Best Brian Jenney Podcasts (2025)

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Developer Career Change Hotline: Networking, Breaking In, and Not Giving Up 18:53

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3h ago18:53

18:53

Let's tackle three of the most common struggles career changers face: 1. Breaking into tech from another field 2. Networking without feeling fake 3. Staying motivated when the job search drags on. If you’re wondering how to make the leap, keep connections warm, or simply not burn out—this one’s for you. Got a question of your own? 👉 Drop it here 👈 …

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#274 - The Cost of Being Nice: Why Good Developers Don't Get Promoted 20:01

2d ago20:01

20:01

Have you ever wondered why some developers keep getting promoted while others stay stuck at the same level despite their technical skills? The answer might surprise you. Through practical, actionable steps, I break down exactly how developers at any level can strategically increase their influence and advance their careers. You'll learn how to gain…

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Engineering Clarity in the Age of AI with Seth Rosenbauer 32:39

6d ago32:39

32:39

Engineering Clarity in the Age of AI: How Docs, Context, and Product Thinking Shape Better Software Seth Rosenbauer is the founder of a tool that uses AI to help engineers create better documentation—and, more importantly, the right thing, faster. But this conversation isn’t just about tooling. It’s about how context is the new currency in engineer…

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Context is King in Software Engineering - Derek Comartin of CodeOpinion 1:05:57

6d ago1:05:57

1:05:57

Derek Comartin of CodeOpinion is one of my favorite YouTubers and content creators. Derek is able to talk through all sorts of software engineering tradeoffs and is one of the best at answering the "it depends" question. That's because Derek knows that context is king. If we are making decisions in software engineering, it's all about the circumsta…

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How To Build Teams That Actually Care - Interview With Ryan Varley 57:19

9d ago57:19

57:19

Building highly effective teams sometimes feels as complicated as rocket science -- but that's no problem for today's guest, Ryan Varley! Ryan Varley was en route to have a career in astrophysics, but software engineering got the best of him! In our chat, Ryan shares his career journey and how he looks to build development teams that are highly eng…

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#273 - When You Don’t Know What to Build—Build This 18:19

9d ago18:19

18:19

Breaking into software development isn’t about finishing another tutorial—it’s about building something that matters. In this episode, I’ll show you how to choose a side project that proves your skills, keeps you motivated, and actually impresses employers. You’ll learn: Why great data makes or breaks your app How to apply the 80/20 rule—stick with…

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From Spanish Teacher to GREAT Software Engineer - Interview With David Weiss 53:05

11d ago53:05

53:05

Spanish teacher?! Yeah, my guest today is a career-switcher coming over to software engineering from being a Spanish teacher! David Weiss is an awesome guy to know with a great story about making a career switch into software development. I thoroughly enjoy his software engineering content online, and it was great to chat with him about how content…

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Fixing the Language Barrier Between Engineers and Executives with Karell Ste-Marie of The Serious CTO 37:02

16d ago37:02

37:02

Matt is joined by Karell Ste-Marie, founder of The Serious CTO YouTube channel. Together, they tackle one of the biggest hidden challenges in software companies: the language and cultural barrier between engineers and executives. Karell and Matt break down why innovation is so rare in large organizations, why engineers and business leaders often ta…

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How to Structure to Data with AI: Interview With Kirk Marple of Graphlit 57:26

14d ago57:26

57:26

I sat down with Kirk Marple of Graphlit to talk about his career journey and the awesome AI platform that he's building. One of the things I thought was awesome was the fact that they "dogfood" their platform by building solutions on top of it -- one of the BEST ways to know the ins and outs is to use it yourself! Huge thanks to Kirk for sharing hi…

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#272 - The State of the 2025 Tech Job Market: Is AI Helping or Hurting Us? 14:23

13d ago14:23

14:23

The tech job market is sending seriously mixed signals in 2025. While social media overflows with doom and gloom about hiring freezes and impossible entry barriers, actual data tells a surprisingly different story. Job openings are trending upward, with big tech companies like Meta, Google, and Apple actively expanding their engineering teams. What…

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#271 - The Physics of Career Change: How Long It Actually Takes to Become a Software Developer 37:25

19d ago37:25

37:25

Remember when coding bootcamps promised you could learn to code and land a job in just three months? That golden era of easy entry into tech has fundamentally changed, yet the marketing hasn't caught up with reality. In this eye-opening conversation, ex-Google engineer Zubin and host Brian cut through the hype to deliver a reality check about what …

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Why System Failures Make The Best Learning Opportunities! - Interview With Michael Kill 1:09:50

18d ago1:09:50

1:09:50

In this talk with Michael Kill, he shares his perspective on why the high-priority P0 scenarios are some of the best to learn from... despite being high pressure and high stress! Everyone has something to bring to the table, and everyone has something they can learn -- regardless of your title or your seniority. Thanks for this awesome discussion, …

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Prompt Prototyping, AI Vibes, and the New Rules of Product Management 29:25

20d ago29:25

29:25

Product management is being rewritten in real time, and AI is doing the editing. Matt sits down with Jerel Velarde, product manager at Full Scale Ventures, to discuss how AI is reshaping the relationship between PMs and engineering. We dive into what Jerel calls prompt prototyping, how expectations for product velocity have changed, and why the bes…

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#270 - Coding in the Age of AI: What No One’s Telling You 20:13

23d ago20:13

20:13

AI is changing coding faster than anyone expected. Two years ago, autocomplete felt wild—now people with zero dev experience are shipping apps over a weekend. The question isn’t “is AI replacing developers?” It’s “how do you actually use it without wrecking your codebase?” In this episode, I’ll break down when to use AI (and when not to), why Retri…

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Engineer to Manager and Back Again: Interview With Lee McKeeman 1:40:40

22d ago1:40:40

1:40:40

He's worked at Amazon, Meta, and Google... But that's not what I found most interesting about Lee McKeeman! While Lee has lots of awesome experiences (in AND outside of work), one of them that really got me interested was becoming an engineering manager and transitioning back to a software engineer. It's not that this is unheard of, but it's not a …

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People-First Software Engineering - Interview With Hassan Habib 59:35

23d ago59:35

59:35

This is a very special episode for me because I really look up to and admire today's guest. Hassan Habib does an incredible job of combining technical insight with philosophy -- something that I don't see done so elegantly by many others. But one thing that REALLY sets Hassan apart is his focus on putting people first in software engineering. It's …

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#269 - I'm Burnt Out! The 3 Worst Parts About Being a Software Developer (and why I still love it) 12:43

26d ago12:43

12:43

It’s Labor Day weekend and, honestly? I’m burned out. Maybe this isn’t the best business move, but I’d rather keep it real with you than fake the whole “everything is great in tech” narrative. I’ve been plenty vocal about why AI isn’t about to replace us all tomorrow, much to the dismay of to all the AI bros out there. But here’s the other side: be…

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Why Teams Lose Their Way at Scale with Randy Silver 31:34

30d ago31:34

31:34

Matt is joined by product and leadership consultant Randy Silver to unpack one of the most frustrating problems in product organizations: everyone knows where they want to go, but no one knows how to actually get there. Together they explore what causes this breakdown in execution, how companies drift from product strategy to dysfunction, and what …

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#268 - An AI Agent Horror Story: What Happens When AI Runs a Business? 12:15

28d ago12:15

12:15

What happens when you give an AI agent full control over a small business? I mean, what could go wrong? Things started off rough and then got down right creepy near the end of this experiment. You can read the original article here: https://www.anthropic.com/research/project-vend-1 Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Join Parsity - Become a full sta…

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#267 - Step-by-Step: Build a Real AI Project with Next.js & RAG 24:54

1M ago24:54

24:54

What does it actually mean to be an “AI Engineer”? Honestly—not much. The title is overloaded and vague. But what is meaningful right now is knowing how to build real projects with AI that go beyond toy chatbots and portfolio fluff. In this episode, I walk you through the exact project I’ve been building at two different AI startups: a Retrieval Au…

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How AI Is Really Impacting Developer Experience and the Real Productivity Problem with Laura Tacho 29:38

1M ago29:38

29:38

In this episode, Matt is joined by Laura Tacho, CTO at DX — one of the leading voices in developer experience research and tooling. Together, they unpack how AI is really affecting software development teams, why developer experience has a “marketing problem,” and why organizational friction — not technology — is the biggest productivity killer. If…

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#266 - Startups 101: Insider Secrets for Aspiring Developers 41:03

1M ago41:03

41:03

In this episode of Develop Yourself, I sit down with Gabe Rucker, CEO of Founding Titans, to discuss everything from entrepreneurship and building startups to the practical side of networking and getting money from thin air. We also dive into how Parsity students gained valuable, hands-on experience through an internship with Founding Titans, worki…

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#265 - Why JavaScript Feels So Hard To Learn: You're Making One of These Mistakes 18:59

1M ago18:59

18:59

When I first tried to learn JavaScript, I hated it so much I told myself I’d just be an HTML and CSS developer and never touch it again. Of course, my first job threw me straight into Angular, C#, SQL, and a mountain of JavaScript I wasn’t ready for. In this episode, I share what made JavaScript so brutal for me (and for almost every student I’ve w…

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Why We Still Need Software Engineers in the Age of AI with Brian Jenney 29:56

1M ago29:56

29:56

AI can scaffold an app in seconds, but can it refactor that thousand-line React file when the first bug hits production? In this episode, I sit down with Brian Jenney software engineer and program owner of the coding bootcamp Parsity, to draw a hard line between “code that runs” and “code that lasts.” From mentoring career-switchers to stress-testi…

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This Guy Switched From Helicopters to Tech! - Interview With Mike Akins 1:06:33

1M ago1:06:33

1:06:33

Mike Akins made the move from flying helicopters in the military to tech -- an AWESOME career switcher story! He has attended Oregon State and walks us through the challenges of searching for jobs as a student, from internships to applying for those first jobs. We discuss imposter syndrome and working alongside a different generation of developers …

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#265 - The 4 Databases Every Developer Should Know (Including 2 You Probably Don't) 22:43

1M ago22:43

22:43

When your only tool is a hammer - everything looks like a nail. 2 of these database I'm sure you've heard and 2 might be completely new to you. Let's go past MongoDB and SQL to learn what tool is best for what job and what's the database choice for AI in 2025. If you're interested in learning SQL, check out this episode: https://open.spotify.com/sh…

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How AI Changed Our Dev Jobs FOREVER - Interview With Brian Jenney 51:44

2M ago51:44

51:44

Brian has one of my favorite career-switcher stories, and I'm glad that he sat down with me again to share it. In our conversation, we get to see what it was like for him to go from a low place to crushing it as a software developer. But we're not done there, because Brian and I get into our AI tool usage. Is it safe to vibe code? Let's find out...…

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#264 - Stack Overflow's 2025 Developer Survey: Surprising Takeaways on AI, Coding Languages and Work 28:32

2M ago28:32

28:32

Every year, Stack Overflow surveys nearly a 100,000 developers to learn what technologies, languages and tools are trending. The answers here might surprise you, especially when it comes to AI tools. You can check out the survey here: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/developers/ Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Join Parsity - Become a full st…

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Simple Systems that Let CTOs Delegate Ownership—and Still Sleep at Night with Brittany Rastsmith 33:00

2M ago33:00

33:00

If you’re running a startup, chances are you’re the bottleneck. Brittany Rastsmith joins Product Driven to talk through why founders constantly end up in this trap and how to escape it. She works with early-stage companies through her consulting firm, Bloom Remote, and she's seen it all. We get into how to create clarity, visibility, and accountabi…

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#263 - They're Lying to You About AI Productivity: Hype vs Reality for Coders 12:47

2M ago12:47

12:47

Maybe I'm just coping. Maybe. I’ve been pretty vocal about the over-hype of AI coding tools and I always get the same responses from AI bros: “YoU gOtta PrOmpt bEtteR!” “This iz a skillz issue dawg”“I’m using [x] and it works perfectly” “I’m a super duper senior architect and I’ve replaced my entire team with AI agents. You’re coping.” I’d be lying…

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#262 - 12 Months to Hired: A No-Fluff Roadmap to Becoming a Software Developer 34:37

2M ago34:37

34:37

If I lost everything today—no job, no network, no portfolio—and had to start over in 2025 as a software developer, I wouldn’t be looking for a 3-month miracle. I’d be planning for 12 months. That’s how long it really takes now. We cover: what tech stack you should learn networking as a developer using BFS a capstone project that is actually impress…

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Technical Co-Founders are Startup Gold with Noah Lindner 30:01

2M ago30:01

30:01

The 10X Developer Decoded: Why Technical Co-Founders Are Startup Gold 💎 In this revealing conversation, we unpack one of tech's most polarizing concepts while exploring the brutal realities of building technical partnerships in today's startup ecosystem. Host Matt Watson and Noah Lindner (ex-Airbnb engineer turned consultant) deliver unfiltered ins…

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#261 - I Used to Suck at Coding Interviews. Then I Started Doing These 4 Things 17:33

2M ago17:33

17:33

Five years ago, during an interview for a senior dev role, I had a panic attack. It was one of my worst interview experiences. It also taught me a lot about what I was doing wrong. In this episode, I'll break down the process that took me from under-paid developer to passing interviews and 4x'ing my salary. Here's your worksheet to help you create …

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#260 - From Lead Engineer at MongoDB to Fashion Tech: On Hiring, Remote Teams, and Start-Up Life 24:21

2M ago24:21

24:21

Harish, former lead engineer at MongoDB and current co-founder of Flaire, takes us on a journey through his unusual career path—one that didn’t involve grinding LeetCode or chasing FAANG. Instead, he got deep into cybersecurity, built large-scale systems, and eventually started his own company that’s redefining how small businesses use software. We…

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Office Hours: Answering Your Coding Questions EP 3 18:56

2M ago18:56

18:56

Are junior devs cooked? How can I scaffold a solid MERN stack app? What's the best way to stick with a tutorial? We got some great questions this episode and my answers might surprise you. Got a question you want answered? Drop it here: https://form.typeform.com/to/Q499M9kl Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Join Parsity - Become a full stack AI de…

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CTO Levels and the Path to Strategic Tech Leadership with Kathy Keating 34:27

2M ago34:27

34:27

From Coding to Catalyst: The Evolution of Technology Leadership 🚀 Journey through the transformation of modern CTOs with industry veteran Kathy Keating, who shares battle-tested insights from scaling teams of 2 to 450+ engineers. This episode unravels the complex tapestry of technology leadership, exploring how yesterday's code-focused roles have e…

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#259 - The Minimum Effective Dose of JavaScript You Need to Learn 19:59

2M ago19:59

19:59

Learning JS is tough. And you're probably making some of the same mistakes I did in the past. In this episode you'll get a path and a small project to make to teach you the minimum effective dose of JavaScript necessary to move forward in your learning journey. Here's the challenge I mentioned which includes some short videos: Your Form Challenge S…

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#258 - Should You Use AI While Learning to Code? A Senior Developer’s Take 17:28

2M ago17:28

17:28

A junior developer who got hired at a startup used AI non-stop to keep up. It worked for weeks until he crashed and burned. He'd built a house of cards that he couldn't keep up. The AI tools went in doom loops or just added more sloppy code that his team wouldn't accept. Turns out they hired a prompt engineer instead of a coder. We're in uncharted …

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Inside 'Product Driven': Why This New Book is Every Engineering Leader's Must-Read 41:36

2M ago41:36

41:36

Product Driven: Building Software Teams That Ship Value 🚀 In this special book launch episode, we dive deep into the intersection of engineering leadership, product thinking, and the transformative impact of AI on software development. Join Matt Watson and Craig Ferril as they explore the revolutionary "Product Driven Model" and why traditional dev…

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#257 - Career Landmines: Three Developer Traps to Avoid 20:49

2M ago20:49

20:49

3 traps to avoid in your career, that I nearly fell for: 1. The Framework Developer Trap 2. The Developer in a Hoodie Trap (might be the most surprising revelation for many aspiring programmers) 3. The Hype-Driven Development Trap Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here: https://form.typeform.com/to/Q499M9kl Send us a text Shamele…

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The Engineering Leadership Book That Actually Shows You How to Build Product-Minded Teams 3:51

2M ago3:51

3:51

Product Driven: The Book Launch - A Software Leader's Journey to Creating High-Performance Teams 📚 After months of intensive writing and years of industry experience, Matt Watson unveils his groundbreaking book "Product Driven" - a comprehensive guide for engineering leaders seeking to build teams with a genuine product mindset. This isn't just ano…

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#256 - The Rise of the Product Minded Engineer 36:34

3M ago36:34

36:34

Matt Watson, who scaled VIN Solutions to a $150 million exit, shares his journey from coding to building products that make a real impact in the business world. We talk about: Why most developers fail at launching products What it means to be a product-minded engineer How AI is exposing weak developers The importance of sales, customer empathy, and…

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Rethinking Requirements When Engineers Are No Longer the Bottleneck with Chris Rickard 30:49

3M ago30:49

30:49

Breaking Through Requirements Hell: How AI is Revolutionizing Software Development 🚀 In this compelling exploration of technological transformation, host Matt Watson connects with Chris Rickard, founder of UserDoc, broadcasting from Vietnam. Their conversation unveils a profound shift happening across the software industry—one where artificial inte…

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#255 - Your First Open Source Project: A Weekend with Kyle Simpson’s Code 12:43

3M ago12:43

12:43

This episode introduces a weekend project that will give you authentic experience working with existing code—a crucial skill that most tutorials and coding platforms simply don't teach. Using Kyle Simpson's YouPeriod GitHub repository, you'll learn to navigate a codebase written by someone else, which is exactly what you'll do in your first develop…

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#254 - What Do Data Scientists Actually Do? A Candid Conversation with Ryan Varley 37:27

3M ago37:27

37:27

Have you ever wondered what data scientists and engineers actually do all day? Forget what you've seen in movies – it's not all neural networks and fancy algorithms. Ryan Varley, Engineering Fellow at Magnite and experienced data leader, pulls back the curtain on the rapidly evolving world of data science and engineering. The real work often involv…

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Data Replication Ain't Easy: Interview With Josh Hicks of Jumpmind 52:34

3M ago52:34

52:34

Josh Hicks of Jumpmind knows a thing or two about just how complicated data replication can get. On the surface, it's a simple problem. Data in one spot needs to get to another spot. Add a new location in? No problem. ... But it gets complicated FAST, and that's a problem they solve at Jumpmind. Big thanks to Josh for sharing his career journey, fe…

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#253 - The Real-World Step-by-Step Guide to Tech Interviews (Not for Google or Meta) 33:00

3M ago33:00

33:00

Interviewing is arguably the highest paying skill you can have as a developer. I don't think this is fair but it is reality. I've taken part in well over 100 interviews both as an interviewee and interviewer. I've worked with dozens of developers to ace their interviews and increase their salaries by tens of thousands of dollars. This is not for de…

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How Boddle's Product-Driven Approach Built Educational Games That Kids Ask Parents to Buy with Clarence Tan 29:05

3M ago29:05

29:05

Learning Through Play: How Boddle Built Educational Games That Kids Actually Want In this insightful conversation, Matt Watson talks with Clarence Tan, founder and CEO of Boddle Learning, about their journey building educational games that have reached over 10 million users. Clarence shares how they tackled the classic problem of educational games …

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#252 - 3 Coding Principles That Will Save Your Codebase (that most bootcamp grads don’t know) 14:53

3M ago14:53

14:53

These principles don't just create pretty code—they reduce bugs, simplify updates, and prevent real-world problems like the $10,000 mistake I made early in my career. Yeah, that was not a fun one. Check out https://www.dofactory.com/javascript/design-patterns/adapter if you want to learn more patterns. PS - I write unfiltered advice for early caree…

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Office Hours: Answering Your Coding Questions EP 2 15:01

3M ago15:01

15:01

In this Office Hours Q&A, I got some pretty interesting questions: Should you lie on your resume to trick the ATS and get more interviews? If you’re building websites with tools like Squarespace, does it count as real experience—or are you cheating yourself? Is a master’s degree in computer science worth it if you already have some tech skills? I a…