Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer, What Next? The podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by James Wilson and Matt Sinclair, we talk honestly about what it takes to build a meaningful career in tech.

This week we're joined by Sean Hederman, CTO of Zilch, one of the UK's biggest fintechs. Sean was the second hire at Zilch. Before that he built bi-temporal reference data systems at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, transformed DevOps at Stanlib and Direct Line, and somewhere along the way worked out that being the best individual engineer in the room is a ceiling, not a career.

In this episode, we cover:

-Why "being right doesn't scale" and what to engineer instead

-The multiplier effect: lifting a team by 20% beats doubling your own output

-Conway's law and the reverse Conway manoeuvre at Zilch

-Queuing theory applied to engineering teams (and why Sean mandates 20 to 30% tech debt work)

-Humans as chaos monkeys, and why half of software engineering practice exists because we're unreliable

-Hiring engineers in the agentic era and the AI usage patterns Sean actually looks for

-Adversarial agentic coding, spec-driven development, and getting the model to review its own work

-The myth of the 10x programmer and what real force multipliers look like on a team

Guest:

Sean Hederman

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-hederman/

🎙 Hosts

Matt: https://matthewsinclair.com

James: linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-92170656

🌐 More from us:

https://whatnext.dev/

https://quantumfaxmachine.com/

This week on I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? James and Matt are joined by Richard Bown, DevOps engineer and author of Human Software, a novel that captures the messy, human side of engineering work.We get into:Richard’s winding journey from IC to manager and back again — and why that detour made him a better engineerWhy burnout, bad management, and “culture fit” aren’t bugs — they’re design flawsHow writing a novel helped Richard reflect on decades in tech — and why fiction can be a powerful tool for changeYou might enoy this if:-You're a senior engineer debating the jump to management-You’ve felt stuck in your tech career and wondered: is this it?-You’re curious how AI, team structure, and empathy are reshaping how we build software🎧 Listen now on Spotify | iTunes | YouTube📘 Check out Richard’s book: Human Software

Welcome back to I’m a Software Engineer: What Next?

This week we are joined by Kate Catlin, Senior Product Manager at GitHub, where she works on Copilot and the future of AI-powered developer experience.

In this episode, we cover:
• How Kate reinvented her career multiple times on the path to GitHub
• What “good product intuition” really means for PMs and engineers
• How AI is reshaping product work, and why evals matter for building trustworthy AI features

🗒️ Show Notes
• Venture For America
• Le Wagon Bootcamp
• CircleCI
• GitHub Copilot
• Find My Flock (Kate’s former startup)
• Joseph Campbell – The Hero’s Journey
• Philosophy of Technology (from Kate’s studies)

🎙 Guest
Kate Catlin, Senior PM, GitHub Copilot
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-catlin/

🎙 Hosts
Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsinclair
James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-92170656

🌐 More from us
https://whatnext.dev/
https://quantumfaxmachine.com/

Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? — the podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by James Wilson and Matt Sinclair, we talk honestly about what it takes to build a meaningful career in tech.In this week's episode, we cover:Why most engineers struggle with presenting and how to fix itStew's simple 5-step storytelling framework (hero, dragon, weapon, treasure, future)How to avoid jargon and make people actually listenPractical tips for presenting on Zoom without looking stiff or disconnectedWhy communication is becoming more valuable as AI gets betterA few great stories from Stew's coaching work with engineers and founders

S01E15 The One Where You Get Let GoLaid off?

You’re not alone, and it doesn’t mean you're broken.

In this week’s episode of I’m a Software Engineer ~ What Next?, we talk to Steve Jaffe, ad industry veteran and author of The Layoff Journey, about how to bounce back after losing your job — and how to find real clarity in the chaos.Steve's been through four layoffs — from the dot-com crash to 2023’s tech contraction. The difference? Now he knows how to handle it.

Hosted by tech recruiter James Wilson and software engineer Matt Sinclair, this episode is all about:

-Why most people handle layoffs wrong

-The 7 emotional stages of being let go (and why you shouldn't skip them)

-How layoffs can spark growth, renewal, and even joy-What hiring managers really think about CV gaps

-How to turn a layoff into your career pivot moment-Advice for engineers, hiring managers, and anyone who’s felt lost after being let go.

Show Notes

Steve’s book The Layoff Journey - https://thestevejaffe.com/

The Kubler-Ross Model – Stages of Grief - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_stages_of_grief

The "Bullsh*t Jobs" theory by David Graeber - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullshit_Jobs

Guest:

Steve

Hosts

Matt

James

More from us

https://whatnext.dev/

https://quantumfaxmachine.com/

Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? — the podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by recruiter James Wilson and engineer Matt Sinclair, we unpack what it really means to build a career in tech today.

This week, we sit down with Dan Moore — author of Letters to a New Developer, startup founder, DevRel leader, and all-round tech veteran — to talk about how careers really unfold when things don’t go to plan.

In this week’s episode, we cover:

• Why writing a book can change your career (even if no one reads it)

• Crashing a national TV website — and what failure really teaches

• The IC ceiling: when to pivot, when to manage, and why leverage matters

• Why opinionated engineers stand out (and fence-sitters fade away)

• How AI shifts the game: product sense > raw coding

Show Notes
Dan’s book: Letters to a New Developer
Dan’s website: danmoore.org
FusionAuth: fusionauth.io
Dan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dmooreds

🎙 Hosts
Matt: /matthewsinclair
James: /james-wilson-92170656

🌐 More from us
https://whatnext.dev/
https://quantumfaxmachine.com/

So you're off to work at Anthropic? S01E14 The One Where We Wonder: What happens now that I have a job at one of the world's premier AI companies?Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? — the podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by tech recruiter James Wilson and software engineer Matt Sinclair, we unpack what it really means to build a career in tech today — from navigating interviews to scaling as an engineering leader.In this week's episode, we cover:- The remarkably compressed career of one of the new wave of AI-powered software engineers- What it's like to build multiple successful startups before the age of 21- What someone at the cutting edge of AI thinks the future of AI holds for programmers, and humanity🗒️ Show NotesAnthropic: https://anthropic.com Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=64700Gary's Economics: https://www.youtube.com/@garyseconomics🎧 45 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.Whether you’re applying for your next engineering role or hiring your next dev, this one’s got real talk, practical advice, and a few rants.🎙 HostsMatt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsinclairJames: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-92170656🌐 More from us:https://whatnext.dev/https://quantumfaxmachine.com/

Welcome back to I'm a Software Engineer ~ What Next? — the podcast for devs figuring out their next move. Hosted by tech recruiter James Wilson and software engineer Matt Sinclair, we unpack what it really means to build a career in tech today — from navigating interviews to scaling as an engineering leader.In this week's episode, we dig into the most debated topic on dev Twitter and LinkedIn:Should software engineers have to do coding interviews?James recently shared a post on LinkedIn about the reality of coding rounds in interviews — and, well, let’s just say it triggered some responses. In this episode, we get into what’s changed, why this topic hits so hard, and what better might look like.Link to post: https://short-link.me/1aiiBWe cover:Why live coding isn't the job — and what hiring managers should be testing insteadWhat Matt means when he says: “Some engineers are still living in 2019”Why engineers can’t afford to be picky anymore (and why that sucks)How to evaluate engineers without a whiteboard testThe tradeoffs between tasks, take-homes, pairing, and probationsThe importance of initiative, communication, and knowing what you’re “known for”Whether you’re applying for your next engineering role or hiring your next dev, this one’s got real talk, practical advice, and a few rants.🎙 HostsMatt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsinclairJames: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-92170656🌐 More from us:https://whatnext.dev/https://quantumfaxmachine.com/