Keeping as much separation between work and home life as possible is key.

I'm lucky enough to have a dedicated room for my home office. It's small at 65 square feet, but that hasn't stopped me from creating a space that feels suitably disconnected from my home.

I deliberately opted for wood flooring when the rest of the house is carpets; horizontal blinds instead of curtains. I also took some inspiration from the fancy spaces of big tech companies. One wall is entirely covered in (fake) plants.

There's a door with a lock. This goes both ways. When I'm working, I turn the thumb turn to keep my kids from wandering in, and when I'm finished for the day, I lock myself out with the key. This reduces the chance of me popping back in to check my email.

Senior Software Engineer at Samsara

Ross Ryles

It took me 15 years to go from "Software Engineer" to "Senior Software Engineer". That's certainly on the slow side. However, there's more to the story.

Before I became "Senior", I had the title "Lead Software Engineer", which to most would sound more senior than "Senior". It wasn't, but that was at a company with a very odd set of job titles. There's no standardisation, particularly when comparing between different size companies.

A big reason for taking longer than average was staying at the same company for too long. By too long I mean beyond the point I was learning at a good rate.

I do regret taking so long, but it also helps alleviate some of the imposter syndrome.