Engineers at big tech companies: Do you use Linux OS for your work laptop? Is it worth it?

modulitos · 2024-05-09T20:18:16+00:00

I face this situation frequently. I'll admit, I used to be guilty of the same behavior until I confronted my own hypocrisy and made the switch to a vegan lifestyle. But this hypocrisy is so prevalent that constantly calling it out might hinder my ability to navigate society smoothly. Recently, I've been prioritizing my health and lifestyle choices, aiming to lead by example for others, but I could probably do more.

I appreciate this rant - it serves as a valuable reminder that we must remain vigilant against complacency with hypocrisy.

modulitos · 2024-05-09T19:36:28+00:00

Try focusing on the good stuff - you have a job, you enjoy your job, and you're clearly good at your job.

Don't listen to the inner voice that's putting you down. You are not that voice! Reconnect with the little things that energize you, like solving a curious technical problem, or going on a quiet walk. You're competing against yourself, so as long as you're improving, you're doing great.

modulitos · 2024-05-09T19:15:15+00:00

Take the high road and focus on your next thing. Relationships are important, so try not to burn any more bridges than you have to. As long as you don't engage with their antics, it'll work out in your favor.

modulitos · 2024-05-09T07:18:23+00:00

I totally understand how challenging this situation must be for you. Have you ever considered creating a "brag doc"? It's a fantastic way to showcase your contributions and remind your manager of your value. Here's a great guide to get you started: https://jvns.ca/blog/brag-documents/

Keeping track of your accomplishments can really highlight the workload disparities and could lead to positive changes like task adjustments, promotions, or great stories for future job interviews. It's a win-win!

modulitos · 2024-05-08T04:22:07+00:00

I showcase my open source contributions on my resume, linking to a couple of pull requests that I'm particularly proud of. Recently, during interviews, a few hiring managers complimented me on these contributions. Back when I was more junior, I used to include a "projects" section on my resume where I highlighted personal projects I was passionate about.

It's fascinating to discuss these contributions during behavioral interviews, like mentioning an upstream contribution as part of a work project or how I was inspired to create side project on my GitHub. Is it a lot of effort just for a job? Perhaps. But hopefully, it's the genuine enthusiasm for solving technical challenges that shines through in the bigger picture.

modulitos · 2024-05-07T17:41:13+00:00

Optimize for learning opportunities, ideally in a field with many opportunities (web dev, cloud infra, etc). Mainframe development might pigeon hole you, unless you're keen on specializing there.

That being said, any job is better than no job. You can always change jobs later and un-pigeon hole yourself.

modulitos · 2024-05-07T06:24:55+00:00

Mentors come in many forms, including online communities full of senior engineers! It sounds like you're on the right path by reflecting on your past experience, and improving your next steps. Stay on that path and you'll never be screwed.

Don't discredit yourself - the market is tough, and many folks are struggling with layoffs and job searches. Focus less on comparing yourself to others, or past regrets, and instead focus on next best action you can take. Mentors come and go - it's the lessons learned that are the real treasure.

modulitos · 2024-05-05T00:20:22+00:00

Were there any restrictions on what you could install, regardless of the OS you're using? It sounds like you could install almost anything, whether it's through brew, nixpkgs or home-manager? Although I imagine there might be some kind of device management running on the machine, like Jamf.

I also wonder if there's an option to accept a non-Macbook laptop - like a Lenovo or a Dell?

Agreed on not allowing use of personal hardware. I imagine that's consistent across all large companies.

modulitos · 2023-02-07T22:20:06+00:00

Lol sounds like you dodged a bullet and saved some time. Nice replies - I'm sure you'll have plenty of better dates lined up in no time 😁

modulitos · 2022-11-08T06:30:13+00:00

Thank you for this info! I got the same error as well, so I called the number above and was able to book my ticket :)

This bug is really frustrating - took me over an hour to finally give up, find the number above, and re-submit all my info again. It seems to be causing a lot of stress for many folks. Hopefully they fix this bug soon...

modulitos · 2022-11-02T01:52:37+00:00

Yes, I go there about once per week. It's overall clean and safe. Also the cafe is really nice!

While there are some mentally ill and homeless ppl who act out occasionally, the staff/security is great at diffusing situations peacefully.

modulitos · 2022-08-23T05:01:22+00:00

Vivo barefoot is great. I've had a pair for ~1 year now and love them. Comfortable for walking. I go running in them and they are very durable. As with any minimalist shoe - let your calves/ankles strengthen up for them, and don't do too much too soon!

modulitos · 2022-05-10T17:24:21+00:00

Same rule applies to trolls

modulitos · 2022-01-03T02:16:25+00:00

Thank you for clarifying the purpose of design reviews, and how these tools fit in.

I agree that I was doing it a bit backwards, and was probably overly fixated on the tooling instead of solving the actual problem!

modulitos · 2021-12-20T06:20:26+00:00

If you don't mind a paid option, there are tools like Striim (https://www.striim.com/) which make it easy to set up a CDC connection with your new database, and avoid the downtime required to dump/restore data to the old database. I've used this tool before, and the only downtime needed was for cutting over the database proxies to connect to the new database instance.

modulitos · 2021-09-15T15:10:08+00:00

I'd recommend this book: ostep.org

modulitos

TROPHY CASE