A lot of luck

I feel incredibly lucky with my job:

• I mostly code in Python using tools that I enjoy (pytest, pandas, polars, duckdb, etc).
• I’m interested in the problems I work on. I value the skills I develop along the way.
• My coworkers are approachable and helpful. My managers provide autonomy.
• There is coordinated effort to be an agile team and improve our scrum practices.
• I get to use my preferred laptop: a MacBook. A significant chunk of my life is spent on my work laptop, so yes, this matters to me and improves my work satisfaction.

How did I get here? Sure, hard work was involved. But also a lot of luck. Luck with recruiters and hiring managers seeing the value that I can bring, and luck with the company and team being the right fit for me. It’s impossible to know for sure during interviews.

To everyone working hard to get a new job this year, including my partner: I wish you all the best of luck. Make 2024 your year.