Hacking Spacetime for a Successful Career

We talk a lot about building well-crafted software. But what about a well-crafted career in software? Who is making sure you’re on track for the life you want five, ten, thirty years from now?

We’ll build a time machine and follow a typical development career through various tracks, and see how a few basic principles can radically alter your career’s trajectory over time.

If you’ve ever felt the existential dread of “climbing the walls” at your job, you’re not alone. We’ll explore why and share some concrete steps you can take now to create a long, happy, rewarding career.

Transcript

1. Welcome
   to the
   wetware
   track
   

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3. “Climbing The Walls”
   by they might be giants
   

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4. HACKING SPACETIME
   FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER
   “It’s time to
   go, Marty!”
   “To go where,
   Doc?”
   

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5. Brandon Hays
   Coffee > Code Conversion Dept.
   The
   Frontside
   @tehviking
   

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7. CLIMBING
   THE WALLS
   

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8. Me, every 9 months
   

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9. (Except this mega subtweet)
   NOT HERE TO TELL
   MY STORY
   

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10. We are givING
    SERIOUSLY BAD ADVICE
    

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12. WARNING!
    Bummer alert!
    

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13. Achievement
    is a
    system
    of COntrol
    

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14. The world doesn’t
    want your happiness,
    Just your output
    

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15. redcupwars.com
    

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16. LET’S DETONATE The
    idea that You’re
    “supposed” to do
    something with
    your career
    

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17. Leading Vs.
    Trailing Metrics
    

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18. Leading MEtrics
    º Hours worked
    º Conversations with new people
    º Lines of code written deleted
    º Value created
    º Works published
    

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19. Trailing Metrics
    º Income
    º Titles
    º Degrees
    º Recognition
    º Influence
    

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20. LET’S PLAY A GAME
    

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21. 1. Choose baseline
    stats
    2. Stock inventory
    3. View results
    4. Fast-forward/
    rewind time
    HOW TO PLAY
    

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22. Skill
    Connection
    Vision
    2: Pick Stats
    Baseline/How we’re wired
    

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23. Desire to grow one’s
    capability to solve
    difficult problems
    and help others do
    the same
    Technical Skill
    

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24. Desire to connect
    people and ideas to
    solve existing
    problems in new ways
    Connection
    

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25. VISION
    Desire to solve
    entirely new problems
    & reshape the world
    

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26. Layers of
    abstraction
    

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27. Technical Skill:
    Computer
    connection:
    people
    Vision:
    industry/society
    

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28. 3: Choose Inventory
    Choices/Leading metrics
    

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29. Thorough understanding
    of your present value in
    your current situation
    Item 1: Leverage
    

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30. Item 2: Ambition
    Accepting the future
    value you have the
    potential to create
    

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31. Item 3: Education
    The internal investment
    you make in your own
    capabilities
    

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32. Item 4: Community
    The external investment
    you make in those
    around you & the world
    

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33. Item 5: Dedication
    The amount of effort
    applied to the previous
    four items
    

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34. THE FORMULA
    understand your present value
    + understand your future value
    + invest in yourself
    + invest in others
    x amount of effort you put in
    = YOUR PLATFORM
    

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35. 4: View Results
    Income
    Stress
    Free Time
    Satisfaction
    Impact
    Outcomes/Trailing metrics
    

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36. 5: Time travel
    Changes over time
    

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37. 9 folks, 9 stories
    

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39. SCENARIO 1
    "Please leave me
    alone so I can code."
    

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40. Code slinger
    "Please leave me
    alone so I can code."
    

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41. Check
    for the
    snarky
    T-shirt
    

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42. SCENARIO 2
    "Climb the ladder and
    wait your turn."
    

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43. Cat herder
    "Climb the ladder and
    wait your turn."
    

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44. Learning to delegate
    

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45. SCENARIO 3
    "I just don't want a
    boss."
    

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46. Harried Freelancer
    "I just don't want a
    boss."
    

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47. Gotta
    hustle
    every
    day
    

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48. SCENARIO 4
    "I have something
    important to say."
    

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49. Thought Leader
    "I have something
    important to say."
    

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50. Shiny Code
    by
    Uncle Bill Williams
    

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51. SCENARIO 4
    

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52. SCENARIO 5
    "How can I provide
    the most value?"
    

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53. Product Manager
    "How can I provide
    the most value?"
    

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54. Hope you like
    conference calls!
    

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55. SCENARIO 6
    "Let's build the company I
    always wanted to work at."
    

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56. Lifestyle Biz
    Founder
    "Let's build the company I
    always wanted to work at."
    

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57. TFW the business makes
    money while you sleep
    

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58. SCENARIO 7
    "Let's build better
    software together."
    

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59. Chief Architect
    "Let's build better
    software together."
    

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60. Engineering matters.
    

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61. SCENARIO 8
    "Let's solve an important
    problem together."
    

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62. Badass CTO
    "Let's solve an important
    problem together."
    

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63. teamwork makes the
    dream work
    

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64. SCENARIO 9
    "We're going to
    change the world."
    

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65. Visionary CEO
    "We're going to
    change the world."
    

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66. Running a
    Business
    

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68. 3 types, 3 tracks
    

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69. Technician:
    Tools & tactics
    manager:
    People & Strategy
    entrepreneur:
    invention & vision
    

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70. Track 1:
    technician
    Skill
    Connection
    Vision
    

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71. Fascination: Tools &
    Technique
    Asks: “How”
    Focus: Tactics &
    Implementation
    Track 1:
    technician
    

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72. Track 2:
    manager
    Skill
    Connection
    Vision
    

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73. Fascination: People
    Asks: “Who, when,
    where, what?”
    Focus: Strategy &
    Connection
    Track 2:
    manager
    

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74. Track 3:
    entrepreneur
    Skill
    Connection
    Vision
    

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75. Fascination: Gaps in
    the world
    Asks: “Why”, “Why
    not?”
    Focus: Vision &
    Invention
    Track 3:
    entrepreneur
    

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76. DREAM BIG
    

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77. Mid Dev
    Keynote
    Speaker
    Sr. Dev Chief
    Architect
    Distinguished
    Dev
    Dev
    Evangelist
    Author/
    Speaker
    Junior Dev
    Dev Manager
    Project
    Manager
    Freelance Dev Solopreneur
    Startup
    Founder
    Small
    Business CEO
    Founder, 3rd
    company
    Chairperson
    of the Board
    Director of
    Product
    Engineering/
    Team Lead
    VP of
    Product
    Director/VP
    Engineering
    CTO
    Developer
    Manager
    Entrepreneur
    Founder, 2nd
    company
    

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78. a note about
    bailing out early
    

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79. So: which one are
    you?
    (hint: all of them)
    

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80. What Work do you
    do when stresSED?
    Get back into code?
    Grab lunch with
    programmer friends?
    Sketch up a new app
    idea?
    

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81. A lot of arguments in
    software stem from
    misunderstanding the
    different values among
    these 3 types.
    

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82. Similar ideas
    Hipster, Hustler, Hacker
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/andyellwood/2012/08/22/
    the-dream-team-hipster-hacker-and-hustler
    Pioneer, Settler, Town Planner
    http://blog.gardeviance.org/2012/06/pioneers-settlers-and-
    town-planners.html
    Entrepreneur, Manager, Technician
    The E-Myth Revisited: http://www.amazon.com/The-E-Myth-
    Revisited-Small-Businesses/dp/0887307280
    

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83. getting different
    results within A track
    Leverage
    Ambition
    Education
    Community
    Dedication
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    

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84. Your PLATFORM
    How people see
    you helping them
    Builds up as
    you go along,
    intentionally
    or not
    

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85. your platform is
    a voltron
    Built of several
    pieces
    Exists as a
    separate entity
    Works for you
    autonomously
    

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86. Remember THE
    FORMULA
    understand your present value
    + understand your future value
    + invest in yourself
    + invest in others
    x amount of effort you put in
    = YOUR PLATFORM
    

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87. WARNING:
    MARKETING
    SPEAK
    AHEAD
    

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88. Know your value
    http://blog.optimizationgroup.com/how-to-shift-from-
    a-cost-plus-to-a-value-based-pricing-strategy
    

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89. Know your value
    Your
    salary
    $ Added
    (profit)
    Marketing Etc.*
    *etc. includes recruiting, branding, sales,
    reduction of uncertainty, and more.
    Opportunity (negotiable)
    

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90. Look for
    extremely informal
    educational
    opportunities
    Invest in yourself
    

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91. Invest in others
    Meetups
    Mentorship
    Open Source
    Lunches
    Lightning talks
    Listening
    Being a friend
    Tackling non-
    Silicon-Valley
    problems
    

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92. Scale
    your
    efforts
    

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93. It’s OK
    to
    STEER
    BY FEEL
    (and
    crash)
    

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94. 3 things I learned
    

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95. 1: You can opt
    out of the
    cycle
    

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96. Skill
    Connection
    Vision
    2: your preferences are
    your friends
    

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97. Playing to
    strengths
    vs.
    Working on
    Weaknesses
    

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98. 3: Build the platform
    you want to live with
    

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99. 3: Build the platform
    you want to live with
    

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100. achievement
     unlocked:
     Overcoming
     achievement
     

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101. be a polyglot
     craftsperson.
     Run a popular open
     source project.
     quit your job and
     start a company.
     

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103. Overlap between what you want
     to do & what you actually do
     SO WHAT IS SUCCESS?
     

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107. Lastly...
     

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108. I’ve received a tremendous
     amount of help from a ton of
     people.
     The last 6 years
     

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109. I had help making the
     app for this talk!
     Thanks,
     @lydiaguarino
     

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110. Please recognize and take
     advantage of the opportunities
     you see to help others build
     their own platforms.
     Extending a hand
     

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112. @tehviking
     THANKS!
     The
     Frontside
     

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