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January 4, 2023 52 mins


In this episode, Leo interviews Joel Rainwater, a software engineer at Arista Networks and a self-taught web developer. Joel talks about his unique career trajectory, from audio engineering to a cubicle job to a job offer in France, and his journey to Stack Overflow. He discusses his experience with building in public, side projects, freelance work, and the importance of mentorships. Joel shares his story of building a status tracking app, the struggles of marketing, and the idea of "expanding one's luck surface area." Additionally, Leo and Joel discuss the interview process, burnout, transitioning from individual contributor roles, and the rise of AI in search. They encourage listeners to explore the nomad life, build products, and use AI to help with writing copy.

Follow Joel on Twitter

Joel's Blog

Links to Joel's Projects:
http://mycosplace.com
http://unsheetly.com
http://domaingoalie.com
http://statustracker.app
http://unityweather.com
http://hdywtdt.tube

Everything Joel is currently working on

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