Day as a Dev

Derek Prior is an engineering manager at GitHub. Working to improve developer productivity, he and the team have delivered such hits as: Suggested Changes, Free Private Repos, Community Contributors, and GitHub Sponsors. Prior to that, Derek was a Development Director at thoughtbot, and co-host of The Bike Shed podcast.

The Bike Shed has got to be one of my favorite podcasts out there, and I was super excited at the opportunity of catching up with Derek. Our conversation spanned all sorts of topics I've been curious about, and I came away from this session with a whole new perspective on management.

On the show, we walk through his experiences learned transitioning from engineer to manager, the unexpected challenges that came along the way, and helpful advice for building a healthy and productive team.

• 07:47 Give away your legos.

• 15:55 Day as an engineering manager.

• 20:04 A player-coach doesn't scale.

• 24:07 Unexpected challenges.

• 32:16 An onboarding ramp.

• 35:28 Connecting, when remote.

• 42:48 Implementing a strong code review culture.

• 47:35 The ultimate decision on what to do lies with the person

For expanded show notes on this episode, head on over to https://www.dayasadev.com/episodes/empathetic-management-with-derek-prior.

This episode features part two of my conversation with Tom McHenry.

If you're just joining the show: Tom McHenry didn't begin his career as a software engineer. In fact, after completing post graduate degrees in english literature, and fiction, and working as a journalist and web editor, it wasn't until a life changing event, that Tom entered a bootcamp to pursue a career in tech.

Outside of working as an engineer, Tom is an accomplished cartoonist, video game designer, marathon runner, weightlifter, husband, and now guest of the show.

In part one of this series, Tom and I walk through his entrance into tech, the benefits of unconventional approaches to learning, and systematic tactics for breaking down problems, and achieving abstract goals.

This episode picks up right where we left off. From strategies for tackling difficult problems, through game design, and cartooning, to thoughts on habits and routines. We fit it all in nicely, and have some fun along the way.

• 01:02 Day as a Tom McHenry.

• 06:22 Find your frog.

• 12:07 Respect yourself, and your timebox.

• 17:23 Horse Master: The Game of Horse Mastery.

• 27:00 A cartooning cadence.

• 33:42 Mindfulness, and managing routines.

• 39:01 Crop rotation.

• 42:43 Habits as identity.

For expanded show notes on this episode, head on over to https://www.dayasadev.com/episodes/systemized-creativity-part-two-with-tom-mchenry.

Tom McHenry didn't begin his career as a software engineer. In fact, after completing post graduate degrees in english literature, and fiction, and working as a journalist and web editor, it wasn't until a life changing event, that Tom entered a bootcamp to pursue a career in tech.

Outside of working as an engineer, Tom is an accomplished cartoonist, video game designer, marathon runner, weightlifter, husband, and now guest of the show.

We had such a fantastic conversation, that Tom's session has been broken down into two parts. On this episode, Tom and I walk through his entrance into tech, the benefits of unconventional approaches to learning, and systematic tactics for breaking down problems, and achieving abstract goals.

• 10:51 A life changing event.

• 19:09 On coasting.

• 24:25 An unconventional approach to teaching.

• 30:12 Question the magic.

• 31:48 The benefits of juniors teaching juniors.

• 34:35 How a bootcamp works; an example.

• 44:50 Breaking down problems.

• 48:50 Pen to page. Keep the streak alive.

For expanded show notes on this episode, head on over to https://www.dayasadev.com/episodes/systemized-creativity-with-tom-mchenry.

Jessica Kerr is a developer of development systems. She works remotely from St. Louis, for Atomist, and when not engineering automation infrastructure, Jess is a frequent panelist on the Greater Than Code podcast, conference speaker, and writer. Her mission is to find and share new ways to think about code, people, and symmathesies of code-and-people.

Symmathesy. That was a new word for me, and in essence, it describes: a learning system made of learning parts. We unpack that idea more in this episode, along with presenting advice on making the most of generativity focused opportunities.

On the show, Jess and I step through everything from idea generation exercises, through blueprints for conference talks and writing, to productivity and teamwork.

• 05:22 Day as a Keynote Speaker.

• 07:09 Advice on overcoming public speaking nerves.

• 10:10 From idea to conference talk.

• 12:45 The benefits of documenting things right away.

• 15:05 Organizing a keynote length talk.

• 19:44 Making the most of your time when attending a conference.

• 22:09 On writing.

• 25:57 Fostering productivity, and a basic compact.

• 32:13 A seam into content production.

• 33:20 Coping when overwhelmed and overextended.

• 37:01 Symmathesy.

• 38:23 Your todo list should be impossible.

For expanded show notes on this episode, head on over to https://www.dayasadev.com/episodes/generativity-with-jessica-kerr.

Jem Hilton is a former philosophy instructor, turned software developer, and offers a story all the way up the stack. From coding bootcamp, through years in the Chicago startup world, to the Pacific Northwest, Jem's made deliberate choices throughout his career, and is now managing a team of engineers at Leafly, the largest cannabis website in the world.

On the show, we detail tactics and strategies for forwarding a career. From landing a job in tech, through negotiating an offer letter, to managing up, this episode is packed with takeaways.

• 03:37 Day as a Bootcamper.

• 07:07 Pivoting towards a career in tech.

• 12:30 Luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity.

• 14:49 Capacity, desire, and a laser focused intention.

• 18:07 Software engineering as a new trade.

• 19:02 Experience, over education.

• 20:54 Managing up.

• 31:51 Negotiating your offer letter.

• 36:24 The unexpected consequences of going remote.

• 40:27 Force multiplication, and changing responsibilities.

For expanded show notes on this episode, head on over to https://www.dayasadev.com/episodes/up-the-stack-with-jem-hilton.

Cassandra Goodby is a designer and developer, focused on everything from user experience design through front end development. She's pursuing a Master of Science in Creative Technologies and Design at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science. Cassandra is also a Professional Research Experience Program Fellow for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the organizer of T9 Hacks, a hackathon focused on the inclusion of women and non-binary individuals.

On the show, we cover all sorts of exciting topics. From organizing and facilitating a hackathon, through resume and portfolio building, to how you can leverage all of these things to land a job.

• 05:55 Organizing a hackathon.

• 09:50 Day as a Hackathon Organizer.

• 15:50 Setting yourself up for hackathon success.

• 18:47 On mentorship.

• 23:42 Tips for building a portfolio from scratch.

• 29:08 The weird projects are the best projects.

• 35:28 Formulas for writing strong case studies, and dealing with

For expanded show notes on this episode, head on over to https://www.dayasadev.com/episodes/hackathon-and-hustle-with-cassandra-goodby.

Nina Baliga believes that problems can be solved for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. She has worked in both non- and for-profit organizations for nearly twenty years, bridging between the needs of sustainable businesses and the public good. She hopes to build a foundation for a stronger and more diverse tech community, and is the CEO, and Co-Founder, of

On the show, we step through exercises and practices for fostering an inclusive working atmosphere, and foundational principles for building successful and diverse systems.

• 05:42 Accommodating different working preferences.

• 09:10 The Traffic Light Check-in.

• 16:03 Building supportive teams for diversity and inclusion.

• 20:50 How to retain current employees and foster a growth mindset.

• 24:13 Designing employee resource groups, and demonstrating their value.

• 32:58 Day as a CEO of

  ersity.

For expanded show notes on this episode, head on over to https://www.dayasadev.com/episodes/cultures-of-inclusion-with-nina-baliga.