I. M. Wright’s “Hard Code”

Break the ice blocking your job search

How do you expand and utilize your network to land a new role you love? Why is applying online so unlikely to succeed for an experienced engineer?

High on high potential--drunk on a fallacy

What skills should engineers develop? How should hiring manager prioritize candidates?

What’s this now? Dealing with ambiguity

How do you estimate deliverables, prioritize assignments, design solutions, choose implementations, and verify requirements when there’s no authoritative source to tell you the right thing to do and the right way to do it? What do you do when the experts disagree?

Been the boss

How do you engage with your manager and peers when you're no longer the boss? Should you be the boss again?

A matter of degrees

Is getting an advanced degree worth the time, effort, and cost? Does the university you choose matter?

In the middle of planning

As a middle manager, how do you create a plan in a week that pleases the management chain above you (and partners), the staff below you (including multiple teams), and your own desires for influence and impact? When are three plans better than one?

Escape the matrix

What is matrix management? Given its awful track record, why does it persist and how can you avoid it?

Whatever, I do the vacation I want

When your company switches to discretionary time off, how much vacation should you take? What if my manager or team judges me about using too much or too little vacation?

Advanced cat herding

How do you drive cross-org initiatives successfully without leaving a trail of resentment? What is the hidden power of the initiative driver?

Pacify office politics

Why do many engineers hate office politics yet can't avoid it? How can you navigate and master office politics while maintaining your integrity and sanity?