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Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

training.kalzumeus.com

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Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#111

Post by currymj »

gitgud wrote: post #100
currymj wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

your blog is very high quality and i've enjoyed it in the past (Metropolis-Hastings post especially). however there's a problem if everybody is going to do this, if it becomes standard that you want to have a blog in order to promote yourself during a job hunt. i think this is why search results are cluttered with a proliferation of largely useless "awesome X" GitHub repositories, repetitive bad Medium articles on ba…

> "i think this is why search results are cluttered with a proliferation of largely useless "awesome X" GitHub repositories, repetitive bad Medium articles on basic ML topics, and so on." This is such a sad way to view blogging and Github contributions... There's nothing wrong with people writing bad articles. In fact everyone writes badly to begin with. The same goes for Github contributions, everyone starts off wit…

i see what you're saying and perhaps i shouldn't have been so negative in my original post.

I think that people who want to write or code shouldn't be afraid to put imperfect work out there.

But if to apply for a job you also have to produce "content" to build your brand, I maintain that this is not a good outcome.

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#112

Post by loosetypes »

_huayra_ wrote: post #92
loosetypes wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d be interested in hearing those considerations.

The pithy way I tell people is that they should only do a PhD if they can't NOT do a PhD, i.e. they feel so compelled to work on a specific thing and have found an advisor who will advise them but ultimately let them do their own thing to a great degree. The only other viable option is to find a tenure-track junior professor who really has their stuff together (including their work ethic and emotional intelligence; o…

Really insightful, thank you

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#113

Post by AlexC04 »

theshrike79 wrote: post #99
AlexC04 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's a funny coincidence is that I've been thinking about almost exactly this for a little while. Just in the last two weeks I decided to create a podcast where I interview the exact types of developers who optimize SQL inside business apps. In fact, literally just last night I recorded and uploaded (to YouTube and the various podcast platforms) episode zero. Not an actual interview yet, but a statement of purpose…

Please don't start another podcast. Or if you absolutely must, please provide a text version of the content. Podcasts aren't searchable, they aren't skimmable and their content isn't indexed in search engines. Text is.

I'll take that on board! Thanks.

For Episode 0 I did post the full text of my script in the description, but I do think that for the actual interviews I won't be able to afford a transcription service for a while.

For the last few years though, I've been getting a fairly significant proportion of my ongoing professional development via the medium.

I think it scales well in terms of being able to get access to some of the greatest minds I know without creating an undue burden on my guests OR myself as a father to a 2-year old with a mortgage and a day job.

I am 100% willing to commit to writing rich descriptions that address the topics discussed in advance though. As part of the editing process I'll need to rewatch my own interviews a few times anyways, so it isn't a significant amount of extra work to provide a perfectly reasonable value add that I like to see on the pods I listen to.

Thanks!

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#114

Post by nightski »

Trasmatta wrote: post #73
nightski wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a false dichotomy. You can work on deep technical problems and provide lots of value.

Those examples I was giving did provide lots of value, to the client. The section from the article was talking about optimizing for visibility. Deep technical problems with lots of value are not always visible, and I think it's fine to build a career around those types of things.

I wasn't disputing what you said, kind of agreeing with it actually. Although as a consultant for over a decade myself I have to make an effort to make sure my work is visible. I'm not sure I could lurk in the shadows with no one seeing the value I create and still get paid :)

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#115

Post by iamacyborg »

AlexC04 wrote: post #113
theshrike79 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't start another podcast. Or if you absolutely must, please provide a text version of the content. Podcasts aren't searchable, they aren't skimmable and their content isn't indexed in search engines. Text is.

I'll take that on board! Thanks. For Episode 0 I did post the full text of my script in the description, but I do think that for the actual interviews I won't be able to afford a transcription service for a while. For the last few years though, I've been getting a fairly significant proportion of my ongoing professional development via the medium. I think it scales well in terms of being able to get access to some of…

I use Descript for my podcast, £22 a month gets me ~30 hours of transcription. This probably sounds like an ad but really, it’s one of the best software products I’ve used in a very long time.

This is the most recent episode I’ve published, giant wall of text took a bit of editing but wouldn’t have been possible without Descript. https://www.mql.fm/005-working-in-martech-dan-graap

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#116

Post by jt2190 »

nsgi wrote: post #39
miguelmota wrote: post #15

I agree with the post for the most part. It's important to feel that your work is acknowledged to feel worthy. I disagree with this statement however: > I prefer being upfront with people rather than doing the "It is easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission" route a lot of folks suggest. Asking your employer if you can work on a side project is like asking them if you can play golf on the weekend. It's y…

Obviously there's no need to ask permission just to have a side project, but if you have any intention of making money from it and there's an IP clause in your contract which might get in the way of that it's another matter

Unfortunately this is not correct.

The IP clause is in effect regardless of your intent to make money. So when the contract says “everything you create while employed here belongs to us” that’s the deal.

If you want to own something you create, then you either have to already have a contract that allows you to retain ownership under certain very clear circumstances or you need to ask the company in advance and get it in writing.

(When you negotiate employment you should consider the additional compensation you require in exchange for granting them exclusive ownership over everything you create.)

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#117

Post by TOGoS »

sokoloff wrote: post #7
TOGoS wrote: post #6

> A lot of day jobs structurally inhibit capital formation. If I were a Marxist I'd say "And this is an intended consequence of Capital's desire to keep Labor subservient to it", but I honestly think it's true even without anybody needing to twirl their mustache. I feel for the author's Marxist friend. That no mustache-twirling is required is kind of the point. But I guess it's a hard one to communicate in our superh…

What makes you think that Patrick is mistaken about his claim that he is a capitalist?

Even if Patrick is or has been a CEO of some sort (I don't know anything about him past what I've read today, but another commenter mentioned that he's working at Stripe), the fact that most of the article talks about how to make yourself more marketable to employers (by building up a capital of sorts, as he calls it) indicates that he has spent a good portion of his life selling his labor for wages. Something that people who own real capital (i.e. lots of money, infrastructure, the means of production, etc), i.e. capitalists, generally don't bother doing.

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#118

Post by type_enthusiast »

pessimizer wrote: post #87
type_enthusiast wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the takeaway is, "never work on internal tools," I've worked at companies where the internal tools were more valuable than anything customer-facing. If you're great at optimizing SQL, probably just doing that in any place you can get your hands on will make a pretty big impact. Overall impact is more helpful than resume points, IME, especially when references are involved.

If optimizing an internal tool can raise profits by 20%, I don't understand your disagreement. The comment you're replying to mentioned profits vs. unnoticed efficiency, not internal tools vs. consumer-facing software. If it makes a big impact, it makes a big impact. > If you're great at optimizing SQL, probably just doing that in any place you can get your hands on will make a pretty big impact. This seems like an a…

> This seems like an argument that there are no priorities and no things that are more important than other things. I don't think you believe that.

On the contrary, I'm arguing that making an impact wherever you can is better than avoiding things that don't meet some criteria of "things that are likely to help my resume." The priority I'm advocating is, making an impact by applying your skills (or even better, learning new skills) to solve problems that you can find (or are brought to you).

This is how you'll build a breadth of experience (which will be valuable for employers) and identify a niche that you enjoy (which will be valuable for you).

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#119

Post by Swizec »

Klinky wrote: post #102
Swizec wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you misunderstand the thrust of that argument. It’s not the nameless company that’s the problem, it’s the business result of your work. What looks better on a resume? 1. I optimized SQL queries for Nameless Corp to improve admin interface load times by 20% 2. I optimized SQL queries for Nameless Corp to increase profits 20% If possible, always work on some version of option 2.

How do you even know the actual impact you had on revenue/profits? Engineering is often many layers removed from customer interactions, sales and accounting. Some companies have complex and opaque revenue channels. Frankly I take any claims of direct revenue/profit growth/generation with a grain of salt. Typically at best, you're wildly guessing, at worst, you're outright lying.

The PM you worked with should be able to answer this question. If they can’t, your project is likely a waste of time.

The signal from a hiring standpoint is that you asked and cared about this. Engineers who will just do whatever are less useful/impactful than engineers who push back and care about the value they’re delivering. Even if it’s sometimes fuzzy to estimate.

Re: Don't End the Week with Nothing (2014)

#120

Post by [deleted] »

jt2190 wrote: post #116
nsgi wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously there's no need to ask permission just to have a side project, but if you have any intention of making money from it and there's an IP clause in your contract which might get in the way of that it's another matter

Unfortunately this is not correct. The IP clause is in effect regardless of your intent to make money. So when the contract says “everything you create while employed here belongs to us” that’s the deal. If you want to own something you create, then you either have to already have a contract that allows you to retain ownership under certain very clear circumstances or you need to ask the company in advance and get it…

[deleted]
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