Job hunting update

The past few months have been a roller coaster and extremely humbling. At the start of this process, looking to find a new role, I might have even been a little cocky. Despite being let go as part of a large restructuring I truly felt like I was good at being a software engineer and that a good company would see that and things would work out.

With that mindset I took my time and only applied to a couple of companies as I wasn’t in a hurry to go back to work. Later this year I had my second sabbatical scheduled with some plans made for it. Seeing as that wasn’t going to happen anymore I felt like I could take a break and go at the search a little slowly, but still applying to promising roles.

For the past month now I’ve felt like I’ve had my break and I’ve been more serious about finding my next company. This is my first time in over ten years looking for a new job and things have certainly changed in that time. Maybe it’s partly that I’m only looking for remote roles, but I don’t think so. For the most part everything has seemed so impersonal. Even when I set my sights on Automattic way back I was able to seek out and have conversations with people there. While I’ve done some of that for companies that are high on my list, it feels harder than ever to make that personal connection.

The whole process is a strange paradigm and anxiety building. So many applications just seem to go into the void never to hear back from. I wake up each morning hoping to hear something. Then when I do and it is a rejection it is so deflating and I question, what’s better? Not knowing but still able to keep some hope, or no it’s over? It’s certainly better to know, but each time it’s still hard.

There have only been three companies so far where I’ve really felt like they’ve taken care in the hiring process. It’s not surprising that these three were the companies I was most excited about working for. Just this morning I received a kind and personal rejection email for a role I was so excited about. I knew it was a long shot, but they are a great company and I really felt like we’d fit well together. Knowing is better, but waking up to that message has left me down for the day.

Given the nature of job roles at my last company, there were no levels or separating titles, it has makes it hard to know where I fall in the market. When I started applying I thought I’d be a Senior Software Engineer. Maybe I’m only at the Intermediate level currently.

It got to the point last week that I was going to start applying for technical support roles again as I know where I stand there. I’m confident in my ability there. Contemplating things I remembered a conversation I had in one of my last 1:1 meetings with my last lead. After describing my progress on a project I was working on she said, you really like being a developer don’t you? She is absolutely right. I love it.

For probably over 20 years I’ve been building websites and applications on the web. While it wasn’t always my full time career, and I took a long break where I didn’t do much at all, I’m passionate about it. Since coming back to it full time over 4 years ago in a professional environment I’ve really updated my skills and learned lots. There’s always more to learn of course, and that’s one of the reasons I do love it.

One of the things that has kept me from really sinking is talking with past colleagues and re-reading the recommendations and nice things they’ve said about me. While I may not be at the Senior level, I really think I’m close, and I know once I find the right role I’ll close any gaps that there may be. So I’m not going to change tracks yet and I’m going to do my best to stay optimistic that I’ll find the right role for me at a great company.

Unexpected Goodbye, Unshakable Gratitude

The past few days have been difficult. After over 10 years working at Automattic my time has come to an end. As with any loss there has been a mix of feelings, but most consistently how I’ve been describing it to those close to me asking is heartbreaking. Although I always knew I didn’t have full control over this, my plan was to retire here.

My focus is on gratitude though. These years have been the most rewarding. I’ve written many posts about my time at Automattic and I know some of what I shared helped bring many people to the company.

Like so many work places it’s the people that make Automattic special. Though I have a terrible track record of keeping in touch with people, there are many who I consider friends, and who I will try to do better for. I’m not going to try to name them, because there are so many and I of course would end up missing some. Thank you to everyone who I’ve worked with especially those I’ve had the great fortune of being on the same team with.

My world really opened up during this time. From both traveling the world getting to meet up with colleagues, and from working with people who live all over. It also opened up career wise. From customer support, to leadership, to developer, I’ve learned so much and touched many different products. Hopefully I’ve left things at least a little better than and that I’ve done some good.

Not sure what comes next career wise. I’m going to take a little bit of time to prepare and figure it out. While it’s quite possible I’m a little delusional, I’m so far not incredibly worried. Thanks to my time at Automattic I have a lot to offer and things will work out.

Unseen influence, unspoken thanks

As I was sitting in a rural high school gym yesterday I found myself reminiscing about my own youth. It wasn’t for a typical reason you might think of for a middle aged man watching high school students play volleyball.

Despite liking sports and even once walked into a tryout to play for my high school, I quickly turned around, left and never played organized sports. So it wasn’t me reliving my glory years. Instead as I looked around the gym I thought I recognized someone, but wasn’t confident it was them. After checking with my friend, whose son I was there to watch, he confirmed it was who I thought.

It must have been 1999 or 2000 when I last saw them. We had worked together in a wood shop where we made country style furniture and decor. He worked in the manufacturing part of the operation and I worked in the finishing shop. We all worked closely together though and took our lunch and breaks together as well.

For some there this would be their career, or something similar. This person though had other plans. He was taking an Electronics course at our local community college and had goals to work at a local plant as a technician helping repair electronics and machines. The plant had a reputation for being a great employer and who paid one of the higher salaries in our area. For someone in my spot in life, having essentially dropped out of high school two years in a row, it seemed like one of the best possible outcomes for myself. So I listened to him and decided I’d follow his footsteps. Having often taken electronic things apart to try and see how they worked, or to try and fix them, it seemed like a fitting choice.

With somewhat of a plan now I dedicated myself and finished high school and enrolled in the same course. He was in the second year of the program while I was in the first though we didn’t interact a whole lot. The second years mostly stuck together and we did the same as first years.

The course was interesting and I learned a lot, though I never used it directly in my career.

Being laid off from the wood shop I had started working at a retail store part time. One of my co-workers there was also in the first year of the program I was in and we became friends. It was thanks to him that I found about a new company starting up and looking to hire a lot of people. It was a call centre doing internet technical support. It paid a lot better than the minimum wage we were making at the time and had flexible shifts so we could work lots around school.

At this point in time I was not technical or computer literate at all. My friend helped me study and he helped me email in my resume. We attended the career fair they had set up, and thanks to his help, and me eavesdropping on others who were at the career fair, I somehow managed to pass their technical test and so was on their list. I didn’t get hired in their first round, but I did in the second.

It was this job that really changed the trajectory of my life. It started me learning computers well. It was here where I had someone in leadership take notice of me and start giving me more opportunities. This lead to leadership positions of my own and I started to see the possibility of even more for my career. This is also where I started teaching myself to program and what pushed me to further my education in Computer Science. All these aspects though paled by the fact that is job is also where I met my wife.

All these thoughts and connections were quickly going through my mind while sitting in the gym. I’m certain he didn’t even recognize me, and I never said anything to him as I left. What would I say? 

You probably don’t remember me, but thank you or being a pivotal person in my life at just the right time. In part because you unknowingly steered me down this path, my life has ended up in a place that the high school drop out you knew back then couldn’t even see as a possibility. Thank you.

Reading with Ezra

One of the benefits of my renewed reading habit that I hadn’t seen coming was with my youngest Ezra. He has lots of energy and loves to be busy. His favorite thing is being outside, digging, collecting sticks and rocks, just being hands on with nature.

Ezra is also very inquisitive so I didn’t think much when he started asking me questions about reading. Why are you doing that? What is that thing? while pointing at my eReader. Being more deliberate about reading meant he saw me doing it more. In the past if I was reading it was probably early in the morning or after he went to bed.

We always have read to him each night at least. These are typically kids books. Books with lots of pictures, short stories you finish in one sitting. Typically multiple ones while lying in bed as the final step in our bedtime routine.

It didn’t surprise me when a few days ago he came up to me with James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl asking me to read it to him. What did surprise me though was how he sat right up, still and calm as could be, and listened intently to the first few questions. Taking in the story, asking questions about it, and wondering what would come next.

We’ve been reading it steady since then a few chapters here and there throughout the day, and then more at night cuddled up in bed. I thought he may get tired of it, but each time he comes and sits up and we read and talk about it together.

Looking back I guess it shouldn’t surprise me too much. About a year ago I read him one of my childhood favorites as our night time book, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. It was a little deeper maybe than some of our other books. He asked lots of questions and we talked about how I loved him like the tree loved the boy. Enough to give him everything he had just to make the boy happy. The next day used his blocks to build a tree and a boy. He told me the boy was playing with the tree and loved the tree. As he played the boy took parts of the tree to build things and as he was done he had the boy sitting on the stump of the tree.

These reading sessions have become some of my favourite times of our day. We have a full collection of Roald Dahl books. I’m hopeful that I can instill in him a real love of reading and that we can continue on with this for a long time to come.

Not so fast

Right now I’m supposed to be high in the air flying across the country. Having my boys experience looking out the window and down at the clouds. The force of takeoff as you rush along the runway and then feel the wheels come off the ground. Watching the trees as they get smaller and smaller. Ezra has never been on a plane and Noah was so young last time that he doesn’t really remember. As much as airports and the process of flying can be painful, I’ll never not marvel and take in the actual act of flying.

But, instead of experiencing all this with my wife and boy’s, I’m sitting on my couch drinking a coffee.

Five years ago I had a sabbatical from work. We had this same trip booked and planned. Going to visit my sister and her family who we don’t get to see nearly enough.

The universe of course had other plans back then as well. A global pandemic and we had to cancel.

Our lives are busy and it wasn’t until now that we could work it out to go again.

I thought, nothing is going to stop us this time, so I’ll save money and booked the most basic flights which also means no changes, cancellations, or refunds.

This was a trip I needed. A break from the daily grind. A step outside the usual responsibilities.

Ah my cockiness. The universe was having none of that. Not only do you not get this, but here, have another serving of stress and heartache.

One of the hardest parts was telling my sons, both of whom have been looking forward to this for so long. They were packed and ready to go.

Ezra loves his cousins. He talks about them often and despite not seeing them much considers them his best friends. He’s too young to really understand and yet I could learn from him on how to deal with disappointment.

Noah’s first day of work

Today I’m feeling proud as a father. Yesterday Noah has his first real full day of work.

A couple of summers ago we hired my friends son, who had started a landscaping business, to replace our front lawn. Since we put it in it was terrible. The hydro seed never took and it was mostly weeds with dry dirt patches as well.

He took care of arranging the materials and tools and the two of us worked together to rip up the old lawn then lay new sod.

He is a hard worker and did a great job so it doesn’t surprise me that his business has been growing and this year he’ll be hiring help. The idea had been floated around previously but now it seems like Noah will be some of that casual help. He’s someone I’m glad for Noah to have as a mentor and first boss.

The business has not only grown but expanded beyond mostly mowing lawn and now has a contract to help out in a vineyard. That’s what Noah did yesterday.

Up early on the Saturday ending March break. The day started off crisp where I had to scrape the frost off the windows of the car before we drove out to Starrs Point. It’s a beautiful area and part of the local marathon route where I ran the half marathon last year. It’s one of my favourite local areas. Lots of farmland up against the Minas Basin that rises and lowers with the huge tides of the Bay of Fundy. The land is fertile, some of it reclaimed thanks to the dyke system.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was up, one of first real nice days as winter dies down. As we drove our past fields through the winding roads the sun gleamed off the frosty branches of apple orchards.

On my way home from dropping him off I stopped along the Cornwallis River for a short break to drink some of my coffee. As I was driving an owl being chased by several crows flew directly in front of my car. A contrasting side of nature to the serenity I had just spent time in.

Noah’s day was in the rows of the vineyard pruning the vines. He learned the proper way to do this taking into account this year and next. Trimming so that there are two branches one pointing left and one right.

There were a couple of other people helping as well, including my friends younger son, one of Noah’s best friends.

I was never scared for his work ethic. Although he doesn’t do much around the house to help out, and I have to bribe him to do things like mow our lawn. But when he decides to do something he does it and puts in the effort.

As he was leaving the boss asked him how he felt and if he wanted to do it again. So it seems like the first day was a success.

Noah was proud of the work he did as filled me in on how much he completed and the techniques used. In his mind the first six hours of the day had been easy. But for the last two he was counting the minutes.

I feel with him. I know what a grind some of the hours of a work day can be. This seems like an excellent introduction to working through. Most of it will be in the summer, but not every day. So he’ll be able to have some responsibility and earn money, but still lots of time to have a summer and have fun.

I miss those days.

Local Authors

This year I decided to read more again. Like most things in my life I seem to do this in cycles. Reading is something I enjoy, but will go through periods where I do next to none.

A couple of Christmases ago I received a book from local author Christy Ann Conlin, The Speed of Mercy. It didn’t take me long to get through it and I intended to read more of her work. That didn’t end up happening. Until this Christmas when I asked more of her work again. My family didn’t disappoint and I received her other three books. Heave, Watermark, and Memento.

Christy Ann’s work really kicked me back into my joy of reading. I decided I was going to ensure I read more this year.

To help keep me motivated I do what I usually do and set up a new site to keep track of my reading. https://coffeeandbook.com/ because reading and coffee go so great together.

From there I moved on to finish a book I had started probably in October, but never finished. It ended up in my bag when traveling and then when I got home I kind of lost track and fell out of reading. This book, Footprints In The Snow, is the third from other local author Laura Churchill Duke. I’d already read her first two books Two Crows Sorrow, and Rooted In Deception. All three are books that take real life historical murders from our area, the Annapolis Valley Nova Scotia, and bring them to life in creative non-fiction way.

It was through Laura that I discovered Deborah Hemming. Deborah is another local author who now has two books out. It took me very little time to get through both of them. Throw Down Your Shadows is set here in the Valley, which always appeals to me, but the story would have kept me engaged anyway. That was proven with her second book Goddess. I’m not what I consider a fast reader, but I made it through these novels in less than five days each.

We have so much talent here. They make me wish I could write as they all do. I’ve started listening to some audio books about writing. Maybe someday I’ll type out something worth reading, but I don’t think I have it in me to write as well as they do.

Query Loop Future Filter Plugin

This is the first year in a long time that I haven’t been helping coach my son Noah’s basketball teams. It’s felt a little odd, but I’m pretty out of my depth at the high school level and the team has great coaches. So this year I’ve focused more on the tech and media side of things.

At the beginning of the season I created a website that we can keep the schedule and some player info. I hadn’t built a WordPress website in a while so it was fun to get into the block themes. I created a few custom post types to use the main one for Games. Then using the power of the Query Loop block I can choose to display different sets of games. Most of this is done by filtering by different taxonomies. I have taxonomies for seasons, type of game, Exhibition, Regular Season, a Tournament, etc.

The one thing that was a struggle for me was I had games in the future. To start I wanted people to be able to see games that were in the future, but by default they would be considered scheduled posts, and not public until the date set happened. To get around that I added this snippet of code to my themes functions.php that will take any future posts and set them to be published instead.

function game_prevent_future_type( $post_data ) 
    if ( $post_data['post_status'] == 'future' && $post_data['post_type'] == 'game' )
    {
        $post_data['post_status'] = 'publish';
    }
    return $post_data;
  }
  
  add_filter('wp_insert_post_data', 'game_prevent_future_type');
  remove_action('future_post', '_future_post_hook');

The next issue was that I wanted to be able to show only upcoming games, but there wasn’t a way to do that with with the Query Loop Block. I wanted to add a filter that would allow me to show only future games. Thanks to Misha Rudrastyh I was able to create a plugin that allows to do just that. It can be found on GitHub, the Query Loop Future Filter Plugin.

It won’t be the most common thing someone needs but maybe someone will find it useful.

Ten years at Automattic

Today marks ten years from when I officially started at Automattic. Before I joined this company I switched jobs often. I guess I’ve still switched roles fairly often, but I’ve stayed with the same company. Being able to switch roles is one of the things I love and value about Automattic. I can try new things, but still stay with a great company.

December seems to be a time for change for me as well. December 2014 is when I joined Automattic. December 2020 is when I joined the Developer Apprenticeship program. December 2021 is when I finished the Developer Apprenticeship program.

Now in December 2024 I have another change. I’m moving away from working on the Day One app that I’ve been working on for the past three years. I’ve really enjoyed my time working to help create the web client for Day One. When I joined it was a basic prototype and I was lucky enough to help take it to a beta launch, and then full launch as what I think is a really nice experience.

There were lots of challenges and things to learn along the way, but I’m happy with what we accomplished, and I’m excited to see it continue to grow and evolve with the awesome team.

I’m staying at Automattic, but I’m moving back to the Happiness Division where I started here. This time as a Software Engineer on the Happiness Operations team. I’ll get to help with the tools that we use to interact with our customers, as well as internal tools that our awesome Happiness Engineers use to help customers.

This seems like a perfect fit for me. It combines my experience with Happiness as a long time Happiness Engineer, and what started me writing code to begin with. Way back in a previous job I was working in a Call Center doing technical support. It was a small company and I wasn’t always happy with the internal tools we had. So I started learning to code so I could make tools and improve them to make our jobs easier while talking with customers.

Recently I had the opportunity to join the HappOps team on their meetup before I officially joined. We met up in New Orleans, a city I’m forever connected to, and got to know the team, and start planning out our work. Some of the team I’ve known for a long time, while some I hadn’t met before. They are all great and I’m super excited to start with them tomorrow.

Here’s some pictures from our time in New Orleans.

Day One Meetup in Prague

In October of this year, most of the people who work on Day One all traveled to Prague for a meetup. A chance to all be together, plan, work, and team build.

It is such a great group of people. Working remotely is great, but there really is something magical about being in person with people. Causal conversations over meals, or while running through a foreign city are great ways to get to know the people you’re working with better.

Prague itself seems like a great city. Autumn was a fantastic time to visit as well. Some of the best times and views were on our morning runs, starting before the sun was up. We also did a scavenger hunt tour broken into teams, leading us to places I likely wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Here is a photo dump from my time there.