Posts Tagged ‘LinkedIn’

LinkedIn Insight: Adding VR to a Website

Posted: October 5, 2024 in Development, Web
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From a recent LinkedIn Insight – aka “give us your advice in 750 characters or less” – submission:

Question:

You’re tasked with integrating VR into a web app on a tight budget. How can you make it happen?

My response:

Ask why. Before you even get started, analyze the costs and the alternatives. Align those with the needs of the stakeholders. VR has such a small market penetration the spend may not be worth it. Others have mentioned 360 video, which is also viewable on a phone, tablet, and regular browser – that may be a better alternative. [Almost] every project that is heavy on content tends to receive the content late. That translates to possible dev work that doesn’t align with the content, or rework you can’t afford when the content shows up in the wrong, non-translatable format. Hence my suggestion you look for alternatives.

TLDR History Lesson: 3D has tried making a market for decades, and failed every time. 30% of humans can’t view 3D w/o nausea.

LinkedIn Insight: Transitioning from an Individual Contributor

Posted: July 30, 2024 in Uncategorized
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From a recent LinkedIn contribution:

Be mission-focused and be prepared.

Pick – or at least know – your team ahead of time.

Delegate to those best suited.

If you’re also a contributor, delegate your weaknesses.

Make it about the Vision, the Mission, and the Team. Connect with your people. You can’t succeed if it’s not all three.

If the team believes in the vision and the mission, they’ll work to believe in you. If they already believe in you, they’ll trust your vision and work to make the mission succeed. Trust them to follow through. If you run into trouble, ask THEM why, not just yourself. Correct as necessary.

When you have to be a leader, it’s about Vision, Mission, and Team. It may be hard getting the hang of it. As you see success, it’ll come easier.

LinkedIn Insight: Effective Communication When Navigating Work as a Remote Developer

Posted: July 20, 2024 in Uncategorized
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From a recent LinkedIn contribution I wrote:

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate as if you were in the same office. Communicate and have a conversation immediately if work items / task descriptions are not clear. Don’t just @mention someone, then spin in your chair or grab coffee while waiting for them to respond. Communicate and participate in all meetings. Your camera should be on. 70% of communication is non-verbal. Communicate the way you would expect someone in the office, or standing across from you, would communicate with you. Don’t hold others to communication standards you’re not upholding yourself. That’s unfair. You’ve got this – now, go be a team player!

LinkedIn Insight: How to smoothly transfer knowledge before retiring as a software engineer

Posted: July 20, 2024 in Software Development
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My thoughts, originally posted on LinkedIn:

Documentation must be part of your process. If you’re documenting everything when you’re leaving, you’ve failed everyone. Just like workouts, make documentation routine, and you’ll do it every time. It’s OK to reject pull requests that are missing documentation. Perhaps make proof of documentation part of closing any Feature or Epic. If people complain, ask them how they react when entering a project with no, little, or poor documentation. They tend to change their tune when looking in the mirror.

LinkedIn Insight: More Effective Remote Communication with Video Calls. Keep That Camera On!

Posted: July 2, 2024 in Uncategorized
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From a recent insight on LinkedIn:

Keep that camera on! A key component of in-person communication is reading body language. Remember, 70% of what’s conveyed in a conversation is non-verbal. An in-person conversation from behind a door is pointless, and silly. A video call is much the same. So, again, keep that camera on!

Some people say they can’t keep the camera on for various reasons (excuses). Kids. Improper clothing. Improper setting. That can indicate a lack of professionalism. It also can indicate a lack of interest. If people are truly engaged, you’ll see it in their faces.

What about keeping the camera off because it’s “not your turn?” Good question. Why are you in the meeting if you have nothing to add/listen for? Then have them call you in when they’re ready.

LinkedIn: How to land software design internships

Posted: June 28, 2024 in Uncategorized
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A recent contribution I made on LinkedIn:

The act of looking for an internship is a great first step – good for you! There are many resources. First, check with your professors – they may know of open internships. Next, your school’s Careers or Counseling office. They know the sites most often leading to successful internship connections. Third, check known internship sites, like Handshake at https://joinhandshake.com/. Fourth, check out Meetups / Meetup.com. It’s often who you know, not just the little what at this stage in your career. Meetups help you create relationships in your industry of choice. Best of all, they’re free, and there’s often pizza, so you can have informal, less stressful, conversations. Good luck!

LinkedIn Insight: Managing roles in a SW team

Posted: June 21, 2024 in Uncategorized
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From what I posted on LinkedIn recently:

You’re the leader. That doesn’t make you the MVP. Know your team and their skills. Sacrifice your ego and empower your team, giving “best chance of getting it done” tasks to those you’re sure can do it. Empower them with the decision making authority for their area. Of course you can override – you’re accountable to stakeholders AND the team. Empowered team members will reward you with greater productivity, because you believe in them, and that bolsters their belief in themselves. If you’re going to lead a team, lead the team. If you’d rather be a hero, go join another team instead.

Self-Care Routine When Working on Long Projects

Posted: April 28, 2024 in Uncategorized
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From a LinkedIn insight I recently posted.

The topic:

Self-care Routine

Incorporate self-care into your routine to maintain your physical and emotional well-being. This could include regular exercise, meditation, or hobbies that take your mind off work. Establish a work-life balance by setting clear work hours and sticking to them. Taking breaks throughout the day can also improve focus and productivity when you are working, making it easier to maintain the quality of your web applications.

My answer (link):

Accept your part of the blame if you’re burning out. You should have a good feel for how long certain tasks will take. If you sense timeline issues, bring that up to the project team, and adjust timelines as necessary. Say nothing and you end up working overtime finishing tasks that shouldn’t have been high pressure in the first place. Everyone on the team is responsible for scope and sanity checks – that includes you.

I once called out a coworker friend for working 60+ hour weeks. He said he was doing it for his bonus. I worked the normal 45-ish work week. I explained how the bonus worked – mainly billable hours, and it was capped. The extra hours didn’t matter. He revisited his approach, stopped burning out, and still got the same bonus.

Growing Your Skills When Self-Confidence as a Developer is Lacking

Posted: April 19, 2024 in Uncategorized
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Good. You admit it. Now go do something about it. You may or may not know your weaknesses. If you do, go brush up on those. Challenge yourself with tasks of increasing complexity. If you don’t yet know, ask a trusted mentor/friend/coworker/manager where you feel you need improvement, or at least a starting point on where to begin. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help – that’s how you grow. You did it as a kid, and you have to do it as an adult. A growth-driven mindset vs. an ego-driven mindset will take you far. You’ve got this!

This is a copy of my answer on LinkedIn Experts from April 19, 2024.

Preventing Overload When Tasks Come In

Posted: April 5, 2024 in Uncategorized
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From a recent LinkedIn post that asked how to prevent running out of time, all the time, and never getting your tasks done. You need, in a word, margin. Here was my response as to how I ensure I have margin during the day:

Before I tackle any task, I add it to my Microsoft To Do app list. From there I can prioritize it for “Today”, “Tomorrow” or some other time. That forces me to give myself “margin” during the day. If you take everything as it comes in, you’ll always run out of time. Put a “prioritization buffer” in front of any request. I use the To Do app because it’s in sync everywhere, and on my phone and PC. It’s changed my life, because it surfaces “today’s” tasks under “My Day” and suggests things I may have forgotten.

I also strongly recommend reading the book “Margin” by Richard A. Swenson, MD – it teaches you about making sure you don’t overload yourself. It’s easy to overload. Stop doing that. 😜

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