Hey!

Welcome to the last issue of the year! I'm going to spend December taking time off and traveling. I won't have as much time to write, so it's better to end this newsletter on a high note!

Instead of weekly things I enjoyed, I'm attaching a brief gift guide for your Keyboard/EDC/Photography/Houseware geek! Being the first day of December, there's enough time to get some gifts, or stocking stuffers, if you will.

I hope you have a happy holiday, and spend it with your close friends and family! See you next year.

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Holiday Gift List

Every Day Carry (EDC)

• Wuben Lightok X3 Owl a nice portable light
• EverGoods CIVIC Access Pouch 2L is an expensive pouch for carrying cables, chargers, or anything you need daily.
• Matador ReFraction Packable Backpack is a great packable backpack, good size for travel and walking around.
• Baggu Tote a nice tote, if you cannot buy the very fashionable Trader Joe's tote.
• Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Speaker (2nd Gen) is a small speaker to be that person in the bus, or when hiking.
• Tiles is a nice alternative to AirTags; my wife swears by these.
• Knipex Cobra Pliers* is an amazing piece of gear, mainly used for a variety of small jobs, as I like to tinker around the apartment.
• Trimui Brick is a portable emulator, useful for waiting at the Doctor's or during a commute.

Keyboards

• Epomaker Luma84* is a good low-profile keyboard
• Keychron Q15 Max is a nice ortholinear keyboard, I have a few from other brands but this one is great as well.
• Some stores to buy keycaps for your existing keyboards: omnitype, NovelKeys, CannonKeys

Journaling

• Big Idea Design Mini Dual Side Click Pen is a fantastic pocket pen. I carry one in my backpack and forget I have it until I need it.
• Uni-ball ZENTO Signature (if you can find it) is a lovely, high-quality pen.
• Traveler's Notebook Regular Size is a very popular notebook "system", and I've tried one for a few months now.
• Paper Republic grand voyageur is an alternative to Traveler's Notebook, and a bit more expensive but otherwise excellent quality.

Photography

• PeakDesign Rope Strap is a great rope strap for small-ish cameras.
• Godox iT30Pro F TTL Mini Flash* Pick the flash that fits the camera; they sell different models
• Get some quirky film: Frankenstein 200 - 35mm, 2021 LomoChrome Turquoise 35 mm ISO 100--400
• Standard Kodak film: Gold 200, UltraMax 400, Kodacolor 200
• Reusable Camera with "disposable" quality: Camp Snap

Home

• Soy wax Candle Each & Every Candle
• Digital Frame Aura Carver Mat 10'' (I gave one to my mom this year, she loves it)
• I absolutely love mugs, the ones from Kinto or Fiesta are amazing.

As I've progressed in my career, I've had people ask me about how to get "here" or how to get "listened" to.

That has allowed me to look back and try to understand who and what helped me along the way. Like a supportive manager, or learning when to let go, or trying again with some fresh eyes. Other times, it might have been just plain failing, but getting the team's support to continue.

Recently, I saw some of my friends get promoted, which also prompted this newsletter, as each is aiming for different things in their careers and achieving them!

Understand where you want to be

I've noticed that people who are content with their role have a clear goal in mind, or at least some idea of a destination. Some folks I've met are happy with the Sr Software Engineer or Staff Engineer role and prefer to stay where they are, not seeking further promotions, especially in companies with terminal levels that remove the constant pressure to get promoted. Other times, I've seen people looking to get promoted to Director+ or secure a higher salary, continually chasing more and more at the cost of longer work hours, greater pressure to deliver, greater accountability, etc.

On the flip side, I've met people with just an idea of being helpful or of innovating, without a clear idea of what that means. I generally appreciate people with such impetus, but without a "north star," aimlessness in corporate is a recipe for burnout.

I try to be helpful and guide these people toward more concrete goals, like reaching Sr. Software Engineer or Staff, or just getting a project approved for execution.

Understand How to Play the Game

Regardless of where you stand in the org or your goals, companies have a will of their own and won't think twice about laying off whole teams or units. That said, you have to learn how your company works and what it rewards; that way, you can adjust your strategy to reach your goals.

Even if you want to stay in the same role or team, you need to be at least considered proficient and deliver sufficient value at each calibration cycle.

If you're looking to get promoted or just trying to embark on an ambitious project, you need to understand how projects get approved and move forward, but also how to gain and retain trust from your management chain.

Gift Yourself Clarity

My wish for you these Holidays is that you gift yourself clarity about your goals! If you already have them, that's great, you're one step ahead of us. Let me know your thoughts on what you want out of your career by replying to this email!

Happy coding!