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Ben Nadel at cf.Objective() 2014 (Bloomington, MN) with: Matt Vickers and Jonathan Dowdle and Joel Hill
Ben Nadel at cf.Objective() 2014 (Bloomington, MN) with: Matt Vickers Jonathan Dowdle Joel Hill

Working Code Podcast - Episode 008: Origin Stories, Part II

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This week, we continue learning about the crew, where they came from, and what makes them tick. In this second part of our two-part series on origin stories, we hear from Carol and Adam. What's fascinating to me about this episode is just how different their stories are. There are many paths into the world of web application development; and to see how both Carol and Adam eventually arrived here, at the same place, really works to underscore this point.

Adam had his first computer at age 9 and almost immediately got into hacking (think, "script kiddie") wherein he got his family kicked off of AOL — twice. Carol, on the other hand, didn't get into anything computer-related at all until college. And, what started out originally as a hardware / networking focus transitioned almost accidentally into a focus on software thanks to a paid internship from Tim (one of our other panelists).

If you ever feel like - or have been made to feel like - you don't "belong" in this industry, please know that you are awesome and we want you here! And some day, I hope that we can take a photo together.

Or, listen to the full audio:

Listen to Episode 008, with:

Triumphs & Failures

  • Adam's Triumph - For last 6-months, his standing desk has been a sitting desk. But, he finally motivated to stand for an entire day! Unlike Tim and I (we flat-footed slackers), Adam feels as if his thinking and ability to focus are actually increased while he's standing.

    ASIDE: I also have a standing desk (Uplift Desk) which has basically never been used for standing. That said, its fine-tuned, incremental up-and-down adjustment means that my sitting desk is always at the perfect height!

  • Ben's Failure (that's me) - I have 1,248 unread text messages on my phone. Communication for me has been a life-long struggle, especially since I have an "Out of sight, out of mind" kind of brain. Every day, I wake up and say, "This is going to be the day that I start communicating well"; but, it never seems to happen. Should I just give up and embrace my own shortcomings? Or, should I continue to try and fight to be better at "peopling"?

    ASIDE: If you've sent me a message and I never responded, please see above Failure. It's not you - it's me. I want to respond; I just suck at it. Sorry friends! Sorry family!

  • Carol's Triumph - Coming off of last week, where she was feeling down on herself and worried that she wasn't being productive at work, she just had a stellar 1-on-1 review with her manager. This left her feeling great; and, was validation that her hard work is being both noticed and appreciated. Rock on with your bad self, Carol!

  • Tim's Triumph / Failure - He's been tasked with writing up his product's USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for the marketing team; and, he's continuing to put it off for fear of having to sound phony. But, on the triumph side of things, he did built his own blockchain! He's been researching distributed chains and consensus mechanisms with an eye towards building a "blockchain business card" - essentially a way for people to exchange business information securely (and to find contacts that they have in common).

Notes & Links

Follow the show! Our website is workingcode.dev and we're @WorkingCodePod on Twitter and Instagram. New episodes weekly on Wednesday.

Short link: https://bennadel.com/3977

Reader Comments

Oh my chickens, this post is old!
I believe in love. I believe in compassion. I believe in human rights. I believe that we can afford to give more of these gifts to the world around us because it costs us nothing to be decent and kind and understanding. And, I want you to know that when you land on this site, you are accepted for who you are, no matter how you identify, what truths you live, or whatever kind of goofy shit makes you feel alive! Rock on with your bad self!
— Ben Nadel