Model View Conversation artwork

Model View Conversation

36 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratings

Ben Gohlke and Brian Gates discuss how to get started and get ahead in the ever changing industry of software development. Current senior developers in their respective fields and former bootcamp instructors, Brian and Ben help to decipher the myriad options available to new engineers just starting out and how to navigate the educational and institutional challenges of the tech industry.

Technology Education Self-Improvement education mentorship software development tech
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Episodes

36: Bama's On It!

March 30, 2020 10:00 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MB

On the latest episode, Podcast Brian interviews his former student Testing Brian on his career, from starting out in the kitchens of Alabama to going back to school in his late 30's, to becoming a successful QA engineer. The guys chat about testing and its importance to the modern software ecosystem, and the challenges involved with learning how to break things in a structured manner. NOTE: This episode was recorded at the end of February. The live company event mentioned in this episode was ...

35: The Old Man and the SQL

March 18, 2020 02:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MB

Ben's dad Joe just had to make it a three-peat. He's back again with updates on what it's like to look for a new job at 60, how to deal with recruiters, how to promote yourself online, and most importantly, whether the advice we gave him was actually any good! Advice and experience is shared that's applicable for professionals at any point in their career. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:42 - Job search update 00:10:54 - 2...

34: Almost Software

March 02, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 62.2 MB

The guys continue their tour of software and software-adjacent roles within an organization. Today's show is all about the roles that are integral to the success of a software product, but aren't directly involved with producing code. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:37 - UI/UX Designer 00:16:34 - Testing/QA 00:28:00 - DBA 00:42:22 - Dev Ops 00:49:08 - Product Owner 00:59:23 - Project Manager 01:07:00 - Outro

33: The NFL or the A-Team

February 17, 2020 11:00 - 36 minutes - 34 MB

The guys continue their discussion from last time on how to decide what kind of developer to become. They talk team size preferences, whether you like to be on the frontier or work with established best practices, and finish up with the importance of UI/UX to a project and how you might decide if that's a possible path for juniors. Stay tune for the next episode where they will get into all the other jobs that surround the core development team. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.t...

32: The iPhone is a Submarine

February 04, 2020 21:30 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MB

Ben and Brian explore the different kinds of developer you can become and how you might go about picking a platform/language to learn. There was so much to talk about, we needed to cover this in two episodes, so stay tuned for more next time. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - Where do you start? 03:24 - What do you like? 12:50 - Front end vs. back end 21:28 - Are you a math person? 42:46 - Outro

31: A Textbook Case of Developer

January 13, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MB

Ben and Brian sit down with Brandi Bailey, a lifelong learner and a current iOS student at Lambda School. Brandi recounts her earliest memories of exploring the world of programming all the way to her current struggles and triumphs of learning iOS programming as a second career. She has lots of great advice to impart to others who may be on the same journey or about to start down the path of learning to code. Big thanks to @blubrandi (https://www.twitter.com/blubrandi) for coming on the show ...

30: A Festivus for the Restivus

December 24, 2019 02:00 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MB

Happy Festivus everyone! On this last episode of the year, Ben and Brian tell you about all the tech things that have annoyed them so far in 2019, as well as their biggest tech accomplishments and a vision for a possible future in 2020. A departure from out usual style, but we wanted to bring you something hopefully a little more fun for the end of the year. We hope you all enjoy the holidays and remind you to take the opportunity to step away from the computer and any tech learning you might...

29: Don't Join the Nerd Wars

December 11, 2019 11:00 - 1 hour - 28.4 MB

Ben and Brian discuss the age-old and never ending debate on code structure and organization. They help disambiguate requirements from conventions and some stuff that's just one person's opinion. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:36 - Code syntax 04:17 - Code formatting 11:59 - Coding with your team, not against it 28:45 - Coding to conventions 41:01 - Personal preferences 59:38 - Outro Links Wikipedia article on indentation style...

28: You Can't Make a Second First Impression

November 25, 2019 11:00 - 58 minutes - 53.3 MB

Ben and Brian discuss the happy news of Brian's new job and what might be the best practices for starting off a new job on the right foot. They chat about everything from making a good first impression, to relationship building with co-workers and leadership, to work in your personal life that can lead to more happiness at your job. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:45 - Making a good first impression 00:14:29 - Managing you...

27: The Old Man and the C

November 11, 2019 11:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MB

Ben and Brian chat with their first returning guest of the podcast, Ben's dad Joe! He's back and he's got news (and a little wisdom) to share with everyone. Listen to find out what it's like to be on the job hunt at 60 years old and how the challenges faced in that scenario are in some ways remarkably similar to when you're just starting out in your career. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:17 - Joe's career news 00:06:03 - ...

26: Jump in an Elevator and Talk to Yourself

October 28, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 60.6 MB

Ben and Brian dive into a discussion about how to sell yourself during the interview process. They talk about the importance of having a personal elevator pitch, how to change your approach with each kind of person you'll encounter in the interview, and how best to approach each step to ensure you've done your best to showcase your skills and abilities. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:35 - Adapt your story to different aud...

25: Refill Your Social Battery

October 07, 2019 10:00 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MB

The guys run through the advantages and usefulness of attending and potentially speaking at technical conferences. They provide advice on how to find the right conference and techniques for maximizing your experience while you're there. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - Cost of attending conferences 05:32 - Conferences we've attended 14:01 - Which conferences to attend? 16:51 - Networking benefits at conferences 36:54 - Speak...

24: A Need to Nerd Basis

September 23, 2019 10:00 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MB

The guys sit down with Lee Warrick, a junior front end web developer who recently attended a local bootcamp after years of being a firefighter and nurse. They talk about his transition from healthcare to programming, how the college experience differed from his development training, how he keeps his skills sharp on the job, and how you can run a bunch of extracurricular activities for developers, but maybe just attending some is at least as effective a use of your time. We really enjoyed havi...

23: Refill Your Tank with Fun

September 02, 2019 10:00 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MB

Ben and Brian discuss the importance of nurturing other interests besides coding, and how to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Whether you're just starting out, in the middle of an intense school program, or involved in a busy work schedule, it's important to give yourself opportunities to engage in life outside of code. Also, it's our 1 year anniversary! Thanks so much for listening, and we're super excited for the next year of the podcast! Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.t...

22: Jack of All Trades, Master of One

August 19, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 57.3 MB

Ben and Brian discuss how the educational landscape has changed since they became educators. They touch on how to create a nurturing classroom environment despite the pacing of the technnology industry and both the improvements and setbacks in they've experienced in teaching and mentoring on software development. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:10 - Changes in technology 09:21 - Expectations of juniors 20:04 - Institutional landscape 34:05 - Improvements/setbacks in teaching development 53:47 - Adv...

Episode 21: Tell Your Story

August 05, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MB

Season 2 has arrived and Ben and Brian are back after a much appreciated hiatus! Thanks for sticking with us. On the season premiere episode, they discuss how to build a public narrative around your current career achievements as well as the goals you have for your future career goals. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:34 - What is a public narrative? 15:31 - How will this help you? 25:02 - Matching talent with business needs 32:25 - ...

Episode 20: The Differently Technical

June 10, 2019 09:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MB

Welcome to the season finale of Model View Conversation! We hope you've enjoyed learning and growing with us. It's been almost a year since we started the show, which is hard to believe. Even though this is the end of season 1, don't worry. We've got some exciting plans for season 2 and we'll be back before you know it! In this special episode, Ben and Brian speak to a man with over 30 years of experience as a developer and database administrator. He also happens to be Ben's dad. Joe Gohlke j...

Episode 19: Ways to Learn, Part II

May 27, 2019 16:30 - 51 minutes - 47.8 MB

The guys return to finish their discussion of the different ways you can engage in learning about programming. This time they delve into online courses, bootcamp and other concentrated learning environments, and the importance of building stuff on your own and with others to demonstrate mastery of concepts. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:21 - Online courses 07:14 - The illusion of mastery 12:36 - Bootcamp vs. online course 14:0...

Episode 18: Ways to Learn, Part I

May 13, 2019 10:00 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MB

Ben and Brian discuss many different ways you can get started and learn about programming. So many ways in fact, we had to break it up into two parts! In this one we talk about books, onine tutorials, and podcasts. If none of those work for you, fear not as we tackle several more learning methods in part II. Stay tuned for that. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:17 - Ways to learn: books 21:01 - Online Tutorials 30:54 - Pro tip: c...

Episode 17: The Invention of Fire

April 28, 2019 21:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MB

Ben and Brian discuss what it's like working with non-technical people or for a fundamentally non-technical company and how to navigate that as a programmer. They share their experiences with that at previous and current jobs as well as their best practices for advancing your ideas and showcasing your skills to a non-technical audience. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:54 - Feeling valued and having context on a software team 11:...

Episode 16: Not an Imposter

April 01, 2019 10:00 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MB

Ben and Brian discuss the important phenomenon of imposter syndrome and how it can create real roadblocks for developers in their career advancement. They discuss their own struggles with it both as juniors and even now as senior devs and what can be done to overcome it. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - Updates on our progress (or lack thereof) 09:28 - Imposter syndrome: what is it? 35:03 - Work environments can make you fee...

Episode 15: We Were All Young Once

March 19, 2019 20:30 - 1 hour - 69.9 MB

On this very special episode of Model View Conversation, the guys interview one of Ben's former iOS students, Shane Nelson, to see what he's been up to since graduation and how his career has progressed. Shane also has some questions for the hosts on how he can advance in his career to becoming a mid level engineer. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast). Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:54 - Shane's post school career so far 15:58 - Bootcamps are not real life 20:28 -...

Episode 14: Don't Cross the Streams

March 04, 2019 11:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

We have an exciting announcement we wanted to share. This is not like our usual episodes, but don't worry, we'll be back with our regularly scheduled programming next time. Please consider checking out our livestreams if live coding and seeing the full process of app development interests you! Check out our livestreams on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/ferrousguy/dashboard/events/8e7duFLkR8CYynqH8XxMXw). Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast).

Episode 13: The Colonel's Secret Recipe

February 19, 2019 02:00 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MB

Ben and Brian talk about where and how they do their daily work and offer advice about how to stay focused when working in potentially busy environments. They end by venturing into a couple of the more popular programming religious wars (spaces ftw!). Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast) for updates on new episodes and other fun stuff. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:13 - Where to code? 13:05 - Getting away from the home office 24:25 - Dealing with noise 36:23 - Dig...

Episode 12: Interview with an Interviewer

February 04, 2019 11:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MB

Ben and Brian are joined this time by their friend and former colleague David Rogers. He's a senior web developer and educator based in Durham, North Carolina. They cover everything from his career history so far to his extensive experience vetting and mentoring juniors. Find out how best to prep yourself for both that interview you've got coming up as well as how to advance in your skillset once you get that first job. Find David on Twitter @althex (https://twitter.com/al_the_x). Follow us o...

Episode 11: Engineer Your Life Habits

January 21, 2019 11:00 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MB

Ben and Brian ring in the new year (a little late) by discussing how they approach new year's resolutions and how they might apply that kind of goal making to their professional ambitions. Brian suggests breaking up your yearly goals into more digestible pieces and attacking them iteratively rather than all at once (sound familiar?). They end by discussing some sensible ways to track the progress of their (and your) coding projects to stay accountable. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https:...

Episode 10: Done is Better Than Complicated

January 07, 2019 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MB

You need experience to be considered for a position, but how do you get it? Working on your own project is a great way to prove your skillset and showcase your unique vision. So what do you work on? How do you show off your work? What size project should you tackle? Should you collaborate with someone else? These questions and more are discussed on the latest episode of MVC. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast) for updates on new episodes and other fun stuff. ...

Episode 9: For Sixty-Five, You Get Deluxe Me

December 24, 2018 21:00 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MB

Ben and Brian tackle the tricky subject of job salary negotiation. How do you even start? What is on the table and what isn't (hint: everything is)? How do to you navigate this process when you don't have much leverage in the industry? Be sure to listen as we provide some great tips for getting the compensation you deserve. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast) for updates on new episodes and other fun stuff. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:56 - Everything is negotia...

Episode 8: The Jeopardy Effect

December 10, 2018 11:00 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MB

The guys dig into the ever scary topic of technical interviews. They share war stories about good (and bad) interviews they've been on themselves, how they'd like to steer interviews into more productive discussions, and even provide some useful questions you can ask your potential employer to look for potential red flags. Remember, you're interviewing them too. Follow us on Twitter @mvcpodcast (https://www.twitter.com/mvcpodcast) for updates on new episodes and other fun stuff. Chapters 00:0...

Episode 7: Rounds Up to Three

November 26, 2018 11:00 - 54 minutes - 50.4 MB

Ben and Brian continue their discussion of how to get your first (or second) job as a new developer. This time it's all about resumes and applications. They discuss their own resumes and how they typically approach the average dev job posting. Do's and don't's for how to best spend your time on your resume, how to interpret a job posting, and how to short circuit the whole process to get ahead of the pack. Chapters 0:00 - Intro 1:10 - Resumes and how to write them 7:06 - Alternatives to a res...

Episode 6: Get to Work

November 12, 2018 11:00 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MB

This episode marks the beginning of a new series centered around the topic of getting your first job as a junior developer. In this episode Ben and Brian provide an overview of the things you might be concerned with regarding the hiring process. In the next 3 episodes, they'll examine each part of the process and provide insight and advice for ensuring you get a great development job that both plays to your strengths and challenges you to improve. Also be sure to check back here and follow us...

Episode 5: Learn on Your Own

October 29, 2018 10:00 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MB

Jonny B (https://twitter.com/jonathan_ios) and Caleb Stultz (https://twitter.com/gurucaleb) are here to discuss their own paths to development and what it's like to now be teaching others to code. Topics include things they wish they'd known when they started, how much work really goes into making online coding courses, and some great resources for learning to build iOS apps. If you're interested in learning how to build iOS apps with Swift, be sure to check out Jonny and Caleb's awesome onli...

Episode 4: Perspective & Autonomy

October 15, 2018 11:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MB

Ben and Brian ponder whether work/life balance is possible and if so, how to obtain it, particularly if you are new to the industry. Topics include: whether it's possible to have software development as a hobby if you already do that for your day job; identifying signs of imbalance; detecting and combating burnout; and how to get the right amount of life back into your schedule if you've found yourself too focused on work. Chapters 00:00 - Intro/is work-life balance possible? 13:59 - Work not...

Episode 3: Dev Team Assemble!

October 01, 2018 10:00 - 52 minutes - 48.9 MB

Ben and Brian discuss the pros and cons of working in groups as a junior developer. They continue by imagining the ideal characteristics of a group dynamic to foster juniors and build up their skills. Lastly, they give some advice on how to recognize and leave a bad dev team as well as some tips on how to build your online reputation. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Working in groups 05:26 - Reality TV of learning 11:27 - Ideal group characteristics for juniors 33:02 - Pros/cons of working in ...

Episode 2: Driving Stick and Bailing Hay

September 17, 2018 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MB

Ben and Brian discuss self learning in this episode. Topics include: being unafraid of experimentation with new languages and techniques, learning how to learn, and resources that help facilitate learning. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:15 - Will this break? 04:00 - Don’t be afraid to experiment 15:19 - Programmers aren’t magicians 17:43 - Skateboarding on the first try is hard 23:47 - Learning how to learn 25:24 - Driving stick can become second nature, and so can coding 31:01 - Learning Swift af...

Episode 1: Who are We Exactly

August 30, 2018 16:00 - 14 minutes - 13.9 MB

We're on the air! It's been a long time coming (for us at least), but we've finally gotten all our i's crossed and t's dotted (we may have some work to do yet). Welcome to Model View Conversation, a tech education podcast devoted to those new to the tech industry, and those who sometimes wish they were. We'll be covering a lot of ground with the show, but this first one hopefully will allow us to tell you about ourselves and what we hope to accomplish with this crazy idea. Don't forget to sub...

Twitter Mentions

@mvcpodcast 30 Episodes
@al_the_x 1 Episode
@blubrandi 1 Episode
@shanesmn 1 Episode
@leewarrickjr 1 Episode
@jonathan_ios 1 Episode
@gurucaleb 1 Episode
@techjrpodcast 1 Episode
@ferrousguy 1 Episode