There is More to Experience in Life than Work: Interview With Edward Aslin - Technical Lead

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

My name is Edd. I live in North Wales (UK) with my wife and Labrador. I work as a contract web developer and technical lead. I split my time between coding and helping development teams to put out fires (whilst training them to prevent reignition). I like to code, but I love mentoring and helping development teams thrive.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

The mess dev teams can get into when they build quick and dirty prototypes/hacks…usually while under duress.

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

Primarily I like to write about the misadventures and shenanigans I have been exposed to while working as a developer in the last decade.

The funny thing is they are experiences that are usually reoccurring between different teams, I like to think I can talk about them in a fun and relatable way, whilst providing solutions.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

I usually get an idea in my head and let it rattle around in there for a bit. Daydream about it while out jogging. I just drop many of the ideas or figure they don't have legs. But eventually, it gets to a point where I am pretty sure I have a solid idea for a blog post in my head. So I stop what I am doing, start typing, and obsess over it until I think it might be half-interesting to other human beings.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

A lot of the things I write about come from first-hand experience. And I only have so many clients. It's tough to write about my experiences and anonymise them appropriately so that nobody thinks I am writing about them. I have had clients accuse me of writing about them in the past, where I really wasn't! I guess it goes to show how cliche many software development problems are.

I can be a little audacious at times, which I have to keep in check as it's not everybody's cup of tea. While I have a lot of experience, I know enough to know I don't know anything. Inability to balance all these and worrying about how what I write may be perceived or reflect on me is how most draft blog posts end in the trash.

But primarily time. Time to write and time to relax enough to come up with the inspiration for something to write.

Oh, and I am dyslexic too. That doesn't help at all.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

I've been fully booked for as long as I can remember. So I think it must be time to expand, hire a team and keep on growing. But being an in-demand contractor is like a comfortable chair that I don't want to get out of.

There are so many things I want to do and experience in my life, and spending my time working is not one of them. It's important to me that I never lose sight of this.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

I do like a spa day. Also, a mechanical keyboard with blue switches.

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

I used to be awesome and hike up big mountains and fly off them under my paraglider. But last year, after watching one too many friends, acquittances and strangers kill/maim themselves, I decided to stop. I miss it like you wouldn't believe (the flying part), but I got to walk away. Also, it's how I met my wife!

These days I do decidedly less dangerous things. I have got into my photography, and I enjoy tending to house plants. I read a lot and fiddle with the piano sometimes. Over lockdown, I got into long-distance running in the mountains, but I got married in the spring and had a distinctly inactive end to the year. I have entered into a series of triathlons this coming summer (2022), so I need to pull my finger out.

What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?

Another tale of misadventure from my experience working as a developer. Something glib, heartfelt and possibly useful?

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

Thanks for taking an interest in what I have to say. I hope my writing makes you think and grin in equal measure. But to be honest, I am just happy anyone even reads it; my old English teacher would be convulsing in his grave.