The 1:1

Mike Armijo–a quality assurance specialist–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.We talk about mental health, the value of QA, trying new things, and paying it forward.00:00 - Intro00:53 - Becoming a QA tester04:41 - Exploring other industries13:18 - Mike’s experience on the job market22:01 - Mental health28:32 - Trying new things40:26 - Paying it forward44:24 - Final thoughts

Mathew Zannoni–a software engineer–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.We talk about the job market, stigma around being a 1099 worker, mentoring, and code quality for small development teams. We also reminisce about the good old days of Front Page and Dreamweaver. 00:00 - Intro00:43 - Applying for jobs02:14 - Take home assignments04:57 - Code tests06:07 - Challenges of time commitment required to interview08:31 - Leveraging LinkedIn09:31 - Evolving expectations around contract work10:26 - Is it easier or harder to apply for jobs after being laid off?13:03 - War stories 13:53 - Mentorship18:29 - Removing ego from development19:31 - Going back to being an IC after being a manager26:25 - Flipping the interview script28:36 - Code quality for small dev teams36:02 - How do you learn something new?41:53 - Advancements in tooling48:53 - Final thoughts

Toby Kraft–an Engineering Manager for a marketing automation company–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.We talk approaching 1:1s, goal setting, and career growth. We also answer a question we get asked a lot: why is this podcast called The 1:1 when there are two of you?00:00 - Intro02:39 - Yes person vs. complainer05:59 - Approaching a 1:1 with someone who complains a lot08:45 - Approaching career growth with someone when you can't engage them on an issue that's important to them12:17 - When a manager is not invested in your success13:41 - Why is this show called The 1:1 when there are two of you?15:12 - When someone is disengaged from goal setting20:51 - Useful goals vs company-mandated goals26:13 - Companies following their values30:44 - Managing through big company changes40:01 - Final thoughts

Rose Sadler–an Engineering Manager for a healthcare company–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.We talk about what it’s like to be a new mom in tech, pumping at work, mom guilt, how parenting shapes leadership, and more…00:00 - Intro01:11 - Being a new mom in the tech industry03:09 - Support after returning from maternity leave05:28 - PTO policies08:46 - Pumping at work15:04 - Mom guilt16:58 - Dad guilt20:00 - Asking for accommodations22:38 - Attending a conference while pumping24:41 - Dealing with pushback29:46 - Working vs. staying at home35:13 - Rusty’s Covid layoff story38:44 - How parenting shapes leadership (and vice versa)42:06 - Final thoughts

James Williams–a former Senior Manager who has been on the job market for about a year now since being laid off in August 2023–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast. We talk about what it’s like to be a GenX “industry veteran” in this job market.00:00 - Intro01:36 - Being on the job market for a year04:32 - How has your job search evolved over the past year?07:22 - Have you picked up hard skills in your job search?11:08 - Finding new mentors during a job hunt19:33 - Withholding information25:08 - Confidence vs ego28:57 - GenX + age discrimination36:21 - Culture fit42:48 - Parting thoughts BBC article mentioned during the podcast is here:https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20240320-gen-x-workplace-ageism

Christian Boylston–a machine learning engineer for a startup–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.He answers the question “Should everyone be learning AI?” plus we try to figure out if ChatGPT can make a proper cocktail.Chapters:00:00 - Intro01:04 - Should everyone be learning AI?03:22 - How to avoid dumbing yourself down while using AI tools05:57 - Is it fair to say AI is always machine learning, but machine learning isn’t always AI?10:36 - If someone is thinking about coming into the machine learning field… should they?13:46 - How do you think workers can prepare for these changes?16:21 - What can companies do to ensure these technologies are developed responsibly?18:05 - What are some of the other security concerns you’d warn people against?19:18 - Prompt quality (leads into learning to prompt ChatGPT to return a good cocktail recipe)23:11 - How worried should we be about AIs teaching themselves their own languages that humans can’t read?26:15 - What is the ROI for a company hiring ML engineers?30:52 - Are ML teams the first to go in a layoff?31:53 - The interview process for ML engineers37:09 - What’s the next big thing in AI/ML?40:43 - Parting thoughts–ML Definitions / Glossaryhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZqbdgpIvI9fE054E6B4ZZj4lep-IlZB0aB4ZxxdqlUc–Bonus! Here is the David Lynch Dune-inspired cocktail recipe Christian mentioned which ChatGPT created:Ingredients2 oz Rye whiskey0.5 oz Amaro Nonino1 tsp Apricot preserves (adjust to taste for sweetness)0.75 oz Fresh lemon juice1 tsp Allspice DramA pinch of sea saltA thin lemon wheel (for garnish)Instructions:If the apricot preserves are quite chunky, mix them with a little hot water first to create a smoother consistency.Combine the rye whiskey, Amaro Nonino, apricot preserves, fresh lemon juice, Allspice Dram, and sea salt in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.Shake vigorously until well-chilled. This will help incorporate the apricot preserves into the drink.Double strain the cocktail into a rocks glass over a large ice cube (the double straining will help catch any chunks from the apricot preserves).Garnish with a thin lemon wheel.Enjoy your cocktail!  It should have a unique texture and rich apricot flavor from the preserves.

Elena Sayage–Talent Acquisition Specialist at Loyal Health–joins us for this episode of The 1:1.She dispels some common resume misconceptions, offers some tips for selling yourself to recruiters, and shares some stories about applicants she immediately knew would get offers and talks about what set them apart.Chapters:00:08 Intro02:17 Working in manufacturing 04:17 Transitioning to the tech industry 07:56 Have hard skill requirements changed in this market? 10:35 How to sell yourself16:52 One page resumes18:51 Resume with .6 font19:53 White texting24:23 Gaming the system with AI29:44 Cover letters33:47 LinkedIn Open to Work36:02 LinkedIn EasyApply40:50 How do you know in the first 6-30 seconds if someone will be hired?47:27 Closing

Billy--an engineering manager we used to work with--joins us for the very first episode of The 1:1. He tells us what it's like to return to coding part time after not coding in past management roles and how he coped being impacted by three layoffs.