#54 Becoming a Valuable Engineer Without Sacrificing Your Sanity

Shlomo Bielak is the Head of Engineering (Operational Excellence and Cloud) at Penn Interactive, an interactive gaming company.

He’s dedicated much of his talk time at DevOps events to talk about a topic less covered at such technical events. A lot of what he said alluded to ways to become a more valuable engineer.

I’ve broken them down into the following areas:

* Avoid the heroic efforts

* Mind + heart > Mind alone

* Curiosity > Credentials

* Experience > Certifications

* Thinking for complexity

When I saw him in Toronto, I thought he would talk about pre-production observability. It would only make sense after watching the previous presenter do a deep dive into Kubernetes tooling.

But surprisingly, he started about culture and the need to prevent burnout among engineers — a topic that is as important today as it was 2 years ago when he did the talk.

Here’s a look into Shlomo’s philosophy and the practices he champions.

Avoid the heroic efforts

Shlomo's perspective on heroics in engineering and operations challenges a traditional mindset that often glorifies excessive individual efforts at the cost of long-term sustainability.

He emphasizes that relying on heroics — where individuals consistently go above and beyond to save the day — creates an unhealthy work environment.

"We shouldn't be rewarding people for pulling all-nighters to save a project; we should be asking why those all-nighters were necessary in the first place."

This approach not only burns out engineers but also masks underlying systemic issues that need to be addressed. So, instead of celebrating these heroic efforts, Shlomo advocates for creating processes and metrics that ensure smooth operations without the need for constant intervention.

Mind + Heart > Mind alone

One of the challenges Shlomo has faced recently is scaling his engineering organization amidst rapid growth. His approach to hiring is unique; he doesn’t just look for technical skills but prioritizes self-awareness and kindness.

"Hiring with heart means looking for individuals who bring empathy and integrity to the team, not just expertise."

When he joined The Score, a subsidiary of Penn Interactive, Shlomo immediately revamped the hiring practices by integrating the values above into the process.

He favors role-playing scenarios over solely using behavioral interviews to evaluate candidates, as this method reveals how individuals might react in real production situations.

I tend to agree with this approach as seeing how people are doing the work is more enlightening than asking them how they behaved in a past situation alone.

Curiosity > credentials

How it plays into career progression

When it comes to career progression, Shlomo places little value on traditional markers like education or years of experience. Instead, he values adaptability, resilience, and curiosity. This last trait is the one he doubles down on.

According to Shlomo, curiosity is the cornerstone of continuous growth and innovation. It’s not just about asking questions. It’s about fostering a mindset that constantly seeks to understand the 'why' behind everything.

Shlomo advocates for a deep, insatiable curiosity that drives engineers to explore beyond the surface of problems, looking for underlying causes and potential improvements.

He believes that this kind of curiosity is what separates good engineers from great ones, as it leads to discovering solutions that aren’t immediately obvious and pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.

How it plays into teamwork

For Shlomo, curiosity also plays a crucial role in building a cohesive and forward-thinking team. He encourages leaders to cultivate an environment where questions are welcomed, and no stone is left unturned.

This approach not only sparks creativity but also ensures that everyone is engaged in a continuous learning process, which is vital in a field that evolves as rapidly as DevOps and SRE.

By nurturing curiosity, teams can stay ahead of the curve. They can anticipate challenges before they arise and develop right-fit solutions that keep their work relevant and impactful.

Shlomo advises engineers not to let their current organization limit them and to always seek out new challenges and learning opportunities. This mindset will make them valuable to any organization they may work with.

Experience > Certifications

Shlomo’s stance on certifications is clear: they don’t necessarily lead to career advancement. He argues that the best engineers are those who are too busy doing the work to focus on accumulating certifications. Instead, he encourages engineers to network with industry leaders, demonstrate their skills, and seek mentorship opportunities. Experience and mentorship, he believes, are far more critical to growth than any piece of paper.

Thinking for complexity

It’s a well-tread saying now, almost a cliche, but still very relevant to standing out in a crowded engineering talent market.

Shlomo and I talked about the issue of many engineers being trained to think in terms of best practices. I feel like over time, this emphasis will reduce, especially for more senior roles. Best practices are not directly applicable to solving today’s problems that are increasing in complexity.

Shlomo tries to test potential hires to see if they can handle the complexity. During interviews, he presents candidates with unreasonable scenarios to test their ability to think outside the box.

This approach not only assesses their problem-solving skills but also helps them understand the interconnectedness of the challenges they will face.

Wrapping up

The insights Shlomo shared with me underscore a crucial point:

The most successful engineers are those who combine technical prowess with a strong sense of curiosity, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a genuine understanding of their role within the team.

By embracing these qualities, you not only enhance your current contributions but also set yourself on a path for long-term growth and success.

The takeaway is clear: to truly stand out and advance in your career, it's not just about doing your job well — it's about constantly seeking to learn more, improve processes, and connect with your team on a deeper level.

These are the traits that make you not just a good engineer, but a valuable one.

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