career
#76 - Be OK Talking About Money, With Saron Yitbarek
April 8, 2024
One of the things that is a bit taboo to talk about, both in the tech industry and outside of it is money. People just aren't comfortable discussing openly the hard decisions that go into things like seeking funding, investing money into things that save you time, and scaling your own abilities with the help of, you guessed it, cold, hard, cash. Saron Yitbarek, entrepreneur extraordinaire behind CodeNewbie and podcasts such as Command Line Heroes, generously accepted my invitation to chat and talk about all these things, and more. And of course, we talk about Saron's latest project - Big Cash Money 2024, something for folks that want to max out their income beyond just their salary.
#74 - Books, Remote Work, and Q&A, with Adrienne Tacke
March 15, 2024
Welcome back to The Work Item. Today we're exploring the ins and outs of remote work, writing, and community engagement with a show veteran, Adrienne Tacke. I'm delighted to welcome Adrienne back to the show, especially considering that since our last recording we received quite a few follow-up questions. Just like last time, Adrienne brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our discussion, especially when it comes to remote work culture. And today, we're adding a new twist: a dedicated Q&A segment where Adrienne will be addressing your burning questions directly.
#73 - Put The Passion Aside And Go For The Market, with Rob Walling
February 12, 2024
If you’ve ever listened to Startups For The Rest Of Us (which, by the way, is approaching seven hundred episodes), you might already be familiar with the energetic host of the show - entrepreneur, bootstrapper, and podcaster extraordinaire Rob Walling. Rob and I chat about his early days as an employee, the transition from the more traditional path of working for someone to starting his own business, building MicroConf, and how the trifecta of skill, hard work, and luck can help folks be on a more predictable path to success.
#70 - Building a Career In Developer Tools, with Kenneth Auchenberg
December 31, 2023
Today, you're in for a treat as I sit down with Kenneth Auchenberg, a seasoned product manager - you might know him from his work at Microsoft on Visual Studio Code as well as on developer tools at Stripe. He is also a developer and overall a very nice person to know.
#69 - Product Management In The Era Of Generative AI, with Shyvee Shi
December 30, 2023
In today's episode, I sat down with Shyvee Shi, a seasoned product leader with a wealth of experience in steering products from conception to market success. Shyvee has been at the forefront of industry trends, contributing significantly to the evolution of product management practices.
#68 - Why You Need An Executive Coach, with Eric Nehrlich
December 29, 2023
In this episode, we're exploring the nuances of executive coaching, demystifying the process and shedding light on how individuals can break through the barriers that often hinder their career growth.
#65 - Data, Impact, and Sustainability, with Jane Yang
December 18, 2023
Learn about finding the balance between your passions and incentives in the tech industry, career seasonality, positive community impact, and recipes on measuring your growth and sustainability.
#63 - Beyond Just Engineering Skills, with Adrienne Braganza Tacke
November 8, 2023
If you want to be intentional about your career and become a multidisciplinary professional, this conversation with Adrienne Tacke is for you.
#61 - Career Moats And Beyond, with Cedric Chin
October 9, 2023
In this episode, I am chatting with Cedric Chin - the founder of the CommonCog blog and business series. You might've read some of Cedric's writing on career moats before.
#60 - Defining A Force Multiplier, with Sam Saccone
December 28, 2022
When we choose our career path, we often try to optimize for one specific bucket - you're a product manager, or a project manager, or a UX designer, or any other variation of an expertise area in tech. Sam Saccone defies the expectations of a single role and instead believes in being a "plumber" - doing whatever work is necessary to enable others to do their own version of great work. I sat down with Sam to learn more about his path to a Senior Staff Engineer at Google, what it means to brute-force your way through problems, and what the best avenues are to become a force multiplier for your team.