/Career Advice

Some Blogging Myths

- Julia Evans tl;dr: (1) You need to be original. (2) You need to be an expert. (3) Posts need to be 100% correct. (4) Writing boring posts is bad. (5) You need to explain every concept. (6) Page views matter. (7) More material is always better. (8) Everyone should blog.

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Making A Plan

- Thorsten Ball tl;dr: Writing down a plan helps developers think through the tasks, identify potential challenges, and construct a clear mental model of the work involved. Plans serve as checklists, aid in delegation, and improve overall performance. By starting to create plans and refining them through iterations, developers become better at planning and gain a deeper understanding of their work. Making plans enhances productivity and allows developers to confidently answer questions about their progress.

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Should You Optimize For All-Cash Compensation, If Possible?

- Gergely Orosz tl;dr: “Although still rare in the industry, companies like Netflix and Shopify let employees choose how much of their total compensation is stock. What are the approaches to take?”

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2 Regrets Of A 55 Years Old Retired Software Engineer

tl;dr: (1) Pressure: “The more pressure you take, the more pressure you will get.” (2) Not taking enough risks: “The biggest risk is not taking any risk… in a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”

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My Approach To Building Large Technical Projects

- Mitchell Hashimoto tl;dr: “I've learned that when I break down my large tasks in chunks that result in seeing tangible forward progress, I tend to finish my work and retain my excitement throughout the project. People are all motivated and driven in different ways, so this may not work for you, but as a broad generalization I've not found an engineer who doesn't get excited by a good demo. And the goal is to always give yourself a good demo.”

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On Wielding Influence

- Charity Majors tl;dr: Charity answers two questions: (1) How to drive change when you have no power or influence? (2) How to drive change when you are a tech lead on a new team?

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Promoted From Dev To Team Lead: 8 Things They Didn’t Tell Me

tl;dr: (1) Many of your skills don’t translate. (2) Keep your instincts. Change your behavior. (3) Communicate “why” more than “what” and “how.” (4) Culture is a real thing. And you’re responsible for it. And more.

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An Educational Side Project

- Gergely Orosz tl;dr: “What does a great side project look like, which helps learn new technologies, but also helps stand out when looking for a new job?” Gergely analyses an Uber simulation app built from scratch in this context.

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The Fear Of Shipping

- Keith Smiley tl;dr: “Something I've become very aware of lately is how difficult it is for me to ship. I have at least a dozen unfinished projects that I could probably ship, yet I find any excuse to hold them back.” Keith discusses why he thinks he feels this way.

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The Next Larger Context

- Camille Fournier tl;dr: For senior engineers who are looking to step up: “When we are looking to do a larger project than the ones we’ve done before, we need to step out of the context that we normally operate in. When you look one context bigger, you will see immediate new opportunities that you can tackle in adjacent areas… That is where you will find your growth.” Camille highlights this advice with real world examples.

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