Debug and Release

Up your productivity game by using these two tricks you probably didn't know existed in Visual Studio. Being more productive F1 key Starting with the best, the F1 key. You didn't know this key did something did you, well, you'll be surprised to know that the F1 key opens up a help page on whatever you have your cursor on. Don't know what a keyword means or does, don't know what the parameters of Parallel.ForEach are, hit F1. Use that F1 key! Clicking the F1 key while your cursor is over the SameSiteMode as shown in the above screenshot, takes us to this page where we can learn more about the SameSiteMode. The task list For when you want to clean up your code base, open up the task list  and get on to fixing those bugs! The task list opens a window that shows all instances of your //TODOs (as well as other symbols in your code). You can open this window by going to View > Task List or (ctrl + \, T). Take this example. An example ...

There is really no other reason why you shouldn't be picking up these free programming books . If you don't already know where to get them, you will know in a few minutes. Packtpub.com Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Packtpub. How do I get them Create a free account at  https://www.packtpub.com Every day, visit  https://www.packtpub.com/packt/offers/free-learning and claim your free book. That's it! Enjoy! The books that are free are on rotation, so you never quite know what book you'll be able to read next.  During busy seasons, ie. Black Friday, Packtpub has tended to offer different promotions and I have seen the free learning page unavailable. Once the season ends, they are usually quick to resume the free book offer. Do consider purchasing a hard copy of the book or videos on the site, they can't offer these books for free and still be in business.

This post isn't necessary advocating for dropping out of school  to get your first programming job, but rather a list of things I wish I had a better understanding of before I started my first job as a programmer outside of school (college). Graduating from school; the only time we can wear this cool hat How you view your work We know you are working on homework all the time , but it is different in the real world. You can't approach working in a job the same way as you work on homework in school. At school, the assignments you do are against you; one on one. A duel. In a real job, work isn't simply something to get done, it is means to an end . Other people are now counting on you to get your work done. You become a dependency to others, your team, and the organization as a whole. You become a necessary lynch pin in your job. So that is what a lynch pin looks like If this raises the stakes, good. That's how you need to begin thinking at a rea...

It's important to improve your skills , but you can't neglect your health as a programmer. Here are four, very easy steps you can take to maintain your health at your desk job. I am fully charged Protect your eyes You can read the full American Optometric Association paper , or you can simply wear eye protection. Bottom line, is UV light harms your eyes. That must be why I really enjoy looking at deep-blue Christmas lights ...   I would recommend any pair of glasses while on your computer that have blue-light reflective coating, or a blue light filter. I personally have a pair of these , and I immediately noticed a difference at the end of the day - my eyes didn't feel sore or tired (that is what long exposure to UV light does to your eyes). This is also a good article on the subject. Worth the investment You can also consider monitors that have built-in blue light filters, but they tend to be more on the expensive side of things. Follow the 20...