I've wanted to start a career journal of sorts for some time now - something that I could share with others who were interested, sure, but mainly for me to get in the habit of writing down my thought process, documenting decisions, and helping train my brain to really focus on distilling ideas so that I could learn more effectively.
But it's always felt like I never had the time. There was always something to be built, a bug to fix, or a customer question to address. And that's just the work stuff, not to mention all of the other life happenings.
If I'm honest, though, the real reason I haven't put keys-to-keyboard thus far is that the blank page is daunting. What do I have to offer? Who would listen? Why does it matter at all? These are the questions that have been bouncing around in my head as I've thought about how to grow in my career and document my work.
So why start writing now?
A few weeks ago I was able to attend a tech conference in San Francisco put on by Resend, a developer-friendly email platform.
What was unique about the conference, and the primary reason why I decided to go, was the pitch that it would be a conference centered around developers, with an atmosphere crafted specifically to equip, encourage, and challenge developers to build better, more delightful software.
To be sure, they did highlight a few of their latest product announcements and innovations. But what was impactful was how the conference as a whole was so intentionally focused on the developer community and how we can all move software forward, together.
After visiting with a few well-known voices and leaders in the tech space over the course of the afternoon, I was reminded on several occasions of the importance of writing and documenting what you are building. If not for others, at least for yourself.
Coming back from that conference, I felt energized and overwhelmed - a bit like a kid in a candy store. The feeling is still fresh, so before it fades, I've decided to capitalize on it and do the thing I've been wanting to do for a while.
So here it is, my first post. My first blog. My first journal entry. My first... whatever this is.
Ah, my "Hello, World."
As for what you can expect here: probably a mix of things. Notes on what I'm building, problems I've run into and how I got past them (or didn't), thoughts on tools and workflows, and the occasional opinion I may regret later. I'm not going to promise a schedule, because I know myself well enough not to.
"Hello, World" doesn't do anything useful. It doesn't solve anything yet or move any needles. But it proves the setup works and that you're ready to start the adventure of building.
That's what this post is.
To building and learning!
-Logan