Developer Journey

The concept of a traveling worker's book is not new. In Germany, during the late middle ages and well into the early 20th century, craftsmen would spend a Wanderjahre (a traveling year, sometimes two) moving from village to village in search of the work required to become a true master. The masters would send their apprentices on these journeys in search of experience to build their craft, giving them the title journeymen. During their traveling year, these workers would keep a Wanderbuch (journeyman's book) to record all of their accomplishments. In English, we still use the related word journal to this day to mean "daily record of work and transactions". Officials and craft masters in the villages would certify the work performed by each journeymen by affixing their signatures and seals to the notes contained in the journal. The Wanderbuchs that have survived until now serve as wonderful snapshots not only of the great work that these people performed but also as time capsules for the social and political events of the period.

This site is Kevin Hazzard's Wanderbuch. Kevin is a consultant, author, educator and Microsoft C# MVP who lives in the mid-Atlantic United States. For the past couple of decades, Kevin has been designing, writing and testing software for some of the world's greatest companies. Kevin started his career as a database developer, evolving into a networking analyst and software developer over time. Having such deep experience in all three fields has made Kevin a true Enterprise Architect. Of course, that title more than many others has been subject to inflation over the past few years as developers struggle to differentiate themselves from programmers in the marketplace. But Kevin is one of the few who truly fits the mold. Check out Kevin's LinkedIn profile to see what others are saying about him and decide for yourself.

Here at Developer Journey, Kevin's experience with the languages, tools and techniques he's learned over the years are brought into focus. The site gets its name from the idea that for software developers, learning and growth are lifelong pursuits. Every year is a Wanderjahre (traveling year) even when we've attained complete mastery over a portion of our craft. Just as it is with the martial arts, there is no finish line in this business. There are milestones, of course, and degrees of accomplishment borne of years of study and practice along the way. If you are like-minded, this site is dedicated to you, the journeyman. Kevin welcomes you to join the conversation and to engage in meaningful ways as you continue your developer journey. You are invited to affix your signature and seal herein.