Debugging Careers: Why I'm opening up The SWaits Code

I’ve been in tech for over 30 years now. Principal Engineer at Amazon. Seen a lot, screwed up plenty, learned even more. Along the way, people started calling me SWaits, and I realized I had developed a sort of playbook. A set of principles and practices that have guided my career. I call it The SWaits Code.

Now, I’m doing something new. I’m opening up that code for others to see.

Why? It’s pretty straightforward. I want to help. No ulterior motives, no hidden agenda. Just sharing what I’ve learned.

The Impact of Mentorship

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of directly mentoring hundreds of technologists. And through various indirect means - like giving talks, writing internal documents, and influencing processes - that impact has extended to thousands more. I built relationships with countless technologists who consistently turn to me for advice on career growth, performance issues, promotions, and navigating conflicts. Sometimes, we even touch on personal stuff.

Each time I’ve helped someone work through a career challenge, I’ve learned something too. It’s always been a two-way street, and now it feels right to open up that exchange to a broader audience.

Why Now?

Look, I’ve been comfortable in my Amazon bubble. It’s been a great experience. But I know the tech industry is bigger than any one company. The challenges, the opportunities, the pitfalls – they’re pretty universal.

When acknowledging to myself that I’ve been at this a long time and had a moderately successful career, I realized that I probably do have something unique and valuable to offer the world. Then, I started asking myself: “Why keep all this experience bottled up within one company? Why not try to help people across the entire tech landscape?”

I decided to take a big leap of faith and give something new a try.

That’s what led to this livestream idea. The SWaits Code: Debug your Career - Live Q&A isn’t some flashy event title. It’s just me, in an officer-hours sort of format, opening up about what I’ve learned, hoping it might help others navigate their own paths.

What to Expect

This isn’t going to be a polished presentation or a motivational speech. It’s just going to be real talk about life in tech. We might get into:

• Approaches to those technical problems that make you want to bang your head against the wall
• The realities of moving into leadership, or even management
• How to navigate big tech environments without losing yourself
• Finding a balance between coding passion and career growth
• Learning from mistakes (I’ve made more than my fair share)

Why This Might Be Useful

I’m not claiming to have all the answers. What I am offering is a look behind the curtain. The good, the bad, the ugly – all of it. If you’re new to tech, maybe you’ll find some shortcuts to avoid common pitfalls. If you’re a veteran, perhaps you’ll discover a new perspective on old problems, or teach me something new!

Join In

This Friday, I’m putting it all out there. No script, no rehearsed answers. Ask me anything. Challenge my ideas. Disagree with me. Let’s have a conversation, that’s how we all grow!

If you’re interested, you can submit questions now or during the stream. Use event 12769 at onlinequestions.org.

Let’s work through some career challenges together. Hope to see you there.