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.