Q: What is your job? 🤷‍♀️

[nelsonic]

@carolrmc [Mom] wanted to understand what I do for a living. 🤷‍♀️
So this is my quick attempt to capture it.

In a nutshell: I'm a professional problem solver. 🥜
I look at a problem (mostly in software or "apps" but increasingly in people)
and attempt to solve them as effectively as possible.

The best way to think about what I do is this:

My Day/Life is a Series of Math Problems of Varying Complexity.

I'm trying to use what I know - and my Googling skills - to find solutions to the current problem I'm seeing.
This is what we do when we try to solve a Math exercise.
Sometimes I have to step away from my work and read a book or online tutorial to understand how to do something.

Reading useful books is how a dyslexic person that hated reading accumulated a whole Library. 📚
My books aren't decorative. The knowledge I've accumulated has made me an "Expert" in my work. 🤓

When I'm focussing on my work, it's like I'm trying to solve an equation ...

Note: To the fellow "devs" out there, I'm definitely not comparing the "CRUD" code I write
with something as complex as the Riemann Hypothesis,
but to someone who doesn't read/write any code it might as well be.
I try my best to write the simplest most well-documented code I can,
but to someone who hasn't written print("Hello World!") it's still a Rosetta Stone ...

Some people look at what we do and are bewildered or even intimidated by it.
Especially when we have a code Editor window open ...

Note: This image won't make any sense to someone who hasn't seen the Film The Matrix ...
this is the case with my Mom ... it means nothing to her. Keanu Who...?🤷‍♀️
FYI: The Matrix is in my Top 5 Favourite Films; I've watched it 100+ times.

But back to the topic!
I spend my day solving problems.
So the best way to think about what I'm doing when I'm at my computer is I'm focussing.

Focus Time is Everything 🤔

Some problems are relatively easy to solve; the solution takes only a few minutes.
Others take months or even years and require many "viewings" and learning new tools/techniques.
But even the most basic problem requires undivided focus.

You wouldn't try to solve a Math problem at the edge of your ability while trying to hold a conversation. Would you?
You certainly wouldn't be trying to watch/listen to a random show while trying to do Deep Work.

Focus Like You're in a Math Exam 😓

When you see me working,
Imagine that I'm in a Math exam and racing to finish the answer to a problem.
If you interrupt me during the exam I lose the working memory and cannot solve the problem.
Then I fail the exam. Flunk out of school and end up homeless or in prison.
Is that what you want? 🤷‍♂️

Interruptions 😞

Interruptions are the worst!

If I'm looking at the screen I'm thinking about a problem.
If I'm typing on my keyboard I'm solving a problem
or getting something else out of the way so I can get back to the problem.

Interruptions are expensive ... 💸 🔥

Interruptions cost me between €100 - €1000 depending on the problem I'm trying to solve.
Because I cannot just "jump" straight back into the problem I was working on.
I often have to spend considerable time "reloading" all the information into my working memory.
In the case of a large Pull Request - e.g: several thousand lines of code - it can take an hour or more
just to get back into the "zone" of understanding the problem I'm trying to solve.

Some times a single interruption in the morning can cost me the whole day of work.
And if I then have to do something else the next day(s) it can cost me several days of progress.

Bottom line is: a simple "what are we doing for lunch?" interruption
can cost more than just ordering the "Banquet" from the 3 Michelin Star Restaurant.
We all need to eat more Salad. Make a Salad. 🥗 👌

Quiet Time 🤫

If I'm quiet, I'm thinking. Always.
If I'm playing a chess puzzle on my phone. I'm still thinking.

Note: I still play Chess puzzles lichess.org/training each day for 5 mins - even though Chess is a "solved problem" and AI is vastly superior to humans. But I love it because it has well-define rules and a finite problem set; even if the permutations are essentially infinite.
My [puzzle] rating hovers around 2000 this is an "above average" but several orders of magnitude below GM ... I still think Chess is worth knowing and I will teach it to both my children because it teaches/practices focus, patience, strategy and "reading" the opponent. If you don't spot an idea/move/trap the other player is plotting it's game over. ♟️

What to know what I'm working on? 🧑‍💻

The best way to engage with me is simple: look at what I'm currently working on my list and try to understand what I'm stuck with.
If you don't understand what I'm doing, that's great! Ask a question.

Casual Conversation? 💬

Casual conversations are fine. Just try to avoid interrupting when I'm clearly typing or staring at screen quietly.

Talking Near Me

If I'm working. Please don't have a telephone or other conversation near me. It's massively disruptive.
I cannot "block" it out. Even with $500+ Noise-cancelling-headphones and classical music, I can still hear you!!
Any interruption costs me my focus. 😢

Sharing "Interesting" Stuff with Me

If you are sitting near me while I'm working, and scrolling "interesting" things on your phone.
That's fine. But please don't feel the need to talk to me about what you're seeing or share it with me in real-time.
By all means forward it to me and I will see it in a break.

[nelsonic]

How to be a "Consultant"?

If you have never worked in the consulting industry, it may seem strange at first.
Especially when recent graduates - with limited subject matter/industry knowledge/experience - are parachuted into an organisation and expected to "advise" the client on their business.

In A Nutshell: You're a Professional Listener & Learner.

Your job as a Consultant is to listen better than anyone and make notes on everything you learn.
Then go away and do more research to supplement your knowledge/understanding while formally documenting everything you learned. You then ask relevant follow-up questions to dig deeper and understand more.
If you're shy about speaking to people, get over that shyness fast!
You need to speak to as many pertinent people as possible and learn everything you can.
Along the way you are forming a map (organisational chart) of all the people and their respective roles/responsibilities.