Microblog

I had so much fun developing Shattered Ring that I’ve dived into developing a macOS app. This one uses Realm Sync, as I want to be able to sync the data between my work and home computers. (And I wanted a learning project for developing Sync apps!)

One problem: in development, I’m making breaking schema changes often. And unlike local Realm development, you can’t just delete the local Realm file to use the new schema: you have to terminate Sync, blow away your schema and data, and then start Sync again with your new data model. I’ve taken a more nuclear option and I just delete the Realm app, drop the MongoDB Atlas database, and create a new Realm App.

In either case, doing all this stuff manually takes way too long. So I wrote my first bash script to automate it. Hope this helps other Realm Sync developers, or even just provides some inspiration to automate away some annoying, repetitive task!

https://dev.to/dacharyc/automate-realm-app-rebuilds-3cjn

Wow. Overnight, the tiny hobby app that I wrote to help me keep track of NPCs, Locations and Quests in Elden Ring reached #1 in its category on the App Store. It has been hovering between 1 and 2 ever since.

This is surreal. I wrote this app in two weekends and a handful of weeknights. I’ve been through tutorials and online courses but have had no formal CS education and don’t consider myself a “real developer.” Yet here we are. I’ve shipped an iOS app that people are buying.

This is what imposter syndrome looks like.

It is approved! I have my first iOS app on the App Store!

If you are into video games, and happen to be playing Elden Ring, you might want to check it out. It’s an RPG play through tracker where you can keep track of NPCs, Locations and Quests in your game. Keep tabs on locations you’ve cleared (or haven’t), quests you’ve completed (or haven’t), notes about all of the above… I needed something more organized than a notebook.

(Bonus, this is also great for TTRPG tracking - I’ve started using it for two of my D&D games!)

https://shatteredring.com

Just submitted my first iOS app to the App Store!

When I started working for MongoDB, I had gone through some programming courses but didn’t really know how to even start writing an app. I have learned so much from my awesome teammates, and from working on the code examples & docs for the Realm Swift SDK. Major shout out to @cbush for being an awesome lead who has patiently and gently mentored as I’ve worked to grow my coding skills.

MongoDB talks about being an inflection point in people’s careers. It has definitely been one for me. I’ve had app ideas I’ve wanted to work on, but just never quite figured out how to get from idea to finished app. I know I still have a ton to learn, but I feel like this is a major milestone that has “unlocked” my ability to create the apps I want to use. And no, I’m not interested in becoming a full-time developer - I love the combination of technical writing and writing code that we do on my team - but now I feel empowered to write tools and the little hobby apps I’ve been yearning for.

Here’s hoping the App Store reviewer is having a good day 😉

An interviewee asked me yesterday if I was still at MongoDB in 5 to 7 years, how would I feel about that? Would I be happy about it?

Obviously things can change, but at the moment, yes, I am planning to be at MongoDB that long and anticipate still being happy to be here.

I have freelanced for most of my career because it gives me flexibility, and I like being free to do the work that appeals to me. Freelancing gave me the opportunity to always be learning new things, and to pivot if I got bored.

But I love my work at MongoDB, and the freedom my manager gives me to pursue the projects that are interesting to me. I feel supported and valued by my teammates. I am surrounded by smart people who help me grow. The work itself is satisfying.

I can honestly say that MongoDB is the first place in my career that I feel I’ll be happy and want to stay for a very long time.

Thank you to the interviewee for helping me realize that! And may we all be as happy with our work.

It has been an awesome week at MongoDB! We just wrapped up our second week-long hackathon of 2021.

On one hand, it feels extravagant for a company to tell people to go work on something interesting for a week that isn’t on the critical path.

On the other hand, this is the second time this year that I’ve written a new app in a week, using different aspects of our product like a developer would and learning a ton.

As an employee, I’ve really valued the opportunity to pick up new tech and devote a solid block of time to it, versus the nights and weekends of peacemeal learning I’d have to do alongside my regular day job. It’s great for my continuing education as a developer, and it’s also great for my mental health and general motivation to make real progress on a “for fun” project.

It’s also great for the company for me to use different aspects of our tech. It gives me first-hand experience to use in crafting our docs and code examples, and there are definitely places I’m planning to improve. It also gives me empathy for the devs who use our products on a daily basis, and a new understanding of different tasks and user journies that might make their lives easier. (And let’s not forget - some of the awesome hackathon projects actually make it into the company products as new features - talk about a success story!)

Huzzah for another hackathon! Learned a ton and am feeling rejuvenated for work going into the winter.

(Oh, and what did I work on? I wrote a SwiftUI app that uses Realm Database and Realm Sync to persist data to MongoDB Atlas. I’ve started a couple of personal projects with this tech but haven’t finished any of them - learned a ton I can apply to my hobby apps and hopefully get them going soon! And I got to look at pictures of cute dogs. What’s not to like? 😁)

You can learn a lot about company culture by how they treat you when things happen.

I had major surgery in 2019, less than ~6 months after starting to contract full-time with Lullabot. I let my contacts know what was happening, and that I'd probably be out for 6-8 weeks while I was recovering. As a contractor, I fully didn't expect they'd want to hold a position open for me that long - I figured they'd just want to bring in another contractor to keep things going. But I let them know that I wanted to keep working with them, and they said the feeling was mutual.

They waited for me to recover. Never once did they push for me to come back before I was ready. They sent flowers, and were super supportive as I eased back into working as many hours as I could, until I was back to full-time again. That understanding and generosity of spirit is a true indicator of a positive company #culture - far beyond the superficial "we have free snacks" and "it's so much fun to work here" that you often hear from recruiters and in job pitches.

I'm thinking about this as hubby has a scheduled surgery in ~6 weeks. I wonder what his experience will be like. Guess we'll find out the truth about his company's culture!

As a technical writer, I’ve been an admirer of Stripe for years. They’re well-regarded in the industry for having great docs that other orgs look to for inspiration. I was excited when a talented docs leader I follow got an offer from Stripe last week. “What a great match,” I thought.

Today, she shared that Stripe had rescinded her signed offer. They told her it was “due to changing company priorities.”

Now, I’ve lost respect for a company that I’ve admired for years. This isn’t how you treat people. I’m very disappointed.

This talented docs leader has a lot of followers; a few hours after sharing this news, she has already gotten hundreds of likes and comments. I hope she’ll land someplace that values the skills she’ll bring to the org.

You’ve missed out, Stripe, and you’ve alienated a small community. It’s not a good look.

Today I started an exciting new role as an Education Engineer on the Developer Education team at MongoDB. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to leverage my documentation skills and grow my coding skills to help developers succeed with MongoDB Realm. (Did I mention I'm excited?)

I already miss my Tugboat and Lullabot peeps, but as one of my former colleagues said, "That sounds like such a Dachary role." I couldn't resist it. Fortunately, I'm meeting lots of smart, talented folks at MongoDB who I know will keep me on my toes and help me grow.

Feeling blessed and well-supported as I take this next step in my career.

Was recently reminded of this moment: the culmination of a four-month motorcycle trip spanning nearly 18,000 miles across 13 countries, from Boston to Ushuaia.

I learned a lot of important lessons on that trip that have made me the person I am today. But one of the most valuable was the knowledge that whatever obstacles are thrown in my path, I can figure out a way over, around, or through them and keep moving forward.

That lesson has gotten me through so many hard days and hard times, both at work and in my personal life.

https://flic.kr/p/9qrJaw