Show Notes:
Nadia Odunayo is a software engineer and founder of Ignition Works, a consulting company but she's also a dancer.
“Always surround yourself with people who are better than you.”
Nadia shares how breaking down her performance transformed it, the role of actionable feedback, what to do if you're stagnant when learning something new and how to know when to quit.
What to read: Wait, do that again! The secret to repeating your success
Show Notes:
Web app developer, pixel artist and tech satirist Jenn Schiffer loves to build tools that facilitate the creation of art and lower the barrier to get new people into programming, especially young girls.
"I built this for myself so I wasn’t concerned about getting it out there.”
During our chat, we talked about the origin of make8bitart.com, why she didn’t monetize the site despite thousands of daily visitors, when to add features to a project that doesn’t make money and her accidental promotion plan. We also talk about why naming is the hardest thing in computer science and I share my own naming story for the first time.
Show Notes:
Sumi Tonooka is a jazz composer and pianists with a 30 year career spanning Philadelphia & Boston, to New York & Seattle. Sumi and I talked her experience of composing For Malala.
“You have to remember that you’re writing for human beings.”
We talked about the creative process, creating productive routines and how constraints can distill and be beneficial. She also shares Miles Davis’ advice to John Coltrane on how to know when to stop in the creative process.
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Shows Notes:
Developer and journalist Owen Williams started his popular newsletter Charged because he was worried about the demise of Twitter and a longing to have a platform he owned.
"If I found myself needing a job, I could email the list with a nice message about emailing back and I think people would do that."
Highlights include: how creating a well-received newsletter can be a career changer, the best way to monetize a newsletter, whether your side project has to make money and how to build a paid product on top of a free one.
Show Notes:
Despite the idea that we think they should, careers don’t always progress in a linear fashion. The career of Seb Rose, a software developer and partner at Cucumber Ltd has taken many turns including serving as a pastry chef and builder. He’s also worked for himself as well as with large companies like Amazon and Google.
"Our challenge is to deliver value to the community around us and also to be happy in ourselves."
Seb talks the power of BDD, how he came to Cucumber and his thoughts on career.
Show Notes:
As a software developer, or anyone who primarily works on the internet, we often spend most of our hours with a glowing screen in our face.
“Stepping away is important.”
Software developer Kinsey Ann Durham was looking for a way to get into the outdoors. She tells us how fly fishing helped her avoid burnout and how it influences her work.
What to read: The power of creative rest
Show Notes:
As creators, most of us enjoy the making part much more than the sharing part. The problem is that unless we get it out in to the world, no one will see it.
"The product cycle of a feature isn't done until we get users, and some feedback on it."
This week we talk to Richard Schneeman, software developer and creator of Code Triage, the easiest way to get involved in open source. We talk about he found a balance between building new features and promoting his product, and how he went from a simple script to 20,000 developers and 2,000 projects.
What to read: Three ways to market yourself without being a sellout
Show Notes:
When you embark on a project, there will always be people who tell you that it’s going to be challenging or impossible. How you handle the naysayers (even the internal ones inside you) can mean the difference between a successful project and one that tanks.
“I’ll just take it as it comes.”
Software developer and independent event creator Bobbilee Hartman shares why mindset is so important when doing any sort of creation. She used her mindset to create events despite having experience and to get through a forest fire during her first event.
What to read: Three things to do when you feel self-doubt
Show Notes:
After a decade as a Java developer, open source helped Mike Perham build a name for himself in the Ruby world. He saw the open source burnout pattern happen over and over. He didn't want it to happen to him. So even though it went against industry norms, Mike started Sidekiq with the intention of making money.
“I’m a creator and I love building tools.”
After five years, Sidekiq has more than 11 million downloads and has surpassed his goal of making $1M without taking a cent of investor money. Hear why it’s important to avoid what he calls “Tip Jar Mindset” and how he turned his project from making him $1/hour to the robust business it is today.
What to read: Avoiding burnout
Show Notes:
Many of us have dreamed about what it would be like to create our own conference. We wonder what it would be like to pick the venue, curate the programming ,find interesting speakers and craft the kind of experience that we'd want.
Saron Yitbarek had this dream too. Quitting her job allowed her to do bigger projects like a conference for her business, CodeNewbie.
"I wanted to make people feel special. I wanted them to feel like they belonged."
Saron shares what she considered the hardest part of a running a conference (hint: it's an uncomfortable task for most of us). She also shares the best piece of advice she received and the advice she’d give to others.
If you’ve ever wanted to host an event, this behind-the-scenes look is fascinating.
What to read: Why your brain hates selling
