Why Technical Interviews Are Broken (And How Talent Agents Could Fix Them)
Technical interviews test everything except what matters most. Maybe it’s time for developers to have agents like actors and writers.
Posts
The Pragmatic Engineer's Manifesto: Beyond Hype, Toward Solutions
The Pragmatic Engineer’s Manifesto: Beyond Hype, Toward Solutions Software engineering is drowning in false signals. We optimize for the wrong metrics, test the wrong skills, and chase the wrong goals. The result? Systems that are complex but fragile, teams that are impressive but ineffective, and engineers who can recite algorithms but can’t solve real problems. It’s time for a different approach. When Answers Are Cheap, Questions Become Expensive Today, answers are cheaper than they’ve ever been. ChatGPT, Claude, and Stack Overflow can solve almost any technical problem in seconds. You can find tutorials, code examples, and step-by-step guides for virtually any programming task. ...
Why Every Developer Should Know About Double-Entry Bookkeeping: And It's Not About Accounting
Last week, I was debugging a payment issue in our fintech app when my colleague mentioned “double-entry ledgers.” I nodded along, pretending I knew what she meant, but honestly? I thought it was just boring accounting stuff. Turns out, I was completely wrong. Double-entry bookkeeping isn’t just an ancient accounting practice — it’s one of the most elegant software architecture patterns for handling money. And every developer building financial systems should understand it. ...
Why Legacy Software Design Sucks (And How to Prevent It)
Understanding why software becomes unmaintainable legacy code and practical strategies to prevent your systems from becoming the next developer nightmare.
In Defense of New Media: Why Books Aren't Always Better
Challenging the assumption that traditional books are superior to modern media formats for learning and information consumption.
The Invisible Art of Good Management
Like a good referee, the best managers are barely noticeable. Their impact is felt in what doesn’t go wrong, not in grand gestures.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Sounding Wise
When someone tells me my phrase sounds wise, I wonder if I’m just rationalizing behavior I don’t actually understand or support.
Rethinking Ownership: Teams, Code, and Product Responsibility
How we think about ownership in software development shapes everything from code quality to team dynamics. It’s time to rethink who owns what.
Winter Reflections: Rediscovering the Geek Within
A winter slowdown in New England gave me time to reconnect with my roots as a developer and reflect on a decade of web development experience.