"Build a company around people, not code" w/ Chris Klosowski @ Sandhills Development

The "Senior" Junior Engineer

Episode Summary

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Sandhills Development's Director of Technology, Chris Klosowski. Hailing from the Phoenix Metro, Chris shares his non-traditional path into engineering via a JR engineering program w/ GoDaddy, through his transition to Sandhills development where he helped grow and shape the team to what it is today. In this episode we discuss what it was like growing the team and culture at Sandhills and what it takes to make the transition from IC to Manager in the software world.

• Ask me anything - If you have any questions, let me know! I'll do an episode where I answer your questions.
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Episode notes

If you're going to go to college, do something you'll actually enjoy.

• What you learn about the importance of team/ mentorship/management on growth during the "Jr" stage of your career.
• How to know when to "cut ties" & move on from a role?
• What to consider when looking at making a transition; It's what's important to you.
• IC vs Leadership → How to decide which path to take. (how do you measure your own success on a daily basis).
• Being the person that helps facilitate success for your team members.
• How being a father has impacted his role/work.
• Managing your time and defining priorities
• How to "Build a company around people, not code"?
• go-to methods of keeping yourself on task, and productive in the midst of distraction

Takeaways for someone considering transitioning from IC to leadership:

• Take a transition role if possible - Take a "tech lead" role, leadership without the "responsibilities"
• Spend some time talking to someone you really trust, get their perspective on your career, and leveraging your skills in the best way possible. Have those hard conversations with someone who can give a third party perspective
• "It's not for everyone", find what makes you happy and pursue that. You don't have to "climb" the ladder. That's ok.

Featuring

Chris Klosowski — Twitter, Github, Website
Andrew Locke — Twitter, GitHub, LinkedIn, Medium

Links

• Ask me anything - If you have any questions, let me know! I'll do an episode where I answer your questions.
• Sign up to be on the podcast
• A manager's path
• Leaders eat last
• How becoming a parent has made me a better developer
• History of Sandhills Development