I'm trying to pivot my career out of consulting and contracting. If the position you want to contact me about is direct hire, not a contract, is fully remote, can be done from the PST time zone, and has the intention of a full time role I can stay in for 3-5 years minimal, skip to the bottom and read the Personal FAQ and follow its instructions.

Otherwise, Read all of the following and do not contact me about things I say here I am not interested in for the best experience.

The contents of this page may NOT be used for used for ETA-9089, USCIS Form I-140, or Visa Petition of any kind. This is to limit abuse by recruiters and non-domestic third parties. For this same reason I do not work with recruiters who do not have the ability to confirm their identity. Due to the violations of federal compliance that this represents I do not work with offshore staffing agencies as that would violate OFCCP.

Covid19 F.A.Q.

Is COVID19 still a threat?

Yes.

What can I do to fight the threat of COVID19?

Get fully vaccinated and boosted.

Wear a mask when out and about to protect everyone.

How does my wearing a mask help?

Wearing a mask protects others in the event that you get infected and do not get symptoms that you can notice while you are then unintentionally spreading it to others.

It helps protect you and makes it harder for the virus to ruin your day.

Travel/Time-zone F.A.Q.

Why don't you travel?

Due to my remote work setup, I achieve the highest level of productivity and efficiency. Remote work allows me to focus on delivering excellent results without the distractions and time loss associated with commuting.

Research supports that remote work significantly boosts productivity and happiness, which I prioritize to contribute effectively to my team's success.

What country/time zone are you based in?

I am based in Seattle, WA, USA, operating exclusively within the Pacific Time Zone (PST). Relocation or working in other time zones is not feasible for me at this time.

I am available for virtual meetings through platforms like Zoom, Google Hangout, or phone calls, but I do not participate in in-person meetings or travel internationally.

For communication efficiency, please schedule meetings within my working hours in PST. I utilize "Do Not Disturb" features to manage my availability, ensuring I remain focused and productive.

Security Clearance F.A.Q.

Why won't you consider roles that require a government security clearance?

Currently, I do not hold any government security clearance. While I am open to opportunities, my preference is exclusively for roles that do not require relocation. My focus is on delivering high-quality work remotely, which aligns with my productivity and professional goals.

I have previously experienced relocation requests that arose mid-contract, and to avoid potential disruptions, I am keen on positions that respect my remote work setup from the outset and for the entire duration. I am open to contribute to government projects that can accommodate only this strict arrangement.

Technology Stack FAQ

Do you favor doing back-end development, or front-end development?

I'm a Full Stack Software Development Engineer who prefers working on the backend over the frontend, but has the capabilities and technical skills to do both.

If given a choice between web back-end or web front-end development, I would choose a role on the back, because thats where the most technically challenging and business critical problems are.

I don't see enough engineering excellence on the front-end to be interested in it, unless its something the company really needs done. I would much rather be where I can do the most good for the company/team, and sometimes that is the Front-End/UI so I'm happy to help out the team. But statistically, more often the biggest company need is on the back-end. So I typically target full-stack or back-end roles over front-end roles.

What are your thoughts on Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery?

Every role, Every project, must have CI and CD. I have a "definition of done" that requires this be used, so I prefer to build continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines early on to create the most momentum.

What programming languages and databases do you have the most recent experience in?

I don't limit myself to one language or tool, and I prefer to build up a toolbox so I can use the right tool for the job over treating a given programming language as the one tool for everything. Tools often get replaced with better tools. Reach out for a discussion; It's simply too much work for me to keep this page constantly updated.

Can you handle our needs?

If not, I will tell you, and most importantly, I will tell you why. My time is valuable and I hate BS'ing people, so I simply refuse to do it and would rather just tell you; If your companies code is bad I will simply tell you, and then we can work together to mitigate the risks I find.

I'm programming language agnostic and would rather have a toolbox than use a single language as a hammer against every problem. Statistically, I already know the language your company's using.

If I do not already know the language or framework, I will tell you. I will then go get a book on it, and then spend time learning it on my own, just for the fun of it.

Contact me directly with your expectations. I'm always open to a conversation to see how I can help.

Leadership Style F.A.Q.

How would you best explain your leadership style?

I use a "Eyes on, Hands off" style. The goal is to maintain flexibility between different elements of servant leadership and typical PDM / Delegation while still maintaining business priorities by being results-oriented and balance sheet focused.

What does "Eyes on, Hands off" really mean in simple English?

It means I coach and train people, teams, and organizations so that leadership is not a bottleneck on the productivity of the members of the team, in a way that allows leadership to still maintain control over what results they get from the team, all without creating organizational problems that limit company growth or employee retention.

What if we train our people and they grow enough to be able to leave the company or ask for more money?

What if you don't improve your team's skills at all, and they decide to stay and lower the overall effectiveness of your company by being more Jr. level, and your company dies so slowly nobody knows it until its too late to save the company because your people stayed jr. level in their roles for too long? See the Boiling Frog Problem.

What if our organization is more Jr. because we can't retain our best people?

There is a number of things you can do, but if you are not already treating people with respect, limiting working hours to 40-45 hours a week, paying people market competitive rates, removing the bad managers you might think are good, etc, then your retention will improve if you do this. Otherwise, reach out for a discussion.

If that is not helping, then you may have a leadership problem or you have a bad idea of what market rate looks like. In this case your leadership or management is possibly chasing your best people away even if you are paying people enough.

Does your leadership experience translate to non-engineering leadership roles? Can you lead sales teams?

No. I avoid leading non-engineering teams. Many non-engineers do not understand the difference in leadership between engineering and non engineering. I do. I'm extremely successful leading engineering teams when given what I need by the leadership above me, but anytime you ask me to run a sales team, I will not be successful, so I do not not allow this to happen. Any attempts to get me to accept a sales or leadership role that I do not feel that I am fit for, will result in me telling you "no.".

I'm happy to accept leadership roles and help teams be successful as a leader, but I also understand that me accepting a leadership role that I am not ready for can actively do damage and harm teams in ways that I do not want. As a leader, it is my obligation to go out of my way to make sure that I am not put in a leadership role that I am not ready for. I will not lead your sales team. I will not lead your support team without being given the authority to create the feedback loops engineering needs to truly mitigate and fix customer issues. I'm most comfortable in engineering leadership roles.

I actually specialize in helping companies keep their best people as part of larger efforts to grow teams to be more productive.

Your best people will always leave first, because unlike the people who stay, they have the opportunities that allow them to be the one that leaves first.

Reach out for a discussion.

Job Interest F.A.Q.

What are you actually looking for?

I'm looking to find a family focused company that I can invest my time and career into without feeling used, feeling lied to, or feeling dirty or shamed about what I work on. It does not have to be a tech company, but I expect to be doing Tech Things for them.

I want to find a company I can help be successful using my tech skills, and then share in that success that I helped to create, myself. I just don't want to be a temporary person because I did that as a consultant.

My dream is I want to be able to actually schedule a vacation (Or maybe my own wedding?) 2 years in advance on my work calendar, and be able to actually go to it on time and keep the date without a meeting or business conflict getting in the way.

I'm over people who pretend C19 is not a danger; I'm also sick of being told that people I care for have been murdered by it. If your opinion is that C19 is not a threat, then I am thankful that you have lived such a sheltered and innocent life; but that does not negate the pain and suffering others have had to endure.

What sort of roles are you most interested in?

I want to work on things I can be passionate about. I'm also Trying to realign my daily efforts to be more focused on communication and business because I'm starting to recognize that my engineering capabilities are not all it takes.

1. FTE with Hiring Bonus, Equity, Single Trigger Vesting, etc. gets my attention over anything else.
2. If your physical location is outside of The United States, then please do not contact me. Your message will just be considered spam. I'm not set up for business outside of the United States. And as a result of that, I don't even try to do it.
3. If the role is 1099/C2C in tax status, and your not paying at least $200/hour c2c, then please do not even try to contact me. I'm a w2 employee only, unless you can offer me enough value to sustain a company and pay my taxes correctly.
4. Please do not contact me to ask me to relocate, as I consider such requests to be actively malicious as a form of targeted unprofessional bullying.
5. I don't consider any request that I work an EST time zone to be connected to any kind of legitimate role and will view such a request as a large red flag. If you are not aware of why, I'm happy to explain if you ask.
6. Contact me for a discussion about anything else as long as your located in the united states.

Domains F.A.Q.

So I see you own https://GameDev.Com, would you sell it to me?

No. The domain GameDev.Com is an active part of my portfolio. I use it for multiple private projects and have since it was bought originally on 2017-12-10. It is not going unused, and I am not a domain squatter. The domain is simply not for sale and I'm tired of getting unreasonably low offers to buy it.

Public Speaking/Cons and Talks F.A.Q.

Will you do a guest speaking engagement for free?

No.

I see a lot of my peers abused this way and have learned from their complaints and misery that if somebody has me as a guest speaker you MUST demand that all of your expenses are covered in advance, including a hotel near the conference +/- one day, plus an honorarium. Especially if you are an invited keynote speaker. Otherwise, you are just allowing others to take advantage of you as you act as a free marketing billboard for them.

Legal F.A.Q.

Why won't you work for Huawei or their owned/connected subsidiaries (Futurewei, etc) in China?

The United States Federal Government is formally accusing them of Treason against America.

Legally speaking, this is a capital crime with a death sentence per United States Code at 18 U.S.C. § 2381. I want nothing to do with this, or any person or company in that situation.

https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/30/huawei-us-government-fraud-theft/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/huawei-under-criminal-investigation-over-iran-sanctions-1524663728

Why won't you work for companies based in China?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre

Why won't you work for companies based in Russia?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War

Why won't you work for companies based in India?

I don't consider it a trustworthy country due to its bad karma from its globally high crime rate against women. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_India#Crimes_against_women

I'm a lawyer looking to talk to you about an opportunity to license your IP to my client..

Stop. One of the rules I picked up working as an Executive at a Fortune 50 company is that "Lawyers always only Talk to Other Lawyers".

The result of this is that I simply don't talk to lawyers that don't explicitly work for me. Period.

In the event that a Lawyer reaches out to me for any reason, I will always refer them to my own lawyer, let them sort it out, and then add the cost of my lawyer to any invoice I send out to you or your client based on the agreements we all made together.

Non-America-Located/Offshore Recruiter F.A.Q.

Why don't you work with non-US recruiters?

I prioritize compliance with US federal and state laws, including OFCCP regulations and Washington State Pay Transparency requirements, which necessitate working only with recruiters located only here within the USA.

Is it just about their physical location?

Yes, it's about ensuring legal compliance and security. US law requires recruiters to be physically present in the country with a valid work visa.

Are offshore recruiters claiming to recruit for US roles illegal?

Yes, according to the Federal Immigration and Naturalization Act, recruiters must have a US work visa, which cannot be obtained or maintained while residing outside the US.

Can an offshore recruiter have a US work visa?

No. I'm under the honest impression that it's impossible for someone working outside the USA to have a valid USA work visa because the requirements to maintain it require the individual must also be physically located in the United States.

Do offshore recruiters know they are breaking American laws?

Often, Yes. They simply do not care, making them a greater threat to both candidates and the end client. Many are also misled by their employers about the legality of their roles, but they still fall outside legal boundaries.

Do you view all offshore recruiters as a security threat?

Yes, based on data, offshore recruitment often leads to fraudulent activities and security risks, which is why I avoid engagement with such entities.

What happens if an offshore sourcing recruiter asks for your resume anyway?

My interaction with offshore sourcing recruiters often looks exactly like this:

	sequenceDiagram
		Recruiter->>Duane: Hello Duane. We have never met, can I have your resume? My profile is clearly faked or is based offshore. I want your resume (I plan to resell it).
		Duane-->>Recruiter: No. You are not following OFCCP or WA state pay transparency laws.
		Recruiter-)Duane: Wait, what?! WA has a pay transparency law? Whats OFCCP?
		Duane-->>Recruiter: Yes, you can learn more about it googling 'WA State RCW 49.58.110' or OFCCP.
		Duane-->>Recruiter: Please be aware CA, CO, CT, HI, IL, MD, NV, NY, and RI all have them as well.
		Duane-->>Recruiter: Please don't contact me while being out of compliance again.
	

Interview Process F.A.Q.

Why do you have any standard Frequently Asked Questions for interviews?

Please see My Dedicated FAQ page for interview processes.

Electronic Currency F.A.Q.

Why do you disapprove of electronic currencies, aka "crypto" and "blockchain" and "web3"?

Please see My Dedicated page for why Web3/Blockchains are a scam and a grift.

Personal F.A.Q.

Why have you done so much contracting?

I was just a kid who had been running his own tech company since he was emancipated at 17 after starting college while still in jr. high school and then doing "Running Start" in high school after being unwillingly declared a "gifted child". I sort of "won the lotto" and through good luck, hard work, a lot of determination, and with some help from friends to move me, I manage to land my first role at MSFT in MSR. MSR is also known as MSFT Research.

Here I am, surrounded by PHD's and experts in fields of study I adored. I wanted to learn everything. So I did what any man should do in that situation: I started asking questions about everything I could, including how best to take advantage of this opportunity.

They all told me the same thing; that I should stay a contractor until I was "ready" and "sick of it", move around the industry, learn daily - including from my own mistakes - and then once I wanted out of contracting, take the amount of experience/skills that I had acquired from contracting/consulting and settle down into a "work home" that I could invest myself in fully, in a mutually symbiotic relationship built on mutual respect and a sincere desire to keep learning while building the future. I'm looking for that home now.

Are you open to FTE roles?

When I'm available, I am actually prioritizing FTE roles for the future over any form of contract. Contact me for a discussion when I'm available.

Why wont you work for [Company Name Here]?

I will not work for a company I know to be racist.

I will not work for a company I know to be breaking the law.

I will not work for a company I know to be based outside of the United States because I cannot count on them following my local laws.

I will not work for a company I know to have human rights violations in its supply chain.

I will not work for a company I know to be a staff augmentation/"body shop".

I will not work for a company that makes me feel unsafe working for them.

Do you work well under pressure?

Is this job one that regularly engages in actual emergencies? Example: an ER, a fire department. Or do you fabricate urgency through poor management, uneven distribution of duties, and an inflated sense of self for upper management?

Otherwise, yes.

I was a 'trained' volunteer firefighter who was lucky enough to be given the "hot house" training, so I'm formally trained in how to navigate a building as it burns around me.

I respect ANYBODY willing to do that job. But due to that training, I'm also careful not to jump into burning buildings while unprepared or uninformed.

OK, I read the entire thing. I get what you are looking for. I think I have something direct hire and fully remote that you will enjoy that is an upgrade from your current role. What is the secret to getting your attention?

Tell me you read the FAQ and mention the phrase "brown M&M's." in the subject when you contact me to get the best response/treatment. You get the white glove service this way; it also prioritizes you above my other requests as it shows you did the research. If you do this, you are an amazing person and you have my initial interest.

If you want to understand the logic/meaning behind this, you should read this link: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brown-out/

If after you have read all this and you want to contact me directly, use my calendly but don't forget about the M&M's: Calendly

I'm working on a number of initiatives in my humble attempts to save the world.

This space will update as I require.