During my first year in graduate school, I had an epiphany about mathematics that changed my whole perspective about the field.

Given the time and expense associated with implementing a large-scale solution, it’s worth considering whether building small programs around specific problems and then scaling up is the right approach for your organization.

In the movie Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, the Death Star was designed to be the perfect weapon, with enough firepower to destroy a thousand star systems. Yet a small, ragtag group was able to blow it up. If only Emperor Palpatine had consulted with testers, all of the Death Star’s vulnerabilities could have been found and addressed!

Are certifications becoming a think of the past in development shops and startup companies? What does it really take for a developer to stay on track for growth and job success?