Remote Software Genius
By Brad Flaugher
Featuring interviews (and stories of success and failure) from people who work in the industry.
email: brad@bradflaugher.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bradflaugher/
Voice Message: anchor.fm/remote-software-genius/message
Topics: Startups, Remote Work, Hiring, Legacy Code, Iterative Delivery, Certifications, Enterprise, Project Management, Automated Testing, Scaling Up, Contractors
Remote Software GeniusMar 17, 2020
Picking Technologies and Technical Debt (With Marcus)
I sat down with Marcus from the Axon Collective http://axoncollective.com/ and host of The Founder's Forge podcast https://anchor.fm/foundersforge/ and discussed how we approach picking technologies and building teams as well as some common pitfalls all software projects are faced with.
Model Talk: Ranking and Repair (with Dr. Péter Érdi )
Dr. Péter Érdi is the author "Ranking: The Unwritten Rules of the Social Game We All Play", serves as the Henry Luce Professor of Complex Systems Studies at Kalamazoo college and holds positions on the committee of the European Neural Network Society, and International Neural Network Society among others. In our chat discuss issues in modeling, supposed objectivity of models, and their importance in our society. We also discuss our obsession with ranking and the "throw-away" society, two topics covered extensively in his writings.
His book "Ranking: The Unwritten Rules of the Social Game We All Play" is available from Oxford University Press, and of course on amazon.com.
- https://global.oup.com/academic/product/ranking-9780190935467?cc=us&lang=en&
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/0190935464
We're the Remote Jacksons (with Elyse)
An accomplished software developer (my sister) and I discuss the remote work trend over a cocktail.
Ukranian Software Development Culture (with Liubomyr)
I discussed how to make a world-class software development firm in Ukraine. the CEO of Inoxoft and I chat about his experience, what makes Lviv a special place, and how to build a strong and sustainable team.
A Startup Culture that Promotes Others (with Jac)
A startup culture that promotes others. That's what Jac Stark and I decided we wanted to see, especially in Minneapolis and Philadelphia... Passion is important, technology helps you get there, but bringing someone along (students, other businesses, your employees) might make THE difference.
Jac builds community for Tech.mn.
Listen to her on the tech.mn (better produced) podcast here: https://tech.mn/news/categories/podcast/
Subscribe to the Circuit (weekly tech.mn newsletter): https://tech.mn/newsletter/
more on tech.mn Membership: https://members.tech.mn/feed
tech.mn Twitter: https://twitter.com/TECHdotMN
Jac Twitter: https://twitter.com/minneapplejac
"I'm not some Guru" (With Scott)
This Evening I had some tangential programmer wisdom chats with Scott Messer. He is not some Guru, but he is a good guy, level headed, Detroit boy, former Ford-whiz, Swift Day 1-er, and current React Experimenter.
Some things we discussed:
- Love and Love and Hate for Apple's Ecosystem,
- the "Javascript Experience" ,
- Ford vs Ferrari, or reasons not to race cars,
- Free as in Freedom Software Ramblings from Richard Stallman,
- Security and Reasonable Expectations of Privacy,
- IBM Model-M Keyboards (featuring clicky sounds),
Enjoy!
The Right Way To Estimate Software Projects (with Vita)
Vita and I discuss her experience as an engagement manager, dealing with customers and developers and advocating for both. We also talk about common hangups and changes in software projects and the things customers and developers should know when dealing with each other. Vita is a gem and can be reached from the Inoxoft homepage https://inoxoft.com/
“If I only had 10 lifetimes” (With Devin)
Good software developers have a passion for knowledge that keeps them trudging on into the unknown. Devin and I chat about his experiences moving from Microsoft to FinTech, Startups and back. Devin clearly loves his craft and it was fun to hear his story.
“Trust The Process” (With Maksym)
As a contract software development shop, Inoxoft sees and delivers more projects to more customers than most. To do this well (and maintain our stellar reputation) we need to trust our delivery processes… Maksym and I discuss those processes and why they’re important.
The Big Mac Index and Software Developers
What can hamburger pricing teach us about software development? Let’s talk pricing for development services, what should you be considering when requesting a quote or engaging with a software developer? How can you save money? And how can you stumble when engaging with quotes from disparate sources?
- Stack Overflow Median Salary by Developer Type: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2020#work-salary-by-developer-type
- More on the Big Mac Index: https://www.economist.com/news/2020/01/15/the-big-mac-index
You need it, but you can’t afford it
below are the average salaries in the US by title, what does this breakdown mean for your project?
- Engineering Manager - $152k
- Dev Ops- $125k
- Machine Learning- $125k
- Full Stack Developer $112k
- QA- $105k
- Designer- $100k
Teaching, Learning and Inclusiveness (with Marni)
Tech teams are best when people teach each other, are open to learning new things, and are inclusive. Marni and I discuss the good and bad of tech culture and hopefully inspire everyone that good teams are out there and very possible with the right mindset :).
Moneyballing your Software Project
I love the book Moneyball, here's what it means to me and my work in software:
- Software is team sport, there are so many positions to play!
- 10x Full-Stack Heroes exist, but I'd never build a team around them.
- Everyone can contribute! Passion and ability to learn are so important.
- Good managers focus on process. All-nighters are a sign of bad management.
- Assume people are lazy, and setup your project to succeed anyway. Your process needs to work for "normal people", if you're dependtent on a hero to save you, you're being lazy... but assuming noone else is :).
- Use Continuous Integration principles in your team, and in the market.
On Machine Learning and the Future (with Shiva)
I discussed developments in machine learning with Shiva (ML Masters 2018 @ OSU). We talked about the huge improvements we've made in ML tooling in the past few years, how different communities have sprung up and how to use machine learning to power our future understanding of everything from movies to the atmosphere.
... we also decided we do not live in the matrix, and general AI is best left to the science fiction podcasts (or at least well qualified theorists, or maybe Bill Gates).
Shiva is a gun for hire and looking for new opportunities, you can find him on Linkedin and hire him here.
On GOOD Teams and the state of Javascript (With Daniel)
Daniel Hutner and I discussed the state of Javascript, and how to build the best teams in the world. The keys: diversity, humility, openness, learning.
- We spoke about how Daniel went from a self-taught trainee to an architect/wizard.
- We spoke about the state of Javascript, and common pitfalls in learning and building
- We spoke about how we build teams that we manage, our favorite teams, and aspects of successful teams.
- We also HEAVILY ENDORSE @ESPNS "The Last Dance" as a study in teamwork and teambuilding
On Misconceptions Regarding Remote Work (with Hunter)
I run through some common misconceptions regarding remote work, with my baby in my lap.
Here's the list:
- Remote is NOT NEW
- Remote is NOT NICHE
- Remote is NOT ALWAYS OUTSOURCE OR OFFSHORE
- Remote does NOT REQUIRE SACRIFICING QUALITY
- Remote IS NOT ALL OR NOTHING
- Remote IS ABOUT RELENTLESS OPTIMIZATION (not just your commute)
- Remote requires near-perfect information sharing (Internally and in Market)
- "Always On” is real (but it is not new, it’ll be OK)
- Remote frequently saves money for all parties involved (who saves more isn’t obvious)
On Success at Google (with Jerrod)
I interview Jerrod Howlett about his time at Google, how to motivate the youth and underrepresented groups in Computer Science... and how to make it as the manager of the future (someone with an MBA and coding chops).
Video: https://youtu.be/73QVKGKyMCo
On Proof and Pudding
How can you tell if you're good at software development? How can you tell if your hires are any good? How can you be the Bill Belichick of software development managers, or the Tom Brady of software developers?
Slides: https://youtu.be/p-R9aLuptQk
On Languages and Iterative Delivery (with Maksym)
On Superstardom (with Elyse)
On Developer Career Paths
What does it take to be a professional developer? What does it take to build a great development team? Let's discuss some common advice, pitfalls and the stuff you MUST DO to be a professional software developer (or team).
On Boeing and Instagram
On Houses and Software
WSJ article on industry salaries: www.wsj.com/articles/amazons-typical-worker-is-in-a-warehouse-making-28-446-a-year-1524402003?mod=e2tw
If you’d like to suggest a topic or give feedback please email me at brad@bradflaugher.com