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Software engineers should be a little bit cynical
A lot of my readers call me a cynic when I say things like “you should do things that make your manager happy” or “big tech companies get to decide what…
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AI killed the tech interview. Now what?
How can we do better interviews in the age of AI
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Becoming a compiler engineer
I got a job!
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Laid off for the first time in my career, and twice in one year
Laid Off for the First Time In My Career, and Twice In One Year - Dillon Shook
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On doing hard things
I've never been known for my coordination, balance, or cardiovascular enthusiasm. In team sports, I was invariably the last one picked – probably only becaus...
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I failed a take-home assignment from Kagi Search
I sent my CV for a role at Kagi Search, the description of the role can be found here:
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Are people bad at their jobs or are the jobs just bad?
A Bed Assembly Drama
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I just want to code (2023)
I have an angel and a devil sitting atop each shoulder. The angel says, "Just code for fun! What you make can be just for your enjoyment and that's --" the devil interjects, "not enough to get ahead, loser. If you're not coding your next startup then how're you gunna get rich? Coding for fun? Pfft, sounds like the…
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Developer Philosophy
Amazing as it may seem after all these years, there are still junior developers in the world. A few weeks ago at work we had a talk where senior developers (including me) were invited to spend around five minutes each talking about our personal software development philosophies....
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Code like a surgeon
A lot of people say AI will make us all “managers” or “editors”…but I think this is a dangerously incomplete view!
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We stopped roadmap work for a week and fixed bugs
How quarterly fixit weeks help teams tackle small annoyances that never bubble up to the priority list.
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When is it better to think without words?
Non-verbal, blurry thinking is faster and can search in a broader way, but it is more error-prone than verbal thought.
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When the job search becomes impossible
I have the good fortune to have a job right now, but many of my friends are out of work. Most have been searching for a while. Some are encountering a problem that has my full sympathy, something I’ve experienced myself at various times. I’m not sure I can solve it, but maybe I can help put words to what some are…
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How long it takes to know if a job is right for you or not
Every job makes a strong first impression within days. At great jobs, the anxiety is "I hope I can measure up to these amazing people." At bad jobs, it's "oh god I hope this isn't what every day will be like."
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The cost of interrupted work (2023)
You’ve likely read lots of blog posts stating that it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to work after an interruption, context switch, or meeting. Thus, “do you have five minutes” ends up not only costing those few minutes, but instead about half an hour. But where does that number come from?
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AI coding tools can reduce productivity
Study Shows That Even Experienced Developers Dramatically Overestimate Gains
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A shift in developer culture is impacting innovation and creativity
From tinkerers to metric seekers: How the shift in developer culture is impacting innovation and creativity.
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The rise of judgement over technical skill
As AI removes technical barriers, judgement becomes the key differentiator.
109
How I accepted myself into Canada's largest AI hackathon
i <3 firebase
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The Programmer Identity Crisis
On AI, Creativity, and Craft
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It's Always the Process, Stupid
Why AI Won’t Save Your Broken Workflow
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The Insanity of Being a Software Engineer
Is something I think about often because I can’t help but wonder if most other jobs are like this.
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I forced myself to spend a week in Instagram instead of Xcode
This is what happens when you ban yourself from coding
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So you're a manager now
Advice for first-time managers from someone who learned it the hard way, cleaned it up, and passed it on.
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Vibe Coding is not an excuse for low-quality work
A field guide to responsible AI-assisted development
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Using coding skills to make passive income
A decade of firsthand advice on going from an employed software developer to successful indie hacker running your own business(es).
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Dystopian tales of that time when I sold out to Google
I will do something I normally never do here, and make my first ever blog post on the topic of, long sigh: tech. I’ve already talked abou...