Advice

As grandiose as the title of this article might sound, I should clarify we’re talking about a low-stress, one-person company that I run from my flat here in Germany.

Many of the most important questions for running an organization don’t have clear answers. In most engineering organizations, both the teams working on infrastructure and the teams working on product feel they are undersized. It’s also true that most individuals feel they are undercompensated. In the boom times, there is often enough investor money laying around to say yes to all these questions, but many leaders are acutely learning the long-term costs of expanding our budget too far.

tl;dr: Google research found that psychological safety is the most important dynamic for an effective team. This was alongside other dynamics like dependabil...

When managers and leaders don't specify the expected time investment of an ask, the time that is invested is almost never what was intended.

Learn how to apply open source community ideas to your organization to spread standards and best practices without sacrificing autonomy and innovation.

The best way to have more luck is to create it...

This passage here from John Gruber’s review of some new macs struck me in particular: Web browser rendering is surprisingly resource-intensive — partially because modern HTML, CSS, and Javascript are remarkably complex, and partially because most web developers are remarkably untalented and careless programmers

Tips from a marketing expert on how to sell yourself as a graphic designer.

In less than a week, I am taking a group of "soon to be" CodeCrew Code School graduates to BitCON in Nashville, TN. While I am excited that this will be an exhilarating, educational, and transformative experience, it hit hard this morning that it will be their first time at a Tech Conference. For aspiring junior software engineers, these events are crucial platforms to network, learn, and jumpstart their careers. However, navigating the hustle and bustle of a tech conference can be overwhelming

Working in a startup environment for almost a decade has given me privileged access to a fast-paced culture of innovation, exploration, and a fail-fast approach. I followed the standard progression ladder: intern, junior, mid, senior, and eventually ...

Being a web designer for 25+ years is hard to fathom. So much has changed, and achieving longevity in web design is really not easy.

Based on hundreds of interviews for Big Tech companies and startups

Introduction After struggling a lot with my mental health (anxiety, depressive condition) for several years, I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD, at the age of 44. This diagnosis shocked me a lot: I wasn’t a wild child, in fact, I was even a good pupil. With the help of my therapist, […]

Chose life over balance to own your future.

Architects can save you tons of time, and prevent crucial mistakes from happening. They are very experienced software engineers, who have seen it all. * This applies to any cross-team Senior+ engineers you have. They can be called Architects/Staff/Principal engineers - in each organization it’s different.

What do Honeywell, IBM, and Pfizer have in common? Employees with strong professional networks. A study of 2 billion employee relationships on LinkedIn probes the power of such connections—and potential benefits for companies. Research by Frank Nagle.

Why product-market fit requires founder-market fit

Key challenges and opportunities for marketing leaders

The best analogy I’ve heard for startups is that they’re like looking for gold. Not because of the adventure, or the camaraderie, or the riches awaiting you on the other end. But because a gold-seeking expedition has two very different phases: first, you look for gold; then, you

Growing and mentoring junior engineers is a high leverage activity for Technical leaders. Some engineers think that this is the sole responsibility of your

A critical look at the problems I've faced with procrastination, analysis paralysis, and side projects as a developer who loves building

Working in the same field for several years is hard, and I still need to learn what burnout is. It’s more than just a lack of desire to do…

Shirley Wu - React Rally 2023 This is a story about identity, burnout, finding courage, rekindling a dream, and settling into the discomfort of not knowing what comes next.

Teaching is the best way to learn. If you can't explain something simply, then you don't understand it.

I interviewed 7 indie hackers and full-time SWEs with side ventures for their insights.

The popular model Software product companies aren’t usually started by people with a strong background in building software products. Those who most likely end up founding businesses are good at getting funding, and at understanding their target industry.

Having been working as a software developer for over a decade, I’ve heard many misconceptions about estimations over the years. Sometimes…

Take the best of being a designer and create a durable playbook for handling challenges as a manager

What’s next for you as an individual design contributor? Are you aspiring to be a design lead? Or perhaps you’re simply interested in…