Programming

When Management Isn’t for You: How to Advance in Your Career as an IC

This article discusses the alternative career path of becoming a distinguished engineer for software engineers who don't want to pursue a managerial role. It outlines the four steps to becoming a distinguished engineer: reading the book Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track, identifying your current and goal archetypes, finding a mentor, and checking with your company to see if they provide this career track. It also emphasizes that not everyone is cut out to be a manager, and that it's important to find a path that will make you happy.

Delve Into Issues To Find Solutions

The staff engineer at Betterment identified that the DevOps team was overworked and unable to keep up with the engineering organization's growth. After talking with the team, the engineer realized that the team was not set up for success and needed to be restructured. The engineer then spent the last year reinventing the team and building software to enable the rest of the engineering team to do their own building, testing, and deploying. Through this process, the engineer learned that having empathetic conversations with the team and exploring the issue was the best way to solve the problem.

How to balance the technical and business aspects of running an AI startup, as a technical person.

Success in AI startups requires a balance between technical and business aspects. This can be achieved by looking at things from a return on investment perspective, focusing on solving real business problems, being pragmatic in technical decisions, and surrounding yourself with business-minded people. Additionally, it is important to visit customers to gain a better understanding of their needs and develop technology that truly addresses their problems. Ultimately, the key to success is to stay focused on creating value for customers.

Top 7 software bloggers to follow

This blog highlights the top 7 bloggers in the field of software engineering and product development. These bloggers provide valuable insights and ideas on software design, processes, and methodologies. The list includes Martin Fowler, known for his expertise in software patterns; Kent Beck, the creator of Extreme Programming and Test Driven Development; Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator and an expert on startups and entrepreneurship; Jeff Atwood, co-founder of Stack Overflow; Andy Hunt, founder of the Pragmatic Programmer series; Joel Spolsky, a blogger who offers both sensible and surprising perspectives; and Steve Yegge, known for his entertaining content. Following these bloggers can help software engineers improve their skills and gain knowledge from the best in the field.

Internal Projects vs. Open-Source

This article discusses the challenges of hiring a senior developer for Netflix who was passionate about open-source development. The engineer was initially enamored by presenting at external talks, but was not as enthusiastic about the internal work that went along with it. The manager had to point out that no open-source projects had ever been successful without an internal deployment that had been highly impactful and successful. Following this conversation, the engineer's attitude towards internal projects improved and the project was successfully deployed and open-sourced. The lesson learned is that it is important to bridge the philosophical divide between open-source ideals and internal requirements.

The Importance Speed, Intra-Company Communication, and Identifying Ambition in the Hiring and Onboarding Process

The original hiring process at Territory Foods was inefficient and led to a lot of unsuccessful onboards. The author took responsibility for the hiring and onboarding process and worked with engineers and the CEO to create a list of important qualities for new hires. They published a job posting with a clear description of the role and benefits, and conducted 8-10 interviews per day. Through this process, they learned the importance of speed and attention to detail in the hiring process. After a month and a half, they created a fast-paced hiring process that allowed them to hire ambitious people within two days.