We'll cover two things:
- Have a great workflow
- Ask great questions
From Regis, who will cover the "workflow" portion of the spike
There is nothing worse than having bad workflow (we have all been there :P).
It is crippling. Can lead to completely avoidable errors, and slow you down :(
When I develop on any size applications, there are a lot of things to keep track of. Asset compiler, Web Server, Custom Reverse Proxy, Application Logs, Test Suites running, Computer Status (CPU/RAM/SWAP), Server Status, etc..
Being able to have a top level overview of these things is critical and ensure I do not waste anytime understanding the health of my app.
I will sprinkle in how to increase your local workflow (not to be confused with project management and git workflow):)
From Josh, who will cover the "questions" portion of the spike
It's likely that in your first job out of Turing, you'll be the most junior person in the room.
You'll be asking a lot of questions, and, more importantly, the people who hire you KNOW you will be asking lots of questions.
It's fun to be asked good questions, and terrible to be asked bad questions.
Any hiring manager will have this in the back of their mind, implicitely or explicitely.
- The person you're asking will be impressed by you
- The person will be happy to give you a good answer
- The person will be able to give you a good answer
- You'll get the answer you need
- You'll be considered to be a great contribution to the team
We'll also talk about how to communicate IN THE JOB HUNT PROCESS how you ask good questions, and this can easily be a competative advantage that differentiates you from the rest of the applicants.
- This will be a very quick, very fast-moving spike that will give you great tools that will serve you for years.
- bring a notebook. Lots of actionable stuff.