Slides & transcript
What MMA taught me about working in tech
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Daniel “phrawzty” Maher Datadog What MMA taught me about working in tech
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Mixed Martial Arts Mixing techniques from multiple disciplines
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Ancient history Pankration, Lei Tai
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Recent history Merikan, Sambo, Shoot, Pancrase, Jeet Kun Do, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)
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Contemporary history Ultimate Fighting Championship A one-day tournament held in 1993.
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About me Hospitalised by both tech and MMA, so I know what I’m talking about
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About Datadog Modern monitoring & analytics We’re hiring!
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Elephant in the room MMA: Just two people beating each other up?
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Further terrible definitions Programming: pressing plastic squares in more or less the right order
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Not a vacuum Work with people, train with people
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Learning #1: The right people Coaches and training partners Like managers and co-workers.
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Identifying toxicity “Submitted— by a girl.” This shouldn’t be an insult.
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Learning #2: The right environment Safe space to make mistakes and learn new things
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Datadog post-mortem Eliminate stigma, learn, grow, and improve
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Learning #3: The value of project management Organising your time and effort is key
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Training camp Variable intensity, technical work, and recovery time Organised in two-week blocks…
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Sprints, as in Agile Variable intensity, technical work, and recovery time Hopefully injury-free!
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Learning #4: Getting enough rest You need to sleep and you need to rest
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Burnout is a real thing Added bonus: you don’t know that it’s happening
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Burnout is like over-training Burnout is incredibly dangerous Problem: it doesn’t feel that way.
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Learning #5: Diet is everything What and how you eat matters
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Thinking about food Quality, Quantity, and Timing
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Generally good advice “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” – Michael Pollan Don’t forget to enjoy yourself sometimes!
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Learning #6: Learn the basics Fundamentals win fights
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Basics are critical, but… Don’t be dogmatic about fundamentals
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Learning #7: Embrace diversity Diversity makes you better by default
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A diverse fundamental There’s more than one way to throw a jab But people will try to tell you otherwise.
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Tech needs diversity to succeed Fresh eyes and fresh ideas Not to mention testing and QA…
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Learning #8: Penetration testing (seriously) An interesting parallel between the fight and security games
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How to fight / pen test Observe, adapt, act; sometimes really quickly
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Flying tiger, hidden dragon Don’t make it obvious Predictability will get you hurt.
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Learning #9: Plan to change plans
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Validation is a trap Data that challenges your model is a gift Where the really interesting things happen.
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Learning #10: Deal with it “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson
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Daniel “phrawzty” Maher Datadog What MMA taught me about working in tech Thanks! I hope you enjoyed it. :)