Leaf of Beyond Writing Code
I'm writing a book on career growth for developers, leadership as an individual contributor, and big-picture thinking skills for developers. Subscribe for thoughts on development, leadership, and writing. I'll be sharing updates on the book and excerpts of what I've written so far. I'm also an Art-o-mat artist, creating drawings of mysterious creatures, and I will share occasional glimpses of my art here. You can find out more about the book and the art at beyondwritingcode.com.
Change and AI; issue 20 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #20 October 2, 2025 The role of the developer is and will be changing, fast. AI is not ignorable. I still don't want to write a book about AI itself. It's isn't and won't be my area of expertise. But I'm endlessly fascinated by how we work as developers, the "people and processes" parts. How can we move towards "better value sooner safer happier" (BVSSH) as Jon Smart says in Sooner Safer Happier. Because who wants bad worthless late dangerous and miserable? Here's my...
Why I love ETLS, issue 19 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #19 September 26, 2025 I wasn’t going to write about Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit (ETLS) until next week, but how can I think about any other newsletter topic after four days of immersion in this amazing community? Let me share a little about what makes this conference special and why I love it. Just a little, or I'll be writing this for days... Gene Kim. Photo from IT Revolution Formerly DevOps Enterprise Summit, Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit is...
Vibe coding made less terrifying, issue 18 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #18 September 17, 2025 Before I tell you why I'm breaking my AI silence to talk about vibe coding, and offer you a discount on a book, I have two questions for you. A poll of sorts. The questions are written for developers, but I'm happy to receive any thoughts you want to share, regardless of your role. Whether you're a developer, you work with developers, or neither, feel free to drop me a note. Long or short, all answers are welcome. Thanks for your help! Stuff like...
Ideas for my talk, issue #17 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #17 Sept 9, 2025 Walked home from the cafe the other day. By the time I got home, I had five ideas to make my LeadDev NYC talk better. I'll share all five here, plus two more I've had since. Walk and talk Rehearsing my talk while I'm walking is entertaining. I put in my earbuds and pretend I'm on a work conference call so people don't think I'm odd for pontificating to nobody in particular. There are two downsides. First, my nervous speaking habit is pacing, so this isn't...
DevOps and better ways of working, issue 16 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #16 Sept 2, 2025 I'm still catching up from 2023. It was a Wednesday morning, day two of the 2023 DevOps Enterprise Summit in Las Vegas. It was my first time at the conference, and I had already experienced a full day of thought-provoking talks, workshops, and conversations. And I had been immersed in more of the same since meeting a colleague for coffee at 6 a.m. that morning. I was carrying a notebook with pages and pages of scrawled notes, diagrams, quotes, contact...
A failure worth doing; issue 15 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #15 August 26, 2025 I'm giving a talk next month at LeadDev StaffPlus about overcoming "Us vs. Them" thinking. I want to start with a story about a time I failed. Not "a day where I failed"—I failed for a full year. I want a tacky graphic like this... Getty Images for Unsplash ...with a giant "prohibited" red-circle-with-a-line over it. 🚫 Because all of my strategies and efforts to bring about the harmony I was seeking between "us" and "them"—failed. The hook: these...
Me from the Past; issue 14 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #14 August 19, 2025 Me from the Past I used to say that the worst developer I ever met was "me from the past." I'd look at code I wrote two years, two months... or, okay, two days prior, and think: who wrote this trash?? Seeing where I could have done better is good news. It means I've learned something new. So, good news! I reread an older blog post, and it fails a newer check on my writing checklist. That means I'm learning! I've been writing for a long time, and I've...
You don't want more content; conference notes. Issue 13 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #13 August 12, 2025 People don't want more content. We want one solution to one specific problem. That point from this article by Landon Poburan caught my eye. As Landon said: From Landon Poburan on Substack As Macy Robison says: people don't pay for more information. We're all on information overload. We pay for organization. This is either information overload or heaven, not sure which. Photo by freestocks on Unsplash I'm thinking about that not just in the context of...
Technical or not, issue 12 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #12 August 5, 2025 “The most valuable voice isn’t always the most technical.” So true. Like "why does this even need to be said" kind of true. And yet, sadly, it does need to be said. The quote is from a recent LinkedIn post from my colleague Mike Coughlin. Mike's intention was to reassure folks who see themselves as less technical that their voices matter, even if the discussion at hand is a highly technical discussion. As soon as I read the post, I knew what I'd be...
A lot going on. And a poll. Issue 11 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #11 July 29, 2025 Hey you. Before we get into this week's newsletter content, I want to know: what has your Beyond Writing Code newsletter experience been so far? Here's a quick poll, only three questions. (Want to look at back issues? Check the newsletter archive.) Three questions First: length. How's the length, in general? Could be shorter Could be longer It's all good, keep doing what you're doing 2. Sometimes I add pictures... Do you like pictures in this newsletter?...
I'm writing a book on career growth for developers, leadership as an individual contributor, and big-picture thinking skills for developers. Subscribe for thoughts on development, leadership, and writing. I'll be sharing updates on the book and excerpts of what I've written so far. I'm also an Art-o-mat artist, creating drawings of mysterious creatures, and I will share occasional glimpses of my art here. You can find out more about the book and the art at beyondwritingcode.com.