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I was disappointed. Nick seemed nice, even if he thought I was a boy. Can’t he tell I’m too big to be a boy? Jess didn’t want me at all. Didn’t she know I was there to help. I felt very dejected.

At first I wondered if I should give up on my plans. Perhaps I should have an outdoor web. Most of my siblings had moved outdoors. I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to fail. I moved on.

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This didn’t sound good. I was just trying to be helpful and they didn’t want me. I’d already lowered the number of pests in their house. I considered running.

Nick came back with a glass. He put it over me, ruining my web in the process. He started to slide a piece of paper under the glass. I had to quickly get my legs out of the way so they weren’t hurt. Once he collected me he brought me outside. He released me on his front steps.

Nick said, “There you go little guy. Sorry, Jess is afraid of spiders.”

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Humans arrived a few hours later. There were two of them. It was a man and woman. They sat down and turned on the television. They watched it for a while oblivious to my presence. They seemed like nice people. People I’d be happy to help.

The next day the woman was searching the house for something when she spotted me. I waved one of my legs politely.

She screamed and then said, “NICK! There’s a spider.”

The man, apparently named Nick, said, “Oh Jess, it’s just a little thing.”

She said, “I don’t want it in my house. Get it out!”

“Hold on,” Nick said.

After publishing pages 3 & 4 together I realized that at scale Sam is just not visible enough even on a widescreen monitor. I’m still making the two pages together, however I’m now splitting them prior to publication. All the words related to these two pages appear on the second page, making this a bit of a cliffhanger.

In general, I prefer not to write about Pon in order to protect their privacy. Here though, I think it is important to give people an understanding of where transgender rights are for minors. I asked Pon for permission to write this and they said it was okay.

Pon turned 17 last week. They came out as non-binary and socially transitioned in 2020 when they were 12. Pon has relied on gender affirming care since December of 2020.

I have a friend who has a transgender son. They were living in Tennessee when he came out as transgender. For safety reasons they moved to Ohio in 2021. He didn’t think he could be accepted in his new school so he thought he wouldn’t be able to transition. He quickly found acceptance in his new school and socially transitioned.

Tennessee, Florida, Idaho, and Texas are examples of the worst states for trans youth to reside. In Texas transgender youth are taken from their parents by the Department of Family Protective Services.

I’ve lived in Massachusetts since 2015. While Massachusetts is safer than many states for transgender youth, the safety has reduced since the 2025 inauguration. The administration has worked to remove gender affirming care for people under 19. At the start of 2025 there were three hospitals providing gender affirming care for minors. Fenway Health is a Boston hospital system founded in 1971 specifically to care for the queer community during the AIDS epidemic. While it cares for people beyond the queer community, it is that community who has been at their heart since Fenway’s inception. Due to Fenway Health’s reliance on federal funding they decided to stop providing gender affirming care in October 2025 to patients under 19. That meant the options for transgender youth in Massachusetts were cut by 1/3rd. Chicago area transgender youth faced a similar issue when Lurie Children’s Hospital stopped providing care. Some residents of red states were traveling regularly to Connecticut to seek gender affirming care for their children until both CT providers shut their doors to minors. This year when my teen went for their regular visit we were asked to sign a ton of documents to affirm our awareness and acknowledgement of continued care.

When our president was re-elected someone asked Pon if they were worried. Pon said they weren’t because they knew I was following the news and would keep them safe. Teens shouldn’t be worried that we might have to move, they should be focused on school, friends, and hobbies. Teens shouldn’t have to worry that their healthcare might vanish. Teens should not feel like scapegoats for issues caused by billionaires.

Reduced access to gender affirming care has doubled the risk of suicide for transgender youth. Transgender folks in the US are experiencing early signs of genocide. This includes transgender people being tracked, inhumane treatment in prisons, gun purchase restrictions, bathroom bans, sports bans, and being turned away from shelters.

The biggest things you can do to help are:

• Be supportive to your queer community, even if it’s just emotional support.

• Be politically active, tell your politicians at all levels your concerns and be an informed voter.

• Support trans writers by becoming a paid subscriber to my Substack, Erin in the Morning, and/or Trans United Fund.

• Support organizations that fight for the queer community like Glisten, the Trevor Project, and Trans Lifeline.

Joan started researching options in November after the election. Her biggest concern has been Ash, her 14yo non-binary teen. With Trump in the White House, having run on “ending gender insanity” it seemed likely the gender affirming care (GAC) Ash relies on would disappear. Many “red” states already prevent minors from getting GAC. There are even a couple states like Texas that take trans kids from their parents! She’s also at risk due to being a trans woman. Since she can’t renew her passport she wants to leave before it expires.

Joan met with her realtor and downsized. She paid off her car loan to make it simpler to get rid of when she moves overseas. Joan decided they should leave; first to Canada and then hopefully move permanently to Japan. Then she talked to her co-parent Selene. Selene reasonably wanted a more concrete plan. Would Ash be able to get their SSRI in these countries? Where would Ash finish High School? It was a ton of work to get an IEP that was meeting their needs, can they succeed in a foreign school?

Japanese doctors do not prescribe Fluoxetine so a genetic test for Ash was done to see what alternative SSRI could be prescribed. Joan found some well rated international schools in Ontario. While those schools are private, she can afford to get Ash through their last 2.5 years of school.

She shared all this with her co-parent and Selene said it didn’t seem worth the risk. She suggested Joan go and Ash would stay with her. She felt that it would probably be safer to be non-binary than trans. Selene agreed that if Ash was in danger or could not get GAC they should move, but that she wanted them to wait and see.

Today Joan packed me, partly for Rakree, a convention in Boston and partly because the inauguration would be on MLK Jr day. I have cash, meds, and their passports. The plan is that if anything awful with executive orders happens after the inauguration she’ll take Ash straight to Ontario from the convention.

January 20th, 2025

Joan and Ash seemed to have a good time at the convention. She even considered traveling to Worldcon in Seattle after confirming it is currently a safe state for trans folks. The inauguration hadn’t really finished when the conference wrapped up so we headed home. Honestly, I’m a little nervous about this choice. Originally she had considered leaving the US on the 17th so they wouldn’t even be here for the inauguration. Joan unpacked some of the clothes she had in me but left a day’s clothes, passports, meds, cash, and charger.

February 23, 2025

Ash doesn’t go to Providence Dicecon, so Joan was a little worried about being an hour south without them. She left me home since that’s where Ash would be. She took just a suitcase.

March 2, 2025

It looks like she had a blast at Dicecon. Apparently it was way better than her experience the prior year. She had a roommate this year and it worked well. She was a little worried about a cisgender woman feeling uncomfortable sharing a room with her, but it worked out.

July 6th, 2025

Now I’m outright offended. She downgraded me to a pile on her bed so she could go LARPing in Andover! What if something happens? What if something valuable gets misplaced?

August 1st, 2025

Yale, Kaiser, and Connecticut Children’s hospital all folded to threats from Trump and now there is nowhere in CT youth can get GAC. People had been traveling there from states that ban it for care. I’m worried our state is next.

August 5th, 2025

Joan is driving to New Jersey today to see an Ado concert. She “upgraded” me to a paper bag and left me behind. I guess she’ll be safe. She won’t be back until late tomorrow because she’s going to an anime meet-up in Brooklyn. I hope she stays safe, that’s a lot of people she’ll be around.

August 12, 2025

Joan was hoping to convince a friend from church to fly to Seattle with her. The friend knows someone in Seattle so it seemed like a possibility. She certainly would be safer going through TSA with a friendly witness.

August 18, 2025

Yikes, apparently there was an incident at the Seattle airport for her return flight. TSA flagged her for a pat down. The agents were really rude during the process. After she got through it she encountered a woman with a MAGA hat. It seems Seattle isn’t so safe after all. Maybe this will convince her to leave the US. She’s very shaken up about the experience.

September 11, 2025

Apparently there was a terrorist attack on this day in 2001. Joan has been going to a weekly local protest against the Trump administration. She usually brings her trans flag to the protest which I feel makes her a bigger target. A few times she brought a Palestinian flag instead.

Apparently some popular conservative named Charlie Kirk was shot yesterday. The protesters got people driving by who flipped them off, people who gave the thumbs down, people who said, “go Trump”, and people who said, “get a job.” Then a tall bald man walked up to them and said they were freaks. The man said they shouldn’t be there after what happened to Charlie Kirk the day before. He said that Kirk was just a kid, despite him apparently being 31. The protesters weren’t there because of Kirk though. Joan is there every week!

She seems upset about the encounter. She says she wished she offered to take the guy to the ice cream shop across the square and listen to him. I don’t know, that sounds risky.

September 29th, 2025

Joan spent her birthday in Chicago for work. I was, of course, left behind. It sounds like she had a great time with friends though.

Since that Kirk guy died they discovered the shooter had a transgender roommate. Musk, who has a trans daughter, posted misinformation making it seem like trans folks are more likely to be the cause of shootings. The administration has been trying to ban trans folks from having guns. The NRA has stepped up to protect the transgender community.

Joan doesn’t seem interested in owning a gun. She certainly couldn’t leave the country with one. Still, many Jim Crow laws banned black folks from owning guns. If guns are a human right in America than this does seem like early stages of genocide. She really should take Ash and go! I’m ready, even if I’m paper.

October 14, 2025

Fenway Health has closed its doors to folks under 19 for GAC. Fenway Health is a Boston hospital that was founded specifically to care for the queer community. Ash goes to one of the other two hospitals in Massachusetts that offer GAC to adolescents, neither of which are dedicated to the queer community and thus seem more apt to close. This might be it. My next entry will hopefully be from Ontario.

December 30, 2025

I got restored and went on a trip! It wasn’t to Ontario though. Ash’s partner lives in Maryland so we went on holiday there for a few days. Teen romance is so gross, ick! I was a little worried about them being safe in Maryland since it had been a slave state, in fact Joan visited Harriet Tubman’s birthplace. At least I was there and everything seemed to go well.

January 19th, 2026

We just got back from Rakree. Ash bought two swords. I don’t think they are meant for protection, though apparently they are real!

January 30th, 2026

Medicare is being restricted for hospitals providing GAC so they might need to leave soon. Joan also just got news that she needs to move to Chicago in May or find a new job in May. Things look dire. Joan is excited about the possibility of working with kids soon. She’s been wanting to retire from tech to become an English teacher in Japan. It’s been a little over a year since she made me. While it’s great Ash will probably be able to finish their junior year of high school, senior year seems less likely.

This poster is based on the Book-Head-Heart framework that Kylene Beers and Robert Probst developed and published in their book Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters.

As I’m student teaching at a Middle School with multilingual learners who speak Spanish or Portuguese natively I included translations for them. Here are some examples of how a student could use this framework. The first two examples are from Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street:

Here is an example from Jaqueline Woodson’s poetic memoir Brown Girl Dreaming:

Here are some more examples from Brown Girl Dreaming:

♥️ Ruby Bridges and James Baldwin are listed on p4. This seems to be a list of her heroes which makes my think about the list I put in my own memoir: Joan of Arc, Mary Dyer, Alice Paul, Felicia Elizondo, Marsha Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera. As she relates to her list from what I see as a black advocacy perspective I relate to my list from a transgender feminist perspective.

🧑‍🎓This is a book that’s clearly written using her “own voice” (p4).

♥️I didn’t realize Ruby Bridges was only 6 when she tried to attend school on the heels of desegregation (p6).

📘She wrote a whole poem about how her father would have named her Jack if it weren’t for her mother and aunt interfering (p7). What does she think of the name? It’s clear how she was named was important but was it because of the outcome or the process?

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Once upon a time there was an old woman named Lyla who lived alone. She was happy with her simple life. As was true with most homes of her time, she had no running water. Instead of running water Lyla owned two buckets and a carrying yoke. A carrying yoke is a nifty rod that fits behind a person’s neck and allows them to place heavy things on each end. This makes carrying far easier than just using hands! Shoulders are able to support far more weight than hands.

Every morning after Lyla got dressed and had breakfast she would attach the buckets to each end of the yoke. Once the buckets were secured she would place the yoke on her shoulder and walk to the well. The well was a few hundred feet away from her house. Today we might consider that to be the length of a football field! At the well she would fill the buckets with water and then Lyla would return with her buckets.

For several months one of her buckets had been leaking. One day as she returned home with her buckets the leaky bucket said, “Lyla, I think you should replace me. I’ve enjoyed bringing your water but lately I’ve been leaking half of the water.”

Lyla said to the leaky bucket, “the water you have been leaking has caused flowers to bloom on your side of the path. I don’t need two full buckets of water, I’m just one woman. What I do need is the beauty from the flowers caused by the water you provide.”

Now the second bucket said, “Lyla, if that’s true, wouldn’t it be nice to have flowers on both sides? Perhaps you should replace me.”

At this Lyla chuckled, “what has gotten into you both. You’re usually so quiet. Yes, I value the flowers from the leaked water. I also need the water. While you both look similar, you each provide me a different value.”

Both buckets asked in unison, “are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m very sure! If either of you were battered I would repair you. You are both irreplaceable. I need you both in my life. You provide the beauty for my walks, the water for my drinks, washing, and ramen.”

With that explanation both buckets felt a deep relieving sense of belonging. They continued their days living happily ever after. The End!

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 3 by 山田鐘人 - Despite knowing how the battle with Aura and her executioners was going to end I still found it intense to read. There are also some really hilarious parts like when the adventurers met another monk and what Frieren thought would be a good gift for Stark.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss - Goss was very ambitious with this book. It is a (second-wave) feminist, science fiction, mystery, and historical fiction novel. It’s also hybrid in that the main character, Mary Jekyll, purports to be the author and included with the normal prose are notes from her as well as her found family. I think that had Goss only taken on those challenges it would have been a much better book. Unfortunately, she also incorporated characters from historical works including Frankenstein, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. From these various works she pulls one or more characters causing them to be important to the plot. Because there were so many characters there was little time to develop any of them. If Goss had taken an approach more like Marissa Meyer’s Cinder series it could have been a far better novel (or series). The Cinder series also replicated pre-existing characters but each character had a novel’s worth of introduction. Goss’s attempt at having the book be part mystery was foiled by including Sherlock Holmes and James Watson as characters. The book starts with the mystery of the money Mary Jekyll should have inherited from her father and the whereabouts of Mr. Hyde. With Sherlock involved the fact that her father was Mr. Hyde should have been solved as soon as he knew her background, instead Mary goes through almost the entire novel thinking her father is dead and not also Mr. Hyde. One of the big clues which the characters had was that her father transferred money to a bank in another country but the bank had no record of money deposited in his name. The money thread is completely dropped, it was obviously put in Mr. Hyde’s name and she should have claimed the money at the end of the novel instead of finding odd jobs to survive on. I found some of the writing of characters with mental health issues to be ableist which could have been resolved if there had been a sensitivity reader. What, however, almost caused me to stop reading was two throw-away sentences that used a racial slur to describe indigenous people of both Australia and the Americas. This was written in 2017 and set in the 1890s. The slur was used by one of the heroines of the story, and while perhaps a feminist of 1890 would have used that slur to refer to indigenous people there is no excuse for a feminist writing it in 2017.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison - A good look at what it was like to be black in America in the first half of the 20th century. It's a bit depressing. A great social commentary on masculinity and racism. It seemed scattered at first but the bits that seemed disconnected early on ended up getting tied together exceptionally. I enjoyed Beloved more, probably because I wasn't as interested in Milkman is a main character.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid - What's not to love! A forbidden lesbian romance between astronauts in the early years of the US shuttle program! It goes into depth about the sexism women faced at NASA and how being queer was considered a liability. I also enjoyed how the main character realizes as an adult that she's queer. The story of the niece being sidelined by her mother is also heartbreaking. I was in Maryland when I read this, and the flatness of Maryland reminded me of Cape Canaveral which the book is set.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - It’s very evident how comedy like Monty Python spawned from this play. It’s a very ridiculous story in a fashion only a Brit can pull off. While none of the characters are explicitly queer, it’s clear in retrospect that Wilde was exploring his challenges with being queer in British society while writing this. Obviously Wilde’s imprisonment and later years are a tragedy that reminds us why we need to be vigilante about queer rights.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - This was awesome! I really need to read more lesbian romance! While this is set in a fictional D&Dish setting I think taking two “villainous” races in this case Orcs and Succubi and humanizing helps confront the type of prejudice we have in the real world. In this case the Orc main character literally hangs up her sword to follow her dream of running a coffee shop.

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - I’m not sure why it took me this long to read this. I really enjoyed the contrast between the mothers and the daughters. I kept having to remember that the daughters are my parents generation and the mothers came to the US during the Japanese invasion of China. The cycle of not understanding a parent as a person feels so real. The details of life in China prior to Mao’s China was insightful. I also liked learning a bit more about Mahjong, including differences between American and Chinese Mahjong.

We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson - This book outlines how black people, especially women, have resisted oppression throughout the history of the Americas. She goes out of her way to point out that while violent resistance is often downplayed, there are times when she considers it the only correct option. What I found especially informative was the way federal marshals invaded northern states and communities used bells to warn people. That precipice to the civil war feels a lot like where we are with ICE today.

Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino - It’s a cute YA romance that explores Deaf Culture, imposter syndrome, and audism (ie: ableism against the deaf community). At times I felt it was a little overly preachy, though perhaps some of the ableism the characters experience aren’t as obvious as I found them. Most of the story is set in an Illinois camp dedicated to the area deaf and blind community. At the start of the book the main character uses hearing aids and uses voice as well as lip reading to communicate with friends and family. This is her first year as a camp counselor and she needs to brush up on her ASL because she hasn’t used it outside of camp. At the start of the book she feels like an outsider in both hearing and deaf communities. I especially connected with this book because I was a camp counselor for two years as a teen. I’ve spent weeks in Chicago so it was fun hearing about places I’m familiar with like Portillo’s, Wrigley Field, and Union Station. A recurring issue in the town where the camp is situated was a lack of cell service. Because my experience of Illinois is almost entirely Chicago-land it kept feeling surprising to remember that very little of Illinois is actually city.

Vile Verses by Roald Dahl - I read this for school. It’s just a collection of poetry from some of his other books. He’s a great writer but unless you really want the handful of unpublished poems in here it’s not worth finding it (the book is out of print).

On Beyond Zebra by Dr. Seuss - I saw two reasons why they decided to stop publishing it. While it hasn’t aged well it is a ridiculous read that pokes fun at our alphabet.

I love interviewing people and unfortunately have not had the chance to interview a candidate for the last few years. Specifically I like meeting new people and learning about them. Some folks recently asked me about what my interview process is so I dug up my notes and polished them.

In this article I’ll start by discussing how I begin an interview and then the kind of questions I use for specific positions. I’ll also go into detail of why I ask the question and what I’m looking for.

In general I prefer what’s known as “behavioral” interview questions. By asking people about their experiences you get a sense for how they have handled similar issues in the past. It’s harder, but not impossible, to “lie” for behavioral questions.

Keep in mind, interviews are a two way street. You want to show candidates that you are somebody they might want to work with and that there is value in being at your company. While the hiring market has ups-and-downs, you don’t want to leave an interviewee with a bad perception about you or the company even if you don’t think the person should be hired.

Often interviewers are advised to do the entire interview even if they know early on that the candidate isn’t a fit and the interviewer will recommend against hiring. In part, this advice is to prevent a candidate from feeling they are being discriminated against or give a candidate a bad experience that they share on social media. If you are the hiring manager, or somebody that has and will veto their candidacy I think it can be valuable, especially for people new to the job market, to tell them why they aren’t a fit and where instead they should consider interviewing. For example, I’ve had several candidates who interviewed at a startup that clearly would prefer to work in a more established/stable company and I’ve advised them accordingly.

Interview Prep

Take time to pre-read the candidate’s resume. The resume can be a great source of behaviour questions. They should be able to talk in detail about everything on it so you can potentially pick a couple things to ask about that are relevant to the job. You might want to ask the other interviewers what they will be asking to limit overlap.

You should read a candidate’s LinkedIn. You may also want to do an internet search for them and check their GitHub.

Have a document or paper with your questions. I’ve totally blanked on my questions. Write down notes on what they say vs “pass”/ “fail”. Don’t write anything you’d be embarrassed for the candidate to see. The details of the answer can help qualify your rating.

Remember that you are human. If somebody spilled coffee on you and your kid just got an “F” in math don’t take it out on the candidate. Research shows that interviewers who are in bad moods give more negative feedback about candidates. This is why your notes can be critical in helping you compare candidates more objectively.

Sometimes you end up having less time than planned for interviews. Feel empowered to tell a candidate to be more concise. If you are running low on time make sure to get to the highest priority questions and still give them time to ask questions.

Opening

• Intros - State pronouns (don’t ask for them), title, when joined, etc.

  • This may seem obvious, but it’s important to start with introductions. Candidates are nervous and starting with easy conversation will reduce the nervousness. Start by introducing yourself and sharing your pronouns. Do not ask the candidate for their pronouns because they may not feel safe to share, may be in the closet, and may be insulted by the question. Tell them your title at the company and when you joined. Give them an opportunity to introduce themself. If they state their pronouns make sure you write them down.

• Anything they need? - Water, bio break, etc.

  • Make sure they are comfortable. Maybe they just got into the office from an intense weather day. Often interviews are back-to-back and the candidate might need a bio break. Ask them if they need a break, water, or anything else! Do not hold it against them if this reduces your interview time.

• Discuss Group and Role

  • Don’t assume they understand the details of the group or role. Sometimes job postings are very generic. A candidate might be interviewing for several different positions at once and misremember getting the details jumbled. Give them your insider perspective of what the group is, what the culture is, and what they would be expected to do if hired.

For All

• Career Goals

  • This is a critical question, which is why I list if first. As an interviewer, especially a hiring manager, I want to make sure the candidate’s longterm goals can align with the goals of the team and company. If a candidate has the goal to be a phlebotomist and I’m hiring a software engineer they probably won’t be happy if I hire them. I won’t have any assignments that lead them to their phlebotomy dreams.

• Interest in Company

  • This tells you if they’ve done their homework on the company. I don’t consider this a pass/fail, it’s possibly they blanked on the details about the company. This also gives you a chance to clarify what the company does.

• Tell me about your Worst Boss. I don’t want to know who they are, but what about them made it difficult for you to work for. It doesn’t have to be a boss, it could be a commander, captain, coach, professor, etc.

  • This is probably more useful for a hiring manager to ask. The intent here is to hear a story relating to what they disliked with a past manager. If, for example, they disliked being macromanaged and you consider yourself a macromanager maybe this won’t be a good fit. Asking them this also can show you as a leader are open to feedback from employees.

• Tell me about your Best Boss

  • Similar to the prior question, this helps tell a hiring manager if they would work well with the candidate. If you can’t hope to be in the same ballpark as what they are looking for in a leader this might not work out.

• What have you learned recently?

  • If you have a job where people have to continually learn you might prefer to hire somebody who has a passion for learning. I think it’s important to be open to the learning they list being unrelated to the work.

• What motivates you to come into work every day?

  • This helps you get a sense for a person’s intrinsic motivation. Can you provide an environment where this person will feel motivated to work?

• How do you rely on others to make you better?

  • I ask this to get a sense of a person’s ability to be a part of a team and to gauge their humility.

• Who inspires you and why?

  • This can be an alternative to the best boss/worst boss. It helps you determine if the candidate can be inspired by the team.

• Questions for me?

  • This is a critical question. Interviews are a give and take. It is frustrating to be a candidate and not be able to ask any questions. These questions also can give you further insight into what the candidate is looking for and if you can provide it. This can also show you they’ve thought about the role. Sometimes the questions will reflect how they’ve been burned at prior companies and if they would similarly be burned at your company. It’s okay if they say they have no questions. They may have already asked all their questions, they may have forgotten their questions, or they may be uncomfortable asking their questions to you specifically (which is okay).

• Still Interested?

  • If in the interview they’ve realized they don’t want the job this will save everybody time to know now. Thank them for whatever response they give you. If they aren’t interested make sure the recruiting team knows directly after you finish meeting with the candidate.

Customer Success Engineer Questions

• An example of improving a customer relationship?

  • An experienced customer success engineer will have worked with MANY unhappy customers. If they are good at their job they should have at least one story of improving a customer’s view of a company.

• Experience w/ Command Line

  • This can give you a sense for how technical they are. This can also give insight if their background is Linux, Mac/Unix, and/or Windows. This is not a pass/fail, just an indicator of how much they might need to learn to get up-to-speed.

Programming Question

• Favorite Programming Language? Why? What is it Bad For?

  • It’s important to have this as a three part question. A candidate might be tempted to list a language your company uses or the job description stated. Every programmer has a favorite language, let them tell you theirs. If they didn’t state why, ask explicitly. This gives you insight into their knowledge of their “alleged” favorite language and their preferences. Finally, ask what the language is bad for. This last question is critical as it gives insight into how flexible an engineer is. If the candidate says Python (for example) is their favorite and it isn’t bad at anything they are clearly wrong. All languages have their trade-offs and weaknesses. A programmer who says their favorite language isn’t bad for anything could be unreceptive to using other languages when needed.

Senior Data Scientist

• ML experience?

  • I have almost no machine learning experience, so it was critical for me to determine what experience candidates had. I also had a data scientist ask more useful ML questions.

• Experience managing ML projects (including design)?

  • This was a critical part of the job role. I asked this to hear their history of leading their own projects.

• Programming experience w/ Data Science languages like Python, MATLAB, and R?

  • These match the languages that were on the job description. This gives a sense for how much they might need to learn for the job.

• Database experience?

  • Does the candidate have experience with the row-based and columnar databases your company uses? Do they have equivalent experience? Do you have time for them to learn your database stack on the job?

Senior Software Engineer

• Mentoring experience?

  • I generally expect senior engineers to spend time mentoring interns and non-senior engineers. Are they comfortable with that kind of work? Do they seem to have enjoyed or loathed it?

• Feeling about support work?

  • Most engineering roles have an amount of support responsibilities that could include being on-call and working directly with customers. Are they open to this kind of work or would they prefer doing greenfield work?

Management

• Example of how an employee’s career has evolved?

  • I want to see that a perspective member of the management team has experience and interest in growing employee careers. This can give you a sense if the candidate is autocratic or a servant leader.

• D&I initiatives that have failed and worked?

  • This will give you a sense for their interest and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This might also give you ideas for initiatives to copy or have them implement if they are hired!

• Retention Strategy?

  • This can give you another sense of their leadership style and how they value employees. Do they work to make employees happy? If an employee’s growth is limited in the company are they willing to help them explore outside the company? Have they written LinkedIn recommendations, showing the world how much they value their employees?

• What do you enjoy about leadership?

  • This can give you a sense in what motivates the candidate and again what their leadership style is.

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I walked to the house to the left of where I grew up. There was a window open so I went right in. It was a pretty big place. It smelled like a place that truly needed me. I could make my living getting rid of tons of fruit and house flies.

It sounded like nobody was home. I found a good corner in the living room and started building my trap. I took my time, just like Momma taught me. After about an hour I finished my trap. I was tired, so I found a good spot near the base to relax and wait.

I had fallen asleep quickly. I was startled awake when a house fly shook my trap as it got stuck. I was so hungry I skittered over to it. The fly looked delicious. I quickly wrapped it up and began to prep it. Once it was ready I ate it. It was yummy. One less fly to bother my new roommate or roommates.

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My momma always told me to make something of myself. “Samantha,” she’d say, “we can work together to make the world better or we can fight and make the world worse.”

I hated when she called me Samantha. Being called Sammy wasn’t so bad, but I really preferred Sam. All my close siblings, which aren’t many, call me Sam. My neighbors called me Sam too.

Momma may not have been good at calling me Sam, but it seemed so right to work together. I decided to start keeping this diary so I could share what I learned with my own kids.

When I left home I would go into pest control. I could get a meal anywhere, but wouldn’t it be great if I could make people happy at the same time.

Author’s Note

As this is a children’s book the contents of the Sam Spindle page posts will be child-friendly. If you want to comment please make sure your comments are appropriate for a young audience.