[Announce] September 10th 2019 - MUG Meeting

[craig at decafbad.net]

We meet at 6:30pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the
Farmington Community Library.

 Topics Include:

 The Mediocre Programmer

 Mediocre Programmers? What is that? Shouldn't we want to be great
programmers instead? In this talk we'll discuss what it means to be a
mediocre programmer. We'll consider the many pitfalls that may befall
you on your journey, from self-doubt to burnout, and share tips for
how to cope with the challenges of programming and when it might be
time to try something new.

 This talk is highlights from a book that I'm writing about the
journey of being a mediocre programmer. Beginners tend to get all of
the love, and advanced programmers get all of the respect and glory.
But we don't have much for helping intermediate programmers. We don't
tend to consider how difficult it can be to work through the
exuberance of beginning programming (where everything is new, fresh,
and exciting) into becoming better programmers. We're just expected to
figure things out on our own. This talk draws on my experiences of
being a mediocre programmer and gives advice and tips on how to become
better programmers. We'll cover how to find a group of traveling
companions, how to focus on learning one thing at a time, and how to
deal with the struggles of our emotions and self doubt. We'll also
cover examining our emotions and understanding when the spark that
drew us to programming is truly burned out.

 Craig Maloney is a MUG Board member, programmer, writer, game
designer, podcaster, and author of this bio. He is currently typing
this bio into the computer, and observing the letters appear on the
screen in real-time. How positively exciting! Learn more about his
adventures at http://decafbad.net

 Plus we'll have our regular features: Jobs Looking for People, People
Looking for Jobs, and much more! We'll also be meeting for dinner at
the Buddy's Pizza in Novi (44225 W 12 Mile Road, Novi, MI 48377) after
the meeting.