Hello Internet friends. I’ve missed you.
A new weblog is both a roar and a whimper. It is a roar as the author plants a flag in the ground and definitively states “I have something to say”. It is a whimper because there is no audience and therefore nobody listening.
I blogged for seven years as a cognitive neuroscientist at prefrontal.org. Across 117 posts I discussed everything from mundane current events to deep dives on scientific topics. Some percentage of those posts are of questionable quality, but there were a few gems in the mix. My weblog work introduced me to some amazing people, got me invited to conferences, and led to a few invited papers.
It has been eight years since my last blog post. Why (re)start now? Why scream into the Internet void at all?
Maybe I have something to say again. Maybe.
I’ve been in the software industry for over ten years. I have had several successes and an even greater number of failures. I have worked as an engineer and as a manager I have worked at small startups and the largest companies in the world. I have embarrassed myself in front of CEOs and vice presidents. I have been promoted due to skill and promoted due to luck. I have also had role models who demonstrated both what to do and what not to do. Putting it all together, I finally have experiences to share that are worthwhile.
So, if I have something to say, then who am I speaking to? Who is the audience?
Ultimately, I think I am writing for myself, ten years ago. I would love for this to be the weblog I wish I had when I first got into software management.
As I stepped into management for the first time two things became immediately clear. First, I was in way over my head. I just didn’t have the skills or previous experience to make management immediately successful. Every day was an effortful push to figure things out. Second, my own blissful ignorance is what enabled me to say “yes” when I was asked to lead my first software group. It is also what enabled me to carry on when the going got tough over the next few years.
There were a handful of books and weblogs that were critical in those early days. They helped orient me to the role, taught me what to value, and helped me avoid some rookie mistakes. These resources helped me scramble up the learning curve far more quickly. Today, ten years later, I give those authors a huge amount of credit for their assistance.
Now, it’s my turn to give something back.
Photo: A view to the south from the top of Gaviota Peak in the Santa Ynez mountains.