What I love most about my role as an Engineering Manager is that it allows me to work closely with our talented team, collaborate on designing and creating solutions for challenging problems, and continuously learn in a dynamic tech environment. The process of guiding growth, solving intricate engineering challenges, and fostering a collaborative atmosphere is incredibly fulfilling and keeps me motivated.
A "Magic: The Gathering" game night with friends and a flavorful glass of scotch. I love strategizing and solving complex puzzles and "Magic: The Gathering" is the most analytical and complex game I have discovered – almost akin to programming an event-driven system (but with cards), while attempting to account for their myriad interactions on a probability curve.
One of my favorite moments was when we completed “session tracking” across our new microservices, which is driven by a purely stateless, token-based authentication layer. This allowed us to identify the set of surveys a user completed in a single “sitting” (session) to help us zero in on engagement campaign effectiveness. It required some very clever, out-of-the-box thinking from many individuals and collaboration among all engineering teams in the consumer portfolio.
Stargate SG-1 or Atlantis. I don't typically watch TV shows, but I enjoy these two sci-fi shows because they strive to ground their "movie tech" in real-world physics and mathematical theory. They typically extrapolate in a logically reasonable manner, while also filling in with believable assumptions that require only a minor suspension of disbelief. This allows me to immerse myself more fully in the show, as it feels more plausible than simply dismissing explanations with phrases like "magic" or "that's just how physics works in this world."
I orchestrate a lot of behind-the-scenes coordination to seamlessly integrate various components in different projects and services. While the final product seems cohesive and delivered as a whole, it is often the result of extensive collaboration across teams, managing dependencies, and aligning diverse efforts for a unified goal. This includes negotiating timelines, resolving conflicts, and making strategic decisions. Another challenge is handling rapid development and specialized engineering focus across teams in larger projects. Ensuring exacting integrations, maintaining project integrity, and delivering high-quality solutions are part of my holistic approach to addressing these challenges.
I enjoy testing my limits even outside of work. I recently attempted a hot sauce challenge using the world’s hottest hot sauce (Mad Dog 357's Plutonium 9 Million Scoville Pepper Extract). It was an experience that I’ll never forget and I hope that my mouth will forgive me some day.
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