How to be a

Great EngineerHolly Allen

December 2014

Engineers Solve Problems

Being a great engineer is about getting better at

solving problems.

How to Solve a (Tech) Problem

1. Know the technology

2. Know the problem space

3. Know the people

4. Work together

Know the Technology (the Fun Part)

● Write lots of code!

● Read about new technology

● Talk to other engineers

● Build fun side projects

● Fail all the time

● Get good at something, but be a generalist

But that’s not all...

You might think that your job as an engineer is

to master the technology and use it to elegantly

solve each and every problem that comes your

way.

But there is so much more to it than that.

Know the Problem Space

Get below the surface of a technical task. This could mean learning about:

● Business models

● Business domains, like publishing and scientific communication

● Users, like scientists and librarians, and what they care about

● User workflows, like reviewing manuscripts and how scientists keep up on

the latest research, and how those workflows can be improved

● UX concepts

● Business finance

● Hardware infrastructure

● So much more!

Know the People

Learn what your teammates and coworkers do, how they do it, what their weird

words mean, etc:

● Software engineers

● QA engineers

● Product managers

● Project managers

● Sysadmins

● Finance and accounting

● Editorial

● Production

● Executives

Be Understood

● Communication is fundamental to teamwork

● Listen more than you talk

● Write more than you talk

● Learn how to communicate with non-

engineers about technical topics

● Document everything

● Never hide or hoard information

Working Together

Problem solving is a team sport. We are all

working together for the same goal. Friction

arises when we don’t understand why other

people are approaching it so differently.

Trust that everyone comes to work every day to

do a good job.

Solve the Problem

● Code it

● Test it

● Measure it

● Talk about it

● Iterate

● Ask for help

Solve the Problem

You know what the problem is and how this

task will solve it. Now ask yourself: how have

other engineers solved this problem before?

Be careful what you invent. It usually takes

longer to implement and maintain than you

realize.

Career Corner

● Be a great team member

● Elevating those around you elevates you

● Build relationships

● Talk about solutions more than about problems

● Take on more than you have to

● Learn the art of building support for your ideas

● Know what you want

● Ask for what you want

Inspiration and Further Reading

http://katemats.com/being-awesome-at-your-job/

https://popforms.com/blog/

http://randsinrepose.com/

http://www.paulgraham.com/