The Work Item - A Podcast About Unconventional Career Advice

#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.

You can find Saron on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find David and his work on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Adrienne on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Rob on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Jerod on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Kent on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Kenneth on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Shyvee on the following sites:

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

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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 Erich Nehrlich, a seasoned executive coach and thought leader in the realm of career development. Erich 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. Erich 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.

You can find Eric on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Grace on the following sites:

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

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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 that want to break into the field.

You can find Carlos on the following sites:

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

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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 own passions and incentives in the tech industry, career seasonality, positive community impact, and recipes on measuring your own personal growth and sustainability.

You can find Jane on the following sites:

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.

You can find Anson on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Adrienne on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Jason on the following sites:

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

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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!

You can find Cedric on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Sam on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Donny on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Gennadiy on the following sites:

🐤 Twitter

You can learn more about Gennadiy's work as well:

The podcast was produced by Den. 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.

You can find Chris on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Alexis on the following sites:

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

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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!

You can find Monica on the following sites:

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

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#54 - From Apple to Netflix, with Carola Nitz

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.

You can find Carola on the following sites:

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

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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 develop 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.

You can find Nicole on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Nick on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Vicente on the following sites:

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

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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 be achieving 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.

You can find Isaac on the following sites:

🐤 Twitter

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

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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’ve never considered to do the same job but working 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 non-profits, an avid hiker and an advocate for an open web, and how it all combines in her work.

You can find Adrianna on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Dan on the following sites:

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

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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, McDonalds 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!

You can find Mayuko on the following sites:

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.

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

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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.

You can find Christina on the following sites:

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.

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

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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, as one has to consider 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.

You can find Jennifer on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Isaac on the following sites:

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

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

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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.

You can find Brian on the following sites:

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

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

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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.

You can find Jeff on the following sites:

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

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

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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.

You can find Chloe on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Amro on the following sites:

🐤 Twitter

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

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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 Shawhas 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.

You can find Dan on the following sites:

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

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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, 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.

You can find Salman on the following sites:

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

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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 pagesof 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.

You can find Jack on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Jenn on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Janine on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find Laurie on the following sites:

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

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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 organization on the planet?

Nicole Tibaldi, Senior Engineering Manager at The New York Times (yes, thatThe 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.

You can find Nicole on the following sites:

The podcast was produced by Den Delimarsky. Music by Wataboifrom Pixabay.

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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).

You can find Camille on the following sites:

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

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

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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.

You can find Chad on the following sites:

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

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

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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.

You can find Monica on the following sites:

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

The podcast was produced by Den Delimarsky. Music by Wataboifrom Pixabay.

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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.

You can find Ben on the following sites:

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

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

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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 Murpheytried 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.

You can find Rebecca on the following sites:

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

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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.

You can find David on the following sites:

The podcast was produced by Den 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.

You can find Dan on the following sites:

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

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

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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 Zerbyis 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.

Make sure to check out Jack’s upcoming Design for Decksworkshop to change the way you think about presentations.

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

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#24 - Building Communities with Jess Lee

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Jess Leeis 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.

The podcast was produced by Den Delimarskyand Courtny Cotten. 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.

The podcast was produced by Den Delimarskyand 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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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 our Season 1.

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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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#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 about building identity tools and services in the cloud.

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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.

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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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#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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#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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#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 re-visit some of the gream 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 and 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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#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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#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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#6 - Interview with Matt Swanson

Sun, 28 Jun 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Today, we had 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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#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

In this episode, Den and Courtny are talking about their career starts.

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#1 - Remote Work

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Courtny Cotten and Den Delimarsky talk about what it takes to work remotely, along with some tips and best practices.