After 17 years at a large utility company managing decade-long waterfall projects, Don Freeman made a radical pivot into the fast-paced world of Web3 startups—without ever applying for the job. In this episode of The IT XP, Don shares how his contributions to the Ethereum Foundation's web3.py library caught SonarX's attention and led to a complete career transformation.

We explore the stark contrast between enterprise and startup life, from 10-year projects to 10-day sprints, and why Don believes your GitHub commits might be worth more than your next certification. This isn't about quitting your job for crypto—it's about the power of learning in public and taking initiative.

Key Takeaways:

• The shift from 10-year waterfall projects to 10-day startup sprints (06:49)
• How documentation PRs evolved into a job offer from SonarX (04:30)
• Why "I've never found something I couldn't dig into and learn" is the ultimate career philosophy (07:42)
• The real difference between enterprise "decision trees" and startup autonomy (24:15)
• Why crossing team boundaries is the question enterprise people are afraid to ask (41:31)

About Don Freeman: Don Freeman is a software engineer who transitioned from designing power lines and managing enterprise systems at a utility company to contributing to open source Web3 projects. His journey from Linux enthusiast in the '90s to startup engineer showcases the power of continuous learning and public contribution.

Connect with Don:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-freeman/

GitHub: https://github.com/dbfreem