Ever felt like you're hitting a wall in your career or drowning in imposter syndrome? In this episode, Eric Mariasis shares his journey from feeling overwhelmed to becoming confident in his skills. We dive into the real talk about pushing through tough moments, learning to work better with others, and turning fear into fuel for growth.

What We Cover:

• The reality of struggling through tough projects (and why it's normal)
• The power of mentorship and why you need it
• How to overcome that familiar feeling of overwhelm
• Tips for improving your teamwork without being a doormat
• Why asking questions makes you a stronger team player
• How to build trust before sharing your ideas
• The importance of listening before speaking
• Secrets to having a productive first 30 days in a new role
• The one thing you can do to build confidence fast as a SWE

These are all skills that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can do just that, especially as software engineers.

✨ Connect with Eric below!
His LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/careercodepro/

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Imposter syndrome has followed me
through every step of my career:
from “What is a loop?” to Senior Software Engineer.

“Everybody has imposter syndrome!” feels hollow. 
Even when meant well.

Instead, today's episode dives into the 3 things that have helped even when imposter syndrome feels crippling. 

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Vince Pierri, a Public Speaking Coach by night and Lead Pastor by day, breaks down how to be a captivating speaker — during a demo, a project pitch, and on stage.   

In our fun, rambly episode, we cover:
- how to make people remember (and even do!) what you say
- how to come up with analogies if you're not good at it
- how to grab people's attention from the beginning
- how to be persuasive in every day conversation
- how learnable soft skills are (or not)

Persuasion is a skill that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can improve, especially as software engineers.

✨ Connect with Vince below!
His framework: https://shorturl.at/8ITGa
His LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-angelo-coach/

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Leetcode isn't enough to pass live coding interviews,
And it’s definitely not gonna get you promoted.

Because it's just a tool. What you need is a mindset.

This week's episode includes:
- My favorite framework & mindset for live coding interviews (that helped me pass the interview, even when I didn't solve the problems!)
- 3 habits that are harming your performance in tech interviews, and how to avoid them

Passing the Technical Interview is a skill that can be learned. Tune in to learn how you can improve, especially as a SWE.

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Writing great code is not enough to be a great SWE.

Your work must solve the right problems.
At the right time.

Alex Lau, a Senior Software Engineer @ Brilliant.org breaks down how to find and focus on this work — and how it's related to...a bike? 

Through his own experience, Alex shares how we can both learn from our own mistakes and his. He equips listeners to recognize the right products & features to work on, and a way of escape if you find yourself caught up in trivial or meaningless work.

Recognizing and doing the right work is a skill that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can improve, especially as software engineers.

✨ Connect with Alex below!
His website: https://keepcalmandcodeon.com/
His book: Keep Calm and Code On: https://a.co/d/01juyDMR
His LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mralexlau

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You need more than the STAR method to pass the behavioral interview.

Behaviorals aren't just the break between live coding and system design.

(though I do appreciate them for that)

How you do in this interview either builds on the company's positive view of you,
Or wipes out all the progress you've made.

But not for you!
Because you listen to today's podcast & then PRACTICE.

Right? Right. Good. 

This week's episode includes how to:
- Make people remember you
- Make people want to hear more
- Tell stories they'll always remember
- Make your real weaknesses winsome
- Know which are the best stories to share
- Draw people in with your real personality
- Understand the purpose of a behavioral interview
- Show off your competitive advantage (even if it's your first tech job)
- Influence the rest of the interview by your answer to the first question

I don't think I've ever included so many examples before 😅 Tune in to hear several of my actual answers to real behavioral interview questions.

Passing the Behavioral Interview is a skill that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can improve, especially as software engineers.

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Relationships with stakeholders can make or break your job.

Not to mention your promotion.

Nick Cosentino, a Principal Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft breaks down how to do it well — whether the stakeholder is a Staff Software Engineer or they don't know the difference between Java and JavaScript.

(the names are confusing, I hear ya)

Additionally, we talk about how to debug well (and frame it better during standups when you're stuck), feel better about giving people feedback, and how to start getting better at it all starting tomorrow.   

Working well with others is a skill that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can improve at work, especially as software engineers.

✨ Connect with Nick below!
His newsletter: https://www.devleader.ca/newsletter/
His YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@devleader
His LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcosentino

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Leetcode doesn't matter if you can't pass the tech screen.

Yeah, that 15-20 min HR call at the beginning of the whole interview process.

All your leetcode stats, OOP experience, and system design excellence don't matter if you can't convince HR you're worth the company's time. 

When you tune in, I'll give you a much higher chance of making that interviewer your ally and advocate.

This episode includes how to:
- Ask great questions
- Handle salary questions
- Impress them technically
- Approach it authentically
- Connect with them quickly
- Be prepared for any question
- Stand out as a great candidate
- Prove that you know the company

Passing the HR Tech Screen is a skill that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can improve, especially as software engineers.

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"Do impactful work"

"Act like a senior"

"Prove you're ready for a promotion"

Cool. Yeah. How?

Uplevelling as an engineer — getting better, getting the promotion — doesn't have to be as mysterious as management makes it. There are clear frameworks, paradigms, steps, and focuses  to making it happen.

We share everything from Junior to Staff Level Engineering. So wherever you are, there's something for you. 

We talk about all that and more on this episode.

Uplevelling as an engineer is a skill that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can improve at work, especially as software engineers.

✨ Connect with Rodney on LinkedIn

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Receiving feedback well is more important than giving feedback well.

Why?

Because receiving it is something you'll probably do more and you have much more control over how well it goes.
 
We know we shouldn't be "defensive". And we want to receive things "well". But how?

Do we just turn off our feelings?
Do we act like we're happy they told us?
What do we do if they are completely wrong in their feedback?
Wrong about us?

We talk about all that and more on this episode.

Receiving tough feedback well is a skill that can be learned. Tune in as we dive into how we can receive critical feedback well, especially as software engineers. 

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