Tag: career

My job search experience


I started my search for a new job on September 29 2014, when my employer (IP Street) implemented some organizational changes, and I concluded it was time for me to move on. I accepted an offer on December 22. My search took 12 weeks. My parameters, and some unease, at the outset I was still gainfully … Continue reading My job search experience →

Two Seattle recruiter recommendations


I talked to a few recruiters in my recently concluded job search. Two of them stood out from the pack... Kathi Jones, founder of 3DegreesTalent, spent a lot of time working an opening, even after it became clear that the company might not pay her a commission. I contacted Matt Chung, of West500 Partners, late in my search, when … Continue reading Two Seattle recruiter recommendations →

I’m leaving IP Street


I've resigned from IP Street. Tomorrow is my last day. I've worked at IP Street since it launched nearly five years ago, and I loved contributing to the company in big and small ways. It's been a lot of fun and I've worked with great people. I'm very proud of the team we built, the product we built, … Continue reading I’m leaving IP Street →

Psyched for PyCon 2014


I'm counting the days until I get on the plane for PyCon! My company's not paying for my attendance, and I'm using PTO for my time out of the office. OTOH, I'll have a clear conscience if I happen to talk to a company in the exhibition hall.  

Useless entrepreneurial and business advice


Jeff Bezos was in the news this week. Our local tech news site, GeekWire, published five posts about him. What are the most important traits of innovators? Have a willingness to fail. Bezos believes that truth shakes out when ideas and perspectives are banged against each other. Think long-term. Etc. Some of the commentary was a … Continue reading Useless entrepreneurial and business advice →

Delusional? Visionary?


How do you differentiate delusional vs. visionary? A person has an idea, everyone says she's delusional and the idea sucks, it fails, they say I told you so. But if it succeeds, they trip over themselves saying how visionary she was and the idea was brilliant. The ends should never justify the means. But they … Continue reading Delusional? Visionary? →

As the world turns…


Boy, what a roller coaster! Shortly after opening a position for a Senior Devops engineer, we had a funding "event" and now the opening's gone. What's worse, I had to lay off one of my developers, right before before the end-of-year holidays. It was stressful for all involved. We're doing some interesting things with name … Continue reading As the world turns… →

The Internet


The Internet. Where someone with 1/150 of your development experience can call you an "awful open source citizen." Um, sure.

Sometimes Text should lack Empathy


Yesterday's "Text Lacks Empathy" talk got me thinking about the times when I've put others on the spot. Sometimes empathy is overrated. Sometimes it's a waste of time, and sometimes it's wrong. There's a time and place to pin someone's ears back against their head and clean their clock. It can be very productive to … Continue reading Sometimes Text should lack Empathy →

Online portfolios considered harmful


I've seen some software developer job descriptions require applications to submit an "online portfolio.". I.e., don't bother applying unless you maintain a GitHub or Bitbucket project that demonstrates your coding skills. This has been common for some time for front-end developers. For them, it means showcasing sites or applications they've designed in past jobs. That's … Continue reading Online portfolios considered harmful →