Tag: engineering

10x engineers

Almost every company that I know is looking for engineers like this. Bad recruiters call them “rockstars” and “ninjas”. This article talks about some of the history and myths associated with the concept.

https://medium.com/about-work/6aedba30ecfe

I think they most certainly do exist in engineering and in other professions as well, though it may be the most explicit in engineering. But it is a pretty elusive concept which is not easily measured and it’s often used to justify really destructive behavior. I would classify someone as “10x” who is has enough depth and breadth to be able to make connections and see perspectives that others can’t. It’s not the efficiency of a specific algorithm or a productivity multiplier even though that might be a consequence. It’s the ability to see a problem in a different light and come up with a novel solution that results in improvements that are measured in orders of magnitude.

 P.S. This is also a relevant post by John Cook. 

http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2013/09/17/to-err-is-human-to-catch-an-error-shows-expertise/

On Being a Senior Engineer

A very apt take on the profession, particularly the cultural component. Below is a great quote as well. The “why” piece is absolutely critical to success, regardless of how menial the task might seem.

” These engineers spend the time to make sure that more junior or new engineers unfamiliar with the tech or processes we have not only understand what they are doing, but also why they are doing it

http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/10/25/on-being-a-senior-engineer/