Professional Development Articles

We’re curious people by nature. And we love to teach others what we’ve learned. So explore our blog to gain fresh insights from our expertise in areas ranging from culture to AI.

SEP Wins TechPoint’s 2024 Innovation Service Partner of the Year Mira Award

SEP Recognized as Indiana’s Top Innovation Service Partner, Winning TechPoint’s Prestigious Mira Award Westfield, Indiana - SEP has been named the Innovation Service Partner of the Year by TechPoint at the 25th annual Mira Awards. The Mira Awards, Indiana’s largest…
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So a UX Architect and a Software Engineer Had a Baby

On St. Patrick’s day this year, life forever changed for me and my husband, Aaron. A baby arrived in the world after months of planning. But nothing could have prepared me for the joy my heart would feel for our Little Man. Oh, we got this. We’re gonna nail this parenting thing. I’m an Experience […]
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Study Groups – Learning Together is Better

As I’ve mentioned before, professional development is a big deal at SEP. I love learning with other people. We’ve recently kicked off a new way (for us) to learn with other people: Study Groups. What are Study Groups The idea is to go through an online course, class, book series, or other structured or self-directed […]
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Professional Development at SEP

You’re always behind the curve. You can never catch up. There is no leading, you’re always chasing. That is what it feels like as a software engineer these days. Technology is moving at breakneck speed. Five new React competitors came out this morning. Rails is old; Elm is new. Elm!? Back in my day that […]
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From Terrible Things Come Innovation

As a software architect, I do what I can to stay abreast of the world around me. As new technologies, design patterns, and so on emerge, I try to learn enough about them to make informed decisions on where they might prove useful or if I can safely ignore them. I think about their relevance […]
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3 Hard Steps on How to Fail (you probably can’t do them)

I have many friends who cannot help but win. Everything they do seems to blossom, and sometimes I wonder if they might not be descended from King Midas in some ethereal way. Here’s how to prevent yourself from being another victim of Pervasive Success™. 1. Avoid things you’re good at Being good at something takes […]
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Failure behind a curtain helps performers to shine in the spotlight

In any profession involving performance (like music or sports), the professionals practice out of sight of their audience. They practice to get better. They push their limits and try things they’ve never tried before. When they try those things for the first time, they suck! The football player misses the catch trying out that new […]
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The Connected Engineer

One of the hats I wear at SEP is Recruiting Director – I’m responsible for the engineering talent we bring in. I was recently asked how recruiting has changed over time, things we’re looking for now that we didn’t before. The core criteria (must have’s, if you will) haven’t changed for us: Smart, Fit, and […]
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Been There, Done That

“Been there, done that” is a dangerous phrase in software engineering. I recently watched Ben Orenstein’s talk “Refactoring From Good to Great“, and it got me thinking about how easy it is to become complacent with your code, design patterns, and solutions.  If “been there, done that” is your attitude toward the problems you’re faced […]
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We’ve Been There, Done That

It’s Blog Battlin’ time here at SEP again, and though the rules have changed the sentiment is the same – Get out there and write. So, here goes nothing. If you haven’t guessed from the title my topic is ‘Been There, Done That’. Experience It’s fairly obvious the intention behind the phrase, but how does […]
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