Who am I?
I build software. I learn, so that I can solve, and build, and teach others to do the same. My tools as I undertake this work are intelligence, humility, and economy.
Intelligence – I learn fast. I analyze fast. And when I go slow, it’s because I know we are missing something that needs attention. I care an awful lot about the why, not just the what. Because what good is it to solve a problem if you just have to solve it again when it puts on a cheap disguise and shows up again?
Humility – The team is more important than I, and the user is more important than the code. Being honest and timely is more important than my ego. I value a team I can lean on and learn from. And I will be the first one to tell you when I don’t know something that needs to be known. Intelligence is worthless without reflection, which requires the humility to see what matters beyond yourself.
Economy – I value solutions that are conceptually simple, and tools that express those solutions concisely. I value the collected wisdom of the world’s programmers. It’s vitally important not to re-solve a problem that already has a good solution available within your constraints. I have a lot of RAM in my head, but it’s just a cache, and it pages out to Google.
What do I want?
I want to build, to have impact, and to learn.
Build – Building fulfills me, and making software is building. I want to build solutions. I want to build products. I want to build teams, and individuals, and companies. I want to build myself. I want to build it all toward better.
Impact – Here is where my ambition comes into play. I want to build things that matter. Solutions to real problems, that make people happier. I want to build amazing teams that do great things. I want to build stronger, smarter, better programmers.
Learn – Here in my 14th year of professional software development, I would place myself firmly in the “journeyman” phase. My greatest accomplishments are ahead of me yet, and I don’t know everything I need in order to take them on yet. Through observation and trial I want to grow in technical skill, in judgment, in vision, and in leadership.