logo
episode-header-image
Today
23m 15s

Show me “code nerd” in the job requireme...

jellyfish
About this episode

Is passion really a must to succeed in the tech world?


Grace, a coding apprentice, gets called out for not being “passionate enough” about her work. But what does “passionate enough” look like and is that really what matters most in tech?


In this episode, we challenge this stereotype and explore how your skills, not your obsession, should define your success. If you’ve ever felt like passion alone doesn’t cut it, this one’s for you.


Got a tech tale of your own or some workplace drama? Hit us up at jellyfish.co/offthevpn. And don’t worry - we’ll keep it Off the VPN.


Highlights:

  • Passion vs. Performance: Why passion isn’t always the key to tech success
  • The “Code Nerd” Stereotype: Breaking free from the narrow mold in tech
  • Balancing Passion: How to stay true to yourself while thriving in your career

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Intro

(02:29) Do you need passion to succeed in tech?

(03:35) Grace’s apprenticeship journey: balancing school and work

(05:06) Not “passionate enough” about coding

(05:38) Trying to prove herself at work

(08:57) Being procedural VS. creative

(10:46) The inappropriate comparison to a male coworker

(14:17) The “passion engineer” stereotype and its impact on career


Up next
Aug 13
Simon says, "let AI do it all"
What happens when our most senior engineer stops writing code altogether and lets AI handle everything? Well, you can expect projects and productivity to go out the window. Meet Simon, who is about 30+ years into the game and fully convinced that AI will fully replace the develop ... Show More
30m 23s
Jul 30
This FAANG ruined my family
Imagine sibling rivalry at its finest, but now dip it into tech.Meet Julian and Ava, two Ivy League computer science students with very different career paths. One’s endlessly stacking internships at Amazon, Google, and other big names, while the other’s soaking up Europe, partyi ... Show More
24m 1s
Jul 16
Great at code, dating not so much
A date so bad, it felt like a work meeting? Yeah, that happened.Meet Rochelle, who thought she was going on a quirky first date with a software engineer - until an 8-minute voice memo, an unhinged rant about remote work, and a very questionable boss threat turned everything upsid ... Show More
21m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2024
The things engineers are desperate for PMs to understand | Camille Fournier (author of “The Manager’s Path,” ex-CTO at Rent the Runway)
Camille Fournier is the author of The Manager’s Path, which many consider the definitive guide for navigating one’s career path in tech. Camille was previously the CTO of Rent the Runway, VP of Technology at Goldman Sachs, Head of Platform Engineering at Two Sigma, and Global Hea ... Show More
1h 23m
Jan 2025
The #1 Reason to FIRE Your #1 Employee
Episode Description In this episode, I dive deep into what it really means to build a thriving, successful organization—one where culture, accountability, and human connections drive everything. I talk about why I fire people who aren’t good humans, no matter how talented they ar ... Show More
7m 24s
Jun 17
The Fighter Pilot Mindset Every Construction Leader Needs for Safer, Faster Projects
In today’s episode of Construction Genius, we dive deep into a powerful leadership framework that can transform how you run your construction projects — the Fighter Pilot Mindset based on John Boyd’s legendary OODA loop. In fast-paced, high-risk environments — whether it’s a figh ... Show More
37m 47s
Aug 2024
How embracing emotions will accelerate your career | Joe Hudson (executive coach, Art of Accomplishment)
Joe Hudson is one of the most sought-after executive coaches in Silicon Valley. He is the founder of Art of Accomplishment, a transformational coaching program that has helped tens of thousands of people, including many tech executives and founders from companies like Apple, Open ... Show More
1h 18m
May 8
Moving beyond velocity: Measuring real business impact
In this episode of Leaders of Code, Dan Lines, cofounder and COO of LinearB; Ben Matthews, Senior Director of Engineering at Stack Overflow; and host Ben Popper talk about why velocity should be a diagnostic tool, not the primary goal of engineering teams. They also touch on the ... Show More
30m 32s
Apr 2024
The End of Middle Management (For Real)
Middle management. Senior leaders say it’s a sticking point; individual contributors say it’s not meeting needs; middle managers themselves say the role is a source of burnout. Julia Dhar, founder and leader of BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab, imagines a future in which AI takes ove ... Show More
32m 58s
Jun 29
1110: When Leadership Mattered | Amanda Whalen, CFO, Klaviyo
Amanda Whalen’s first unit CFO role began with a question. “You’re not a finance technical person,” her company’s president told her, “but you’re the strongest leader on my team. Will you be willing to be the CFO and help me transform the finance function?” She accepted.Over the ... Show More
52m 58s
Jul 8
Vision-first leadership & reimagining product w/ “Shift Out,” Do-It-as-a-Service & Jobs-to-Be-Done w/ John Amaral #226
John Amaral (CTO and co-founder @ Root.io) joins us to discuss the evolving role of engineering leaders and why vision-first leadership & building your “vision” muscle is more critical than ever. We dive into why “shift left” is dead and why SaaS is being replaced by “do-it” as a ... Show More
44m 54s
Nov 2024
The Dangers of the Bus Factor in Agile Teams | Aliona Zapanovici
Aliona Zapanovici: Overcoming The “bus factor” Problem, Building Resilient Agile Teams Through Knowledge Sharing Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNot ... Show More
13m 17s
Jun 15
How to build a team that can “take a punch”: A playbook for building resilient, high-performing teams | Hilary Gridley (Head of Core Product, Whoop)
Hilary Gridley is the Head of Core Product at WHOOP and a passionate thought leader in leveraging AI to elevate product teams and management practices. With extensive experience tackling challenging problems in regulated industries and high-stakes environments, Hilary emphasizes ... Show More
1h 54m