Overcommitted | Software Engineering and Tech Careers Insights

What do composing music and fixing bugs have in common? More than you'd think.In this episode of Overcommitted, hosts Erika and Bethany sit down with Marco Herrera Rendon, Senior Engineer at Comcast specializing in Rust development who, not long ago, was applying to master's programs in film composition.Marco shares how his background as a music composition student shapes the way he writes code today: the attention to detail that comes from handing parts to live players (not unlike submitting a PR), and the surprising overlap between navigating from theme A to theme B in a score and tracking down a bug in a codebase. He also digs into why he fell in love with Rust after years of frustration with C++, what he wishes he'd learned first, and his philosophy for picking up new skills: start with 10% comprehension, build a mental model, and embrace not understanding everything at once.In this episode:1. How a composition degree became an unexpected foundation for software engineering2. Rust vs. C++: what finally clicked, and why the borrow checker is a feature not a bug3. The Hector model design pattern and the power of Rust macros4. Learning on the job without shame and why being the least experienced person in the room can be freeing5. Async Rust: the beast within the beast6. What our college selves would think about our careers todayWhether you came to tech through a traditional path or a wildly unconventional one, this conversation is a reminder that the skills you carry from your past life don't disappear, they just find new ways to show up.
Links:
- Marco's Github: https://github.com/mherrerarendon

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, host Bethany and co-host Brittany Ellich dive into software engineering education with Sam Rose, a developer educator at Ngrok. Sam shares his journey from software engineering to education, emphasizing his innovative approach to improving programmer productivity through visual interactive essays that simplify complex technical concepts like large language models (LLMs). He also discusses his work on prompt caching, aiming to enhance software projects by making technical knowledge more accessible to engineers and practitioners.

The conversation explores Sam's unique teaching methods, focusing on visualization and interaction as key tools in software development and career growth within tech careers. Sam reflects on his transition from an engineering role to an educator, sharing insights into the challenges of this career shift, the importance of feedback, and how his personal experiences influence his work. The episode concludes with a playful segment inspired by Sam's educational approach, highlighting the integration of engineering culture with interactive learning.

Tune in for an engaging discussion that blends software engineering, education, and work-life balance, offering valuable insights for anyone interested in advancing their tech career and embracing innovative learning strategies.

Takeaways:
"If you truly understand something and you tinker with it, the mental model you end up with should be reasonably accurate."
"Don't say 25 words if you can do it in 15."
"Teaching has always felt very challenging in a really privileged way."

Links:
Prompt caching article: https://ngrok.com/blog/prompt-caching/
Bartosz Ciechanowski: https://ciechanow.ski/
Load balancing article: https://samwho.dev/load-balancing/
Autism diagnosis article: https://samwho.dev/blog/getting-an-autism-diagnosis/
Having a baby article: https://samwho.dev/blog/having-a-baby/
Write that blog article: https://writethatblog.substack.com/p/sam-rose-on-technical-blogging)
The square hole girl video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUbIkNUFs-4

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

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