Meet the speaker – Paul Rose
Next up in our ‘Meet The Speaker’ series, we have Paul Rose who answered a few questions ahead of his talk on Scaling Web Projects/Servers …
Name: Paul Rose
Job role: Web Development & Technical Leadership Consultant
paulrose.com / Twitter @_paulrose
Biggest passion: Work-wise: I love devoting my time to a single product, defining a vision for it, and seeing it come together. Outside of work: Travelling & Scuba Diving.
What motivates you to do what you do?
I’ve been designing and building web since I was about 13, it’s a true passion of mine. I love that I have the skills to envision a site or product, and then build it. The creativity and freedom that the web offers is fantastic.
How do you start your mornings?
It depends where I’m working that day. If it’s from home, it’s usually a slow start to the day with no alarm clock. I like to read with a coffee when I wake up and ease into the day with a decent breakfast before getting started on my to-do list for the day which I usually plan out the night before. If I’m working at a clients office that day, it’s up early and head off as soon as I’m ready. My current contracted client is about a 45-minute commute, so picking a good playlist to drive to is essential!
What does a ‘typical’ day at work look like?
Working at home, it’s usually about 4 hours work in the morning, then a few hours off for lunch. I usually like to head to the Gym, have lunch, and a then a read before starting work again for the afternoon. When working at a clients office, its usually dictated by their schedule.
Who do you lunch with?
Usually the team I’m working with. The company I’m currently contracting with are a great bunch. We’ve recently added Cards Against Humanity to lunchtimes, apparently we’re all horrible people!
When are you most productive?
The start of the day. I usually find that I start losing energy after 5-6 hours. Spotify’s ‘Focus’ playlists are a gem and really help me focus when I’ve got a big project on. When it’s needed, I do power through for a late night, but a decent nights sleep and a fresh start in the morning usually works better for me.
What one thing do you try to do every day?
Read. I set a reading goal of 26 books this year and tracked it with Goodreads, and am almost there. Next year I’ll double it. And working from home, as your own boss, it’s important to actually get dressed and not work from the sofa in PJs.
What is your talk about?
Working with a number of clients, it’s great to see the differences in their web setup. My talk is about how web setups range from basic shared hosting setups, to auto-scaled clustered containerized platforms, and the key areas to understand as your team and a project grow.
What is the best resource for people who want to dive in deeper?
I probably get the most from Twitter. Following the official social media handles for the technologies you use is a great starting point. You’ll often find that some of the re-tweets and shares from the official accounts will keep you up to date with any new developments surrounding the world you’re working in. A personal favourite newsletter is changelog.com
What is the biggest challenge in the [field/topic/industry] at the moment?
Staying up to date with what’s happening in tech. While it’s important to remain current, it’s also counter-productive to pay attention to everything that happens. You’ll end up drowning in information overload. Do you need to pay attention to the thousandth new Javascript package of the day? Probably not. Should you also know what’s happening in the big wide world of the web, absolutely. It’s a balancing act.
Thank you so much Paul for your answers! If you want to find out more, come along to our meetup:
