57 posts tagged with "career"

Ever notice how the best Scrum Masters seem to have a sixth sense for what’s really going on in a team? Spoiler: it’s not magic, and it’s definitely not mind reading (though that would be a nice superpowerto have!). It’s effective listening—the kind that goes beyond nodding along and actually tunes into what’s said, unsaid, and everything in between.

Twenty years ago, being a Scrum Master meant you were the keeper of the framework—the person who made sure daily standups happened at 9 AM sharp and that retrospectives followed the prescribed format. Fast-forward to 2025, and if you're still just moving tickets in Jira and asking "What did you do yesterday?"—well, an AI probably does that better than you.

The role has fundamentally shifted, and honestly? It's about time. I've watched this evolution firsthand through economic downturns, remote work revolutions, and the rise of DevOps. The Scrum Masters who survived and thrived didn't just adapt—they transformed themselves into something the original Scrum Guide never envisioned: strategic business enablers who happen to know agile frameworks really well.

The world of software development is an exhilarating and fast-paced industry, where innovation and creativity intertwine. However, the demanding nature of the job, combined with high expectations and tight deadlines, can often lead to burnout. Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by chronic stress.

It's official: I'm starting a new job with General Dynamics (@GDMS). After nine incredible years at Barkley (@BarkleyUs, @BarkleyREI), it's time to turn the page to a new chapter.

This isn't a decision I made lightly.

Working at home comes with many benefits, like wearing slippers all day and being your boss, but it’s essential to have an effective organizational plan to make it profitable. These strategies for organizing your workday and environment will help you meet your goals.

Job hunting is challenging these days. Employers get flooded with applications for every opening and may spend as little as ten seconds screening each resume.

Here are some suggestions to help your resume stand out from the crowd and ensure that you get called in for an interview.

Good communication allows many life situations to run smoothly. However, there are certain relationships that deserve extra attention, such as the relationship you have with your boss. You and your boss have drastically different roles, and when each of you fulfills these roles with a hard working and understanding attitude, you'll both feel fulfilled.

Find Out What YOU Want to Know​

Job interviews provide an important opportunity to discover if you and your new employer will be a good match before you leap into a new position.

Not only are they interviewing you, but also you're interviewing them! Will you be happy in their employ? Think about what information matters to you and find tactful ways to ask your interviewer what you need to know.

Work stress in tech isn't just about tight deadlines or difficult stakeholders. It's about context switching between fifteen different priorities, debugging production issues at 2 AM, and trying to maintain code quality while everyone wants everything "yesterday."

Here's the thing: stress is often a symptom of deeper systemic issues. You've got a few good options for addressing both the immediate pressure and the root causes.

Change in tech happens fast. New frameworks, shifting priorities, team restructures, platform migrations — if you're not adapting quickly, you're falling behind. The question isn't whether change will happen; it's whether you'll be ready when it does.

I've seen developers react to change in two ways: they either resist until they're forced to adapt (usually painfully), or they develop systems for navigating change smoothly. The second group consistently has better careers, less stress, and more interesting opportunities.

You want to build that SaaS idea, launch a tech consultancy, or transition into machine learning. Meanwhile, you're debugging legacy code and sitting through status meetings. The gap between where you are and where you want to be feels overwhelming.

But here's the thing: most successful career pivots and side projects happen gradually, not through dramatic "burn the ships" moments. The developers I know who've built successful businesses, switched domains, or created passive income streams did it systematically while maintaining their day jobs.

You don't need to quit your job to start building the career you actually want.

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.

Most career advice focuses on dramatic gestures — the big project, the perfect presentation, the game-changing idea. But sustainable career growth comes from optimizing the fundamentals and creating repeatable processes that demonstrate your value consistently.

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.

The challenge isn't avoiding all distractions. It's building an environment and routine that consistently puts you in a state where deep work happens naturally. When you're debugging a complex issue or designing system architecture, you need sustained focus. Here's how to create the conditions for that kind of 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.

I've worked with countless developers who have ADHD, and the most successful ones aren't the ones who try to force themselves into neurotypical productivity frameworks. They're the ones who build systems that work with their brains, not against them. They leverage their hyperfocus for complex problem-solving, use their pattern recognition for debugging, and channel their restless energy into learning new technologies.

The goal isn't to mask your ADHD or pretend it doesn't exist. It's to understand how your brain works and build a career that lets you do your best work.

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.

The thing is, setbacks in tech careers are incredibly common. I've seen talented developers lose jobs due to budget cuts, skilled engineers get passed over for promotions because of politics, and entire teams disbanded when companies pivot. The setback doesn't define your ability or your future — but how you respond to it will shape both.

Let's talk about rebuilding that confidence strategically, using the same problem-solving approach you'd apply to debugging a complex system.

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.

A Stanford study showing remote workers are 50% less likely to get promoted is often cited, but it's worth noting that study was conducted before remote work became mainstream. The landscape has shifted dramatically. Companies that figured out how to evaluate and promote remote talent effectively gained a competitive advantage during the pandemic and beyond.

That said, getting promoted remotely does require intentional strategy. You need to be more deliberate about visibility, more systematic about documenting impact, and more proactive about relationship building. But it's absolutely doable — and in many ways, remote work can actually accelerate your career if you approach it strategically.