Ryan's README

I’m Ryan! I’m many things, but one of them is a software developer. If you’re reading this, there’s a pretty good chance we work together, or we might soon work together, or we crossed paths in some professional context, or something like that. Neato! The intention of this document is to help you understand how I work best and how you can work best with me.

You can skip to whichever section you think applies best to whatever you’re most interested in.

How I work
How to work with me
How to contact me
Other bits of info

About me, my background, etc. Link to heading

I cover my background in my about page so go read that. If there’s something missing or you have questions about it, let me know!

How I work Link to heading

I appreciate good stretches of focus time, and one of my favourite ways to find focus is with noise. I love working with loud music and good speakers/headphones, I love loud coffee shops, and I enjoy working in bars.

I enjoy pairing on problems, though I may get nervous when people are watching me type! I’ll survive.

I struggle with letting people struggle, but I appreciate the value in letting people figure things out. I’m learning to guide with questions. I’m getting better at it!

I’m not a morning person. I often wish this weren’t the case, but it’s been resistant to change. My day starts around 9:30 or 10:00 and can go pretty late. It might sound cliché, but I’m useless without a coffee. This might have more to do with the routine and ritual than it does with the caffeine. I get bursts of inspiration in the evenings.

I like to prototype my ideas, and in general, I tend to learn the most by screwing around with things and seeing where it breaks. I understand the value in clear issues, a good tech design, transparency, and communication, but I learn a lot from experimentation before I formalise what I’m doing. This applies to new features, refactors, etc.

I love writing! This includes documentation, design docs, issues, PR descriptions, and even shit like this.

I keep a bullet journal, and it is extremely important to me.

How to work with me Link to heading

Meetings Link to heading

I appreciate a productive meeting as long as I understand the agenda and goals in advance! I think that’s a fair ask. This applies to pair programming as well, please! In my mind, an agenda can be as simple as “let’s figure out a solution to problem x” if x is a sufficiently contained and clear topic. It doesn’t need to be broken into timeboxes. In any event, I like to go into a meeting having a decent idea of what we’ll be talking about and what our goals are.

Communication Link to heading

I love it when people ask questions in public (ish) spaces. I have a pretty strong instinct to help, so if you have a question for me, I’ll usually do everything I can unless something is stopping me. If you’ve asked in private, I might ask you to restate your question somewhere that the conversation is discoverable (when appropriate to do so). This can be useful for helping other folks learn!

I appreciate direct communication! If there’s something important you’re trying to tell me, I’m not very good at reading between the lines. Be direct! I understand this might feel uncomfortable at first, but trust me, we’ll get on way better if I know you’re being direct with me.

I’m always up for a debate, and I can be quite passionate. I don’t like it when disagreements that boil down to “because that’s how it works here” or “I feel my way is right.” I appreciate evidence or a well articulated set of tradeoffs that we’re considering. I am always willing to change my mind!

Feedback Link to heading

I love direct, blunt, precise, timely feedback. Positive or negative! I prefer that feedback to be private or in personal settings. While I don’t love public displays of appreciation or recognition, I understand that sometimes they are useful for reasons that outweigh my preferences. Just give me a heads-up if you can.

I’m good at adjusting to how other people like to receive feedback, so please let me know!

How to contact me Link to heading

Try Linkedin. I don’t check it very often, and I’m not fast, but I will almost always respond.

If you see me in person, absolutely say hello. I’m not great with names, but I’m great at remembering faces and places. I’ve read some criticism of folks who say they aren’t good with names, as if we aren’t trying, and I think that’s bullshit. Believe me, it’s not because I don’t try. I wonder if I’m actually not that bad at it but I dread being wrong.