Originally published on Butterfly Mind, December 2015. As I help organize the inaugural SupConf, a conference for people who want to make a career in support, I've been thinking a lot about what a career looks like, and what a career is. At the company I work for, Automattic, there is no ladder to climb … Continue reading What is a career?
Originally published on Butterfly Mind, December 2015. I did it. I spoke at WordCamp US. All those rehearsals, all that planning -- they paid off. When I got up on stage, I saw my teammates' faces in the front row and in the way back, and then I looked around the rest of the room, … Continue reading I am hooked
Originally published on Butterfly Mind, September 2015. A little over a year ago, I submitted work for a writing gig that I was sure I was a great fit for. I was deep into my writing habit, and I knew the work I submitted was good. When I never heard back -- a fate even … Continue reading One year Automattiversary
Originally published on Butterfly Mind, August 2015. I recently listened to the TED Radio Hour's episode, Amateur Hour, which shared several funny and insightful stories of people in positions as novices. One story was about a "professional amateur," A.J. Jacobs, writer and editor-at-large of Esquire magazine, who lives his life as an experiment. He constantly … Continue reading The joys of being an amateur
Originally published on Butterfly Mind, June 2015. I've written ad nauseam about how I'd one day like to have a room of my own. A room where I can write, where I can work, where I can think. With our new house, it has finally happened. In our first week at the new place, I … Continue reading A room of my own
In the month of October, I focused a large portion of my extracurricular work time on training new Automatticians and Happiness Engineer trials. We covered tools, tickets, tone - and in every session, a trainee taught me something new. This is a reason I love to teach. The joy of a student's discovery is always … Continue reading The student is the teacher: helping out in Blogging 101
Originally published on Butterfly Mind, October 2014. Several friends have asked, "How's your writing going?" now that I've got a full-time job. While I haven't been writing as much for my blogs as I was when I was a stay-at-home-mom, I am excited that my job as a Happiness Engineer involves writing All. Day. Long. … Continue reading A day in the life of a Happiness Engineer: word counts
Andrea Badgley 