This is a soft-skills talk presented at CodeStock 2015 and DevSpace 2015. {CodeStock slide deck (~4 MB); DevSpace 2015 slide deck (~20 MB)}
play·book – n. a stock of usual tactics or methods. We are builders, solvers, and thinkers — wielders of logic over our domains. Yet we are opinionated, emotional, biased — human. Regardless of where we are on our personal/career journey, it’s helpful to make a playbook containing the goals, values, and processes that resonate with us as individuals. Such concepts transcend any technology, problem domain, or job and allow us to bend with the wind or stand firm against the storm. Our personal playbook gives us a touchstone to refer back to when we get lost, question, and doubt.
In this talk I share some pages from my playbook that have helped me grow and sustain my sense of self and my direction in my career. For example, when working on a difficult area in code, mob programming has been really effective on several levels. Seekers of silver bullets may be disappointed; however, I hope to spark some thought and inspiration by taking what I’ve learned to help you develop or expand your own playbook.
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cucchiaio/