“If someone is taking a journey, he (or she) can tell a story. Therefore I would take my staff and hat and would choose to travel.” (Matthias Claudius, 1740-1815)

The present talk was designed with exactly this, 1000-times heard (and slightly updated), German proverb in the back of the head. It summarizes the gist of 20+ years in the software development business and outlines what the presenter identified as relevant for a productive and thriving survival out there in „the wild“. The talk covers:

1.) Characteristics of software development (aka "the complex environment")
2.) What is experience and how do you gain it? (aka „the Dreyfus learning model“)
3.) Cognitive biases and factors of influence related to the software development process
4.) The gist of software development: „Precision, guess work, unreliable data and questionable knowledge“
5.) Observations on humans that code and Hype Driven Development (including the current hype of AI)
6.) (Almost) Eternal & current challenges of software development
7.) Technology & tools

The main takeaway after a whirlwind ride through 20+ years in the business: „Software development is significantly more than ‚simply’ writing code.“

For more details, see: https://onmoderndev.de/en/talks/#Thoughts
For the talk’s sources, see: https://onmoderndev.de/en/talks/sources/#Thoughts