I’m not comfortable with things I don’t understand. I cringe at comments like “I don’t know why this fixes [my problem] but…” I’ve seen that in code comments, commit messages, and PR descriptions. To me these are red flags, but also opportunities to learn and grow. Copying and pasting code…

Even great engineering organizations have issues on occasion. When you inevitably have a service disruption you’ll probably see (at least) these five personalities in the chat. The Gawkers / Watchers: Drawn to the spectacle. The folks who show up at a house fire or slow down on the highway to…

Note: Gender doesn’t matter here, I chose “guy” instead of “girl” or “person” because I’m thinking of specific examples across my career, all of whom were men. So feel free to swap out pronouns as you read this. If you’re a Principal, Staff Engineer, Tech or Team Lead, basically anyone…

Years ago I read a book called “Extreme Ownership”. At the time the philosophy really resonated with me. The basic idea is that it’s the leader’s job to ensure the team’s success; they own making it happen. Failure falls squarely on the leader. Of course it’s not at all about…

My daughter’s favorite Christmas presents were a microscope and an Osmo coding game. She spent the day alternating between examining specimens under magnification and playing the coding game. It was a very proud papa moment. But before we talk more about that, let’s turn back the clock for a minute…