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.
You don't want more content; conference notes. Issue 13 of Beyond Writing Code
Published 8 days ago • 2 min read
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:
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 this newsletter, but also for how I approach the book.
I don't want the book to be just an interesting thing to read. I want it to help.
Those of you who have worked with me may recognize this: I always want to know what to do. I want trainings with real-world application, step by step instructions to follow, and practical tips I can implement.
That's what I'd like in my book as well.
Literature review in progress
In 2023, after having been a developer for more than 20 years, I attended my first ever tech conference.
It was DevOps Enterprise Summit, now called Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit. The host was Gene Kim, one of the authors of The Phoenix Project. I had just read that book the year before, and it fundamentally shifted how I thought about our work as developers.
At the conference, I was surrounded by people who had been thinking deeply for years about how technology teams can work better. I collected a long reading list of books they considered essential.
Where was all this information when I was "growing up" as a developer?
I've been reading my way through a number of those books lately, especially those aimed at helping developers learn and grow.
One I wish I'd read earlier is The Pragmatic Programmer, by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt. (That's a link to the audiobook because wow, the hardcover is expensive!)
Thomas and Hunt do an excellent job of making practical suggestions as they go through their book. The book is much more technology-focused than mine will be, but I'm definitely inspired by their format.
I am excited to be giving a lightning talk at the LeadDev StaffPlus conference this year!
Speaking at LeadDev!
I'm apparently third on the agenda on the 15th, after two people who have written other books I recommend:
Tanya Reilly will give the opening remarks. She's the author of The Staff Engineer's Path, about what happens in the mysterious and often uncharted land beyond "senior developer."
Then Jez Humble, co-author of Accelerate, a book I recommend (usually repeatedly) to anyone who wants to improve the performance of a technology organization.
...then me. No pressure or anything!
You can use the discount code LEAF15 to get 15% off. Reach out to me first, though. I have one ticket for even cheaper.
I want to do a whole series for this newsletter based on the topic I'm going to be speaking about: "Us vs. Them" thinking. Perhaps starting next time.
Other news
I'm also going to the Grace Hopper Celebration in Chicago in November. I've heard about it for years, but I've never had the chance to go.
I'm currently taking a book proposal class as an add-on to the Book Academy program. That outline I sent you a few issues ago? Probably going to be completely overhauled. Each time, I'm getting closer to where I want to be!
Drop me a note
I would love to hear from you. Hit reply and let me know what's on your mind.
This newsletter is approximately weekly. In addition, I post to my blog on my website, which also appears on Medium and Substack.
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.