How to become an front end developer with Justin Schwartzenberger

Learn how to become a front end developer with Justin Schwartzenberger the Pluralsight author of the Front End Web Development Career Kickstart course.

Duncan and Justin discuss the course which is a guide to kick-starting a career in front end web development that addresses the need-to-know terms, topics, and concepts for an industry professional.

The interview also discusses soft skills and passion that help male applicants stand out when applying for their first position.

About the speakers

Dev Heroes

Justin Schwartzenberger is a Lead Engineer at SoCreate, currently working on the future of screenplay writing software.

Justin has presented on topics such as ASP.NET MVC, Test Driven Development, WCF and OData at the San Luis Obispo .NET User Group and helped organize and run the Central Coast Code camp for multiple years. Justin lives on the Central Coast of California with his wife and daughter and, when not developing and mentoring, travels up and down the California coast in search of surf.

Duncan Hunter loves working in passionate teams to make awesome software. Making sustainable software that solves real world issues is what makes Duncan tick. He is a full stack web developer specialising in making responsive frontend applications with AngularJS and TypeScript.

With the current speed of change in frontend best practices Duncan helps teams learning and implementing modern frontend build processes to produce scalable and maintainable applications quickly.

Want to be a better consultant? Master the art of managing up | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

Want to become a better consultant and accelerate your career? Stop bringing problems to your manager and start bringing solutions!

Join SSW’s Adam Cogan in the beautiful city of Strasbourg, France, as he shares practical tips on managing up, a skill that helps you become more proactive, build trust with your manager, and make better decisions.

Adam explains why presenting options with a clear recommendation is far more effective than simply asking your manager what to do. Using real-world consulting examples, he demonstrates how to evaluate resource decisions, communicate your preferred solution, and help managers make faster decisions.

You’ll also discover how to manage up when you’re CC’d on an important email. Instead of waiting for your manager to ask for advice, learn how to proactively draft a suggested response, share your expertise, and save valuable time.

Whether you’re a developer, consultant, architect, or team leader, these simple habits can help you take ownership, demonstrate initiative, and grow professionally.

Takeaway: Don’t just identify the problem. Present the options, recommend the best one, and explain why.

Tick and Flick! 3 tips for better Sprint Reviews | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

Want better Sprint Reviews? Adam Cogan shares 3 practical tips to keep your reviews short, engaging, and valuable. Learn how to use the “tick and flick” approach, involve stakeholders, and turn feedback into action.

Vibe Coding is fast, but is it Enterprise Ready? | Adam Cogan | SSW Rules

Vibe coding is transforming software development, allowing developers to build features in minutes instead of days. But does faster coding mean better software?

In this SSW TV episode, Adam Cogan explores the excitement and hidden challenges of AI-powered development. Using a Formula 1 analogy, he explains why speed alone isn’t enough when navigating the complexities of architecture, security, testing, and maintainability.

Discover how enterprise vibe coding, or AI-assisted engineering, combines the speed of AI with the right architecture, context, and guardrails to build reliable, maintainable software.

🚀 Enjoy the speed, but don’t forget the corners!

Microsoft Teams Etiquette: Simple Habits That Make Meetings Better | Adam Cogan

Whether you’re working remotely or in the office, small habits can make a huge difference in Microsoft Teams meetings.

Treat Your Code Like Uranium | Adam Cogan

Adam Cogan shares a striking story comparing two World War II factories—one ordinary, one handling uranium—and the surprising lesson that the uranium workers lived longer because they followed disciplined, risk-aware practices. He connects that idea to software teams: the best outcomes come from careful habits like automated tests, telemetry, pull requests, retrospectives, shared rules, and good tools. The message is simple: treat software delivery with the same respect as dangerous work, and you’ll reduce stress, avoid chaos, and get better results.

3 Tips for Better Video Recordings | Adam Cogan

Great coaching can dramatically improve how you present, communicate, and learn. In this video, Adam Cogan shares 3 practical coaching tips that SSW uses every day—from onboarding and role plays to improving video delivery. He explains why having a coach matters, why immediate interruption beats delayed feedback, and how repeating corrections helps lock in better habits.

TinaCMS + Fumadocs: Bring Visual Editing to Your Docs | Hark Singh

Discover how to connect Playwright with AI agents and unlock powerful workflows.

Stop Using 👍 Wrong in Teams | Adam Cogan

A quick communication tip from Adam Cogan: don’t use 👍 as a catch-all response when someone assigns you a task in Teams, Slack, or Google Chat. In the example Adam gives, if a task will take about five minutes, a thumbs up is too ambiguous because it does not clearly say whether you’ve read it, agree with it, are doing it now, or will do it later. Instead, use 👍 for agreement, 👀 to show you’ve seen the task and are actively working on it, and then replace 👀 with ✅ once the task is done. It is a small change, but it removes ambiguity and cuts down unnecessary follow-up messages.

How to record a done video in SSW | Sylvia Huang | SSW Rules

Sylvia Huang from SSW shares her SSW Cultural Exchange experience from Hangzhou, China to Australia

4 Essential Sales Tips for Engineers | Adam Cogan

Not a salesman? No problem. Adam Cogan shares 4 practical tips to help engineers navigate sales meetings with confidence. Learn how to stop “selling” and start solving, how to talk numbers without the awkwardness, and why being transparent about your process wins more clients.