A Tale of Two Interview LoopsIt was mainly the worst of times, when a comedy of errors left me on a prolonged job search, alternating between the spring of hope and the…May 5, 2023May 5, 2023
The Empathetic MetamorphThere’s an old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation about Picard falling in tragic love with an alien woman. Okay, there’s a bunch of…Apr 11, 2023Apr 11, 2023
My Slack Tips, 2023 Edition(This is a direct copy of the 2021 Edition, with the salient changes italicized, because Medium doesn’t have the option of coloring them.)Apr 4, 2023Apr 4, 2023
The Art of InterviewingThe job interview process is a high-stakes dance that’s notoriously difficult and full of missteps — on both sides. (At least, in software…May 28, 2022May 28, 2022
Lessons Learned on the Job SearchI’m starting what I’m sure will be a great new job at an awesome company soon, but before I got that offer (and four other great ones), I…Feb 11, 2022Feb 11, 2022
The 8 Engineers You Might KnowA few years ago, I was asked to give a talk to a class of early engineering college students about the characteristics of a “good”…Sep 1, 2021Sep 1, 2021
On Engineering ConsensusThe main reason science works is, of course, the scientific method. It forces rigor into the process and it’s what began to fork hard…Jul 22, 20211Jul 22, 20211
DRY Code, WET CommsThe principle of DRY code is probably one of the most important bedrocks of professional programming. It’s a hallmark of what separates an…Jun 9, 2021Jun 9, 2021
The Best Testers Are ScientistsIt doesn’t take long to appreciate a great software tester. And it doesn’t matter if she’s a manual tester or writes automated tests…Apr 17, 2021Apr 17, 2021
Bonuses Don’t Motivate DevelopersFirst, let me reassure you that they don’t: 50 years of research have shown us that if anything, incentives demotivate employees. And not…Mar 23, 2021Mar 23, 2021