Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Erika, Bethany, and Brittany Ellich interview Alec Breton, Cole Hartman, and Doris Wang, a mentor and two summer interns from GitHub, to discuss the importance of mentorship in tech internships. They explore what defines a successful internship, the structure of the internship program, and the dynamics of mentorship relationships. The conversation also delves into the significance of psychological safety in fostering a productive learning environment, the balance between using AI tools and personal learning, and offers advice for aspiring interns and mentors. The episode concludes with a fun segment where guests share their ideal mentors.

Takeaways

• A successful internship is about learning and contributing.

• Interns should feel comfortable asking questions.

• Psychological safety is crucial for growth.

• Being a good mentee is also important.

• Use AI as a tool, not a crutch.

• Be your authentic self in interviews.

• Building trust is essential in mentorship.

• Understanding the product is key before coding.

• Mentorship is about leading and learning together.

Links

• ⁠Connect with Alec Breton

• Connect with Cole Hartman

• Connect with Doris Wang

• ⁠Tech book club Repo⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠Overcommitted Discord⁠⁠⁠

Hosts

• ⁠⁠⁠Overcommitted.dev⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠Bethany Janos⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠Brittany Ellich⁠⁠⁠

• Eggyhead

Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, host Jonathan Tamsut and co-hosts Brittany Ellich and Bethany engage in a deep conversation with Jennifer Harris, founder and CEO of Technology Management Concepts. They explore Jennifer's journey into entrepreneurship, the evolution of her role as a CEO, and the unique challenges faced by women in tech. The discussion touches on imposter syndrome, the importance of networking, and the dynamics of gender in the workplace, particularly in relation to AI and technology. Jennifer shares valuable insights and advice for women in tech, emphasizing the need for self-advocacy and the importance of building relationships. The episode concludes with reflections on the future of AI and the opportunities it presents for women in business.

Takeaways

• Jennifer's journey began with a passion for solutions and technology.

• Entrepreneurship requires resilience and adaptability.

• Imposter syndrome is a common challenge for folks in leadership.

• Women often face unique challenges in the tech workplace.

• Self-advocacy is essential for folks in tech.

• Building relationships is key to professional growth.

Links

• Connect with Jennifer Harris

• Tech book club Repo⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠Overcommitted Discord⁠⁠

Hosts

• ⁠⁠Overcommitted.dev⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠Bethany Janos⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠Brittany Ellich⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠Jonathan Tamsut
  

Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, Brittany Ellich and her co-hosts engage with Ross Brodbeck, a software engineer at GitHub, to explore the critical topic of software availability. They discuss the definitions of availability, reliability, and uptime, and delve into frameworks for improving availability in software systems. The conversation covers proactive versus reactive approaches to availability, the business impact of availability, and the hidden costs associated with downtime. Ross shares insights on creating effective availability programs, the role of incident commanders, and emerging technologies that may shape the future of availability in software engineering. The episode concludes with book recommendations for software engineers looking to deepen their understanding of the field.

Takeaways

• Availability is subjective and varies by organization.

• Observability is crucial for understanding production behavior.

• Proactive measures can help prevent availability issues.

• On-call burnout is a significant cost to organizations.

• Understanding business needs is key to defining availability.

• SLOs help in measuring and reporting availability effectively.

• Incident commanders play a vital role in managing incidents.

• Game days and playbooks are essential for preparedness.

• Hidden costs of downtime include loss of customer trust.

• Emerging technologies like AI may change availability management.

Links

• Ross’s Blog

• Google SRE Book

• https://sreweekly.com/

• https://uptime.is/

• Catchpoint SRE Report

• Software engineer’s guidebook

• Designing data-intensive applications

• Thinking in systems

• The best software writing one - Joel on Software 

• Algorithms to live by

• The Staff Engineer

• Clean Code

• Pragmatic Engineer Podcast - Thomas Dhomke interview

• Distributed systems by Martin van Steen

• Practical object-oriented design in Ruby

• Looks Good To Me

• Tech book club Repo⁠

• ⁠Overcommitted Discord⁠

Hosts

• ⁠Overcommitted.dev⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠Bethany Janos⁠

• ⁠Brittany Ellich⁠

• ⁠Eggyhead⁠

• ⁠Jonathan Tamsut

Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Bethany, Jonathan, Brittany, and Erika reflect on their goals for the second quarter, sharing successes and challenges. They discuss lessons learned, personal growth, and strategies for improvement. The conversation also touches on their personal interests and hobbies, culminating in an exciting announcement about the launch of the new tech book club.

Takeaways

• Setting specific goals can lead to increased productivity.
• Tracking progress helps in achieving reading goals.
• Adapting to life changes is crucial for maintaining focus.
• Defending personal boundaries is important for mental health.
• Finding joy in productivity can enhance overall satisfaction.
• Engaging in community activities can foster personal growth.
• Exploring new hobbies can lead to unexpected interests.
• Creating a routine can help in managing commitments.
• Reflecting on past goals can provide insights for future planning.
• Collaboration and discussion can enhance learning experiences.

Links

• Feel good productivity book
• Sam Who.Dev
• The Mind Illuminated
• Tech book club Repo
• Overcommitted Discord

Hosts

• Overcommitted.dev⁠⁠
• Bethany Janos
• Brittany Ellich
• Eggyhead
• Jonathan Tamsut

Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, the hosts discuss the intricacies of pull requests, focusing on the reviewer mindset, crafting effective pull requests, and managing the review workflow. They share insights from Brittany's recent conference experience and delve into best practices for both reviewing and creating pull requests. The conversation highlights the importance of communication within teams, the impact of reviews, and the balance between thoroughness and efficiency in the review process. The episode concludes with a light-hearted discussion on pet peeves and positive aspects of PR reviews.

Takeaways

• The impact of a review is more important than personal preferences.

• As a reviewer, focus on unblocking colleagues and improving code quality.

• Automate style checks with CI to streamline the review process.

• PRs should be as small as possible to reduce cognitive load.

• Include context in PRs to aid understanding for reviewers.

• Set clear expectations with your team regarding review timelines.

• Use PRs as a learning opportunity for both reviewers and contributors.

• Document decisions and discussions within PRs for future reference.

• Encourage a blameless culture around PR approvals.

• Positive feedback in reviews fosters a supportive team environment.

Links

• The Balanced Engineer Newsletter: Code reviews - A how to guide: https://archives.balancedengineer.com/archive/code-reviews-a-how-to-guide/ 

• The Balanced Engineer Newsletter: Code reviews - Writing good PRs: https://archives.balancedengineer.com/archive/code-reviews-writing-good-prs/

• The Balanced Engineer Newsletter: Code reviews - Managing review workload: https://archives.balancedengineer.com/archive/code-reviews-managing-review-workload/ 

• Erika’s PR Template: https://github.com/eggyhead/obsidian-public/blob/main/templates/pr-review-note.md 

• Ben Balter: How I manage GitHub notifications: https://ben.balter.com/2020/08/25/how-i-manage-github-notifications/ 

Hosts

• ⁠Overcommitted.dev⁠

• Bethany Janos: ⁠https://github.com/bethanyj28⁠ 

• Brittany Ellich: ⁠https://brittanyellich.com⁠ 

Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Jonathan Tamsut, Brittany Ellich, Bethany, and Erika delve into the predictions made by the AI Futures Project regarding the future of artificial intelligence by 2027. They discuss the potential for AI to self-improve, the implications of an AI arms race, and the importance of regulation in ensuring safe AI development. The conversation also touches on the risks of AI misalignment with human values, the future of work in an AI-driven world, and the influence of corporate interests on AI regulation. The hosts conclude by assessing the probability of existential risks posed by AI, known as P-Doom, and the need for a code of ethics in the tech industry.

Takeaways

• The AI Futures Project predicts significant advancements in AI by 2027.

• AI models may train themselves, leading to recursive self-improvement.

• Regulation is crucial to prevent potential risks associated with AI.

• Misalignment of AI with human values poses serious risks.

• The future of work may shift towards managing AI agents rather than coding.

• Corporate interests may hinder the safe development of AI technologies.

• The concept of P-Doom assesses the existential risks of AI.

• A code of ethics for software developers could be more effective than government regulation.

• The conversation highlights skepticism towards aggressive AI predictions.

• The hosts express concerns about the implications of AI on society. 

  
  

Links

• AI 2027

• Scaling laws for neural language models

• P doom website

• The next big idea podcast

• The illusion of thinking paper

Hosts

• Overcommitted.dev

• Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28 

• Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com 

Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Brittany Ellich, Jonathan Tamsut, Bethany Janos, and Erika discuss their experiences with tech events, including how to choose which events to attend, strategies for networking, maximizing time at conferences, and the value of speaking and volunteering. They share personal anecdotes and tips for making the most out of these opportunities while also addressing the challenges of social anxiety and the importance of setting boundaries. The conversation wraps up with some light-hearted unpopular opinions about tech events.

Links

• ⁠Gophercon

• Microsoft build

• All things open

• Defcon

• Epic Web Conf

• GopherconEU

Takeaways

• Choosing the right tech events is crucial for personal growth.

• Networking can be approached with prepared questions to ease anxiety.

• It's important to recognize that everyone at events wants to connect.

• Setting boundaries at conferences can help manage social fatigue.

• Leaving a talk that isn't engaging is perfectly acceptable.

• Collecting swag is a fun part of attending conferences.

• Speaking at events can provide unique opportunities for travel and learning.

• Volunteering at conferences offers valuable insights into customer perspectives.

• Finding a balance between attending talks and networking is key.

• Enjoying yourself at events should be a priority.

Hosts

• overcommitted.dev
• Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28
• Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com
• Eggyhead: https://github.com/eggyhead
• Jonathan Tamsut: https://infinitely-fallible.bearblog.dev/

Summary

In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Bethany, Brittany, and Erika discuss their experiences with the book 'Thinking in Systems' by Donella Meadows. They explore the concepts of systems thinking and its applications in software engineering, team dynamics, and societal issues. The conversation delves into the importance of feedback loops, user experience, and the impact of organizational structures on individual performance. The hosts also reflect on their book club experience, sharing insights on how to foster engaging discussions and learning opportunities.

Links

• Thinking in Systems⁠
• ⁠The point of the system is what it does - Anil Dash⁠
• Just for fun⁠
• Changelog episode about COBOL⁠

Takeaways

• The book 'Thinking in Systems' is approachable and easy to read.
• Systems thinking can be applied to various fields, not just software engineering.
• Feedback loops are crucial in understanding how systems function.
• Understanding the goals of a system can help identify problems.
• Organizational systems can be challenging to change compared to software systems.
• The book club format enhances learning and engagement.
• It's important to recognize the motivations within a system.
• Technical discussions can be enriched by diverse perspectives.

Hosts

• overcommitted.dev
• Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28
• Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com
• Eggyhead: https://github.com/eggyhead

This week the crew chats with Hirsch Singhal, Staff Product Manager at GitHub, about effective collaboration between product and engineering.

Links

• Hirsch Singhal's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hpsin.net
• Hirsch Singhal's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirsch-singhal/
• Domain-Driven Design: https://www.amazon.com/Domain-Driven-Design-Tackling-Complexity-Software/dp/0321125215

Hosts

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Overcommitted.dev⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Bethany Janos: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://github.com/bethanyj28⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Brittany Ellich: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://brittanyellich.com⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Eggyhead: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://github.com/eggyhead⁠⁠⁠
• Jonathan Tamsut: ⁠⁠https://jtamsut.substack.com⁠⁠

The crew chat about what we're learning right now and how we learn.

Links

• PARA: https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/

• The Art of Visual Design: https://www.artofvisualdesign.com/

• Math Academy: https://www.mathacademy.com/
• Deep Learning from scratch: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/deep-learning-from/9781492041405/
• Kaggle competitions: https://www.kaggle.com/
• A Philosophy of Software Design: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/a-philosophy-of-software-design-review/
• The Feynman Technique: https://fs.blog/feynman-technique/
• The Bradfield School: csprimer.com
• Execute program: https://www.executeprogram.com/

• NotebookLM from Google: https://notebooklm.google.com/
• The Software Engineer's Guidebook: https://www.engguidebook.com/
• Pachinko: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34051011-pachinko
• Piranesi: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50202953-piranesi
• Thinking in Systems: https://www.amazon.com/How-Solve-Mathematical-Princeton-Science/dp/069111966X
• Algorithms to live by: https://algorithmstoliveby.com/
• The Chaos Machine: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58950736-the-chaos-machine
• Cosmos by Carl Sagan: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55030.Cosmos

• How to Solve it: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/192221.How_to_Solve_It
• The little book of aliens: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123018903-the-little-book-of-aliens
• Designing Data Intensive Applications: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23463279-designing-data-intensive-applications

Hosts

• ⁠⁠⁠Overcommitted.dev⁠⁠⁠
• Bethany Janos: ⁠⁠⁠https://github.com/bethanyj28⁠⁠⁠
• Brittany Ellich: ⁠⁠⁠https://brittanyellich.com⁠⁠⁠
• Eggyhead: ⁠⁠⁠https://github.com/eggyhead⁠⁠
• Jonathan Tamsut: ⁠https://jtamsut.substack.com⁠