Developer Tea

Jonathan Cutrell

Developer Tea exists to help driven developers connect to their ultimate purpose and excel at their work so that they can positively impact the people they influence. With over 13 million downloads to date, Developer Tea is a short podcast hosted by Jonathan Cutrell (@jcutrell), co-founder of Spec and Director of Engineering at PBS. We hope you'll take the topics from this podcast and continue the conversation, either online or in person with your peers. Twitter: @developertea :: Email: developertea@gmail.com read less
TechnologyTechnology

Episodes

Better Low-Information Estimates - Putting the "Scientific" in SWAG
17-12-2024
Better Low-Information Estimates - Putting the "Scientific" in SWAG
How can you create better scientific wild a** guesses when the work is not well defined? We discuss a few strategies in this episode. We also talk a bit about what an estimate is in the first place, and how it differs from a commitment / deadline.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.
Using ChatGPT for Career Experience Simulations - LLMs and Direct Simulations for Faster Career Experience Gains
03-12-2024
Using ChatGPT for Career Experience Simulations - LLMs and Direct Simulations for Faster Career Experience Gains
Can you use ChatGPT to become a better engineer? I'm not just talking about learning a language or fixing a bug with ChatGPT providing advice... I'm talking about career simulations. In this episode we discuss how the airline industry has fixed the problem of experience, and how we can learn from their insights to create low-stakes learning environments that boost our career and confidence through the roof.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.
Improve Your Chances In Your Engineering Job Search Using the Scientific Method with Brian Pulliam
14-08-2024
Improve Your Chances In Your Engineering Job Search Using the Scientific Method with Brian Pulliam
I'm joined today by Brian Pulliam. I've personally engaged Brian as a career coach. In this discussion we'll talk a bit about coaching, and about how you can set yourself up to become a much better candidate in your job search as an engineering leader.Values Exercise Live:Jonathan and Brian perform a live exercise, transforming company core values into interview questions.Discussing the importance of aligning your experiences with the values that a company holds."I'm going to do this live right now with you, actually. I think it'll be a cool exercise..."Advanced Interview Techniques:How to handle unexpected questions by paraphrasing.Preparing for common interview questions derived from company values."You should convert every single one of those core values into a question that starts with tell me about a time when you demonstrated X."Finding a Way to Succeed:The importance of creative problem solving in leadership.Examples of finding efficient solutions to technical problems without writing code."With zero lines of code...the ops team just reconfigured a job to run more often."Effective Storytelling in Interviews:How to use stories to demonstrate competencies and cultural fit.The role of storytelling in making a lasting impression on interviewers."Stories move the world...people write $50 million dollar checks to startup founders based on stories."Building a Culture of Excellence:Strategies for fostering a high-performance team environment.Reflections on leadership and creating positive workplace dynamics."We provide stable, fast, low friction developer experiences for all engineering teams at Zillow."🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: UnblockedYour developers know how to write code. What they’re missing is the context to know what code to write. Unblocked gives engineering teams the answers they need to get their jobs done – without having to wait on or interrupt their teammates. Get started for free at getunblocked.com.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.
Improve Your Chances In Your Engineering Job Search Using the Scientific Method with Brian Pulliam
08-08-2024
Improve Your Chances In Your Engineering Job Search Using the Scientific Method with Brian Pulliam
I'm joined today by Brian Pulliam. I've personally engaged Brian as a career coach. In this discussion we'll talk a bit about coaching, and about how you can set yourself up to become a much better candidate in your job search as an engineering leader.Introduction to Career Coaching:What is a career coach and how they differ from a manager or mentor.Brian Pulliam shares his journey from tech to becoming an athletics coach."I was in tech for about 26 years...being an athletics coach with my wife...I sought out my own career coach."The Value of Career Coaching:How a career coach can provide objective, unfiltered feedback.The benefits of having an advocate without conflicts of interest."As a career coach, you know, I'm self-employed...no conflict of interest, maybe with your own boss."Strategies for Career Growth:The importance of optimizing your career path like you would optimize code.Using career coaching to navigate sticky situations and grow professionally."We optimize for memory, right? We optimize for CPU...coaches can help you learn how to optimize."Interview Tactics and Mindset:The value of authenticity in interviews and presenting your true self.Why technical proficiency isn't the only factor in landing a job.How asking the right questions can set you apart from other candidates."The person who starts writing code right away...is almost certainly not perceived as a senior developer."Preparing for Market Fluctuations:Understanding the cyclical nature of the tech job market.How to prepare for job changes even when you’re happily employed.The analogy of tech hiring seasons and being ready for winter."Tech has hiring seasons...the challenge with the hiring seasons in tech...they are of indeterminate length."Building a Resilient Career:Insights into maintaining career readiness and job security.The importance of continual learning and adapting to market demands."Test your ability to get a new job when you don't need a new job...the power you have when you go into an interview and you are happily employed."Real-life Examples and Lessons:Brian’s personal experiences with layoffs and career transitions.Practical advice on leveraging your network and resources."My very first job out of school...I got laid off very unexpectedly...26 years between layoffs."Preparing for Interview Questions:How to handle unexpected questions by paraphrasing.Preparing for common interview questions derived from company values."You should convert every single one of those core values into a question that starts with tell me about a time when you demonstrated X."🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: UnblockedYour developers know how to write code. What they’re missing is the context to know what code to write. Unblocked gives engineering teams the answers they need to get their jobs done – without having to wait on or interrupt their teammates. Get started for free at getunblocked.com.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.