Field notes,
in progress.
An irregular journal of software, leadership, and the occasional rant. Some pieces are practical. Some are me thinking out loud and hoping it’s useful to someone else.
Strategies for Weekend Job Hunting
Most job search advice assumes you're unemployed with unlimited time to apply and interview. But if you're currently employed in tech, your job search happens in the margins — evenings, lunch breaks, and weekends. The challenge is making meaningful progress when you only have fragmented time.
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The Secret to Applying for Jobs when You are Underqualified
Most job postings in tech read like shopping lists written by someone who's never actually done the job. "5+ years React, 3+ years Node.js, experience with microservices, knowledge of Kubernetes, familiarity with machine learning, startup experience preferred." It's the technical equivalent of asking for a unicorn.
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Leaving a job gracefully
Leaving a job well is just as important as performing well while you're there. In tech, your professional reputation travels fast — the industry is smaller than it seems, and people move between companies frequently. The developer who burns bridges today might find themselves interviewing with a former colleague tomorrow.
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How to write a great resume
Your resume is a strategic document, not a career biography. In tech, where hiring managers scan hundreds of resumes for each position, yours needs to communicate value quickly and clearly. The best technical resumes don't just list what you've done — they demonstrate the impact you've made and the problems you've solved.
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How to shine in your new job
Starting a new job is like deploying to a new environment — you need to understand the architecture, learn the existing systems, and integrate smoothly without breaking anything. Your first 90 days set the trajectory for your entire tenure, so approach them strategically.
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Eight easy ways to boost your career
Career advancement in tech isn't about grinding 80-hour weeks or hoping someone notices your hard work. It's about strategic positioning, consistent execution, and building systems that compound over time. The developers who advance fastest understand that career growth follows the same principles as good software architecture: it's modular, scalable, and built on solid foundations.
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Your LinkedIn headshot may be holding you back
Your LinkedIn profile photo is more than just a picture — it's the visual API for your professional brand. Recruiters spend an average of 6-8 seconds scanning a LinkedIn profile, and your photo is often the first element that determines whether they'll invest time reading further.
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Managing friendships in the workplaces
Tech teams spend more time together than most marriages. When you're debugging critical production issues at 2 AM or collaborating on complex architectural decisions, professional relationships inevitably become personal. The question isn't whether you'll develop friendships at work — it's how to manage them strategically.
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Advance your career by being your unconventional self
That Harvard study about orange sneakers? It misses the point entirely. Authenticity in tech isn't about performative rebellion or quirky fashion choices. It's about recognizing that your different way of thinking — shaped by your background, experiences, and perspective — is exactly what makes you valuable.
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Ace your next phone interview
Phone interviews in tech aren't just preliminary screening calls anymore — they're often the make-or-break moment that determines whether you get to the technical interview stage. With remote work becoming standard, many companies have gotten really good at evaluating candidates over audio calls, and frankly, some prefer it because it forces focus on what you're actually saying rather than how you look.
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Staying focused while working remotely
Remote work isn't just about working from home — it's about building systems that let you do your best work regardless of location. After years of remote development work and managing distributed teams, I've learned that the developers who thrive remotely aren't necessarily the most disciplined ones. They're the ones who understand that focus is a skill you can optimize, just like any other part of your development workflow.
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Dealing with ADHD at work
If you're a developer with ADHD, you've probably heard all the standard advice: "just focus better," "try harder to pay attention," "use a planner." That advice misses the point entirely. ADHD isn't a focus problem — it's a attention regulation difference that, when understood and managed strategically, can actually be a significant advantage in technical work.
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Writing an effective self-assessment
Self-assessments in tech often feel like an awkward exercise in self-promotion mixed with forced introspection. But here's the thing: they're actually one of the most powerful tools you have for career advancement — if you approach them strategically.
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How to rebuild your confidence after a job setback
Getting laid off, passed over for promotion, or having a project fail spectacularly feels like a gut punch. In tech, where we're used to solving problems and building things that work, professional setbacks can hit especially hard. Your confidence takes a beating, and suddenly you're questioning everything from your technical skills to your career choices.
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tips for landing a promotion while working remotely
Remote work changed the promotion game. The old rules about being visible in the office don't apply when everyone's working from their kitchen table, but new challenges emerged around how to demonstrate value, build relationships, and position yourself for advancement when you're not physically present.
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Building a remote culture
Building remote culture isn't about replicating office dynamics through video calls and virtual happy hours. It's about intentionally designing systems, processes, and norms that help distributed teams thrive. The companies that figured this out early gained a massive competitive advantage in talent acquisition and retention.
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