Jan 28, 2017

It’s our first RAPID FIRE episode, where we answer a bunch of questions rapid-ish-ly.

1. Why do I get passed up for developer jobs?
2. Should I take this high-paying job even though it’s a scary change?
3. Should I quit my first job after five years?

We also answer a longer question:

How do I deal with a micromanaging project manager?

Thank you to Algolia for sponsoring this episode. Check out their job posting at algolia.com/softskillsengineering.

Jan 25, 2017

Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. When I let someone go, should I tell them the reason why?
2. How do I write a good job description?

We mention Julia Evans’ blog post A litmus test for job descriptions in the second question.

Jan 16, 2017

Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. What do internships cost companies?
2. How do you feel about asking hard technical computer science questions in interviews?

The second question was prompted by this tweet:

In 20 years of engineering I've never said, "thank goodness we hired someone who can reverse a b tree on a whiteboard while strangers watch"

— Samantha 🐝 Quiñones (@ieatkillerbees) December 14, 2016

Jan 2, 2017

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. Should I switch jobs to my fourth job within two years of graduating from a bootcamp?
2. What non-technical practices and cultural attributes improve software reliability?

Dec 28, 2016

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. How do I deal with someone who says their job (management) is so much harder than my job (engineering)?
2. How do I deal with a two-boss situation where I am one of the bosses?

Dec 21, 2016

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. How can I encourage my team to be more visible in the office?
2. How do I learn new technologies without going through a noob phase?

Dec 12, 2016

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. How do I deal with engineers who are skilled technically but rude and demeaning?
2. What should I talk about in one on ones with my manager or reports? We also cite Questions for our first 1:1, a blog post by Lara Hogan.

Dec 5, 2016

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. When is it appropriate to go over someone’s head?
2. Should I fire the new engineer that we just hired (and who relocated to take the job)?

Nov 29, 2016

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. How does venture capital work, and how does it affect me?
2. How do I give great presentations at work?

Nov 22, 2016

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

1. What do you think of unlimited vacation policies?
2. How do I enforce coding best practices?

Show notes, because Jamison is feeling ambitious:

• The Netflix culture slides we mentioned
• pylint, the linter Dave talked about