I'm a software engineer - what next?

I'm a software engineer - what next?

"I'm a Software Engineer, What Next?" is a podcast for software engineers at a career crossroads. Hosted by tech recruiter James Wilson and veteran engineer Matt Sinclair, it offers insights into navigating career transitions, from individual contributor roles to management and beyond. Featuring discussions on personal growth and leadership this podcast is a guide for engineers seeking direction and growth in their careers. Join us to explore the paths and possibilities that lie ahead in the tech industry.

  1. From the Joburg Stock Exchange to CTO of Zilch: Sean Hederman on why being right doesn't scale

    1 NGÀY TRƯỚC

    From the Joburg Stock Exchange to CTO of Zilch: Sean Hederman on why being right doesn't scale

    Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer, What Next? The podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by James Wilson and Matt Sinclair, we talk honestly about what it takes to build a meaningful career in tech. This week we're joined by Sean Hederman, CTO of Zilch, one of the UK's biggest fintechs. Sean was the second hire at Zilch. Before that he built bi-temporal reference data systems at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, transformed DevOps at Stanlib and Direct Line, and somewhere along the way worked out that being the best individual engineer in the room is a ceiling, not a career. In this episode, we cover: -Why "being right doesn't scale" and what to engineer instead -The multiplier effect: lifting a team by 20% beats doubling your own output -Conway's law and the reverse Conway manoeuvre at Zilch -Queuing theory applied to engineering teams (and why Sean mandates 20 to 30% tech debt work) -Humans as chaos monkeys, and why half of software engineering practice exists because we're unreliable -Hiring engineers in the agentic era and the AI usage patterns Sean actually looks for -Adversarial agentic coding, spec-driven development, and getting the model to review its own work -The myth of the 10x programmer and what real force multipliers look like on a team Guest: Sean Hederman https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-hederman/ 🎙 Hosts Matt: https://matthewsinclair.com James: linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-92170656 🌐 More from us: https://whatnext.dev/ https://quantumfaxmachine.com/

    1 giờ
  2. 07/08/2025

    Do You Really Need to Do a Coding Interview?

    Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? — the podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by tech recruiter James Wilson and software engineer Matt Sinclair, we unpack what it really means to build a career in tech today — from navigating interviews to scaling as an engineering leader.In this week's episode, we dig into the most debated topic on dev Twitter and LinkedIn:Should software engineers have to do coding interviews?James recently shared a post on LinkedIn about the reality of coding rounds in interviews — and, well, let’s just say it triggered some responses. In this episode, we get into what’s changed, why this topic hits so hard, and what better might look like.Link to post: https://short-link.me/1aiiBWe cover:Why live coding isn't the job — and what hiring managers should be testing insteadWhat Matt means when he says: “Some engineers are still living in 2019”Why engineers can’t afford to be picky anymore (and why that sucks)How to evaluate engineers without a whiteboard testThe tradeoffs between tasks, take-homes, pairing, and probationsThe importance of initiative, communication, and knowing what you’re “known for”Whether you’re applying for your next engineering role or hiring your next dev, this one’s got real talk, practical advice, and a few rants.🎙 HostsMatt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsinclairJames: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-92170656🌐 More from us:https://whatnext.dev/https://quantumfaxmachine.com/

    23 phút

Giới Thiệu

"I'm a Software Engineer, What Next?" is a podcast for software engineers at a career crossroads. Hosted by tech recruiter James Wilson and veteran engineer Matt Sinclair, it offers insights into navigating career transitions, from individual contributor roles to management and beyond. Featuring discussions on personal growth and leadership this podcast is a guide for engineers seeking direction and growth in their careers. Join us to explore the paths and possibilities that lie ahead in the tech industry.