A year ago, on July 25, 2017, my partner passed away very unexpectedly. This experience gave me some insights on how, as coworkers, we can help each other deal with grief. Read more on Helping a Coworker with Grief in the Long Term…
Personal Optimization
Thoughts on Coming Out During Job Interviews
My search for my first full-time job was different than other people’s. As an out gay person in a relationship, I had a few more anxieties on my mind when it came to my future workplace.
Would my orientation cause conflict between myself and my new coworkers? Would I be able to talk openly about my girlfriend? Was it even possible to figure out if a company was safe while interviewing with them? Read more on Thoughts on Coming Out During Job Interviews…
3 Ways I’m Honing my Presentation Skills by Building Good Habits
I’ve given a fair number of talks over the last few years, and I always try to keep improving. Before my recent talk at Beer City Code, I tried a few new things that (based on the feedback I got) worked very well.
Read more on 3 Ways I’m Honing my Presentation Skills by Building Good Habits…
Plowing Through Procrastination & Facing Down Anxiety
We’ve all run out of steam before. Unfortunately, we rarely get to work on projects, problems, or tasks that we are always excited about, and life can get in the way of our motivation at times. Nevertheless, we have to figure out how to trudge forward. Read more on Plowing Through Procrastination & Facing Down Anxiety…
A Spreadsheet for Breaking Down & Tracking Big Goals
Defining and achieving goals is hard. In this post, I’ll describe a tactic to quantify your goal, demonstrate a tool to track it, and review the positive impact that this tactic will have. Read more on A Spreadsheet for Breaking Down & Tracking Big Goals…
Driving Change at Your Workplace – 5 Questions to Ask
You want to make a change in your workplace. Perhaps a process you use every week is driving you crazy and feels inefficient. Or there’s a policy that rubs you the wrong way and doesn’t seem logical. You may be asking yourself: Does anyone else care? Do I have the clout to make the change? Where do I even begin? Read more on Driving Change at Your Workplace – 5 Questions to Ask…
Resolving Conflict when Others Disappoint, Step 3 – The Conversation
In our previous posts, we talked about deciding when to have a conversation with someone who has disappointed you, and how to prepare for having this kind of emotionally charged and difficult conversation. Now it’s the big day! The work isn’t over yet: Here are additional things to keep in mind so you can have a constructive conversation with someone who let you down. Read more on Resolving Conflict when Others Disappoint, Step 3 – The Conversation…
Resolving Conflict When Others Disappoint, Step 2 – Preparation
So, a friend, colleague, or family member has let you down. You’ve asked yourself some questions and decided to address it rather than letting it go. Let’s talk about how you can prepare for the conversation. Read more on Resolving Conflict When Others Disappoint, Step 2 – Preparation…
Resolving Conflict when Others Disappoint, Step 1 – Is This Worth Discussing?
We’ve all been in situations where others let us down. Maybe a co-worker missed a deadline, putting you in a tight spot. Maybe your friend is keeping you from being on time to an event for the umpteenth time. Maybe a peer plagiarized your work from a group project, and you now feel that they took advantage of your trust in them. Read more on Resolving Conflict when Others Disappoint, Step 1 – Is This Worth Discussing?…
Questions to Ask Your First Prospective Tech Employer
Working in technology today is a great place to be. The question isn’t really
Read more on Questions to Ask Your First Prospective Tech Employer…