Walking Into Tech Like It's On Fire (Because, Kind Of, It Is)

Oh my god, what the hell is happening? That's the question echoing in my mind throughout the past few weeks. In this moment, I find myself walking into tech, unbothered by the chaos surrounding me. Instead of holding a pizza box, I carry a half-finished Python project and a LinkedIn profile stating my recent job title, "Retail Manager." My journey has taken me from running a Trader Joe's to answering phones at a front desk, and now I manage a TikTok LIVE community with over 50K followers and a team of 16 moderators.

My background may not scream "software engineer" on paper, but I've managed to make my mark in tech. I'm now trying to navigate this overwhelming landscape during a period where nobody seems to have all the answers. Should I learn to work with AI or refuse and become a hand-coded developer? Do I need to master the latest framework or risk it becoming obsolete? The truth is, I don't know. We're all just standing in the burning room, holding different pizzas.

Enter KeyFlip, a Linux utility I built to disable the laptop keyboard when an external keyboard is plugged in. Sounds small, right? But imagine being the person whose palm ruins a Google Doc for the fortieth time. I chose to build this in Python and GTK4 because it solved the actual problem. Trends come and go, but my focus remains on finding solutions.

AI is a tool I use constantly while building. I don't ship code I can't explain; I prefer to learn as I go. If I can't defend my pull request during an interview, I'm not truly developing, I'm just outsourcing the learning process. My background, though unconventional, is not a liability. It's my unique selling point, a testament to my ability to handle pressure and adapt to chaotic situations.

Running a Discord during a livestream raid, managing scheduling, payroll, and inventory at a grocery store during the holidays - these experiences have equipped me with invaluable systems thinking skills. I used to hide my Trader Joe's job like it were a crime, but now I proudly display it alongside KeyFlip on my resume. They are clearly the same skill set, and I believe they complement each other.

As we all stand in the burning room, each holding a different pizza, the real question isn't how to avoid the chaos. It's which chaos we choose to debug for the next five years. Mine involves navigating the current state of tech, filled with AI advancements and an ever-changing landscape. Whatever your choice may be, remember that this is just the beginning of our debugging journey. So, here's to embracing the fire and finding our own way through it.