Why Bother With a Blog?

I’ve been in the technology industry for many years and have finally gotten around to creating a blog. I had considered it before but what, you may ask, pushed me over the edge to actually creating one? Not only creating one, but shelling out some cash for my own domain rather than a freely hosted one?

Well, it’s been two reasons primarily, and here they are:

• A blog becomes a better resume than you could ever author because it actually samples your work AND how you communicate. Pretty priceless stuff in the industry.
• Having a blog forces you to think a little more about what you are doing — come up with coherent thoughts and reasons for why you’re writing code the way you are.

I’ve just gotten started with the process (this is my fifth post) and have already begun realizing benefits. Writing about what you’re doing to “the general public” that isn’t working directly with you forces you to think more generally about what you are doing and how to express it in words. This process gives your thoughts a level of clarity that they wouldn’t have otherwise had. Plus — it gets you into the community at large — even if this is initially only a mindset on your part. It makes you more aware of what other bloggers are doing and how your efforts relate to theirs.

If you want to take your development career to the next level and don’t already have a blog, what are you waiting for? 🙂