Namecheap, Inc

In my role as Director of the Namecheap Cloud Department, I lead and manage four highly skilled teams, comprising a total of 40 talented individuals. My primary responsibilities encompass people management, budget oversight, stakeholder engagement, and the strategic direction of technical decisions to ensure seamless functionality within the department.

Director of Cloud

As an Engineering Manager, I began by overseeing a team of 6-7 individuals, which subsequently expanded and was divided into various teams, each specializing in distinct areas such as frontend development, DevOps, and infrastructure management. My primary responsibility as an Engineering Manager was to ensure the effective coordination and execution of projects, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment. This included:

- Team Leadership
- Project Management
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Technical Direction
- Performance Optimization
- Stakeholder Communication

Engineering Manager

EasyWP is a WordPress managed hosting platform built on top of the latest containerization and cloud technologies (Kubernetes, Docker, CoreOS, Openstack, Ceph). My roles in EasyWP are multiple. Product vision, agile product management, container infrastructure creation and maintenance, design.

EasyWP Product Owner

wpXtreme Inc

wpXtreme is a true app store for WordPress, the most widespread Content Management System. My role in wpXtreme is to build the product giving the long term vision to the rest of the team. I manage the development with agile methodologies and I plan all the actions around the final product; I'm also responsible about the communication  strategies.

Ceo & Founder

Saidmade Srl

I've founded Saidmade with the aim of supporting companies improve their online presence. Saidmade has been for years one of the most known communication companies in Italy and one of the first mobile applications developer.

Hurricane Media Srl

Software and System Engineer/Co-Founder

Softech Srl

In Softech Srl I had different tasks: web developer, system engineer, security manager.

Web Developer / System Engineer

Fondazione S. Carlo

I've managed the Unix system infrastructure of Fondazione San Carlo and I've been the person in charge for R&D.

Unix System engineer

ePlanet Spa

In ePlanet I was the person in charge for security and system maintenance. I've been involved in different projects and worked with some big italian companies (HP, Fastweb, etc).

Edp manager

Director of Cloud at Namecheap | 🤓 Author of The Hybrid Hacker, a newsletter about Engineering Management, Leadership, Career Growth and Productivity

I've spent 25+ years diving deep into technology, building businesses, and leading high-performing teams of Engineers. I try to condense all this experience in my newsletter and share it with my 29,000+ subscribers.

My main goal is to help other Engineers and Leaders grow and avoid mistakes I made in my career, through sharing:

🔧 Practical advice on how to grow from Engineer to Engineering Manager or Leader
📚 Personal stories about how I grew from Individual Contributor to Director
🎨 Easily understandable articles enriched with visuals to simplify complex concepts

If all of this makes sense to you, join 20k+ subscribers at: https://hybridhacker.email

There's a secret weapon that has significantly contributed to my career growth, and I believe it can help other engineers and leaders too.

🚀 Side projects.

Working on a side project offers numerous benefits:

📚 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
↳ from diving into new technologies to refining existing skills.

🥱 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺
↳ break the monotony of daily tasks with something exciting.

🛍️ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁
↳understanding the journey from concept to launch helps you become product-minded.

🛜 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
↳ opens doors to new connections, collaborations, and mentors.

🏦 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
↳ build something that opens future career paths or opportunities.

However, without proper management, side projects can present challenges, including:

⏳ Time Management
🥊 Potential Conflicts with Your Current Employer
🤝 Misunderstandings with Colleagues or People you Lead
👀 Public Exposure
📉 Financial Risk
💤 Burnout

Here's the framework I use when I want to start a new side project:

- Understand the Why
- Time Allocation
- Choose the Right Project
- Set SMART Goals
- Select Tools Wisely

If you're considering starting your next side project and aim to maximize its benefits for your engineering career, today might just be your lucky day, as I've shared insights on this in The Hybrid Hacker newsletter 🤓

https://lnkd.in/djuXnXSs


♻️ PLEASE REPOST IF YOU FOUND IT USEFUL, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME.

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#sideprojects #engineering #careergrowth #timemanagement 




Nicola Ballotta

Last week, I reflected on what I could have done better over the past 25 years of my engineering career.

This is a summary of what I came up with:

🕒 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
↳ Understand procrastination better, use SMART goals, and time-box my days to focus on specific goals.

🤝 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
↳ Emphasize collaboration over competition, take examples from others constructively, and surround myself with more knowledgeable people.

📓 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲-𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
↳ Start journaling early in my career and learn effective note-taking, using one consistent tool.

🎓 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀
↳ Focus more on my own goals instead of others’ expectations, and choose a clear educational or career path.

📚 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀
↳ Force myself to develop a reading habit early, focusing on diverse books.

🧭 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
↳ Set clear career goals, regularly evaluate progress, and seek guidance from experienced professionals.

💻 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲
↳ Allocate specific times for coding, participate in coding projects, and collaborate with developers.

🗣️ 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
↳ Get coaching, volunteer for speaking opportunities, and practice regularly.

✍️ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆
↳ Start and maintain a blog or newsletter in the early stages of my career, and write consistently about it.

⚖️ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸-𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
↳ Set firm boundaries between work and personal life, and learn to decline tasks that put these boundaries at risk.

🏋️ 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀
↳ Integrate physical activity into my daily schedule, choose the right activities, and set fitness goals.

🌐 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
↳ Seek mentors and coaches early in my career, network actively, and nurture professional relationships consistently.

If you want to learn more about my journey and perhaps find inspiration in it, check out my last newsletter issue 👇

https://lnkd.in/dycem2S3


♻️ PLEASE REPOST IF YOU FOUND IT USEFUL, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME.

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#careergrowth #retrospective #management #leadership #experience

There's one psychological phenomenon that affects most high-performing engineers, and especially managers or leaders.

What is commonly referred to as Impostor Syndrome.

Commonly, because it's not actually a recognized syndrome, but rather a psychological phenomenon.

It is believed to emerge from a combination of personality traits and situational triggers like:

🏠 Family Dynamics
🧠 Personality Traits
🌍 Cultural Factors
🏢 Workplace Environment
🏆 Early Successes/Failures
📊 Peer Comparisons

Dr. Valerie Young has identified 5 types of impostors, and they all align closely with what I've observed in my career:

🎯 The Perfectionist
💪 The Superhero
🧠 The Natural Genius
🚶‍♂️ The Soloist
📚 The Expert

While the impostor phenomenon can affect anyone, I firmly believe that the IT engineering environment is particularly fertile ground for this psychological pattern for the following reasons:


💻 Rapid Technological Changes: constant updates and new technologies make it hard to feel like an expert.

🚀 High Expectations: the push for innovation and breakthrough solutions fuels self-doubt.

🧩 Complexity and Specialization: the depth of specialization in IT can isolate professionals, making self-assessment difficult.

📊 Comparative Performance: visibility on platforms and networks leads to constant comparison with peers.

🌐 Diverse Workforce: working with a global team can intensify feelings of inadequacy.

My recipe for overcoming impostor phenomenon? 

Three things:

- Self-awareness
- Journaling
- Seek support

If you want to know more about this psychological pattern and find practical advice on how to overcome it, my newsletter is out, and I delve deep into it! 👇

https://lnkd.in/dAHfHZB4


♻️ PLEASE REPOST IF YOU FOUND IT USEFUL, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME.

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#impostorsyndrome #leadership #management #careergrowth

If you're a developer looking to level up, here are 13 newsletters I read that I think you'll get a ton of value from (some new ones here too):

1) Coding Challenges by John Crickett: https://lnkd.in/et9b6VDQ. Level up by building fully functional applications

2) Pragmatic Engineer by Gergely Orosz: https://lnkd.in/eZFaKCXG. The top stories in tech. Stay up to date and learn from industry experts

3) Engineering Leadership by Gregor Ojstersek: https://lnkd.in/eaYUVCSc. Learn how to become a better engineering leader

4) Musings of a Caring Techie by Irina Stanescu: https://lnkd.in/e5qybckA. Build soft skills from an experienced IC, manager, and tech lead. She's done it all

5) Level up software engineering by Caleb Mellas: https://lnkd.in/eMAkGBSj. Learn real-world Senior engineer strategies to level up your career

6) Hybrid Hacker by Nicola Ballotta: https://lnkd.in/exvzJUhj. Collection of advice on management and productivity, with really great visuals on how to think

7) Techlead Mentor by Raviraj Achar: https://lnkd.in/dB7AgsZa. Lessons and reflections on being a better tech lead from a Staff Tech Lead at Meta. For tech leads, I'd also recommend "Level up as a Tech Lead" by Anemari Fiser: https://lnkd.in/eEUbSsEZ

8) Plato Newsletter by Plato : https://lnkd.in/ePu4Sv-B. How real companies achieve hard things and actionable learnings. Great for engineering leaders

9) Leading Developers by Anton Zaides : https://lnkd.in/dNbn8y9W. Reflections, stories, and lessons on being a better engineering leader from a Director of Engineering

10) Life Engineered by Steve Huynh: https://lnkd.in/eMKhZPsy. Succinct tidbits of wisdom from an ex-Principal Engineer at Amazon

11) Developing Dev by Ryan Peterman: https://lnkd.in/e4JxSQg5. Learn how to level up from a Staff Software Engineer at Instagram

12) Wes Kao's Newsletter by Wes Kao: https://lnkd.in/ej48BXXZ. Actionable, insightful frameworks and advice on many soft skill topics--managing up, giving feedback, etc.

13) Level Up with Ethan Evans by Ethan Evans: https://lnkd.in/eghfHmhz. Insights from an ex-Amazon VP. I'd recommend joining the community. Tons of great recurring events for learning you can't get anywhere else

There are too many good ones to list, so this definitely doesn't cover all.

Feel free to share in the comments the ones I missed and your favorite!

Learning new things is the best investment you can make for your career and personal life.

However, learning requires a methodical approach, especially when you are no longer in your twenties.

My process is divided into different steps:

𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵:
↳ 📚 Reading online content and books
↳ 📺 Watching video content (tutorials, courses, talks, etc.)

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀:
↳ 🔷 Readwise: a life-changing service to consume and highlight content
↳ 💎 Obsidian: my note-taking app and Personal Knowledge Management system

𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴:
↳ ⛓️‍💥 Link Method: for visualizing and recalling short sequences.
↳ 🏢 Memory Palace: for memorizing large volumes of information.
↳ 💯 Major System: for remembering numbers.

Fine-tuning this process took me a while, and I had to adjust many aspects such as:

- My reading skills (speed, attention, etc.)
- My writing and summarization skills
- My memorization skills

While I'm still on this journey, I have already seen incredible benefits, so I decided to write about this process in my latest newsletter issue.

If you want to improve the way you learn new things, give it a read 👇

https://lnkd.in/dQTG3vUS


♻️ PLEASE REPOST IF YOU FOUND IT USEFUL, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME.

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#learning #productivity #engineering #management #reading

Here is a good list of tech articles to go over during the week:


7) My 25-Year Engineering Career Retrospective:
https://lnkd.in/ewPxau2g

6) How Dropbox Scaled to 100 Thousand Users in a Year After Launch:
https://lnkd.in/e9whJy_t

5) Invert your thinking to change perspective and avoid mistakes:
https://lnkd.in/exhbHZ4Y

4) Code Review: The Author: Mindset Matters
https://lnkd.in/eSqkQBFD 

3) How to improve your focus & productivity with simple Second Brain in Notion?:
https://lnkd.in/e_rKxryH   

2) 10 must-reads for engineering leaders:
https://lnkd.in/e2DK7Sbc

1) Unpacking the Truth of Peer Reviews in the Software Industry:
https://lnkd.in/eer3R_j9

0) Also if you're interested in more to read, Suraj Kapoor sends a curated list of articles each week:
https://lnkd.in/evSZDkjb
What article would you add to this list?


PS - Join 57,001+ like-minded software engineers learning system design every week:
https://lnkd.in/eVJr_5-V


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🔔 Follow: Neo K.

♻ Repost to help others find it.

💾 Save it for future reference.

#programming #coding #systemdesign #softwaredevelopment

If you want to grow your Career and your Leadership skills, consider following these 10 newsletters:

10) The T-Shaped Dev (https://buff.ly/3wVIypx) by Petar Ivanov

9) The Hybrid Hacker (https://buff.ly/4ceuVC2) by Nicola Ballotta

8) Engineering Leadership (https://buff.ly/4a9hDou) by Gregor Ojstersek

7) Strategize your Career (https://buff.ly/43ixnTT) by Francisco Manuel Soto Ramírez

6) The Hustling Engineer (https://buff.ly/3PKs36v) by Hemant Pandey

5) Level up as a Tech Lead (https://buff.ly/3PlyzAa) by Anemari Fiser

4) Techlead Mentor (https://buff.ly/3PmFZTK) by Raviraj Achar

3) Leading Developers (https://buff.ly/3PoXAul) by Anton Zaides

2) High Growth Engineer (https://buff.ly/3TDC7jG) by Jordan Cutler

1) Developing Skills (https://buff.ly/3ICTn2l) by John Crickett

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♻ REPOST and spread the word and help others learn about them. 💪

Let's learn and grow together 🚀 

#career #leadership #growth #newsletters #softwareengineering #programming #thetshapeddev

I was afraid to be seen as the 'Weird LinkedIn Guy' - and I'm not alone.  80%* of LinkedIn users will never 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 on a post, because they are afraid of what their colleagues will think.

If you are one of those - that's ok, I can relate.

It's tough to go against the grain.

But let me tell you something - I've 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 heard about someone who regretted being active on LinkedIn...

People only regretted not starting sooner.

For a long time, LinkedIn was considered a 'job-searching' platform. 

You only started to use it when looking for a job, and once you started on a new one you didn't log in anymore.

This is no longer the case. 

In the last couple of years, many new creators started to use this platform for creating professional content, and it become much closer to a social network. 

As a manager, I get tons of value from the platform:

• Learning - both tech-oriented and softer skills
• Personal Branding - get tons of attractive offers 
• Improving your writing 
• Hiring - be visible to great candidates. 

If you don't know where to start, Nicola Ballotta wrote the great 'Engineer's Guide to LinkedIn', and I highly recommend it:

https://lnkd.in/dRwceYvx

* The 80% is a random number that made sense to me 🙃

Last week, I spent 6+ hours going through my Substack saved articles.

I've curated a list of 10 must-read tech articles for you to dive into over the weekend.

1. My 25-Year Engineering Career Retrospective
https://lnkd.in/e2HPa_2f
by Nicola Ballotta

2. Modular monolith blueprint
https://lnkd.in/ewRhFfPh
by Bogdan Veliscu

3. Getting into Tech in 2024
https://lnkd.in/e6ksPaXn
by Jade Wilson

4. How to Use Your Mentor Effectively?
https://lnkd.in/ehjaQZNi
by Raviraj Achar

5. How first-time founders fail
https://lnkd.in/emKWaa7S
by Andy Vandervell

6. Product Managers are not superheroes
https://lnkd.in/eQFR527S
by Mike Veerman

7. Most micromanagers are blind to being seen as one
https://lnkd.in/efsfs8ct
by Anton Zaides

8. How Amplitude Grows: Making Moneyballers
https://lnkd.in/eF6N_KKp
by Jaryd Hermann

10. Saying the hard thing
https://lnkd.in/e9VsGzdx
by Ethan Evans

I hope these articles offer you valuable insights, provoke thought, and perhaps even challenge your perspectives. 

-> If any piece particularly resonated with you or sparked an idea worth discussing, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

P.S. Repost if this is useful ♻️

I've spent 25+ years diving deep into technology, building businesses, and leading high-performing teams of Engineers. I try to condense all this experience in my newsletter and share it with my 27,000+ subscribers.

My main goal is to help other Engineers and Leaders grow and avoid mistakes I made in my career, through sharing:

🔧 Practical advice on how to grow from Engineer to Engineering Manager or Leader
📚 Personal stories about how I grew from Individual Contributor to Director
🎨 Easily understandable articles enriched with visuals to simplify complex concepts

If all of this makes sense to you, join 20k+ subscribers at: https://hybridhacker.email

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