2017 is not necessarily going to be an easy year, so I want to focus on the things that I can control, the positive impacts that I can have, and looking for opportunities for cupcakes.
Read MoreWriting is an important skill to have in a variety of professional contexts, and while there certainly are differences between writing an email to your boss, writing a blog post, and writing a book, there are also common skills between them that can help level up your written communication across the board.
Read MoreI wanted to make sure I was being mindful and deliberate about how I interact with the people around me. Am I choosing to act in ways that I know will be beneficial to my coworkers? It takes time to develop trust and empathy in a new group, but there are a couple questions you can ask yourself to help understand how to better work and interact with the new people around you.
Read MoreGiving and receiving feedback can both be quite tricky - these are the squishy, interpersonal, feelings sorts of things that we're not necessarily the best at. But these interpersonal skills are part of what differentiate mature or senior engineers, so it's important that we practice them whenever we can.
Read MoreSometimes we want to quit things, but quitting things can be hard. Often times, the reasons we shy away from quitting something come down to fear, and it can be very helpful to figure out where that fear is coming from. As difficult as it can be, quitting things is a great way of helping to keep your life balanced, fulfilling, and healthy.
Read MoreAfter years of negative environments, in an effort to avoid getting stuck in a toxic and unhealthy atmosphere again, brains can get so far into constant vigilance mode that they go too far and end up struggling to trust anything, which can be unhealthy and isolating itself. Regaining trust after it's been broken is hard, whether that's trust in another person, the tech industry, or yourself. It takes time, but as a helpful twitter bot has also reminded me, it is possible.
Read MoreI always feel like I still have to do more, still have to prove myself, prove that I'm technical, prove that I'm competent, prove that I belong. I want to see an industry where we can all start supporting each other more, questioning each other less, and working towards a world where more people can feel like they are, in fact, "good enough".
Read MoreSaying no to more things allows me to do better at the things I choose to say yes to. Remember that you couldn't realistically say yes to every single opportunity that comes along even if you did want to do them all. In an industry that isn't necessarily going to treat you well or value your contributions, being able to do these things yourself and take care of your own physical, mental, and emotional health becomes even more critical.
Read MoreMy routines for public speaking, looking at talk preparation, travel and logistics strategies, and things to think about doing before, at, and after a conference.
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