22 january 2016
I think that is what a computer science--what a formal education--gives you, is the ability to pick up another language when you have to, really easily.
A few links for those who might be in a similar mindset as me lately.
- On how to approach a change from engineering into management
- A seriously great talk from Camille Fournier (CTO, Rent the Runway) on being a multiplier of good
I thought for a long time that I wanted to continue in the technical path for as far as it'll take me. I was utterly thrilled at Google to see how clearly the engineering paths went up with as much prestige and importance as the managerial roles, and continue to be frustrated with other companies that do not place such a premium on their developers. Even if I do begin to consider engineering management as a viable option (do I?), I suspect I'll continue to push, perhaps even harder, for the position of technical expertise to be elevated in some ways. (I think here, that in the burgeoning tech economy of my little college town, I will always be comparing our positions with the ability to become so highly valued in Bay Area and NY, and yet, I also cringe to think that I'm yearning to encourage the type of entitled behavior that comes out of young HNers. Basecamp does a pretty good job offering an alternative dream comparison.)
I'll note that this ambitious thought pattern as of late is most likely spurred by two things. First, I think that going back to work after the birth of Nora and Bea, though I never truly doubted I would, does make me more concerned that what I'm doing is Worthwhile in some way, that I'm being ambitious enough to merit time away from them, and not just whiling away the time. Second, I've been highly enjoying a few different Slack instances. We have one at work that was my gateway drug, and almost immediately spawned a passionate appreciation for the software and the team that creates it. The Atlanta community started tech404, which has been a great resource for me to connect with some of the great folks that work at places like Mailchimp and Big Nerd Ranch and constantly remind me that midtown Atlanta in particular is doing very cool things. From there, I got sucked into some huge Slacks, with members from across the country and the world: Women in Technology, Rands Leadership, and a tech moms Slack started by Jean Hsu, though it's mostly Silicon Valley folks. After all that chatter, it's come back around for me, to a little ol' Slack created here in Athens, for the developers community here: Classic City Devs. It's been nice finding and talking to folks that have so many different facets of my identity in common with me, especially ladies in technology, which reminds me of old friends with whom I've fallen out of touch by way of geographical distance. Miss you, Shirley, Casey, Pallavi, Suzanne!
