This last year I’ve been finding myself listening to podcasts more and more. What I really love about podcasts is that I’m able to learn about a wide range of programming topics as I walk to and from work. I’ve put together this small list of programming podcasts I’ve found helpful, because they are just such high quality I want to shout it from the rooftops. So lets get into it!

Software Engineering Radio

I don’t think I could recommend Software Engineering Radio enough. Every episode I listen to is one I want to listen to again. Their episodes will often not be directly about code languages, but rather things like the development process, architecture, and career management. The speaker and host on the podcast cover a lot of ground in each episode, with enough topic changes that nothing feels like it’s dragging on. Episodes makes for a good introduction to a topic, and will provide you with direction on the best place to learn more. Not every episode is going to be relevant to you, but with a current backlog off 285 episodes there is going to be something in there for everyone.

Episode 256 Jay Fields on Working Effectively with Unit Tests: I’ve been trying to improvement unit testing recently, and in this episode was great for learning about some methodologies I hadn’t been introduced to before. I ended up liking this episode so much that I bought Jay Field’s book, “Working Effectively with Unit Tests” the moment the podcast was over. If you’ve been using unit tests at work, but haven’t thought much about their structure, then I highly recommend checking out this episode.

Episode 242 Dave Thomas on Innovating Legacy Systems: I really underestimated how much I would like this episode. It covered a topic I’ve (fortunately) not had to deal with much in my career so far. Dave Thomas shares his knowledge around how you can convince a business to let you innovate a legacy system, what is worth upgrading, and some good approaches to take when you start working on it.

Episode 212 Randy Shoup on Company Culture: This episode on company culture was an interesting look at what a healthy company culture should look like, and the side effects of a toxic company culture. You will get an idea of what it takes to have a successful company, and the drain that a toxic culture can bring. This episode feels particularly relevant with the recent problems being surfaced around Uber’s culture. There is also some interesting discussion around the way eBay used to develop their software, which sounds a bit like Scrum’s estranged cousin.

DevChat.tv

DevChat.tv is the parent for a range of my favourite podcasts including Adventures in Angular, JavaScript Jabber, and Freelancer’s Show. The host, Charles Max Wood, does a great job of covering interesting, relevant topics, and the panelists bring a lot of real world experience. The episodes have a round table nature, which lets you get many different perspectives on any topic they are covering. Panelists will often have different opinions on the covered topic, which generates quality back and forth as they try to express their views. Here are a few of my favourite episodes under the DevChat.tv umbrella of podcasts.

Episode 111 AiA Redux and Angular 2 with Nate Murray: I really enjoyed this episode because how how much debate their was around whether or not a tool like Redux is necessary, with a lot of back and forth comparing it to two way binding. At the time I didn’t actually have a perspective on either, so getting each so well explained was a real benefit.

Episode 113 AiA Angular 2 in a .NET World: This episode was great for me because I am primarily a .NET developer. Marcel Good is a really knowledgeable guy, and it was a great look at how that ecosystem fits together. What I really liked about this episode is that Marcel gives a really good overview of the type of clients he gets for .NET/Angular projects, and the types of system the clients are migrating from.

The Freelancers Show 088 - Blogging with Leslie Samuel: I love the Freelancer Show because it keeps me ambitious. This show is a great resource for anyone who plans on freelancing at some point in the future. I thought I better give a shout out to the episode which made me want to start this blog, but honestly there are so many great episodes.

So there are my recommendations. I’ve picked out a few of my favourites, but I’d recommend having a quick look at their episode lists. I’m uncovering new episodes to love all the time, and it’s rare I’m left disappointed.

If you’ve enjoyed any of the podcasts I’ve listed, or if you have any podcast recommendations of your own, I’d love to hear about them!