From drop-out to software architect with Jason Lengstorf [Podcast #167]

On this week's episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Jason Lengstorf. He learned to code out of necessity building websites for local emo bands. He dropped out of college but eventually worked as an engineer at IBM and has gone on to roles at many other companies doing everything from software architecture to management. He runs CodeTV, a Bravo-style reality TV channel for developers. We talk about: - Jason's winding path into development from building websites for bands - Teaching yourself programming by chasing your curiosity - How in-person events gives you tacit knowledge that makes you a better engineer - How having a broad range of skills ultimately helps you build better projects Support for this podcast comes from a grant from Wix Studio. Wix Studio provides developers tools to rapidly build websites with everything out-of-the-box, then extend, replace, and break boundaries with code. Learn more at https://wixstudio.com. Support also comes from the 11,384 kind folks who support freeCodeCamp through a monthly donation. You can join these chill human beings and help our charity's mission by going to donate.freecodecamp.org Links we talk about during our conversation: - CodeTV: https://codetv.dev/ - The CodeTV YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnty0z0pNRDgnuoirYXnC5A - Jason's website: https://jason.energy/ Chapters 0:00:00 Teaser 0:00:21 Quincy's Intro and Song: Amazing Spider Man 0:02:29 Introduction to Leet Heat and Automation 0:05:32 The Making of Leet Heat: Behind the Scenes 0:08:28 Jason's Non-Traditional Path to Tech 0:14:33 Agency Life: The Ups and Downs 0:20:28 Transitioning from Agency to Corporate 0:26:40 Innovating at IBM: The Journey of Re-Architecture 0:29:05 The Evolution of JAMstack 0:30:42 The Importance of Storytelling in Tech 0:33:28 Navigating Bureaucracy in Large Organizations 0:34:58 Finding the Right Work Environment 0:37:15 Building Community at Gatsby 0:38:15 The Power of Pair Programming 0:41:11 The Value of Tacit Knowledge 0:45:57 Casual Conversations and Problem Solving 0:47:53 Creating Learning Opportunities in Tech 0:51:24 The Balance of Learning and Doing 0:54:17 Building Community and Networking 0:58:43 The Importance of Building and Sharing Knowledge 1:03:56 Creating Value Through Building Projects 1:10:25 Chasing Curiosity and Embracing Challenges 1:15:15 The Transferable Skills in Career Development