Hey! I'm Peter and I've been working on dev.to with Ben & Jess since last January. Here's some more info about me:
- I work on the "business" side (strategy, operations, etc.)
- I'm the least technical member of our team
- I was one of Tinder's very first users
- I sold an online community in 2011
- I'm half-Korean, half-Ashkenazi
- I was once on the Montel show
- I was an english major
- I love playing sports
Feel free to ask me anything!
Top comments (102)
Hey ! Thanks for your awesome platform, it is a great idea to let developers write about various things !
Are you planning thematic weeks or something else ?
Since Peter hasn't gotten to this. YES. Well not planning yet, but planning to plan.
What Ben said 👆🏽
We've also had internal "thematic weeks" in the past. For instance, an "on-boarding week" where everyone was doing something that at some level improved the process of signing up, or learning about how the site works. It's fun to occasionally lean in on shared goals with hard-metrics that support progress instead of all going out in our various directions on longer-term projects.
What's your favorite part about working on dev.to?
I love being part of a team that is facilitating an inevitable and positive movement in the lives of software developers. We're not trying to create a new market or push people in arbitrary directions; we're trying to support the broader movement of cultivating a more kind, inclusive, and constructive environment for programmers.
I also love that it has a high ceiling. We're building for all developers — no matter their background or experience level. We can build something lasting and important for people all across the globe, which is a very special and motivating force.
Past projects I've worked on had elements of being niche, singularly profit-focused, or somewhat temporary and limited in their potential scope. It's refreshing and deeply inspiring to feel like I'm a small part of something much bigger.
What's your favorite Korean-Ashkenazic fusion cuisine item?
My family didn't cook very much growing up, but this happened to have been a refrigerator staple:
Soy Vay! Love it.
This reminds me of how many kosher Asian (mostly Chinese) restaurants there in Brooklyn. Wonder if this is the secret sauce...
What have you changed your mind about recently?
Ack. I've been trying to think of a better answer here. It's a great question.
I'm definitely more intrigued by blockchain technology recently, but that was a transition from "I don't have an opinion" to "this is really interesting and potentially game-changing."
To pick a more lighthearted example: I've recently been eating a lot more tofu, seitan, and tempeh. As a kid, I would tease my sister (a life-long vegetarian) that I would eat a lot of meat in her stead, so this shift is somewhat notable in my personal day-to-day.
Are you planning to launch a job-search feature, akin to the one on StackOverflow? I think it would be awesome!
It's definitely on the roadmap! We have a dedicated #hiring tag (which is effectively in beta right now) where members can post job opportunities at their company. In the coming months, we'll be improving the experience for both job-providers and job-seekers.
Job-seekers will be able to search the listings and filter their results. They'll see more of the most relevant information (location, salary range, listing age, etc) at a glance.
Job-providers will have an easier time posting their listings, and tracking their success.
I think that hiring tools represent a key area where we can generate revenue while also delivering meaningful value for all parties involved. It's important to us that everything be organized such that you can easily ignore that wing of the platform if it's not relevant to you at that moment in time.
Brilliant Idea. I probably would be willing to pay some small money to get access to such information even if it is for analysis purposes.
I really want to get into development, but my biggest issue is the giant amount of resources that seem to muddle up things for me and selecting a language to "master". My most worked on language has been Python, which I don't enjoy very much, but do have some knowledge in web, so I've started JavaScript and so far it's a lot better and makes more sense to me.
My main question is am I right in fearing that without a mastered language I'll have no hope? It's very hard for me at the time to stick with one language and get into that zone of attempting to fully master it. Am I looking at this all wrong? I feel I need someone to calibrate my compass.
Hey Ben, I'm probably not the best person to answer this question, but I'll offer my thoughts anyway.
My sense is that if you're not enjoying Python, but you are enjoying Javascript, then allow yourself to allocate more of your time in that direction. I wouldn't worry about any "sunk cost" that you've already put into Python; you'll still benefit from that experience as you learn new languages.
The idea of "mastering" a language is pretty abstract. You can always improve, and your skill in that specific language improves by osmosis as you pick up skills in other areas. If you're specifically worried about job-hunting, I do think it could make sense to pick a language and continue making progress on it and its related technologies.
I think that in a job search, being able to demonstrate your legitimate interest and demonstrated progress, along with the ability to finish projects and intelligently describe the choices you made, would be about the most impactful part your application and pitch.
I'm sure @jess , @ben , or another member of the community would be happy to jump in and lend their thoughts, as well. Good luck!
I have a few thoughts Ben.
I really mean point 3 in the most positive way. It's hard work, but there's ample opportunity.
Hey Ben! I'm willing to bet that most developers don't consider themselves 'masters' in a specific language. Understanding underlying concepts is what's important.
I've seen plenty of devs get hired without knowing the company stack because they demonstrated sound logic during interviews. They usually end up spending the first few week learning the new language/framework while on the job.
Hi Ben! I've been programming with Python since forever (I think Python 2 wasn't even a thing) and I still have to google stuff sometimes :-)
I love it (less than I used to) but if it's not for you there are so many languages and skills (that can get you hired) you can learn. JavaScript is quite fun and you can definitely get hired being a good JS developer.
My advice is don't wait to feel ready until you can recite "JavaScript the bad parts" by memory :-D
Good luck!
Do you have an advice for either 1) non-technical people working in a technical environment or 2) technical people (the devs, technical writers, etc) who are looking to branch into the "business side" of tech?
Great question.
I somewhat touch on this here, but I'll expand a bit. I think that it's easy to fall into the trap of imagining a huge gulf between the technical / non-technical sides of the business. It's frustrating to look at code and feel totally lost, or to let your mind wander as someone explains the technical nitty gritty.
The reality is that you are totally capable of understanding what's going on if try hard, ask thoughtful questions, and have patient and committed teammates. You'll learn more quickly than you had anticipated due to "beginner gains," and then you'll build the capacity to accrete more and more knowledge on your own. You might not be committing code, but it won't take long to notice that you're a lot more informed and effective when communicating with technical members of the team.
I think that it's easier to "bike shed" on the business side — after all, everyone can have an opinion on pricing or roll-out strategy, whereas not everyone can have an opinion on which Javascript framework to use and why.
I've found that the bigger blocker going in this direction is a sense of reticence about "staying in one's lane." I've noticed that programmers I've worked with in the past sometimes had tremendous insight, but felt shy about speaking up because they felt like it wasn't their place. So, again, I'd say it's about making a concerted effort to begin the dialogue, ask thoughtful questions, and then seeking the right forum to raise ideas.
What are your thoughts on the cryptocurrency madness?
As I've educated myself and learned more, I think I'm at the position of... I know enough that I don't know enough.
I think that the vast majority of people investing into cryptocurrencies are purely hype-driven and have no insight or appreciation for the underlying technology. Maybe that's fine, and maybe they're "right" in the macro sense, and they'll all make a lot of money as cryptocurrencies gain adoption and importance in our world. But I find it worrying.
A lot of the smartest people I know are working on blockchain-based projects, and understand how to leverage the technology's unique advantages to transform industries. At this point, I don't have that same level of insight or bullishness in the area — but I'm prepared to be wrong in a major way.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this whole thing play out similarly to the .COM crash. A lot of people will lose a lot of money on specific projects — maybe it's too early — but the overall sector will do really well in the long run.
I've known Peter and been working with him ever since moving to USA/New York almost five years ago. When it was looking like dev.to could be bigger than a two-person side project earlier this year, we turned to Peter and have been working with him ever since.
Having three partners is great for breaking ties in arguments.
Ask Peter anything. He's always willing to chat or offer advice on anything.
Fun fact: Ben and I met on reddit.com/r/nycjobs
I would like to know your experience working with developers while being "the least technical member"(Since I often face the same situations). Are there any struggles that you encounter and how do you communicate with them?
I didn't know that you were a half korean! Awesome!
When I first started working with Ben, I was definitely guilty of the "JUST" mindset. I didn't have a full appreciation of how difficult and de-moralizing it can be to work with a non-technical stakeholder that doesn't have adequate insight into the technology. Constantly changing the specs, assuming major changes are trivial, etc.
We often internally cite the XKCD Tasks comic to explain the disconnect.
Over the last several years, I've made a substantial effort to ask thoughtful questions, and improve my overall understanding of the technology we use and decisions we've made. I do my best to write detailed issues and can usually identify the right "approach" as I suggest features and provide feedback. I'll often peruse the code included in PRs to ensure I have a vague recognition of what went where and what it did.
I think it's critical that everyone on the team — even if they're not committing code regularly — has an appreciation for and understanding of the code-base and it's moving pieces. I plan to try and take on more "approachable" issues in 2018.
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