Compiler

We all know what industry conferences are for. You see the talks, you do the networking, you get the swag. Anything else? Well, yes, actually. In our second episode on tech conferences, we cover how to make the most of attending them. How can you prepare? What do you do in the moment? And how do you use that experience after you return to the office?

Last year, we discussed the impact of data centers on the global power grid. We know open source technology can help us optimize our power consumption. But people are looking at sustainable energy usage beyond the server. How can technologists think about the balance between sustainability, business operations, and their customers’ needs?

Career paths are full of unexpected challenges. In the last installment of our career series, we hear how a little empathy and authenticity helped two budding IT professionals stay the course and find their calling.

Everyone wants to work for a good boss. That’s not always possible. Sometimes, a bad boss is easy to spot. Sometimes, a boss who’s been great will say something devastating. They’ll make you want to move on. We hear stories about managers who stalled their employees’ careers—and how those workers found a way to thrive in spite of those bad bosses.

We all start somewhere. For these two IT professionals, the ground floor is where they found their way into the tech industry. When you don’t know how to navigate a career in technology, it pays to be flexible. Because as Luis Martin and Victor Santiago would learn, where someone begins isn’t necessarily where they end up.

We could all use some help making decisions. The advice we get isn’t always the most helpful. Sometimes, it’s easy to spot the bad advice. But what do you do when you can’t tell? Two technologists share times of indecision where they had to figure out whether the guidance they asked for was really in their best interests.

Big mistakes. Colossal setbacks. Bad days. We’ve all been there. But how do we find a way forward? The Compiler team shares two stories of unexpected challenges and happy endings.

People react differently when they hear the word “risk”. While there’s the possibility of reward, it takes a lot to step out of the comfort zone. The Compiler team asks if there’s ever such a thing as a safe bet, and hears from experienced risk-takers on the best time to take a leap of faith.

They say wisdom comes from experience. Starting out in the tech industry likely means you’re short on experience and looking for advice. One area where people could use a leg up? Learning the warning signs of a problematic project. We hear stories from people who’ve figured out the hard way how to spot potential red flags, and what can happen when they’re missed.

It’s been a year of growth at Compiler, and we want to celebrate and share with our guests and listeners some of our favorite moments from the show. Thank you for all of the support, we’ll see you in 2024!

Learning never stops. But neither do our workloads. The constant influx of emails, messages, and tickets doesn’t leave much room for acquiring new skills—At least, not during our waking hours. So, what do we do about it? The Compiler team discusses continuing education, its importance, and how to approach it with patience.

Over the course of the series, we’ve learned how tough it is to choose between older systems and newer innovation. Tougher still, is how those systems can make the people maintaining them feel: Frustrated, isolated, and stuck in the past while the world moves on. As we wrap up our discussion on the topic, we hear from technologists on how they reconcile the old with the new to advance their understanding of their discipline— and maybe further their careers in the process.

Governments, companies, and organizations around the world are coming together to make healthcare IT infrastructure faster and more intuitive, matching the pace of modern living. APIs are a large part of those efforts. But their use in IT modernization can present both unique challenges and unanswered questions. Sometimes, the challenge isn’t the tech itself—it’s the people who build, manage, and use it.

Operating systems are everywhere. They’re likely also all over the place. There are unsupported operating systems running everything from old machinery to everyday devices. And because of the foundational role they play, any change can have cascading effects on the rest of their systems. How do you handle legacy operating systems? What do you need to be aware of? And how different are operating systems from each other?

It has become the programming language underneath some of the most important industries in the world, but the community surrounding COBOL is aging, and companies are hungry for newer innovation. COBOL has stood the test of time, but what is its place among newer generations of technologists? Want to dive deeper into the history of COBOL? Check out the Command Line Heroes episode, “The Infrastructure Effect”.

In 2002, Hadoop hit the scene, and quickly became a media darling. Twenty years later, typing the term into a search engine will return questions about its continued relevance—or possible lack thereof. Is Hadoop still important? Where is it most visible today? The Compiler team dives hard into the project, and how it forever changed the way we look at data.

Old hardware needs love and attention. But not too much—you don’t want to upset the status quo. Legacy servers, devices, and machinery are probably part of every company’s can’t-lose infrastructure. And it’s not always possible to replace. Hardware has a knack for sticking around. Knowing how to keep it running can help avoid catastrophe.

As the tech industry continues to innovate, more technology gets classified as outdated—often referred to as legacy. But younger IT professionals often start their careers working on legacy hardware and software, and upgrades aren’t always an option. How can they learn and grow, while still working on older tech? This episode is the first in our new series, “Legacies”. We tackle different examples of older hardware and software, break down their relevance to today’s industry landscape, and help junior tech workers connect the “old guard” with their own career journeys.

The last few years have been a weird time for everyone, and while the tech industry is seeing a lot of change, not all of it is inspiring. Navigating market shifts can be tricky, stressful, and terrifying. But that’s just the beginning of the equation. When the going gets tough, what can help us grow?

Launching a new product should be cause for celebration. All too often in the tech industry, launch day is a source of worry, and in the worst cases, scrambling panic. But it doesn’t have to be that way. What can we learn from the gaming industry’s frequent launches? Why is it so difficult to get launch day right? And why aren’t companies better prepared for the problems they know are coming?