Eric Burns Online — Page 4 of 15 — My Virtual Take on Tech

True Grit as Company Culture

August 31, 2023 Attitude No Comments

grit /ɡrit/ noun 1. small loose particles of stone or sand. “she had a bit of grit in her eye” 2. courage and resolve; strength of character. “he displayed the true grit of the navy pilot“ Culture matters. It shapes the attitudes and effectiveness of any group. There are many…

Don’t Position Your SEs As The Expert

July 31, 2023 Attitude Sales Engineers No Comments

One of the big differences in presales engineering is that the SE knows a wide range of concepts/topics but not always in a deep way. The post-sales technical people get down in the weeds building production deployments that are stable, fast and safe. The SEs know it can be done,…

Best Lesson Learned From Your Father Figure?

June 18, 2023 Attitude No Comments

When you reflect on Father’s Day, what was the best lesson you’ve learned from the father figure in your life? What’s that one principal you’d want to pass onto your offspring? It shouldn’t take much reflection to know, but if it doesn’t come quick – read the comments on this…

Learning to Program and Interact with Hardware – and Perhaps Building That Minimally Viable Product

March 31, 2023 High Level Tech Intro Raspberry Pi No Comments

Want to learn to program? Combine that with learning electronics? Perhaps your goal is to get hired or get promoted. Maybe so you can build an MVP (Minimally Viable Product) with which to get funding or attract a startup team? Let me tell you about an inexpensive circuit board…

Becoming a Consultant/Contractor/Reseller

February 28, 2023 Attitude No Comments

Things have moved faster than expected. Read on if you are thinking of pivoting to contracting or consulting. My status and progress might help you map out what you’d need to do. One week since announcing this path, I have: signed one Contractor Agreement. Not many hours to start, but…

The Lasting Company Pain After Layoffs

February 27, 2023 Attitude Startups No Comments

Firms often don’t comprehend the extent of the damage that continues internally, as well as externally, after layoffs. There are several reasons to take these all into consideration. Once you understand them, you stand a chance of better mitigating them, and it also refines your layoff plans. This improves your…

Looking For Contractor & Consulting Work

February 21, 2023 Attitude Getting Hired No Comments

It is time to start looking for contract/consulting work while I search for a full-time role. If you think you might have a need, please do reach out! If you don’t but are aware of the quality work I do – please comment, react, or repost. My #linkedinnetwork really came through for…

Rasa Conversational AI – Getting Started

January 22, 2023 Conversational AI High Level Tech Intro Startups No Comments

If you want to implement Conversational AI (CAI) and have some developer cycles available it is well worth your time to take a good look at Rasa Open Source. Especially if a CAI virtual assistant is something you’d like to have – but isn’t yet a hard requirement. Rasa has…

Content Creator? Keep an Articulated and Structured List!

January 15, 2023 Attitude Getting Hired No Comments

Some firms, especially the smaller startups, appreciate when employees create industry relevant content. Others have a definite need to bring on such employees early on. Afterall the first step in the sales process is Awareness. If you’ve been creating content, I suggest you put together a single article that narrates…

Building a Routine After a Layoff

January 9, 2023 Attitude Getting Hired No Comments

Been laid off? You can accelerate new employment by building a proper routine into your week. This combined with proper prioritization makes for progress that will help keep you positive and moving forward. I’ve have experienced unexpected unemployment and job searches several times in my life. Be it after Dynatrace…