Tobe Osakwe

Author: Tobe Osakwe

  • Why Technical Founders Should Adopt A Non-Technical Mindset

    I’m an ex-Google software engineer, and so far, I’ve written 100% of the code for Shopify apps in my business myself. I love computer science, and think about coding almost all the time. But even still, I found myself wondering yesterday – how would I be running my business if I didn’t know how to…

  • Debugging Shopify Functions in Practice

    This is a continually-updated journal of errors and bugs I’ve run into while developing my Shopify app, Regios Automatic Discounts, using Shopify Functions. Hopefully, this can help at least one person find the solution to their problem. If you have any questions in the meantime, hit me up on Twitter. How can I debug my…

  • 10 Skills Every Junior Engineer Needs To Learn

    I’ve been a software engineer at Google for 20 months. But when I started the job, I had NO CLUE what I was doing! Here are 10 skills every junior engineer needs to learn: Time Management As a software engineer, you get so much autonomy that it can be hard to adjust if you just…

  • yes, cold emails work

    let me tell you a short story: i’m working on software for (tiktok) creators. rather than guessing at an idea, i chose to interview people in the niche first. yesterday, i sent over 40 cold emails, and received 4 responses in under 24 hours. sure, it’s a small sample size, but interviewing 4 people in…

  • How TikTok’s Algorithm Works: A Technical Explanation

    Ever wondered how TikTok’s For You Page seems to know exactly which kinds of videos you’ll be most interested in? I’ll explain how recommendation systems, like TikTok’s algorithm, work under the hood. Quick disclaimer – I don’t work at TikTok, so I’m open to corrections and disagreement. However, I know a lot about programming, and…

  • 6 Side Hustle Ideas For Programmers – NO Money Needed

    I’m gonna show you how to make money outside your programming job, with no investment required. None of these ideas I’m about to list require you to spend a dime, but you will have to invest a lot of time. Each of these ideas also provides a way to generate passive income for you. You…

  • Things A Computer Science Degree Doesn’t Teach You About Software Development

    I’m nearing the end of my 7th month working professionally as a software engineer, and in that time, I’ve learned a lot about working in the industry. Here are some of the things my CS degree didn’t directly prepare me for. (Folks who have already been pros for a couple years likely know all this…

  • How to Build An Audience From Nothing – 5 Helpful Videos And Links

    It’s hard for a business to succeed if it never finds any customers. But how can you connect with people who are interesting in what you’re creating? Unfortunately, building an audience can seem very intimidating, since it’s hard to get engagement on social media and/or rank on the web. I’m working on building an audience…

  • How Anger Births the Best Business Ideas

    You’ve heard it probably millions of times before – if you’re looking for a business idea, start by scratching your own itch. Sure, but how do you actually find an itch worth scratching? Let’s face it – most problems we face in life are just minor annoyances, and not worth solving. Just because something annoys…

  • The Simple Beauty of PHP

    It definitely has flaws, don’t get me wrong. Does one thing really well – quickly makes dynamic websites. No additional tooling necessary Very low learning curve It’s great for MVP’s, because you can very quickly create your prototype.