — 10 minute read

In 2016 when I joined The Graide Network, I was the first developer. With the...

PHP Architect 2019 Contributions

2019, Sep 15 — 2 minute read

I have not been writing as much this year as I did in 2017, but...

The Myths You’ll Hear About Working as an Engineer at a Startup

2018, Dec 18 — 7 minute read

When I first graduated from college and went looking for a job with a startup...

Using Postman to Access APIs Without Code

2018, Dec 11 — 3 minute read

An “Application Programming Interface” or API describes the way that two computer programs talk to...

Stop Working and Let Someone Else Build It

2018, Jul 25 — 5 minute read

My backlog of project ideas is long. Like, ridiculously long. Even though I clean it...

The Bulk of Software Engineering is Just Plumbing

2018, Jul 08 — 6 minute read

I read a post online recently about how some software engineer was asked to complete...

Web Applications: The Guide for Building Webs Apps Without Code

2018, Jul 07 — 14 minute read

Web applications are getting more and more popular, but in 2018, what’s the best way...

The Age of Cloud Services

2018, Mar 02 — 6 minute read

Cloud based web hosting has enabled small startups to build and scale software applications that...

Writing Less Software to Accomplish More

2018, Feb 05 — 8 minute read

Creating custom software should be the last resort for early stage startups. Writing good software...

Building a Free Website on the GABA Stack - A Spin on JAM Stack

2018, Jan 26 — 4 minute read

Note: When I first wrote this in early 2018, I had not heard of the...

API Testing Presentation at API Strategy & Practice Conference

2017, Nov 03 — 2 minute read

This year, I decided to make speaking at a conference one of my goals (and...

Beginner PHP Resources

2017, Oct 30 — 2 minute read

I was recently asked by a new web developer what resources I would recommend for...

Startup Employees Still Need a Financial Plan

2017, Oct 22 — 4 minute read

I know this is a little off base from my usual posts about software, technology,...

Continuous Integration on a Budget

2017, Apr 27 — 6 minute read

Since I wrote this in September, 2015, continuous integration has become pretty much the standard...

Why the Textbook Industry is Ripe for a Technological Revolution

2017, Apr 07 — 5 minute read

When I first wrote this in September, 2014 I was just a few months in...

The Secret to Staying Employed: Be Indispensable

2017, Apr 04 — 5 minute read

With everyone talking about automation and the widespread job loss that it may lead to,...

Colleges API: A Database and REST API of Accredited Colleges in the United States

2017, Mar 29 — 2 minute read

Back in 2013 I needed a list of all the colleges in the US. The...

The Power of Responsiveness - Web Design for Multiple Platforms

2017, Feb 21 — 2 minute read

Since writing this post in 2012, the case for responsive (and now progressive) websites has...

My PHP Open Source Project Checklist

2016, Oct 10 — 4 minute read

Open source software is becoming the norm, and not just for small companies, indie developers and...

Planning for Retirement While Working at a Startup

2016, Aug 08 — 5 minute read

As I’ve entered my late 20’s and begun to solidify my career path in startups,...

Joining The Graide Network as Chief Technology Officer

2016, Jul 18 — 3 minute read

After over 2 and a half years at Packback, I’ve decided to move on and...

How Microservices Help Enforce Domain Driven Design

2016, May 16 — 4 minute read

I’m working my way through a long backlog of episodes of Software Engineering Radio right...

Using Docker to Run a Laravel Application in PHP7

2016, Mar 24 — 4 minute read

PHP7 has been out for a few months now; the performance benefits have been demonstrated,...

5 Things I Learned at Midwest PHP 2016

2016, Mar 08 — 5 minute read

Now that Midwest PHP 2016 is over and I’m back on my cozy couch here in...

Bedrock: Bringing Modern PHP to Wordpress

2016, Feb 08 — 2 minute read

I cut my teeth writing websites in Wordpress, but I’ve fallen out of love with...

Sub 1-Second Page Load Time in Wordpress

2016, Jan 11 — 4 minute read

Wordpress has a bad reputation on the web for being bulky and slow, but that...

Accessing Job Board APIs in PHP

2015, Dec 22 — 3 minute read

Niche job boards have made a surprising comeback in the past few years. Despite the...

Textbook Prices: Packback's Open Source Price Comparison Tool

2015, Aug 27 — 2 minute read

Like a lot of startups, we rely heavily on open source software at Packback, and while...

Packbot: Helping our Business Access Data at Packback

2015, Aug 05 — 5 minute read

Note: Since writing this, I’ve stopped using Slack for most things. Here’s why. Slack is...

Moonclerk Recurring Payments PHP Library

2015, Apr 27 — 1 minute read

A few months ago I was looking into an easy way to set up recurring...

An Update on Engineering at Packback

2015, Feb 04 — 2 minute read

As I enter my second full year of working with Packback, I can say that...

On Leaving Uloop for Packback Books

2013, Dec 05 — 3 minute read

This month marked the end of my first startup experience and the beginning of my...