me leading a workshop on PR reviews Leading a workshop on humane PR reviews - although it looks like I’m just mansplaining

Hello, I’m John and I tell computers what to do. Here are some bullet points of my other abilities:

  • I solve problems
  • I help teams figure out what problems they should be solving
  • I talk to users to better understand their problems
  • I help teams be more productive and happy
  • I have domain knowledge in government/civic tech & media/content organizations

What People Say to Me

I have trouble articulating the impression that I leave on folk, but people generally tell me things like:

Are you sure you’re a developer? You’re so…so…human. I mean, I can have a conversation with you.

or

I’ve disliked every (programmer, techie, American) I’ve ever met, but you seem alright.

or

I just don’t know what we would do without you.

What People Say About Me

Again, self promotion is not my forte so I rely on the feedback of others.

John is great at breaking down problems and giving the people on his team the tools to break down problems, while also giving them the autonomy and safety to make decisions for themselves.

He is great at making his team really think about how they’re going to solve a problem, and makes an attempt to understand anything he reviews, which in turn also makes the team stronger.

He truly cares about the experience and safety of the user, and he works incredibly well with the whole team to get to a point where we can provide an amazing experience for them.

– Team member from a performance review

I really appreciate that John has very strong product skills. Having worked on startups and been directly involved in user research, John has an incredibly strong focus on building product that delivers value to our users which I think is fantastic.

– Another team member from a performance review

The Big List of Roles

I’ve tried build my life around a diverse series of experiences - to keep myself “well rounded”. As this is a page literally about me, I thought it would be useful to list the myriad of roles I’ve had throughout the years as a testament to that well roundedness (in no particular order).

  • Glass cutter
  • IT Tech at a prison
  • Packager of freeze-dried doe urine
  • Web developer
  • Brick chipper
  • Tech director at a non-profit
  • Charity Rally Car Driver
  • Senior web developer
  • EFL teacher in Korea
  • Taxi driver
  • Bartender
  • Bouncer at an Insane Clown Posse pro wrestling event
  • Code for America fellow
  • Foreigner
  • New student advisor
  • Model
  • Startup Co-founder
  • Traveler
  • Salsa Champion (the food, not the dance)
  • Dad
  • Drumline captain
  • Chief Technical Officer
  • Young Entrepreneur of the Year
  • IT Support Desk at a hospital
  • Husband
  • Labor union cold caller
  • Illegal immigrant
  • Web accessibility developer
  • Tae kwon do Instructor
  • Freelancer