Become An Open Source Master [Part 23] - Be Like Water

It's hard to play well with others when we're very stubborn. Instead, "*be like water*":

- Adapt our contributions to fit the project's philosophy and guidelines.
- Observe and learn from other successful pull requests in the project.
- Be patient and work with the maintainers to get our changes approved.

The viral bad pull request mentioned: <https://github.com/A11yance/axobject-query/pull/354> 

The full process of making a contribution in a big, scary project: [Fixing a Bug in Google Chrome as a First-Time Contributor](https://cprimozic.net/blog/fixing-a-bug-in-google-chrome/)

Connect with James:

- GitHub: <https://github.com/jamesgpearce>
- Twitter (X): <https://twitter.com/jamespearce>

Become An Open Source Master [Part 22] - Good Practices When Making Commits

Pay attention to the naming conventions of commits and pull requests in open source projects. We also need to make sure our commits are atomic, solving one problem at a time. Always provide a clear test plan for our changes.

References:

- [One Diff, One Thesis](https://www.jointaro.com/course/level-up-your-code-quality-as-a-software-engineer/one-diff-one-thesis/)
- [Level Up Your Code Quality As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/level-up-your-code-quality-as-a-software-engineer/)

Connect with James:

- GitHub: <https://github.com/jamesgpearce>
- Twitter (X): <https://twitter.com/jamespearce>

Become An Open Source Master [Part 21] - Start With Something Small

- Start with small contributions to get familiar with the workflow and build our confidence. Maintainers probably won't give you the adequate time of day if you have a large code change while being unkonwn.
- Fork the project to our own account, make changes, and commit them there.
- Answer the questions in the pull request template to help the maintainers understand our changes.

Github guide to forking a repository: <https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/working-with-forks/fork-a-repo>

Connect with James:

- GitHub: <https://github.com/jamesgpearce>
- Twitter (X): <https://twitter.com/jamespearce>

Become An Open Source Master [Part 11] - Go With The Flow

We can contribute to open source projects by either creating something new or picking up existing work. It's important to communicate with the community owner or maintainer and earn their trust. We can do this by opening discussions, being open to feedback, and starting with small, well-defined tasks.

Example strong pull request (PR) from TinyBase: <https://github.com/tinyplex/tinybase/issues/130>

Connect with James:

- GitHub: <https://github.com/jamesgpearce>
- Twitter (X): <https://twitter.com/jamespearce>

Become An Open Source Master [Part 9] - Solve A Need

When choosing an open-source project to contribute to, we should:

- **Focus on solving a need:** Choose a project that you'll benefit from and have a passion for working on.
- **Assess the project's health:** Look for signs of active maintenance, such as merged pull requests and recent activity.
- **Seek insights from others:** Talk to people who have worked on the project to get their perspectives on the community and development process.

Connect with James: 

- GitHub: <https://github.com/jamesgpearce>
- Twitter (X): <https://twitter.com/jamespearce>

Grow From Junior To Mid-Level Engineer [Part 7] - Code Review

As a mid-level engineer, it's not enough to write good code yourself - You need to help others write good code as well. This lesson teaches you:

- How junior and mid-level engineers differ when it comes to code review quantity, shown with concrete Meta numbers
- The difference between a junior engineer code review comment vs. a mid-level engineer code review comment, explained with an in-depth example

Get better at code review with our masterclass: [\[Masterclass\] How To Do Amazing Code Review](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/rhRFh49oouaUDhWUvkQb/masterclass-how-to-do-amazing-code-review/)

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 15] - Reflection And Practical Exercises

In this video, I provide reflection prompts, practical exercises, and tips for continuous improvement to enhance communication skills. Viewers are encouraged to reflect on recent communications, analyze communication structures, and assess clarity, engagement, listening, adaptability, and feedback. Practical exercises and suggestions for continuous improvement are also shared to help viewers continuously enhance their communication skills.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 12] - Storytelling For Impact

In this video, I delve into the power of storytelling using Freytag's Pyramid, a framework that structures narratives into five key parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. I explain how storytelling enhances communication by making information memorable, engaging, and emotionally resonant, ultimately simplifying complex details and fostering audience connection.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 4] - What Makes A Message Clear?

In this video, we delve into the key elements of crafting clear messages: simplicity, conciseness, structure, and relevance. I provide examples and tips on how to enhance message clarity, emphasizing the importance of using plain language, getting to the point quickly, organizing thoughts logically, and focusing on essential information. No specific action is requested from viewers, but implementing these strategies can significantly improve communication effectiveness.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

Clear Communication For SWEs [Part 2] - What Is Clear Communication?

In this video, I delve into the essence of clear communication in software engineering, emphasizing its critical role in project success. I discuss the definition of clear communication, common barriers, and strategies to overcome them. Effective communication ensures team alignment, enhances productivity, and reduces errors. Viewers are encouraged to adapt their communication style for diverse audiences and regularly summarize key points for clarity.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-wiens/>

Grow From Senior To Staff Engineer [Part 16] - Specialist

When you grow your junior to senior, it's best to [pick something, focus on it, and go deep](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/wUl3hc2wr1ms493bd23b/this-is-how-software-engineers-should-initially-learn/?playlistId=iBKHYpkjd0BRWWLKQG2j). You can actually continue this trajectory all the way to staff. This lesson teaches you:

- What the specialist staff engineer archetype is
- What it takes for a technical domain to be worthy of staff scope
- Examples of staff-level specialist domains

Grow From Senior To Staff Engineer [Part 15] - Why Have Archetypes?

Growing from junior (L3) to senior (L5) is largely foundational. This stops being the case when you get to staff. This lesson teaches you:

- What staff engineer archetypes are and how they help conceptualize the path to staff
- How to quickly and easily understand what each staff engineer archetype does
- A framework you can use to learn from the staff engineers in your team, particularly with what archetype they embody

Learn more about Talk & Observe: 

- Rahul's dedicated YouTube video: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV0nvusnqT4> 
- From the onboarding course: <https://www.jointaro.com/course/the-complete-onboarding-guide-for-software-engineers-succeeding-when-youre-new/the-talk-and-observe-framework/>

Grow From Senior To Staff Engineer [Part 14] - Raise Leaders

As a senior engineer, you are expected to make the engineers around you better. As a staff engineer, this expectation is amplified by another degree. This lesson teaches you:

- The difference in the levels of engineers that senior and staff engineers mentor
- The difference in mentorship depth between senior and staff engineers
- How to raise senior engineers
- What it looks like to give staff engineer level mentorship compared to senior engineer mentorship, explained with an in-depth example

Dive deeper into mentorship with this case study: [\[Case Study\] Mentoring Junior SWEs \[E3\] to Senior \[E5\] In Just 2.5 Years At Meta](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/case-study-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/)

Grow From Senior To Staff Engineer [Part 9] - Build Technical Systems

As a staff engineer, it simply isn't enough to write standard product code. You need to write code that helps other engineers write code. This lesson teaches you:

- The mindset shift that staff engineers have made with regard to technical systems that junior to senior engineers haven't
- Why technical systems work is so impactful and deserving of staff engineer scope
- Exactly what it means to demonstrate staff level behavior with technical systems instead of senior level behavior, shown with an in-depth examples
- Common technical systems within a team that staff+ engineers are responsible for building and maintaining

Asking Great Questions [Part 21] - Follow The Golden Rule

There is no free lunch, and this is certainly the case when it comes to asking favors. Favors in the tech industry are often harder to get as well given that they're higher leverage: A strong referral or a 1 on 1 meeting could easily be worth +$100. This lesson teaches you:

- What it means to follow the golden rule with your favor request question, explained with an in-depth example
- How to share equivalent value with 3 common favors that software engineers ask for
- A simple 3-step process you can use to add value to anyone and make them want to help you more, particularly when you can't return equivalent value

Asking Great Questions [Part 18] - Put Them On A Pedestal

If you are asking someone for a favor, they are almost certainly special in some way. This means that they're probably getting asked for favors from many, many people besides you. So how can you stand out? This lesson teaches you:

- An easy and free way to make your favor request stand out
- Why putting someone on a pedestal is so powerful
- What it means to put someone on a pedestal in your question, explained with an in-depth example

Asking Great Questions [Part 16] - Attaching The Code

Code is heavy, especially when viewed outside the context of an IDE or code review platform like GitHub. It's critical to keep this in mind when you're asking questions about your code. This lesson teaches you:

- The most common failure mode when it comes to attaching code to questions
- What it means to gracefully attach code to your question, explained with an in-depth example
- A trick you can use to share a lot of code without overwhelming your question

To learn how to isolate relevant code, take our debugging masterclass: [\[Masterclass\] How To Become A Debugging Master And Fix Issues Faster](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/ioR6WzamAIUTpySLAr7o/masterclass-how-to-become-a-debugging-master-and-fix-issues-faster/)

Asking Great Questions [Part 13] - Please Don't Do This: Leading Hello

A lot of what we're taught growing up doesn't translate very well into the software engineering world, and how we greet people is one of those things. This lesson teaches you:

- Why a standard solitary "Hello" or "Hi" is a terrible way to get help digitally
- What being polite actually means in the engineering world
- What you should do instead of leading hello

If you want to join the cause of "No Hello": [https://nohello.net/](https://nohello.net/en/)

Asking Great Questions [Part 12] - Length Balancing

One of the most important attributes of a question is its length, and the reason why is simple: The length of a question is directly connected to how much time a helper needs to spend answering it. This lesson teaches you:

- Why questions that are too short are bad
- Why questions that are too long are bad
- What to do if your question seems too short
- What to do if your question seems too long
- What a healthy question length is, demonstrated with a real-world example
- A tactic you can use to keep the length of your question in-check while still including a lot of important context

Asking Great Questions [Part 11] - Avoid Question Ping Pong

If you want better answers faster on your question, the goal is simple: *Make it dead simple to answer your question*. But how do we do that? This lesson teaches you:

- A simple mental framework you can apply to your question to understand if it's good
- What a bad question looks like when it violates that mental framework
- How to use that mental framework to determine the quality of a question

Tech Career Growth Videos

Our instructional videos provide software engineers with insights needed for career growth. Masterclasses go incredibly in-depth on a specific tech topic while case studies are real examples from established engineering leaders.