v1.0.1 - Jaidie Vargas

v1.0.3 - Anna Miller

Anna Miller, founder of Outlier Mentors, on why your job search isn't a job search problem. Anna Miller has coached over 100 engineers into roles at companies like Google and Amazon. She has 44,000+ LinkedIn followers who tune in for her straight talk on what actually works in today's job market. And she built Outlier Mentors, a career mentorship community, to fill the gap she kept seeing: engineers who are talented, hardworking, and completely unprepared for how  getting hired actually works. Spoiler: it's not about blasting out applications. Anna brings a no-nonsense, deeply human approach to job searching. She understands that the process is emotional, that rejection emails often mean nothing, and that the engineers who get hired aren't necessarily the most skilled, they're the ones who show up prepared, visible, and practiced. Anna's network-first philosophy isn't just theory. It's built from years of watching engineers miss offers not because they weren't qualified, but because they treated the job search like a form submission instead of a human process. Getting the interview and passing the interview are two completely different skill sets, and most people never train for either one. In this episode, we'll talk about how the tech hiring landscape has changed, why online visibility is the most underrated career skill, not taking rejection emails at face value, the difference between landing an interview and passing one, what Outlier Mentors actually does, the mentorship model from networking through offer, AI role play for interview prep, the emotional barrier that hold engineers back, and why recording yourself might be the highest-leverage thing you can do for your career. Your call to action? → Record yourself speaking about something. Anything. If you do it, you will be a more successful person in life. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Career Mentorship in Tech 02:18 Navigating the Job Market: The Role of Networking 05:15 The Importance of Online Visibility 08:24 Understanding the Job Search Process 11:25 The Evolution of Interview Preparation 14:16 The Difference Between Landing and Passing Interviews 16:29 The Emotional Aspect of Job Searching 19:26 The Mentorship Model and Its Benefits 22:07 Innovations in Interview Preparation: AI Role Play 24:38 Final Thoughts on Communication and Self-Reflection THE GOOD STUFF - LINKS & MORE Anna Miller, LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamiller/ Outlier Mentors - https://outliermentorship.systeme.io/

v1.0.2 - Erik Gross

From Navy Nuclear Reactors to 4,000+ Students: Why Fundamentals Still Beat AI Erik Gross [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikgross/] is the co-founder of the Tech Academy [https://www.learncodinganywhere.com/] and author of The Uncommon Engineer. A Navy nuclear reactor operator turned sales professional turned software engineer, Erik couldn't find junior developers, so he built a school to train them. In this episode, we talk about Erik's journey from programming on a Vic 20 at age 11, to operating nuclear reactors in the Navy, to co-founding one of the earliest coding bootcamps. We dig into why AI is a game changer for experienced developers but a potential crutch for beginners, the moment systems architecture "clicked" on a submarine in Idaho, how the Tech Academy bakes AI training into every bootcamp, job search tenacity, and Erik's upcoming book, The Uncommon Engineer. Your call to action? → If you can read and do basic math, you can learn to code. Whatever method you choose, give it a shot. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Erik Gross 01:00 The Vic 20 and Learning to Code at 11 02:01 Inside the Computer: A Lesson from Dad 02:36 Navy Nuclear Power and Digital Circuitry 03:00 The Unexpected Tech Career in Sales 03:27 The Blunt Conversation That Changed Everything 04:31 Landing the First Tech Job 05:27 The Search for Junior Developers 05:56 How the First Coding Bootcamp Inspired the Tech Academy 06:36 Staying Current as a Working Developer 07:37 AI for New Developers vs. Experienced Engineers 09:26 Domain Expertise and Garbage In, Garbage Out 11:22 "Explain It Like I'm Five": Using AI to Learn 12:50 Principles Over Syntax 14:29 AI as a Companion, Not a Replacement 15:19 Why Claude is a Game Changer 16:33 AI in the Tech Academy Curriculum 17:56 The Current Tech Job Market 18:56 Tenacity in the Job Search 22:03 The Uncommon Engineer: Erik's New Book 22:26 The Submarine in the Desert 25:35 When Systems Architecture Clicks 29:02 One Takeaway: You Can Learn to Code THE GOOD STUFF: LINKS & MORE * Erik Gross, LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikgross/] * The Tech Academy [https://www.learncodinganywhere.com/] * The Uncommon Engineer [https://theuncommonengineer.com/](coming soon!) * Tool reference: Claude by Anthropic [https://claude.ai]

v1.0.1 - Jaidie Vargas

Jaidie Vargas [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaidie-vargas/] is a force of nature. She is a national speaker, Navy veteran, PhD student researching AI ethics, co-founder and executive director of Amigas in Tech [https://bio.site/amigasintech], IT Director, and a mom. What doesn't she do?! She's a champion whose actions inspire women and particularly the Latina community to feel empowered and claim their seat at the table. Jaidie's journey from IT in the Navy to cybersecurity leadership shows the power of asking her favorite question, "why not?" at every turn. She built a career by staying curious, communicating authentically, and bringing others along for the climb. Now, through Amigas in Tech, she's building a community with friends she once needed which offers salary negotiation workshops, civic engagement tools, and real resources beyond just panels. Her PhD research focuses on AI ethical frameworks with a human-centric, community-first approach. She's making sure communities have a voice when data centers pop up and AI decisions get made because innovation without consideration of its effects isn't progress. In this episode, we'll talk about finding community, Jaidie's path from IT in the Navy to cyber leadership, building Amigas in Tech from the ground up, researching AI ethics, why communication is the most critical soft skill, asking "why not?" to create opportunities, time management across multiple roles, the importance of allyship, and staying authentic when the world wants you to blend in. Your call to action? → Keep on showing up, keep on making your voice heard, and seek micro or macro glimmers of joy and hope. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Jaidie Vargas 00:58 The Mission of Amigas in Tech 03:24 Jaidie's Journey into Tech 05:55 Researching AI Ethics 08:05 Lessons Learned in Tech 11:25 The Importance of Communication 11:49 Creating Opportunities in Tech 17:14 Future Aspirations and Community Impact 18:18 Navigating Life's Transitions 19:19 Time Management Strategies 21:31 The Mission of Amigas In Tech 22:55 Building Community and Allyship 25:43 Unexpected Success and Growth 27:53 Maintaining Passion and Avoiding Burnout 29:43 The Importance of Inclusivity 29:52 Personal Growth and Authenticity 32:20 Recap THE GOOD STUFF - LINKS & MORE LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaidie-vargas/] Amigas in Tech [https://bio.site/amigasintech] Amigas in Tech socials: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/amigasintech/posts/?feedView=all] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/amigasintech/] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@amigas.in.tech]

v1.0.0 - Release Notes

CHORE: ACKNOWLEDGE THE PAUSE + APPRECIATION Welcome back. Or welcome for the first time. Either way, I'm so glad you're here! Life happened and I wanted to recalibrate. During that pause, so many people reached out. To check in. To say they missed the podcast. To ask if it was coming back. Guess what? It is! THANK YOU, TRULY, TO ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO REACHED OUT. 🙏 I AM SO GRATEFUL! 🥹 This version exists because of those messages and care. I want to keep learning together! FIX: INFRASTRUCTURE + OWNERSHIP UNDER THE HOOD One of the biggest changes is actually behind the scenes. Though you may notice it if you look at the site! The site and podcast have moved to fully-managed hosting. This gives me more control, flexibility, and sustainability long-term. Home base is still the same: wip-podcast.com [http:///show-notes-tech-podcast]. I also added a new light! 💡Which is technically a hardware upgrade, but I wanted to listen to audience feedback! FEAT: INTRO REFRESH Per more audience feedback, you might notice a spoken intro instead of the pre-recording. The goal is to make the entry point a little cleaner. Think of it as a minor version bump, not a rewrite. FEAT: EPISODE RECAPS ENABLED Another new feature per audience feedback I’m excited about is to end interview episodes with a short recap from me: a reflection. What I learned. What stuck. What I’m still thinking about after the conversation ended. FEAT: EXPERIMENTATION MODE ENABLED This season is yet another experiment iteration. Let's try something new! I’ll be testing new episode styles/different formats, and potentially new ways of having conversations. There may be a familiar face joining soon in a collaborative capacity or repeat guest(s). TBD - leaning into curiosity and iteration! FEAT: SUPPORT HOOKS ADDED (TOTALLY OPTIONAL) I’ve also added a way to support the show if you’d like. You can drop something in the "tip jar" to help keep the mics on and cover the costs of software and tools that make the podcast possible. Visit ko-fi.com/wippodcast [https://ko-fi.com/wippodcast] to support the show. Totally optional. Very appreciated. CHORE: THINGS THAT HAVEN’T CHANGED Some things are intentionally the same. This podcast is still a work in progress. We’re still figuring things out in public. Curiosity still beats certainty. And humans are still more interesting than hot takes. BUG: KNOWN ISSUES * I’m still learning in real time. * This show will continue to evolve. * Perfection is not on the roadmap. * No fix scheduled. Though these may be more features than bugs for this podcast. 😅 🚀 RELEASE: SHIP IT Thank you for being here, whether you’re new or a returning human. I very much appreciate you coming along for the journey! Release notes updated.

v0.0.10 - Joram Mutenge

I dubbed Joram Mutenge [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorammutenge/] as a “trifecta” when it comes to the data profession. He is a data engineer, data analyst, and data scientist! As with many people, the route wasn’t a straight one, but suits him well once he learned to love the parts few enjoy and how to be safely creative within data. To become as valuable as possible, Joram has spent time learning SQL, Python, and JavaScript. We discussed multiple tools and libraries along with how to approach a web-based visualization as opposed to a print visualization. He’s now also learning Rust! One of his biggest recommendations for anyone trying to learn something new? It’s not random tutorials! Instead, consider a “curated” path of learning. When you invest some level of money into a course or something similar, you’re more likely to finish it because you’re also financially invested and you won’t waste as much time jumping around and trying to put the pieces together on your own. In this episode, we’ll talk about Joram’s journey into data engineering, the differences between data engineering/analytics/science, various languages and tools he works with, data cleanliness, how to learn and using a curated learning path, and where we can focus energy to spend our time wisely. Your call to action? → Useless things take just as much effort as useful things. Ask yourself: Is what I’m doing right now useful to what I’m trying to accomplish? Chapters 00:00 Journey into Data Engineering 05:27 The Importance of Data Cleaning 10:14 The Trifecta of Data Roles 11:55 Thinking in Tables 15:53 Learning Paths and Curated Education 25:52 Embracing Rust in Data Engineering 32:27 Final Thoughts on Effort and Utility All the Good Stuff - Links & More LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorammutenge/] Joram’s blog [https://www.conterval.com/blog/] So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13525945-so-good-they-can-t-ignore-you] Data-focused libraries & tools discussed: D3 [https://d3js.org/] Apache ECharts [https://echarts.apache.org/en/index.html] Matplotlib [https://matplotlib.org/] Plotly [https://plotly.com/] hvPlot [https://hvplot.holoviz.org/en/docs/latest/index.html] Pandas [https://pandas.pydata.org/] Polars [https://pola.rs/] Thanks & Gratitude 🙏 🎵 The background music in this episode was created by the amazing Sarah Garlock [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-garlock/]. You can also find Sarah @sarg_makes_beats on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sarg_makes_beats/] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@sarg_makes_beats]! Let’s Connect! 🎧 You can find this podcast episode and more at wip-podcast.com [https://www.wip-podcast.com] or wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts. 👩‍💻 I also write a Substack newsletter about things I’m learning at codeOutLoud [https://codeoutloud.substack.com/]. You can find me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindiweik/], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMYEpKDKqHnAqcUG9N_qtKg], or take a peek at what I’m up to at mindi.omg.lol [https://mindi.omg.lol/]. Want to be - or recommend - a guest for the show? Fill out or send this short Notion form [https://noteforms.com/forms/podcast-guest-intake-ehzlmr] to a friend to be considered for an upcoming episode! I’m looking for interesting people working ALL across the tech world! 😁 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wip-podcast.com [https://www.wip-podcast.com?utm_campaign=CTA_1&utm_medium=podcast]