What MMA taught me about working in tech
A presentation at DevOpsDays Stockholm in in Stockholm, Sweden by Daniel "phrawzty" Maher
Daniel “phrawzty” Maher Datadog What MMA taught me about working in tech
Mixed Martial Arts Mixing techniques from multiple disciplines
Ancient history Pankration, Lei Tai
Recent history Merikan, Sambo, Shoot, Pancrase, Jeet Kun Do, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)
Contemporary history Ultimate Fighting Championship A one-day tournament held in 1993.
About me Hospitalised by both tech and MMA, so I know what I’m talking about
About Datadog Modern monitoring & analytics We’re hiring!
Elephant in the room MMA: Just two people beating each other up?
Further terrible definitions Programming: pressing plastic squares in more or less the right order
Not a vacuum Work with people, train with people
Learning #1: The right people Coaches and training partners Like managers and co-workers.
Identifying toxicity “Submitted— by a girl.” This shouldn’t be an insult.
Learning #2: The right environment Safe space to make mistakes and learn new things
Datadog post-mortem Eliminate stigma, learn, grow, and improve
Learning #3: The value of project management Organising your time and effort is key
Training camp Variable intensity, technical work, and recovery time Organised in two-week blocks…
Sprints, as in Agile Variable intensity, technical work, and recovery time Hopefully injury-free!
Learning #4: Getting enough rest You need to sleep and you need to rest
Burnout is a real thing Added bonus: you don’t know that it’s happening
Burnout is like over-training Burnout is incredibly dangerous Problem: it doesn’t feel that way.
Learning #5: Diet is everything What and how you eat matters
Thinking about food Quality, Quantity, and Timing
Generally good advice “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” – Michael Pollan Don’t forget to enjoy yourself sometimes!
Learning #6: Learn the basics Fundamentals win fights
Basics are critical, but… Don’t be dogmatic about fundamentals
Learning #7: Embrace diversity Diversity makes you better by default
A diverse fundamental There’s more than one way to throw a jab But people will try to tell you otherwise.
Tech needs diversity to succeed Fresh eyes and fresh ideas Not to mention testing and QA…
Learning #8: Penetration testing (seriously) An interesting parallel between the fight and security games
How to fight / pen test Observe, adapt, act; sometimes really quickly
Flying tiger, hidden dragon Don’t make it obvious Predictability will get you hurt.
Learning #9: Plan to change plans
Validation is a trap Data that challenges your model is a gift Where the really interesting things happen.
Learning #10: Deal with it “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson
Daniel “phrawzty” Maher Datadog What MMA taught me about working in tech Thanks! I hope you enjoyed it. :)
At first it might not seem like mixed martial arts has much to do with working as professional computer person. As somebody who’s been hospitalised as a result of both, I assure you that there are interesting and enlightening parallels. Poor work-life balance? Weird sleeping schedules? Difficulties with nutrition and diet? Toxic hero culture? Check and check.
This is a personal and light-hearted talk about some fairly serious topics. Through the bringing together of two seemingly unrelated areas of interest, my goal is to get people to think critically about their work environments, their career goals, and above all, their responsibilities—both to others, and to themselves. It’s a mix of story-telling, practical examples, and the occasional mildly embarrassing anecdote.
Resources
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
Buzz and feedback
Here’s what was said about this presentation on social media.
