Grow your engineering career

How to be useful as a software architect

Software architects have a weird role: Think about the code _tomorrow_. Today's code is what it is, how do we make it good tomorrow? Without slowing down, losing business, or falling off a cliff.

Relentlessly focus on the outcomes

AI makes it easy to focus inwards and feel impressed with all the churn and motion and output you're producing. But your users don't care.

Engineering levels aren't about skill anymore

Traditional engineering levels were about skill progression. I think this has changed. Everyone now is a mini staff engineer.

Quick note on evals and putting AI in your resume

When candidates put AI on their resume, the key thing I try to find out is whether they used evals. How did you measure making improvements?

Software engineer interviews for the age of AI

Maybe AI will replace engineers, I don't know. Self-driving cars were just around the corner for 50 years. Until then we've got shit to do and engineers to hire.

The best engineers just get shit done, sometimes with AI

The best engineers I know never talk about their AI setup. The worst engineers I know only talk about their AI setup.

Put scope on your resume

Your resume titles don't matter. Just tell me what did you do.

Probably the realest thing I ever wrote

GeLLMan amnesia

AI will automate every job except the ones I'm deeply familiar with

The 3 curves that make a scalable business

You want users and revenue to grow exponentially. Bugs per day to grow linearly. Support work to grow logarithmically. Your goal is to make this happen.

A tough job market is the best time to start something

Here's how to navigate a tough job market from someone dumb enough to have done it before. Me.

2025 Year in Review

I called it a year in review but it's so much more.

What makes your resume stand out

What did you do, for whom, did it work

The job behind the job [of a high level IC]

Advancing big goals while you stay on top of operational day-to-day fires _is the job_. This is hard. Here are a few tips I've found helpful.

Feedback is a strange thing

Performance oscillates around your mean. Your average is what matters.

The grind won't get you there

Don't grind on something the company doesn't value. Hard work is not rewarded. **_Outcomes_** are rewarded.

Should you join an AI startup right now?

Beyond income there's 2 reasons to take any specific job: Invest in yourself or invest in the company. Both is best.

What makes a senior engineer

The base expectation for engineers is that you don't just build whatever you're asked.

You're a business

Quick thought from a conversation with friends

Your interview is a sales call

I've been doing hiring manager screens lately. Here's a few tips.

Depth takes time

It takes about 3 years to experience the consequences of your own decisions.

Code yourself out of the job

Let go of your legos and let others do the work.

The score takes care of itself

Less talking more doing

Why system design is my favorite interview

Without reading their resume, you'll see if a candidate is fresh or has been doing this a while. And you'll know their blind spots and their strengths

Yes, AI will "take" your job. No, you won't mind

Is the job to get things done or to memorize trivia and solve cute coding puzzles?

The Tour of Duty approach to career

Quick note today to plant the seed of an idea I've always loved: The Tour of Duty.

Interviewing tips for experienced engineers

The way you interview changes as you go through your career. If you're grinding leetcode 10 years in, something's wrong.

Some personal news

When you see a unicorn, you gotta hop on

6 books engineers should read

Here are 6 books I'd buy every engineer who joins my team, if I ran a team. You might like 'em too.

Code yourself out of the job

Don't get stuck being a critical member of the team.