The Work Item - Real Talk on Tech's Toughest Career Choices

#94 - Exploiting Your Unfair Advantages - Shirley Wu (Shirley Wu Studio)

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:50:10 GMT

Shirley Wu is back-to-back on The Work Item - we previously talked about her unexpected career in data visualizations, but for this episode we're switching things up a little bit and instead focus on building long-term career advantages based on Shirley's experience. This is an especially important topic in the era of AI, where folks have a lot of uncertainty about their career tracks and what it means to build durable moats that can survive the industry being upended by new tools and approaches to getting things done.

Shirley's experience is particularly relevant here as an independent studio owner - she's someone who has years of experience to lean on flying solo and seeing how one can establish their own reputation and image in the space.

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Of course (and as I mentioned last time), do not forget to check out Shirley's book - Data Sketches.

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#93 - What's It Like To Be A Data Visualization Wizard - Shirley Wu (Shirley Wu Studio)

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 18:21:52 GMT

So, get this - how many times did you have one of your tweets go viral? Now, how many times did a tweet go viral for a project that you built around something that you really enjoy? And out of those times - how many times did a tweet go viral because Lin-Manuel Miranda himself retweeted you? Can't say that I am a member of that club, but luckily I know someone who is - Shirley Wu. Shirley is what I'd describe as a wizard of data visualizations. If you look through her work, you'll quickly realize that she's not just presenting the data, but painting a story around it. Whether it's for people of the pandemic, an analysis of Hamilton lines (that's the project I alluded to earlier), or a myriad of other projects, her work is truly second to none.

In this interview, I wanted to learn more about what sparked her interest in this field, whether the sudden visibility was a reward for hard work or instead added more pressure to produce more highly-visible projects, and of course - how to find your unique voice in a sea of people that do similar things (the Internet, if you didn't know, is truly vast).

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#92 - You're Thinking Wrong About Your Career - Lenn Pryor (Executive Coach, Author)

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 17:35:07 GMT

We're often operating under the false illusion that the career track we have now is the career track that we somehow have to follow under any circumstances - it's easy to snap to common conventions around progression, where you work, and how you work. But what if there's more to the "choose your own adventure" track that we do not know about?

To get to the bottom of this question, I sat down with Lenn Pryor, a seasoned executive who used to work at many well-known companies, but decided to carve out his own niche where he found both joy and professional satisfaction. It's a risky bet that paid off, and I was keen to learn more about how he justified it and what decision points helped him navigate the overwhelming ambiguity. What I really enjoyed about recording this episode is that the learnings are broadly applicable no matter what role you are in or are looking to jump into.

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🌎 Personal Website
💼 LinkedIn

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#91 - The Future Of Software Engineering - Simon Guest (CTO, Code.org)

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 21:55:54 GMT

Every year, millions of students try coding for the first time through Hour of Code. But most people don't know that the technology powering those experiences is ran by someone who didn't really have a plan to become a CTO.

In the fourth episode of this season of The Work Item, I am talking with Simon Guest, CTO at Code.org. Simon walks me through how he actually became a CTO (not the LinkedIn version we commonly see), and what skills helped him succeed despite the fact that there was no pre-charted path he could follow. You'll be surprised to learn just how much serendipity and having the skills in the right place at the right time play a role in strapping one's career to a rocketship.

We also talk about the future of coding, whether AI is truly going to make engineers obsolete, and what we can do to build a good career moat that sets us up for long-term success. And of course, if you've ever wondered what it takes to move into technology leadership, this conversation will give you a very realistic picture of what that path looks like.

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#90 - The Death Of SaaS Has Been Greatly Exaggerated - Lianna Patch & Colleen Schnettler (Co-Founders, SaaS Marketing Gym)

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 09:59:56 GMT

In this week's episode, I sat down not with one, but two brilliant guests - the duo behind the brand-new venture known as SaaS Marketing Gym, Lianna Patch and Colleen Schnettler. As coaches and community leads for SaaS founders, they offer a refreshing counterpoint to the doom-and-gloom narratives trending on YouTube and other social channels about AI rendering software businesses obsolete.

Through Lianna's conversion-focused (and delightfully humor-filled) copywriting expertise and Colleen's technical background, they're equipping SaaS founders with marketing strategies that prove software businesses aren't just surviving the AI revolution - they're positioned to thrive alongside it.

What made our conversation so compelling was their evidence-backed optimism (a rare treat, I know) about the future of SaaS. While tech pundits predict AI will replace traditional software services, Lianna and Colleen articulate exactly why human-designed software solutions remain vital and how founders can use AI as an enhancement to what they're building rather than a replacement.

Our discussion covers both the challenges of the current landscape and the surprising opportunities AI creates for SaaS companies that want to ride the wave. We talk about their origin stories and how they continuously evolve their skills to stay ahead of the curve. I guarantee you'll walk away with immediately actionable tactics and insights, regardless of your company stage, and perhaps most valuably, a renewed confidence that SaaS remains a business model with staying power.

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#89 - So You Want to Be a CTO - Taiwo Oyeniyi (CTO, Distrobird)

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 14:41:12 GMT

Chief Technology Officer - a few people I've talked to in the past year expressed some degree of interest in reaching, what seems like, the pinnacle of an engineering career.

That three-letter title carries weight in boardrooms and across the industry alike. But beyond the fancy business cards and the seat at the executive table, what does it actually mean to hold the technical helm of an organization? Is it the promised land of pure architectural decisions and strategic vision, or something messier, more complex, and perhaps more rewarding in unexpected ways?

Today, we're peeling back the curtain on the CTO role with Taiwo Oyeniyi, who'll share his journey from engineer to executive. Rather than relying on generic career advice or job descriptions, we'll hear firsthand about the transition, the challenges, and the realities of the position. Taiwo will explore the skills that matter most (spoiler alert: they might not be the ones you're cultivating now), the hurdles he faced along the way, and how the role has transformed his relationship with technology.

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#88 - Best-Kept Secrets on Becoming a Great User Researcher - Marisa Morby (Principal Researcher, Observable)

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 15:25:36 GMT

User research is an underappreciated art - we in tech are so used to being immersed in an ocean of quantitative data that we can forget that on the other side of the screen are real humans who want to solve very specific problems. And oftentimes, their problems are extremely hard to put a number on. Why did they abandon their cart right before checkout? What made them start a newsletter, abandon it, then come back to it a month later? Not everything can be answered with a SQL query against the telemetry database.

Marisa Morby, a Principal Researcher at Observable, sat down with me to help me better understand what it means to be great (not just good) at user research, and how that can help produce a whole new range of unexpected product insights. And Marisa definitely knows what the impact of great user research can be on the product - she previously worked at notable companies like Netlify, Gatsby, and Accenture Song, where she honed her skills and UX instincts.

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#87 - A Wrap-Up Of 2024 Unconventional Career Advice

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 17:28:32 GMT

This is the last episode for 2024. To make it special, it's a supercut of all the unconventional advice from every single guest that was on the show this year - Kent C. Dodds, Jerod Santo, Rob Walling, Adrienne Tacke, David Khourshid, Saron Yitbarek, Rachel Andrew, Katie Fujihara, Lena Reinhard, Miriam Suzanne, Kirupa Chinnathambi, Craig Hewitt, Jennifer Wong, Jason Lengstorf, Michael Kennedy, and Asia Orangio.

This turned out so well that I'll definitely be revisiting the format in the new year. I hope you have a successful and adventure-packed 2025, with plenty of room for career growth. See you next year!

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#86 - The Only Real Way To Know Is To Talk To People - Asia Orangio (CEO, DemandMaven)

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 11:44:02 GMT

Today, I'm thrilled to be joined by Asia Orangio, the brain behind DemandMaven, a growth agency dedicated to helping SaaS companies and their founders reach new heights. Asia's unique approach blends data-driven strategies with deep empathy for customers, making her a sought-after expert - from bootstrapped businesses to some of the most established companies. Whether you're a startup founder or a seasoned marketer, I promise you that her insights will challenge your thinking and inspire quite a few new ideas.

In this conversation, Asia shares her journey from marketer to founder, unraveling the lessons she's learned while scaling SaaS companies and guiding others to do the same. We'll explore her philosophy on growth, the common mistakes founders make when trying to identify their growth levers, and the power of understanding your audience on a deeper level. This really ended up being a masterclass in sustainable growth and customer-first business foundations.

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Asia also recommended the following folks to check out:

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#85 - Building A Business From Python Expertise - Michael Kennedy (Founder, Talk Python Training)

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 16:40:55 GMT

If you are listening to this show, you have likely heard of a programming language called Python. And if you are a Python developer, you've likely heard of a podcast dedicated to this programming language - Talk Python To Me. It was started by none other than Michael Kennedy, a Python Software Foundation fellow who managed to turn his expertise into a viable bootstrapped business. In this show, we talk about ways to plan a training business from scratch, what tactics worked best to grow a podcast audience, and how to make sure that you have a viable idea before you quit your day job.

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#84 - Tools Do Not Matter - Jason Lengstorf (Founder, Learn With Jason)

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 17:52:26 GMT

If you've been immersed in the tech world for some time, you probably have heard one specific YouTube channel mentioned more than once - Learn With Jason. It's a project started by Jason Lengstorf, a former VP of developer experience at a web tooling startup (he was a head of developer relations prior to that too), that is aimed at helping everyone navigate the always-changing landscape of developer tools and frameworks. Which, by the way, according to Jason, do not matter.

In this show, we dive deep into Jason's career path and focus on the lesser-known aspects of climbing the career ladder - things like amassing political capital by doing great work, building visibility by meaningful means that can help cement your reputation, and being able to address business problems as a mechanism to build trust in your own leadership abilities.

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#83 - Don't Take The Easy Path - Jennifer Wong (Engineering Leader)

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 13:22:22 GMT

Jennifer Wong is a seasoned engineering manager who started her journey in civil engineering. The fast pace of the tech industry drew her in, and she stuck with it for years since making that call. In this episode, I chat with Jennifer about her transition from a non-traditional career path into software, reasons to take on management instead of being an individual contributor, and why taking the road less traveled in terms of career progression might just be the recipe for long-term growth and success.

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#82 - Stop Building SaaS Landing Pages - Craig Hewitt (Founder, Castos)

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 20:40:04 GMT

Craig Hewitt, the founder of the podcasting platform Castos, comes from generations of entrepreneurs, and his own journey builds on the experience and stamina of those who came before him. In this show, we chat about best practices for hiring developers for your bootstrapped startup, finding the right approach to deliver hard news, and how to ensure that your relationships aren't hurt as you step onto the entrepreneurship treadmill.

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And of course, make sure to check out Castos!

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#81 - Making A Career Out Of A Hobby - Kirupa Chinnathambi (Product Manager - Google)

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:49:27 GMT

In episode 81, Den Delimarsky chats with Kirupa Chinnathambi, a product manager at Google who has built his own personal brand in what is now known as kirupa.com. Kirupa is a talented web developer, designer, writer, and packs so much knowledge in his blog that you can learn how to create great web-based experiences on that content alone.

We discuss best ways to balance everything in one's life and still have a successful career, finding the right angles to change a team culture, making your hobby your career, and how to increase your likelihood of building more luck in the day-to-day activities.

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#80 - Web Development Is Theatre - Miriam Suzanne (CSS Working Group, OddBird)

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 12:00:00 GMT

One of the things that Miriam Suzanne realized early in her developer journey is that web development is a tool - she wanted to build a website for her theater company and ended up building a career and a company around it. And not just that, but she also joined the CSS Working Group - the official standards body that determines how the CSS stack evolves.

In this show, we talk about her early discovery of the power of the web, how she joins creativity with technical prowess, and how CSS is really like poetry written in the browser.

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#79 - How To Get Promoted To Tech Executive - Lena Reinhard (VP Engineering, CircleCI, Travis CI)

Tue, 28 May 2024 12:00:00 GMT

We often talk about promotions and growth, but the moment the conversation shifts towards paths to staff or executive positions, the advice goes blank. There is very little actionable information out there that can tell you how you can get to the highest echelons of leadership.

To get a clearer picture on this topic, I sat down with Lena Reinhard, a seasoned executive with an extensive track record at CircleCI, Travis CI, and more. Lena shares her insights on the best ways to accelerate career growth in the tech space, answer thorny questions, such as "Why are executives hired from the outside?" and provide some candid takes on why taking things slow sometimes can pay off in the end.

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#78 - I Left Hawai'i To Work In Startups, With Katie Fujihara

Tue, 14 May 2024 12:00:00 GMT

One's journey from their early career to working at startups in Silicon Valley can take many forms. Some folks take the more traditional route of joining a company right after college. Others get tired of their corporate life and decide to try something different. Katie Fujihara, an engineer and a technical program manager amalgam, decided that her journey to the heart of "startup land," San Francisco, would be an impromptu one - she just packed up her bags and set out on an adventure.

I am delighted to share with you this recording, where I talk to Katie about her early starts in Hawai'i, how working in engineering was not the end goal for her career journey, and what the best practices are for overcoming impostor syndrome.

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#77 - Write About The Things You Learned, With Rachel Andrew (Google)

Mon, 06 May 2024 12:00:00 GMT

For today's episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Rachel Andrew, arguably one of the more influential folks in the world of web development. With a career spanning over two decades, Rachel has left an indelible mark on the web developer community. From her groundbreaking work on CSS to her role as co-founder of Perch CMS (she spent 20 years as a freelancer and a business owner), Rachel's contributions have shaped the way we build and interact with the web.

Throughout her career, Rachel has not only demonstrated technical prowess but also a remarkable knack for empowering others through her writing (and now, her team's writing as well). As an acclaimed author, speaker, and advocate for web standards, she has tirelessly championed inclusivity and accessibility in the digital realm.

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#76 - Be OK Talking About Money, With Saron Yitbarek

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 12:00:00 GMT

One of the things that is a bit taboo to talk about, both in the tech industry and outside of it is money. People just aren't comfortable discussing openly the hard decisions that go into things like seeking funding, investing money into things that save you time, and scaling your own abilities with the help of, you guessed it, cold, hard, cash.

Saron Yitbarek, entrepreneur extraordinaire behind CodeNewbie and podcasts such as Command Line Heroes, generously accepted my invitation to chat and talk about all these things, and more. And of course, we talk about Saron's latest project - Big Cash Money 2024, something for folks that want to max out their income beyond just their salary.

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#75 - From Pandemic Pastime To Real VC-Funded Startup, with David Khourshid

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item, I had a conversation with David Khourshid, founder of Stately.AI. You might know him as @DavidKPiano on social media. Today, we're breaking new ground around unconventional paths of building an engineering career, entrepreneurship, and leveraging your audience as the potential first customers for your product. And of course - we talk a bit more about state machines (David is also the developer behind XState) and lessons learned from launching and growing a startup in the midst of a pandemic.

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#74 - Books, Remote Work, and Q&A, with Adrienne Tacke

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 12:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to The Work Item. Today we're exploring the ins and outs of remote work, writing, and community engagement with a show veteran, Adrienne Tacke. I'm delighted to welcome Adrienne back to the show, especially considering that since our last recording we received quite a few follow-up questions. Just like last time, Adrienne brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our discussion, especially when it comes to remote work culture. And today, we're adding a new twist: a dedicated Q&A segment where Adrienne will be addressing your burning questions directly.

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#73 - Put The Passion Aside And Go For The Market, with Rob Walling

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMT

If you've ever listened to Startups For The Rest Of Us (which, by the way, is approaching seven hundred episodes), you might already be familiar with the energetic host of the show - entrepreneur, bootstrapper, and podcaster extraordinaire Rob Walling. Rob and I chat about his early days as an employee, the transition from the more traditional path of working for someone to starting his own business, building MicroConf, and how the trifecta of skill, hard work, and luck can help folks be on a more predictable path to success.

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#72 - Give People What They Came For, with Jerod Santo

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 12:00:00 GMT

Today I got the pleasure to chat with Jerod Santo, the Managing Editor at Changelog Media. Picture this – a podcast that not only uncovers the intricacies of Jerod's career but also shares some unconventional lessons learned from his work. From navigating the ever-evolving tech landscape to spearheading Changelog, Jerod brings a wealth of experience that transcends your typical engineer expectations and taps into the heart of what it means to build a sustainable developer community.

In this candid conversation, discover the 'aha' moments, the challenges met head-on, and the behind-the-scenes tales that shaped Jerod's path. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just embarking on your tech adventure, join us for an episode that's not just an interview but a personal expedition through Jerod's experiences and the impact of his work on Changelog.

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Changelog Interviews 584: We're flipping the script – Listen on Changelog.com

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#71 - Going Solo As A Developer Educator, with Kent C. Dodds

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMT

Kent C. Dodds is a developer, educator, community organizer, and above all, a person that is passionate about making the world a better place by giving as many folks as possible the opportunity to learn web development. I sat down with Kent to chat more about his career, what bootstrapped his interest in programming, and what his takeaways from building his path as an entrepreneur are.

Just like me, you will quickly learn how his career is a testament to the power of passion, resilience, relentless pursuit of excellence, and most importantly - consistency.

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#70 - Building a Career In Developer Tools, with Kenneth Auchenberg

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Today, you're in for a treat as I sit down with Kenneth Auchenberg, a seasoned product manager - you might know him from his work at Microsoft on Visual Studio Code as well as on developer tools at Stripe. He is also a developer and overall a very nice person to know. Kenneth brings a wealth of experience to the table, especially when it comes to navigating the ins and outs of product management, shaping a career around developer tools, and trying his hand at angel investing.

In our conversation, we'll dive deep into the developer-centric aspects of product management, explore effective strategies for making decisions, and build a better understanding of the crucial role of developer tools. Kenneth will share his hands-on experiences, offering practical insights into the day-to-day challenges and victories of building and managing tools that resonate with developers.

Plus, we'll peek into the world of angel investing from a developer's perspective, dissecting the process of spotting promising startups and contributing to the growth of new ventures.

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#69 - Product Management In The Era Of Generative AI, with Shyvee Shi

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

In today's episode, I sat down with Shyvee Shi, a seasoned product leader with a wealth of experience in steering products from conception to market success. Shyvee has been at the forefront of industry trends, contributing significantly to the evolution of product management practices.

In this very insightful conversation, we explore the fundamental role of product managers and the intricate dance they perform between market demands, user needs, and technological possibilities. But that's not all – Shyvee will also share her unique perspectives on how generative AI is poised to revolutionize the landscape of product management. We explore how it's reshaping the way product managers envision, create, and bring products to life in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Whether you're a seasoned product professional or someone intrigued by the fascinating intersection of technology and product development, this episode is bound to spark your curiosity and broaden your understanding of the future of the discipline.

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#68 - Why You Need An Executive Coach, with Eric Nehrlich

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Recently I had the privilege of sitting down with Eric Nehrlich, a seasoned executive coach and thought leader in the realm of career development. Eric brings a wealth of experience and insights into the dynamics of leadership, organizational change, and the pivotal role that executive coaching plays in unlocking one's true potential.

In this episode, we're exploring the nuances of executive coaching, demystifying the process and shedding light on how individuals can break through the barriers that often hinder their career growth. Eric will share practical strategies and actionable advice on how to identify and overcome common roadblocks, enabling you to chart a path towards fulfilling your professional aspirations.

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#67 - Building Design Communities, with Grace Ling, UX Designer at Electronic Arts, and Founder of Design Buddies

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Grace Ling is a UX designer at Electronic Arts and the founder of the Design Buddies, one of the world's largest design communities. But among all the UX design and community work, Grace finds time to tackle many other ventures, like public speaking, content creation, 3D modelling, and traveling.

In this show, we discuss her recipes for balancing a large number of side hustles, overcoming challenges in bootstrapping a design community from scratch, and what's the best way to build a network early on in your career.

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#66 - Becoming The Best Product Manager You Can Be, with the CEO of Product School, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

What do you think are the top skills you need as a product manager? What is a product manager, to begin with? As a product manager myself, I could theorize a lot on these questions but instead I thought I'd ask someone who is not me, and has a wealth of experience in the field - the CEO of Product School, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia.

Carlos and I dive deep into the product management field, discussing the differences between PM categories, what it means to become the best PM one can be, and what the outlook is for the next five years for those who want to break into the field.

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#65 - Data, Impact, and Sustainability, with Jane Yang

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Jane Yang is a Senior Advisor for Data Analytics at the Administration for Children and Families, as well as an Impact Fellow at the Federation of American Scientists. If there is one person you want to talk about data, quantitative analysis, and merging those with qualitative insights the right way, she would be at the top of the list.

In this show, we talk about ways to find the balance between your passions and incentives in the tech industry, career seasonality, positive community impact, and recipes on measuring your personal growth and sustainability.

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Jane also maintains an extremely helpful repository for folks who want to break into the data science field: janejuenyang/welcome

The podcast was produced by Den Delimarsky. Music by Wataboi from Pixabay.

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#64 - Diving Into Industrial Design, with Anson Cheung

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Anson Cheung is a San Francisco-based industrial designer with more than ten years of experience shipping hardware. It's not often that we talk to someone who produces physical things, and naturally I was excited to learn more about what Anson works on and how we can discover pathways into an industrial design career track. In this show, we discuss Anson's origins, working with a large design firm vs. going solo, and what are some ways in which an aspiring industrial designer can hone their craft without investing thousands of dollars.

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#63 - Beyond Just Engineering Skills, with Adrienne Braganza Tacke

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode, I am talking to Adrienne Tacke, an author, engineer, and teacher. We discuss the intentionality in one's career trajectory, approaches to mentorship, and best ways to grow a combination of skills beyond technical acumen.

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#62 - Building Sustainable Practices, with Jason Fried

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Jason Fried is the co-founder and CEO of 37signals, the company behind Basecamp and Hey. I chat with Jason about his path to entrepreneurship, the lack of value in a lot of meetings, and generally building sustainable practices that enable businesses and their employees to thrive.

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#61 - Career Moats And Beyond, with Cedric Chin

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Welcome friends to the fourth season of The Work Item podcast. I am starting the yearly series with some fantastic guests, and today is no exception.

To start us off, I am chatting with Cedric Chin - the founder of the CommonCog blog and business series. You might've read some of Cedric's writing on career moats before (I know I have). Cedric has a wealth of experience in managing engineering teams and has embarked on a quest to build a deep understanding of business and development principles from the ground-up.

We're glad you're here, listening to this show. Enjoy!

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#60 - Defining A Force Multiplier, with Sam Saccone

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 12:00:00 GMT

When we choose our career path, we often try to optimize for one specific bucket - you're a product manager, or a project manager, or a UX designer, or any other variation of an expertise area in tech. Sam Saccone defies the expectations of a single role and instead believes in being a "plumber" - doing whatever work is necessary to enable others to do their own version of great work.

I sat down with Sam to learn more about his path to a Senior Staff Engineer at Google, what it means to brute-force your way through problems, and what the best avenues are to become a force multiplier for your team.

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#59 - Building On Your Own, with iOS Developer Donny Wals

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:00:00 GMT

Leaving your full-time job behind and starting your own business based on your own brand is a somewhat scary proposition. And yet, this is exactly what Donny Wals, a prolific iOS developer and technology teacher, is doing. In this episode I sat down with him to talk more about his work, what was his thinking in going solo, and what one needs to learn quickly in an ever-changing technology space.

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#58 - Becoming a Game Studio Co-Founder, with Moon Studios' Gennadiy Korol

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 12:00:00 GMT

Working on games is hard. It's even harder to go from an engineer to a founder of a game studio that is able to produce two blockbuster titles in a row. In today's show I chat with Moon Studios co-founder Gennadiy Korol about his work on Ori (if you're near an Xbox or a PC - the game is worth your time), learning the complexity of graphics engineering, and navigating the uncertainty that comes from starting a zero-to-one effort where you have nothing to fall back on.

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🐤 Twitter

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The podcast was produced by Den Delimarsky. Music by Wataboi from Pixabay.

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#57 - From Turbo Pascal to CodePen, with Chris Coyier

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 12:00:00 GMT

If you are a web developer, chances are that you used CodePen more than once. You're also probably very familiar with CSS-Tricks for, well, more than just CSS tricks. The man behind these experiences, Chris Coyier, actually started his journey some time ago with a programming language called Turbo Pascal - many steps removed from web development. I sat down with Chris to talk more about his career, lessons in getting CodePen out into the world, and so much more.

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#56 - Reverse Engineering The Halo API with Alexis from HaloDotAPI

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 12:00:00 GMT

If you ever played any of the Halo games, you probably know that there is a wealth of data being exchanged between the game and Halo services. This includes stats and so much more. If you've ever wanted to use those stats, you also probably ran into HaloDotAPI - a Halo API wrapper for Halo Infinite and Master Chief Collection. Behind all of this work is one individual - Alexis, or Zeny_IC (on both Twitter and Xbox Live).

Today I chat with Alexis about his early roots, what led him to explore reverse engineering as a viable career path, as well as what it took to actually figure out the Halo API.

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#55 - Open Source and Web Development, with Monica Powell

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 12:00:00 GMT

What does one need to do to make open-source code more approachable? How do you figure out which teams to join for maximum positive impact on your communities? And how do you build communities? These questions and more are the topic of my conversation with Monica Powell, software engineer extraordinaire, who also happens to be a GitHub Star - an exclusive group of contributors recognized for their outstanding work in the open-source software space!

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#54 - From Apple to Netflix, with Carola Nitz, Sr. Software Engineer at Netflix

Fri, 20 May 2022 12:00:00 GMT

Carola Nitz is a seasoned engineer who has been involved in a variety of complex projects - from VLC, to Apple Maps, and now working at Netflix on their iOS app experience. She also started her career by learning medical computer science - what a way to jump in!

In this episode, we're learning about her career, what helped her be successful, and how she thinks about the importance of jumps between projects and companies.

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#53 - Find Your Mentor And Complementary Skills, With Nicole Zhu, Senior Engineer At Vox Media

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 12:00:00 GMT

There are a few things in your engineering career that you should focus on relentlessly, but few as impactful as finding yourself a guide through the journey, as well as developing a set of complementary skills that can help accelerate your own trajectory. I chatted with Nicole Zhu, Senior Engineer at Vox Media, about the importance of mentorship, peer feedback (or any feedback, for that matter), and how skills that are not directly related to writing code can be more helpful to success than you anticipate.

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#52 - Grow Your Career in Data Science, with Nick Wan, Director of Analytics for Cincinnati Reds

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 12:00:00 GMT

I don't talk about data science enough on this show. To remedy that, I brought in a remarkable analytics and data science expert - Nick Wan, who is a director of analytics for the Cincinnati Reds. Yes - the baseball team. We chat about his track from academia to working for a sports team, and how to build a career outside your typical FAANG (or is it MANGA) scaffolding.

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#51 - Finding Your Engineering Passion, with Vicente Plata of 500 Startups LatAm, Shopify, and More

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 12:00:00 GMT

Vicente Plata is doing way more than one would expect from an engineering leader - not only is he an engineering manager, but he also advises startups and communities, is deeply involved in various mentorship programs, and is someone who is always eager to help.

In this episode we sit down to chat more about his aspirations, how he balances time between all the responsibilities, and what someone working in tech can do to accelerate their career on an exponential trajectory.

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#50 - Problem And Product Management, with Isaac Hepworth

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 12:00:00 GMT

Today I chat with a good friend, mentor, and an all-around great person - Isaac Hepworth. Isaac is the person you should go to if you want to learn more about what it means to achieve excellence in the product management space. We chat about the role of a problem solver, what it means to be a PM across different companies and titles, and what one can do to better prepare for an industry that changes by the day.

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#49 - Product Management in Government, with Director of Product Management for the City and County of San Francisco, Adrianna Tan

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 12:00:00 GMT

Despite starting a career in product management at one of the big companies, I'd never considered doing the same job for the government. Not because I didn't want to. Mainly, because I did not know that was even an option. As it turns out - it is, in fact, an option, and a pretty impactful one at that.

To learn more about this career trajectory, I chatted with Adrianna Tan, Director of Product Management for the City and County of San Francisco. She shares her journey - as a founder of startups and nonprofits, an avid hiker, and an advocate for an open web - and how it all combines in her work.

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#48 - The Story of Working In Developer Relations, with Dan Shaw

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 12:00:00 GMT

This is the brand-new start of the third season of The Work Item podcast, and to make the kick-off even better I sat down with our good friend of the show, Dan Shaw, to learn more about their career. Dan shares the story of bootstrapping a Developer Relations arm at PayPal, wisdom around career decisions, and much more in this episode.

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#47 - 2021 Reflections, Creativity, and More, with Mayuko Inoue

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 12:00:00 GMT

The end of 2021 is almost here, and it's time to wrap up the second season of The Work Item. And what better way to do that than to invite a good friend on the show to talk about their journey through the past 12 months? In this episode, I am chatting with Mayuko Inoue about all things 2021, the best choices in comfort foods, McDonald's french fries, thoughts on the content creator career path, and more.

We wanted to make this episode very informal, yet informative. To borrow Mayuko's intro to her own podcast, Muko's Corner (which you should subscribe to) - sit down, get cozy, grab a cup of tea, and enjoy the show!

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If you haven't yet seen Mayuko's "A Day In The Life of a Software Engineer" and "Why Japan Fell Behind in the Tech Industry" - add them to your watch queue!

As a side-note, you can also check out my interview with Mayuko on her channel.

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#46 - From Journalism to Developer Engagement, with Christina Warren

Sun, 5 Dec 2021 12:00:00 GMT

The myth of the superhero programmer - we often hear about it, but it's rarely the reality. Being a superhero on a team takes more than just technical chops, and that's one of the topics that I chat about today with Senior Developer Advocate at Microsoft - Christina Warren. You might've seen Christina before on This Week on Channel 9, or even back in the day - at Gizmodo and Mashable.

This episode ended up being less of a career chat and more of a friendly exchange about the latest happenings and what we can learn from them. Yes, we even talk a bit about the re-released Grand Theft Auto: The Definitive Edition.

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And if you want to see more of Clippy (the beloved Office assistant) come to life, you absolutely have to help Christina get to 10,000 followers on Instagram.

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#45 - Startups, Growth, and A Quest to Build People-focused Companies, with Jennifer Kim

Sun, 28 Nov 2021 12:00:00 GMT

The decision to join a startup or a big company is not an easy one - you have to weigh many factors that go beyond just the financial side of things. In this episode, I talk to Jennifer Kim, a seasoned startup advisor with a lot of experience dealing with these kinds of decisions and more. Jennifer also specializes in the people part of the startup equation - arguably, one of the hardest ones. We chat about the current challenges startups encounter in this space, why it's important to build a diverse workforce, and what one individual can do to be a changemaker in their company's culture.

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#44 - So What Is Product Marketing, with Isaac Levin

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 12:00:00 GMT

You've probably heard of the many types of PM - project managers, product managers, and even program managers. But did you also know that there is a PMM - product marketing manager? I wasn't quite sure what the responsibilities of one would be, so I reached out to Isaac Levin - Principal Product Marketing Manager at Elastic, and asked him to talk about his work.

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Make sure to also check out Isaac's podcast - Coffee and Open Source.

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#43 - Ins And Outs Of Developer Advocacy, with Brian Douglas

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Developer Advocacy is a relatively new field, but when it comes to knowing how to navigate it, Brian Douglas' knowledge is second to none. As Director of Developer Advocacy at GitHub, he is at the forefront of a lot of the developer engagement efforts - from understanding the pain points of those that use GitHub, to advocating for new initiatives and programs.

I sit down with Brian to learn more about what it takes to be a great developer advocate, how one can break into the field, and how you measure success in the role. Suffice to say - it was a packed conversation and we needed more time and maybe even a future follow-up to cover everything.

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Also, check out This Developing Story and Jamstack Radio - both podcasts that Brian runs!

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#42 - Building The World You Want To See, with Jeff Atwood

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Whether you are new in the tech industry or are a veteran developer, chances are that you've used a product that Jeff Atwood worked on. I'm talking about Stack Overflow and Discourse, of course. When it comes to building communities and fostering good conversations, Jeff took an unusual position - steer the conversation towards finding the best in people, argue ideas and not people, and ultimately, contribute to a world that's just a bit better. How does it all work? Jeff elaborates in this episode.

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As called-out on the show, you should check out Discourse, along with the Meta and Boing Boing communities.

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#41 - Why Big Tech Is Not For Me, with Chloe Shih

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Despite what your LinkedIn feed might tell you, a career in FAANG is not the only way to grow in tech. Or even get started in tech, for that matter. There are many variables in play that can help you determine what career track to pursue, but none more important than the answer to your own "Why?"

That's why today I am talking to Chloe Shih, a product manager and content creator, about her journey to a product manager role, struggles along the way, and the realization that work in Big Tech might not be all that interesting or impactful.

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#40 - Engineering and Team Empathy, with Amro Mousa

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Management, and especially engineering management, is way more than just telling others what to build. Talking to Amro Mousa, an engineering manager at Twitter, it becomes evident that a key ingredient to a good team is empathy. In this episode, I learn from him on what the best way is to lead with empathy in a team, and how one should think about the management track as a potential avenue in their career.

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🐤 Twitter

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#39 - Focus on Delivering Value, with Dan Shaw

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 12:00:00 GMT

In the sea of shiny technology objects (I am talking frameworks, tools, libraries, and many others), Dan Shaw has been pretty opinionated - focus on delivering value to the customer first, and tools second. In this episode, I sit down with Dan to learn more about this approach, and how he applied it in his career and work with the Node.js community - after all, he's known as the Godfather of Node.js.

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#38 - Becoming a Polymath, with Salman Ansari

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 12:00:00 GMT

From the early days - when we are growing up, to when we go to school, we tend to be involved in a lot of activities. From sports to music, painting, and coding classes. But as we grow up, we tend to specialize. One is a product manager, or a Python programmer, or even a doctor.

According to my good friend Salman Ansari, this is where we have an opportunity to break out of the typical norms and become a polymath - a person with extensive knowledge in several domains. In this episode, I learn more about Salman's career, as well as his take on how someone can become a polymath.

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#37 - Be A Builder, With Jack Zerby

Sun, 27 Jun 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Last time I chatted with Jack, I had pages of questions I still wanted to ask - with this episode, I attempt to address that backlog. And the more I talked to Jack, the more I realized that the theme of his entire career is - "be a builder." As someone who started and worked at many startups, he sure knows first-hand how to do that well and in a way that is sustainable.

Today, we talk about his work at Vimeo, what it means to collaborate with others, and how to build a network of folks that are there when you need them most.

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#36 - Diving Into Open Source Engineering, with Jenn Creighton

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 12:00:00 GMT

There is a bit of a chasm between requirements for building open source projects and those that are designed to be closed. Not surprisingly, it also requires a different set of skills altogether if you want to do it right.

To learn more about this, I sat down with Jenn Creighton, Senior Staff Open Source Engineer at Apollo GraphQL. Jenn has been building scalable web experiences at companies such as Ralph Lauren, Chartbeat, and ClassPass, and is now leading the work on one of the most interesting and active open projects out there.

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#35 - From Pre-Med To Product Management, with Janine Co

Sun, 6 Jun 2021 12:00:00 GMT

I often hear about folks moving from engineering to product management and back. Others make the transition from marketing and sales to product management. In a first for this show, today I talk to Janine Co, a product manager who recently joined the Microsoft Teams team, who also happened to switch from following a pre-med path to one in product.

What things did she consider when making the switch? What did Janine do to build a network from scratch? It's all in this episode.

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#34 - Busting Career Myths with Laurie Barth

Sun, 30 May 2021 12:00:00 GMT

There are thousands of blog posts, tutorials, and videos that tell you what engineering careers are about, how you should be thinking about your dream job, and promotion trajectory. In this sea of content, it's often hard to separate the common from the edge case.

In this episode, I talk to Laurie Barth, a renowned technologist and Senior Software Engineer at Netflix, about the myths we encounter in our careers, and what we can do to think about growth in a sustainable way.

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#33 - Engineering In A News Organization And Beyond, with Nicole Tibaldi

Sun, 16 May 2021 12:00:00 GMT

What lessons can you take away from a music degree and bring into engineering management? How do engineers work with folks in the newsroom at one of the biggest news organizations on the planet?

Nicole Tibaldi, Senior Engineering Manager at The New York Times (yes, that The New York Times) is here to tell us more about these things, her work, career, and how to foster a culture where your team feels included.

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#32 - Camille Fournier on Engineering Management Paths

Sun, 09 May 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Setting your sights high for a career in engineering management might be an appealing endeavor, but it also means that you will be making a lot of assumptions about future roles without really knowing what those roles are truly about.

In this episode, I sit down with Camille Fournier - a veteran CTO, speaker, and entrepreneur, to learn more about ways to map out the path to becoming a CTO (or not).

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If you haven't yet, make sure to check out Camille's book - The Manager's Path.

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#31 - Lessons In Leadership, with Chad Fowler, VP of Technology at DEVCON

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Talking to Chad Fowler, you quickly realize what true leadership means. Chad has extensive experience leading large technical organizations such as LivingSocial and 6Wunderkinder, being a venture partner at BlueYard Capital, and now - helping make the Internet safer as Chief Product Officer at DEVCON. Did I mention that Chad also is a musician?

In this episode, I talk to Chad about his work, lessons learned from music and travel and how those apply to life and career, and what is the approach to consider for one to carve out a path towards an executive role.

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Make sure to also check out Chad's book - The Passionate Programmer.

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#30 - Creativity in Code and Beyond, with Monica Dinculescu, Engineer Extraordinaire

Sun, 18 Apr 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Folks often forget that engineering is inherently a very creative process. Monica Dinculescu found her own niche where she can build impactful things and do it in some of the most unusual ways possible.

An excellent engineer, creative thinker, and fellow Eastern European by origin, Monica joins me today to talk about the things she learned as she figured out her career path.

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Make sure to also check out Tim Holman's work, that Monica recommended during the show!

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#29 - Building Things You Love, with Ben Sandofsky, Head of Development for Halide

Sun, 11 Apr 2021 12:00:00 GMT

From Pascal, to writing image processing code, if there is one word you absolutely can't use to describe Ben Sandofsky's career, it would be "uneventful." He was one of the first mobile engineers at Twitter, had a stint helping build Periscope, and ultimately ventured into unexplored territory to finish a photo app he always wanted, that later became Halide.

In this episode, I sit down with Ben to get a better understanding of the decisions he made in his career, and what were the critical turning points that made him start his own studio - Lux.

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While at it, you should check out Halide and Spectre - the must-have camera apps for iOS!

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#28 - The Art of Engineering Management, with Rebecca Murphey, EM at Stripe

Sun, 4 Apr 2021 12:00:00 GMT

From all the questions I get asked, this one comes up quite often - "How do I become an engineering manager?" While I don't know the answer myself, I think I have an idea of who might have the insights on this topic.

Rebecca Murphey tried a lot of things on her way to becoming an engineering manager at Stripe - from journalism to advertisement, and even learning how to fly.

In this episode, I sit down with Rebecca to learn more about her path, what were the important lessons learned in her non-tech career that helped her be an efficient engineering leader, and what aspiring engineering managers can start doing today to figure out if this career track is for them.

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#27 - How to Build a Career in Human Resources, with David Daniels

Sun, 21 Mar 2021 12:00:00 GMT

There is a certain air of mystery around careers in Human Resources (HR), and David Daniels, who is a veteran HR leader in tech, is here to bring some clarity about the work.

David has extensive experience being in HR at Microsoft, Pinterest, and now - Snapchat. He shares his insights about going from education to leadership in some of the most prominent tech companies, fighting against the fixed mindset, and uncommon recommendations for folks wanting to get started with their careers.

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The podcast was produced by Den Delimarsky. Transcript for the podcast was created by Tiffany Delimarsky. Music by Wataboi from Pixabay.

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#26 - How to Grow as a Product Manager, with Dan Olsen

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 12:00:00 GMT

There is no single, well-defined path to becoming a product manager. There are more questions than answers when it comes to figuring out which skills are necessary, what books or blog posts to read, or which courses to take.

Dan Olsen, the author of "The Lean Product Playbook," former product leader at Intuit, Friendster, Box, and the US Navy (he worked on submarine design) shares with us some insights on what it means to grow as a product manager.

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Make sure to sign up for Dan's upcoming Lean Product Management online workshop on April 20, 2021.

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#25 - How to Build a Career in Design and Pitch Gary Vee, with Jack Zerby

Sun, 7 Mar 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Jack Zerby is not your typical designer. His experience producing music, working at Pentagram and Frog, building startups, pitching to Gary Vee, and now - building tools for creators at Gumroad, puts him square in the middle of a very uncommon career path.

In this episode, I chat with Jack to learn more about what motivated him to grow his career, how to break into design, how to make the transition from a big company to a startup, and what does it mean to build compelling narratives in deck format.

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Make sure to check out Jack's upcoming Design for Decks workshop to change the way you think about presentations.

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#24 - Building Communities with Jess Lee

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Jess Lee is the co-founder of dev.to - a developer community that emphasizes the importance of a friendly approach to guiding folks through the tumultuous waters of software development.

In this episode, we chat about Jess' career, the journey to founding Forem - the open-source platform powering large communities, and her experience building successful distributed teams.

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Check out the resources Jess recommended in the show:

The podcast was produced by Den Delimarsky. Music by Wataboi from Pixabay.

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#23 - From Servers, Phones, and Voice Assistants to Space with Charlie Kindel

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Charlie Kindel is a tech industry veteran who helped bootstrap, grow, and manage teams that built home servers, phones, voice assistants, home automation software, and hopefully soon - space technologies.

In this episode, we dive a bit deeper into Charlie's approach to product ideation and design, discuss the importance of having a principled organization, and ask questions about his most recent adventure around space.

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The podcast was produced by Den Delimarsky and Courtny Cotten. Music by Wataboi from Pixabay.

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#22 - Paige Bailey on Building a Career In Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Mon, 1 Feb 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Paige Bailey is one of the few Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) experts who is able to convey complex technical topics in an easy-to-understand and relatable language. Her Twitter feed is full of AI/ML paper recommendations, open source projects, and insights about the ever-evolving tech space.

What was her journey like to a career in a very complex domain? What does it mean to build an inclusive AI? This week, we sit down with Paige to learn from her experience.

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#21 - Mayuko Inoue on Building a Content Creator Career Path

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Mayuko Inoue made a bold step by defying the stereotypical career path of a software engineer, and became a full-time content creator. Her videos on YouTube answer some of the more salient questions that are almost never covered in your typical coding tutorials and overviews.

What was behind this career decision and what were the lessons learned? How do you build a healthy community, and develop a good work-life balance? We talk to Mayuko about her personal take on the unique trajectory she's carving, as well as the lessons learned along the way.

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#20 - Scott Hanselman on Intentionality

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Our first episode of the year is with the one and only Scott Hanselman. We tried to come up with a catchy title, but the entire episode could be summarized in one word - intentionality.

We discuss Scott's foray into TikTok, building your own definition of success, and fostering strong relationships with people around you.

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#19 - Wrap Up Episode For 2020

Sun, 20 Dec 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Den and Courtny reflect on the year we just went through, and discuss our plans for 2021. There is a lot to be thankful for, and we had quite a year kickstarting a new podcast from scratch.

This also happens to be the last episode of Season 1.

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We're excited to see what 2021 brings, with more interviews and interesting topics! In the meantime, catch up with us on Twitter:

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#18 - Megan Risdal on Building a Career at the Intersection of Data Science and Product Management

Sun, 22 Nov 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Right before the Thanksgiving break, we are releasing a fresh new episode with Megan Risdal, Product Lead at Kaggle. Megan took the multi-talented route to the career she has today, and enjoys every bit of it.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of being a multi-dimensional professional in a product role, finding the best ways to collect customer feedback, and building communities at scale.

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You can find Megan online on Twitter, Kaggle, and her blog:

As mentioned on the show, Megan also recently published a blog post on the nVidia blog, titled "How Kaggle Makes GPUs Accessible to 5 Million Data Scientists" - check it out!

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#17 - Christos Matskas on Going From Consulting to Corporate and Building Identity Tools

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In a surprising twist, this week we chat with Christos Matskas on two topics - transitioning from consulting life to a corporate life, as well as building identity tools and services in the cloud.

Christos goes in depth about the aspects of his previous jobs that brought him to a fulfilling career at Microsoft, and then gives us a crash course on why it's important to use professionally-managed identity services in your applications instead of rolling your own solution.

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#16 - Bill Kenney on Building Brands That Last

Sun, 08 Nov 2020 12:00:00 GMT

This weekend, we go outdoors with Bill Kenney, co-founder of Focus Lab, a branding agency that is entirely remote. We talk to Bill about the importance of a good brand and what distinguishes professionals from amateurs in the field.

This also happens to be the first time we chat with someone who knows the ins and outs of branding, so lessons learned all around.

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You can learn more about the work Focus Lab does on https://focuslabllc.com.

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#15 - Tarun Gangwani on Innovation, Navigating Product Decisions, and Building Growth Engines

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 12:00:00 GMT

We sit down to chat with Tarun Gangwani, Senior Product Manager at Sanity.io. Tarun is a seasoned PM with tons of expertise to share about the product management domain.

With previous experience at Twitch, where he oversaw the entire lifecycle of a developer using extensions and data services to create engaging and personalized viewing and streaming experiences, Tarun is talking about lessons learned, differences between startup and large company environments, along with the ways in which product managers can broaden the understanding of their products and customer needs.

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#14 - Interview with Richard Lander

Sun, 18 Oct 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item we interview Richard Lander, Principal Program Manager on the .NET team at Microsoft. Richard does a deep dive on communication, being a generalist vs. specialist, and growing one's career.

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https://twitter.com/runfaster2000

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#13 - Interview with Amanda Silver

Sun, 27 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item we interview Amanda Silver, Corporate Vice President, Developer Division at Microsoft. We discuss the process of building great developer tools, the human element in product design, and career advice for the long run.

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https://twitter.com/amandaksilver

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#12 - Interview with Christina Weng

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item we interview Christina Weng, product designer at Facebook, about building a career in user experience design from scratch.

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📝 https://christinaweng.com

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#11 - Interview with Eric Martel

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 12:00:00 GMT

We're back after a week-long hiatus with an interview. This time, we chat with Eric Martel, Director of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Eidos-Montréal. We revisit some of the great games of the past, talk about console development considerations for modern games, and dig into how artificial intelligence and machine learning are going to revolutionize the engineering process.

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#10 - Interview with Sara Chipps

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item, we interview Sara Chipps, Director of Public Q&A at Stack Overflow. Sara is also the founder of JewelBots, a company that provides electronic building kits for young inventors.

We chat with Sara about community feedback, engineering management career tracks, and building tools for STEM inclusivity.

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#9 - Interview with Philipp Cannons

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item, we interview Philipp Cannons, CEO and founder of PMFIT.AI - a startup that aims to accelerate product success. Philipp talks about his experience starting a business from scratch and building a deep understanding of large organizations.

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Twitter
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#8 - Interview with Charmaine Lee

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item, we interview Charmaine Lee, product manager intern at Microsoft, and a friend of the show. Charmaine talks about her experiences breaking into tech, building projects for fun, and being engaged in local tech scenes.

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Twitter
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#7 - Interview with Dan Fernandez

Sun, 5 Jul 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Work Item, we interview Dan Fernandez, VP of Product for Developer Services at Salesforce. Dan, a tech veteran, talks about product management, skill stacking, and building great developer experiences.

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Twitter
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And if you're curious about the archived blog post that we mentioned on the show where Dan is blonde, it's still online!

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#6 - Interview with Matt Swanson

Sun, 28 Jun 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Today, we have the honor of having an in-depth conversation with Matt Swanson, a software engineer at SEP, on engineering best practices, design systems, and managing complexity.

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And of course, we couldn't wrap up this post without giving a shout-out to Matt's project - Boring Rails.

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#5 - Interview with Jin Yang

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 12:00:00 GMT

A virtual fireside chat with Jin Yang, VP of design at CapitalOne. We discuss leadership, building great teams, and wrap up the show with food place recommendations.

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#4 - Interview with Clint Rutkas

Sun, 3 May 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Courtny Cotten and Den Delimarsky chat with Clint Rutkas about PowerToys - a fantastic set of utilities for Windows power users.

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#3 - Interview with April Speight

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Courtny Cotten and Den Delimarsky chat with April Speight, Senior Developer Advocate at Microsoft, about social media, writing Python books for kids and more.

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#2 - Career Starts

Sun, 5 Apr 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What is it like to start as a designer or a product manager? In this episode, Courtny and Den talk about their own journey in the tech industry, from the very early days!

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#1 - Remote Work

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work away from a tall office building in a large metropolis? Courtny and Den dive into this topic and more in the inaugural episode of The Work Item podcast!

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