Overcommitted | Software Engineering and Tech Careers Insights

Summary
In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Brittany, Bethany, and Erika dive deep into the realities of software development with guest Robby Russell. They explore the critical challenges of maintaining legacy code and managing technical debt, emphasizing the impact on programmer productivity and long-term sustainability of software projects. Robby shares his extensive experience, including his journey creating Oh My ZSH, highlighting the importance of documentation, testing, and fostering a collaborative engineering culture. The discussion also covers balancing personal and professional commitments, an essential aspect of career growth in tech. Listeners will gain practical insights into navigating software engineering challenges while sustaining work-life balance. The episode wraps up with a fun segment on current tech obsessions from all participants.

Links
Planet Argon: https://www.planetargon.com/ 

Oh My Zsh: https://ohmyz.sh/ 

Maintainable Podcast: https://maintainable.fm/

On Rails Podcast: https://onrails.buzzsprout.com/ 

Robby’s Blog: https://robbyonrails.com/ 

Robby’s Band: https://mightymissoula.com/ 

Commit Goods Store: commitgoods.com

d’Oh My Zsh: https://medium.com/free-code-camp/d-oh-my-zsh-af99ca54212c 

Stop Pretending You’re the Last Developer: https://robbyonrails.com/articles/2025/07/16/stop-pretending-youre-the-last-developer/ 

Internal Tooling Maturity Ladder: https://robbyonrails.com/articles/2025/08/13/internal-tooling-maturity-ladder/

Diataxis: https://diataxis.fr/

Hosts
Overcommitted: https://overcommitted.dev

Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28

Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com

Erika Eggemeyer: https://github.com/eggyhead

Summary
In this insightful episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Erika, Bethany, and Brittany tackle the critical issue of burnout in software projects and software engineering, especially amid the surge of AI advancements and remote work. They dive into how the evolving programming landscape affects programmer productivity and well-being, highlighting alarming statistics that show 66% of tech workers struggling with burnout symptoms.
The conversation sheds light on the balance required between ambitious career growth in tech careers and maintaining work life balance through clear communication and strong boundaries. They discuss how AI influences software development and collaboration while emphasizing the importance of psychological safety within engineering culture to prevent burnout.
Listeners will gain valuable insights into managing the pressures of tech work, recognizing when to push back against unrealistic expectations, and sustaining passion in programming careers. The episode closes with a fun segment featuring bold predictions about the future of software engineering, reflecting the hosts' camaraderie and forward-thinking outlook.

Takeaways
66% of tech workers report burnout symptoms
Burnout arises from work pressures and intrinsic factors like job insecurity
Setting boundaries and effective communication are crucial for preventing burnout

Tune in for an honest, relatable discussion about navigating software development challenges and fostering a healthy engineering culture.

Links
Context > Prompt: https://ruben.substack.com/p/context-is-all-you-need?triedRedirect=true 

Psychological safety episode: https://overcommitted.dev/imposter-syndrome-in-software-engineering/ 

Glue work article by Tanya Reilly: https://www.noidea.dog/glue 

Gas Town article: https://steve-yegge.medium.com/welcome-to-gas-town-4f25ee16dd04

How they use Claude Code article: https://blog.sivaramp.com/blog/how-creator-of-claude-code-uses-claude-code/ 

Hosts
Overcommitted: https://overcommitted.dev

Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28

Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com

Erika Eggemeyer: https://github.com/eggyhead

Summary
In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Bethany, Brittany, and Erika engage in a rich conversation with Abbey Perini, a web developer and fiber artist. They explore Abbey's current projects, the intersection of fiber arts and programming, and the importance of accessibility in web development. The discussion also delves into personal experiences with ADHD, community building in both knitting and open source, and the challenges and strengths that come with neurodiversity. Abbey shares her insights on how to make coding and web development more inclusive and accessible for everyone, emphasizing the need for empathy and understanding in the tech industry.

Takeaways
There is a deep connection between fiber arts and programming.
Accessibility should be a priority for all developers.
Community building in knitting can inform open source practices.
Accessibility is not just a front-end concern; it extends to back-end development.
ADHD can present challenges but also unique strengths in coding.
Flexibility in work can benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities.
Negative self-talk can be harmful, and you are awesome, so stop it.
Developers should focus on problem-solving skills rather than just technical tools.
Creating inclusive environments in tech is essential for progress.

Links
Abbey Perini’s website: https://abbeyperini.dev/
Abbey on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/abbeyperini.dev
Abbey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbey-perini/
Knitting as programming blog post: https://abbeyperini.medium.com/knitting-as-programming-9c34090e4992
Web Development === Accessibility blog post: https://dev.to/abbeyperini/web-development-accessibility-f8i
An accessible dark mode toggle blog post: https://dev.to/abbeyperini/an-accessible-dark-mode-toggle-in-react-aop
Coding and ADHD blog post: https://dev.to/abbeyperini/coding-and-adhd-where-we-excel-454j
Designing data-intensive applications https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321
Aria article: https://dev.to/abbeyperini/what-the-first-rule-of-aria-really-means-192e
How to do chores while drowning: https://www.amazon.com/How-Keep-House-While-Drowning/dp/1668002841/ref=sr_1_1?crid=14ND3S4IR3YLG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ue6gifKzpUZ5byIrJ4RUyA.9EOnSDfKG5rpl9Or07gVfVfYityMMWTqBEL4EAsN1Mw&dib_tag=se&keywords=how+to+do+chores+while+drowning&qid=1766080922&s=books&sprefix=how+to+do+chores+while+drowning%2Cstripbooks%2C83&sr=1-1
Ask Jan: https://askjan.org/
Study: ADHD powerful strengths - https://scitechdaily.com/adhd-isnt-just-a-deficit-new-study-reveals-powerful-psychological-strengths/

Hosts
Overcommitted: https://overcommitted.dev
Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28
Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com
Eggyhead: https://github.com/eggyhead

Summary
In this episode, the hosts meet with Christina Martinez, a developer experience engineer from Resend, who shares insights on her creative process and current projects. She shares her delight in building silly software and how she's using that to learn in her current role.

Takeaways
Christina is the creative mind behind the Gen Z Babel plugin.
She also developed the Swift commits tool.
Taking existing tutorials and adding a creative twist can make them more fun.
Continuous development is important at all parts of your career.

Links
Christina Martinez: https://christinacodes.dev
Silly Software Club: https://sillysoftware.club
Resend: https://resend.com/
Gen Z slang Babel plugin: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cxvwz76vBus/ | https://github.com/christina-de-martinez/babel-plugin-glowup-vibes
Taylor Swift themed commit linting tool: https://youtube.com/shorts/eOS5Q2I9LHM?si=LC8JVUKTkLgwKtDF | https://github.com/christina-de-martinez/swift-commits
CodeTV & Mux's Worst Video Player Competition: https://www.mux.com/blog/actual-worst-video-player
React Miami: https://www.reactmiami.com/

Hosts
Overcommitted: https://overcommitted.dev
Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28
Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com
Eggyhead: https://github.com/eggyhead

Summary
In this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, hosts Brittany and Bethany with guest Bassem Dghaidi discuss a range of topics from Bassem's current learning journey in system design to his diverse career path at GitHub. They explore the value of experience over formal education, the challenges of microservices, and the importance of practical knowledge in software engineering. Bassem shares insights from his technical content creation, his philosophy as a de-influencer in the tech space, and memorable conversations with industry leaders.

Takeaways
Bassem's career has included various roles, enhancing his perspective.
Experience in different roles provides a broader understanding of software engineering.
Education is valuable, but practical experience often outweighs formal credentials.
Bootcamps can bridge the gap for graduates lacking practical skills.
Bassem's Git content aims to demystify complex concepts.
Microservices can complicate development if implemented prematurely.
Content creation in tech requires balancing depth with audience engagement.

Links
Bassem Dghaidi: https://linktr.ee/glich.stream
Beyond Coding podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeUUxLRdvho
Practical System Design Waitlist: https://maven.com/forms/b69857
Kamran Ahmed's site: https://roadmap.sh
Ghostty: https://ghostty.org/
Catppuccin themes: https://catppuccin.com/
Chezmoi: https://www.chezmoi.io/
Tmux: https://github.com/tmux/tmux/wiki
Bethany's dotfiles: https://github.com/bethanyj28/dotfiles

Hosts
Overcommitted: https://overcommitted.dev
Bethany Janos: https://github.com/bethanyj28
Brittany Ellich: https://brittanyellich.com