I have had a plethora of jobs over the past 40 years. I have been a school bus driver, computer salesman, truck driver, web developer, database developer, application programmer, EMT, network admin, and database developer. In that same time, I pumped out a bachelor’s degree in economics and industrial engineering, and then a master’s in business administration. I have lived in California, Arizona and Sweden. When I was younger and in better shape I used to surf and build hotrods. My pride and joy was restoring my custom ’67 mustang. I learned a lot from that multi-year project.

Some of my best memories were working with junior developers and helping them navigate through the minefields of horrible ideas that I blazed through in my younger days. I marvel at the skill of some of the new developers coming up the ranks. The tricks and new methodologies they know are so impressive. When hiring the last batch of coders our main question caught them off guard, for it wasn’t about their coding skills, or what languages they could code in; it was how they planned to navigate the third rail of office politics. How do they plan to correct and guide the senior programmers. For what they had in raw coding skills they lacked institutional knowledge and big picture awareness.

I tell new hires how fast you type or how many lines of code you produce a day is unimportant if you don’t have a clear path and goal in mind. The most important skill is pausing, assessing the task and formulating a clear path from start to finish. To sit and think through the task, run mental simulations of the data flow and chart out your task before you ever write a line of code. I picked up this while being an EMT and watching paramedics’ work. While the EMT’s stabilized the patient, the paramedic would start collecting information, establish baseline measurements, and begin to formulate a treatment plan. If they had just jumped in and started treatment they would often get lost in the weeds and not see the optimal treatment. The skill of waiting, slowing down, and thinking through the task is an art onto itself.

What am I doing now? As I get closer to my retirement, I am keeping my mind sharp and my skills sharper. The worst one can do is get comfortable with the status quo. That is why I have a home lab and seek out new knowledge daily. My wife hates that I watch YouTube videos on network configuration or advancements in quantum physics. She just can’t get into the topics. But it challenges my mind and keeps me thinking. I feel that once you stop learning you truly become old and washed up.

So, I finally decided I would start my own blog and project site, because what else is a quirky developer with ADHD and Autism going to do with his free time. Do yard work!

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