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Category: Thoughts

Treat Yo Self!

Posted on by Cal Evans

Dear Reader,

Yes, it’s a “Parks and Rec” reference.

I recently re-watched that series and this concept that was touted in a couple of episodes, always hits home with me.  I think it’s very important that we take time to take care of ourselves. Not an “In these trying times…” kind of thing, but every day, good or bad, make time for a moment that is just about you. I

  • Buy yourself something, A candy bar or small trinket
  • Get alone for ten minutes and just think of your happy place
  • Watch your favorite episode of your favorite TV show again
  • Listen to your favorite album with your headphones on

In Parks and rec, it was all about extravagance and opulence. It ended up financially devastating the participants. In real life it doesn’t have to be extravagant or out of your means.  The idea is not to buy happiness but to simply sit and smell the roses for a few minutes each day. The idea is to invest a small amount of time in your overall happiness and well being.

Invest in yourself today. Make time today to treat yo self.

Until next time
I <3 |<
=C=

Job Security is a Myth

Posted on by Cal Evans

Dear Reader,

As I writ this, I am on “Sabbatical”. I took a few days off to plan and write.

As I was packing to go, the lovely and talented Kathy and I were discussing a couple of large purchases we are contemplating. During the discussion she said “If I knew your current situation were permanent, I’d go ahead and buy both.”

What she was referring to was the fact that I am currently a contract employee for a couple of different companies, this means my job is not permanent. It did make me think.

In my career, I have been fired three times. (in no particular order)

  • Company fired the entire development team including me, the Director. New CTO and he just wanted to clean house and bring in his own people.
  • Company pivoted and in an instance, no longer needed the role I filled.
  • Company was preparing to sell and needed to “trim the books”.

In each case, I can point to a solid WHY. I know why I was let go. In each case, I thought I had a secure job and was safe. In each case I was reminded that – at least in the US – job security is a myth.

Note, this is not me whining about being fired and I like the system here in the US because it gives entrepreneurs the flexibility to be wrong before they are right.

The point of this post is to remind myself each time it comes up that there is no such thing as job security. A job is a transaction, not a family, no matter who tells you different.

You are only there trading time for money, and the eye opening thing is, you are the cheapest solution the company could find for the problem you solve.

Cherish your time at every company, but  don’t take it for granted. Don’t assume that you will be there tomorrow. Always be prepared for the worst, even when you are enjoying the best.

Until next time,
I <3 |<
=C=

A hard part about open source software

Posted on by Cal Evans

Dear Reader,

For Mother’s Day, I made my mom and mom-in-law a digital picture frame. I gave it an email address and family can send emails to a system that will show them on the frame. I assumed that once it was deployed, all my siblings and their kids would be excited to send picture to Babe. (the affectionate term my mother chose to be called by her grand kids, Dad was known as Dude. Don’t ask…) I assumed wrong.

Each week I send everyone an email reminding them that they can do this and challenging them to send a picture on a specific theme, and each week I only get a couple of new pictures. It’s not that my siblings and their kids love babe any less than I do but they have their own lives, their own activities, and well, they are busy.

Open source software projects are a lot like this. Projects start out as a labor of love by a single person. They lvoe it, they build it, they release it to the world. Somebody else likes it so they use it too. After a while, you get enough users so that someone steps up and contributes. Everybody benefits, some tell other friends, the project grows in popularity, the cycle continues.

Even though the project is getting really popular with a lot of users, the number of contributors stays small. ONE of the reasons is jsut that we’ve all got other things to do. We can’t ALL contribute to EVERY Open Source Software package we use. I’ve given back to a couple of projects with mixed results. In every case I’ve given back, it’s been that I wanted something extra in the project, I knew how to program, so I wrote it and contributed back.

Moving people from the role of USER to the role of CONTRIBUTOR is one of the hard parts of running an open source project. If a project leader fails to do this then the project will most likely die as the leader moves on to other things.

If you have a favorite project, consider stepping up and becoming a contributor. There are probably a hundred things you can do, many don’t even require coding.

Make life easier on the leader of your favorite Open Source Software project, step up, be a contributor.

Until next time,
I <3 |<
=C=

Vendor, Customer, or Partner in Success?

Posted on by Cal Evans

Dear Reader,

I recently recorded an episode of “The Geek 2 English Podcast” that was a panel discussion on preparing your ecommerce store for Black Friday. My friend TJ Gamble said something that struck a note with me. He talked about having a “Hosting Partner”. Partner was his work but it hit home with me.

In “Ready, Fire, Aim“, Michael Masterson used the same terminology when talking about customers.

The idea that both gentlemen are pushing is that to be successful, you have to have more than just a vendor or a customer, you are in a relationship and both of you have to be partners.

If you think of your customers as just customers,they may not be your customer for long. If you think of them as partners in your success (and their success) then you have entered into a relationship. A relationship that benefits you both.

That is a recipe for success.

Until next time,
I <3 |<
=C=

Be a Mentor

Posted on by Cal Evans

Dear Reader,

A lot of developers I know think that they could be so much more if they could just find a mentor to show them the way. This may or may not be true, that’s not the point of this thought.

It’s find spending time looking for a mentor, I even give people advice on how to find one form time to time. However, don’t spend all your time looking for a mentor.  Occasionally, look around to see who else is looking for help and see if you can lend them a hand.

There are very few of us so far down on the ladder than there’s nobody below us to give a hand up. Look around, see who you can mentor. See who you can help up onto the next rung of the ladder, even if you are helping them get to the rung above you.

Helping others is a great way to show potential mentors that you understand. That you are not only seeking help, but seeking to help. They you won’t waste their time.

Also, if you help someone up, they might be in a position one day to help you up.

Give to get.

Look around right now. Check your email. Is there someone reaching out to you for help? If so, take the time to really listen (because real mentors listen first) and then help them solve their problem. help them understand their situation. Help them up the next rung on the ladder.

Be a mentor.

Until next time,
I <3 |<
=C=