A Framework for Addressing Technical Debt

Length: 45 Minutes

Places Given:

• Philly ETE, 2022

Brochure Pitch:

Getting out of tech debt can feel like a Sisyphean task. After weeks of work, the success case is for the app to work the same as it used to. Organizations often declare code bankruptcy and rewrite working systems from scratch. How do we end up here? And how do we alleviate, or even better, prevent such a situation?

In this workshop, you will learn how to measure tech debt and address the areas of highest need first. You’ll learn to identify high leverage code changes and separate those from renovations. You’ll also learn about the skills tech teams can use to prevent and reduce tech debt.

Video here:

The Technology and Psychology of Refactoring

Length: 45-60 Minutes

Places Given:

• PearConf 2019, Center on Halsted, Chicago, 2019
• PearConf Distributed Lecture Series, 2019
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Brochure Pitch:

When the requirements change out from under your tech team, your code has to change. So it’s worthwhile to build your skills in assessing code maintainability, deciding whether to refactor, and doing the refactor.

In this talk, we’ll answer questions like:

• What does it mean for code to be maintainable, and how do we make code more maintainable?
• How do we know when to refactor—and how do we know when to stop refactoring?
• How do we sell stakeholders on giving us space to make a large refactor?

This talk includes both code samples and architecture samples from apps in use today.

Full Transcript and Slides Available Here:

https://chelseatroy.com/2019/03/25/pearconf-talk-the-technology-and-psychology-of-refactoring/

Here’s a Condensed (23 Minute) version of the talk that I recorded for JuneteenthConf’s Supporting Speaker Track:

How to Level Up as a Technologist

Length: 35-45 Minutes

Places Given:

• COUNTRY Financial Internal DevOps Conference, 2018
• PearConf Meetup, 8th Light, Chicago, 2019

Brochure Pitch:

To thrive as a technologist, you need to constantly level up your skill set.

That sounds daunting: after all, there’s so much to learn. You might have even experienced some false starts in the past where you tried to learn a new skill and it didn’t work out.

It’s not because you can’t. In fact, I’m confident that you already have the innate ability to add breadth and depth to your skill sets.

I know that because I know that you use that ability every day to stay current as a technologist.

Leveling up is itself a skill that you can sharpen. Today we’ll talk about some techniques that you can use to get better at leveling up. These techniques will help you translate your innate ability to learn so you can broaden and deepen your skill set more effectively, and even enjoy doing it!

Full Transcript and Slides Available Here:

https://chelseatroy.com/2019/04/18/transcript-from-keynote-leveling-up/

Here’s an abridged (22 minute) version of the talk that I gave at a meetup as a favor to a friend:

Debugging: Techniques for Uncertain Times

Length: 20 Minutes

Places Given:

• RailsConf 2020

Brochure Pitch:

When we learn to code, we focus on writing features while we understand what the code is doing. When we debug, we don’t understand what our code is doing. The less we understand, the less likely it is that our usual programming mindset—the one we use for feature development—can solve the problem.

It turns out, the skills that make us calmer, more effective debuggers also equip us to deal with rapid, substantial changes to our lives.

 

Whether you’re uncertain about what’s going on in your code, your life, or both, in this talk you’ll learn debugging techniques to get you moving forward safely.

Full Transcript and Slides Available Here:

https://chelseatroy.com/2020/05/05/transcript-debugging-techniques-for-uncertain-times/

Here’s the video recording for RailsConf Couch Edition:

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Length: 35-45 Minutes

Places Given:

• University of Chicago Intro to Software Development, 2019
• Pivotal Labs Employee Professional Development Series, 2019
• Chicago CTO Summit, 2019
• Nest With Fedora, 2021

Brochure Pitch:

Our team skills affect our career trajectory more and more as our technical contribution capacity increases.

But we don’t explicitly teach team skills most of the time: we instead send people into the workforce and let them struggle until they figure it out.

This talk covers the things I wish someone had told me about giving and receiving feedback in teams…so you don’t have to struggle.

We’ll cover:

• When and how to give feedback to others
• How to attract relevant, specific, useful feedback for yourself
• How to cope when feedback hurts
• Strategies to respond to feedback and translate it into useful action steps

Full Transcript and Slides Available Here:

https://chelseatroy.com/2019/05/15/giving-and-receiving-feedback/

Here’s an abridged (22 minute) version of the talk that I gave at a lunch and learn, again, as a favor to a friend:

What Counts as a Programming Language?

Length: 20-30 Minutes

Places Given:

• Code Mesh V, 2020

Brochure Pitch:

When we think of programming languages, we think of Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, or Python. We don’t think of CSS, SQL, or HTML. And we don’t think of Alloy, Modelica, or SNOBOL—in fact, maybe we haven’t even heard of all those. But what’s the distinction? And maybe most importantly, what can we learn as programmers from “not programming languages”?

We’ll cover:

• What we can learn from questioning how we categorize things
• How to identify “assumed context,” and why it matters
• Lessons learned from “domain specific” programming languages

Debrief Available Here:

https://chelseatroy.com/2020/11/07/what-counts-as-a-programming-language/

Here’s the Code Mesh V version of the talk, plus a little Q&A 😉:

Allyship in Times of Crisis

Length: 20 Minutes

Places Given:

• Pivotal Labs Employee Professional Development Series, 2016

Brochure Pitch:

This talk is for allies who want to take care of marginalized communities affected by traumatic events. I gave it shortly after the Pulse shooting in Orlando, but the principles apply in many crisis situations.

In the event of a tragedy like this, we need allies to step up. It can be difficult to know what to say or do if you are not a part of the affected community. That’s what this talk is for: it’s a starting point for allies.

We start with some terminology and talk about what we mean by terms like target, ally, bystander, and crisis. Then we discuss the grief and fear that prevail within a target community after a crisis, and where allies can start to help with that.

Finally, we relate the discussion back to what an ally can do on a daily basis to help fight for equality—and how social change happens.

Full Video Available At:

Chelsea, come give this talk at my meetup!

I’m so glad you appreciate the talk! But lovingly, no.

I only have, and only will, give this talk once. I didn’t even rehearse it.

That’s why I asked Elliot, the best videographer I know, to record it: I knew, if the video or audio recording failed, the talk would be lost forever.

As you can see, Elliot pulled through and got a full recording. So if you want this talk at your meetup, you’re welcome to play the video.