Getting into IT with Grant

My condolences to Uber on their recent hack (Sept 2022), but this does provide a great opportunity to highlight poor security practices, and share steps that companies can take so they don't fall victim to the same exploits as Uber.  In this episode we'll talk about security, as if it's an onion, do a step-by-step analysis of the Uber hack, and consider just how devastating this situation could have been if a real, malicious hacker had did exactly what this 18 year old did.

When you build a software application or product, you don't just start writing code and hope for the best!  Your code runs on a platform, typically accesses a database, and displays data to a user - all of these functions should be isolated and organized into a tech stack. 

Defining your tech stack should be one of the very first things you do, even before you write your first line of code.  Let's dig into this topic, talk about the tech stack in general and then actually define one!  We'll be using a budgeting application as our example and deciding what technologies to use in each layer of the stack.

If you feel stuck in your engineering career and are trying to break out into a different subdiscipline, then this episode is for you!  How exactly can you switch from being a Software Developer to being a Machine Learning Engineer?  Or from a Site Reliability Engineer to a Web Developer?  In this episode we will discuss how to make that transition, and how to best reflect on your current position to see why you want to transition in the first place.

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As discussed in the podcast, last month's episode was an article posted on my website.  Check it out here: Trunk Based Development and Continuous Integration

You work in tech and you want to be paid more money.  Great, so what's your pitch?

Have you thought about what time of day to approach your manager?  What about setting up a new meeting or using an existing one?  How about how much money to ask for?  In this episode, I dive into these topics and more so that you can craft the perfect interaction with your manager!

Do not wander into your conversation, come up with a strategy for telling your manager just how much value you deliver to the team.  Your value is what determines your pay, so think about it. 

As an added bonus, I even role-play this scenario and pretend I'm asking my boss for a raise.  If you do this well, it may pay off big for you!

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Robert Half Talent Solutions: Tech Salary Guides 2022

Extraneous factors in judicial decisions: PNAS

Other resources on researching your market value:
Levels.fyi
Glassdoor.com
Blind

In this episode, we'll start by separating out Agile from DevOps, and then bringing in CI/CD pipelines.  We'll also discuss DevSecOps and some of the best practices in engineering that a developer can adopt.

We'll also give an overview of what a CI/CD pipeline looks like, what a pipeline stage is, what a pipeline's purpose is, and how it is related to DevOps.  As a bonus, I talk about tools for Static Code Analysis (SCA) and Static Application Security Testing (SAST)!  We'll also touch on Test Driven Development (TDD). 

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Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations

Storytime with Dad Podcast

If you write software, you are probably collaborating with other developers.  If you are collaborating, then you probably need to isolate your code and then merge it together when you're done.  So what are some of the best-practices for managing this?

My favorite is trunk-based development, but that name probably doesn't mean what you think it means!  In this episode, we dive into branching strategies and trunk-based development.  We also touch on test automation, CI/CD pipelines, agility, and DevOps practices.  We'll also talk about anti-patterns or "worst practices" that some companies adopt because they are risk averse.  Ironically, many of today's software delivery practices increase risk rather than decrease it!

Hear my take and compare it to your own, then Tweet me (@tweetsofgrant) and tell me where our views differ!

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Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations

Google's Guidebook on Trunk-Based Development

Other Visualizations of Trunk-Based Development

I have, unfortunately, dealt with plenty of narcissists in the workplace throughout my career.  Although these encounters are rare, they do happen, they are dangerous people, and when you confront them you need to be prepared for what you're getting into.  Narcissists are not like other people, so you must enter their world (temporarily) if you are going to come out of the engagement intact.

In this episode, we discuss narcissism, the two types of narcissist, patterns of abuse (including the DARVO pattern of manipulation and gaslighting), as well as a real life story of me having to manage one of these types of individual.  Yes, bad managers need to be (and sometimes get!) removed from positions of authority.

Please join me on this weird journey through personality disorders in the corporate world!

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I am launching a Patreon as well!  I want to continue producing the content you care about, help you network with one another, and even have guests from the industry on the podcast to discuss their own experience.  By supporting the podcast, you will help it expand and do more good in the world.

When you sign up, you will be able to join my discord server, get some swag, AND through the end of May Gold Patrons will get a 30 minute 1-on-1 video or phone call with me to discuss career coaching or any topic of their choice.

https://grantdryden.com/patreon

Someone wrote to me recently about working very hard and finally getting their dream job, only to discover that they hated it!  That sucks and I know many of us have been there before in our own careers.  It would be a tragedy to throw away a high paying, promising career if the reason why we hated it was something that we could control. 

In this episode, I read their message and then respond with what I think is really going on.  I don't think this person hated their job, but I do think they hated the environment that they were doing their job in.  Once you hear their predicament, tell me: what do you think they should do?

If you’ve ever wanted to do game dev, hear the story of how I published my first video game, Bonsai.  We’ll review the core concept of the game, the process of building it and the choices of technology, and the distribution of it on Steam.  It was fun, but wasn’t all rose colored!

Here is a link to Bonsai on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/444160/Bonsai/

As you write software, you are going to make mistakes.  These mistakes, or bugs and defects, have to be fixed while you continue to make your product better and build new features.  So how can you make sure you're making enough progress on your product while addressing all the of the bugs that are bound to pop up?

First, we'll begin by classifying bugs, features, and technical debt.  Then, we'll be able to talk about how much time should be devoted to these types of work, and finally top it off with some tips and tricks on how to prioritize these things relative to one another.

You don't have to be Agile to follow along, but I'd highly recommend it!  Having a backlog of work defined will make the prioritization much easier.