Best Brian Jenney Podcasts (2025)

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#284 - Are We in an AI Bubble? 15:27

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22h ago15:27

15:27

Original article: https://medium.com/@wlockett/you-have-no-idea-how-screwed-openai-actually-is-8358dccfca1c Your AI engineer starter project: https://parsity.io/ai-with-rag Send us a text Shameless Plugs 👉 Build Your First Website in 30 minutes 👈 ✉️ Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here 🧑‍💻 Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - B…

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#283 - The Practical Guide to LinkedIn for Developers Who Hate LinkedIn 25:06

4d ago25:06

25:06

Grab the templates for posting to LinkedIn here: https://www.parsity.io/learning-in-public I’ve grown from 0 to nearly 40K followers on LinkedIn with barely any viral posts, and along the way I learned how the platform really works. In this episode, I’m breaking down the exact strategy junior developers are using right now to get recruiters to noti…

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#282 - From Overwhelmed To Hired: A Realistic Plan For Learning To Code on an Adult Schedule 11:13

8d ago11:13

11:13

👉 Your adult time audit worksheet 👈 I get it. There is no time. You have kids, maybe adult dependents or a really good show you're binging in between our slow descent into a dystopian reality. I don't believe in fluff. Let's cover a practical guide on learning to code as a busy adult and some of the easy (and not so easy) steps you're going to need…

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#281 - Coding Bootcamp, College, Or Self-Taught? Which is Right For You and How to Decide 12:55

11d ago12:55

12:55

Let's weigh college, bootcamps, and the self-taught route with blunt pros and cons, then map each path to market realities, hiring filters, and long-term growth. The goal is to help you choose a route that gets you hired faster without stalling your career later. • how degrees are used as filters and where they matter • why top-tier schools win on …

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#280 - The Missing Guide to AI for Web Developers 28:19

15d ago28:19

28:19

I just quit my job as a senior AI developer, and while helping hire my replacement, I realized how few people actually know how AI apps work. In this episode, I walk through Retrieval-Augmented Generation step by step—the same system I built at work—and show you the real skills developers need right now. 👉 Grab a hands-on project with a video you c…

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#279 - Recruiter Exposes the Truth About Junior Developer Jobs 44:20

18d ago44:20

44:20

Just give up? Everyone says no one’s hiring junior developers anymore — but is that actually true? In this episode, I sit down with recruiter David Roberts to uncover what’s really happening in the job market, why most applicants are getting filtered out, and what you can do differently to land your first role. We break down the biggest myths about…

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#278 - AI Does NOT Replace Junior Developers, Here's Why 12:43

23d ago12:43

12:43

Every headline says AI is eating developer jobs. But spend a week in production and you’ll see the opposite: brittle code, flaky tests, and tools that look fast until you actually ship something. In this episode, I break down why the “AI replaces engineers” story sells so well—to investors, to execs, and to lazy headlines—but falls apart in the rea…

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#277 - RAG: The Only AI Skill Web Devs Need to Learn in 2026 36:14

26d ago36:14

36:14

I thought Ben was a troll when he slid into my DMs after a LinkedIn argument. Turns out, he’s building some of the most practical AI systems I’ve seen. In this episode, we talk about how that disagreement turned into a friendship—and why Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) might be the skill every developer needs in 2026. Connect with Ben here Che…

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#276 - Claude Code Failed: What Anthropic’s Postmortem Means for Developers 16:18

30d ago16:18

16:18

Ever had your AI pair programmer stop helping and start breaking everything? I did—and this time, the data proves it wasn’t just me. Claude fell off. TypeScript that wouldn’t compile, migrations stuck in loops, refactors that went completely sideways. Turns out Anthropic’s own postmortem revealed three separate bugs causing degraded output—context …

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#275 - Terrible Advice for Software Developers (that you're hearing in 2025) 17:45

1M ago17:45

17:45

After 11 years helping hundreds of career changers switch into software development, I've found the hardest part isn't teaching technical skills but rewiring brains from misleading online advice that hurts new developers. Much of this advice is well-intentioned, but some is designed purely for clicks and engagement. • "Don't chase titles!" • "Don't…

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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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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#273 - When You Don’t Know What to Build—Build This 18:19

2M 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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Fixing the Language Barrier Between Engineers and Executives with Karell Ste-Marie of The Serious CTO 37:02

2M 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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#272 - The State of the 2025 Tech Job Market: Is AI Helping or Hurting Us? 14:23

2M 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

2M 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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Prompt Prototyping, AI Vibes, and the New Rules of Product Management 29:25

2M 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

2M 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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#269 - I'm Burnt Out! The 3 Worst Parts About Being a Software Developer (and why I still love it) 12:43

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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 👉 Build Your First Website in 30 min…

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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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

3M 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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#265 - The 4 Databases Every Developer Should Know (Including 2 You Probably Don't) 22:43

3M 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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#264 - Stack Overflow's 2025 Developer Survey: Surprising Takeaways on AI, Coding Languages and Work 28:32

3M 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 👉 Build Your First Website in 30 mi…

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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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 👉 Build Your First Website in 30 minutes 👈 ✉…

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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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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#253 - The Real-World Step-by-Step Guide to Tech Interviews (Not for Google or Meta) 33:00

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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

4M 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…