Hey {{first name | there}}. This past week I had a really good conversation with Divine about what getting a job in tech is like right now and how we have landed past opportunities.
I'm not sure he knows this yet, but it's the reason I chose today's topic.
In today's technical notes:
Why I think weird things get you a job
How to stand out when everyone can build a startup
What you can change today
🧠TOGETHER WITH ATLASSIAN
Join Andrew Boyagi, Customer Chief Technology Officer, Atlassian, and key industry thinkers Kelsey Hightower, Jennifer Riggins, and Nathen Harvey on November 9th for the 2026 State of Dev Ex webinar. It’s based on real research from over 1,500 people in the industry. And the webinar’s focused on developing a clear AI strategy that fixes friction and builds workflows that actually work for devs.
📰Technical notes: Why I think weird things get you a job
A key part of our conversation last week was how the unconventional reroute has always been how we found success. A good example of this is how I landed an interview at Turso (now acquired by Supabase).
At the time, the CEO posted (jokingly) a strange interview question he'd ask someone. Me being me, I took it seriously, and it got me an interview.
I don't write this as some weird flex. In hindsight, my solution really wasn't cohesive, but it was memorable enough for me to get an audience.
My sketch of the solution: a Go app creates seven Pods, builds a binary search tree from their labels, and saves the level order to SQLite on a persistent volume.
Weird things make you memorable
There is an old saying about how when people zig, you zag. The act of "zagging" in this case simply refers to taking conventional wisdom and putting a unique spin on it.
This is just one example of a number of strange things I've done to get noticed. In 2026, I think this holds even more true, as LLMs can get everyone the same results to a certain degree.
What they can't do is put a unique spin on a problem that would make people tilt their heads slightly.
What you can do today
Start by looking outside the job board. Founders and engineers post problems all the time: a joke interview question, a "someone should build this" post, an issue on their repo that has been open for months.
Pick one and build the strange version of the answer. It does not have to be cohesive. Mine was seven Pods, a binary tree, and a SQLite file on a persistent volume, and the code is still on GitHub.
Then put it where the person who posted can see it, as a reply with a diagram and a link.
If you use an LLM to help, use it for the boring parts and come up with the angle yourself.
💡PRESENTED BY EVERYTHINGDEVOPS
AI can now write pipelines, generate Terraform, and produce Kubernetes manifests. So what does that mean for the future of DevOps careers?
The role is changing, and the expectations are getting higher.
This video breaks down six rules shaping the new DevOps landscape, from system design and cloud fundamentals to AI security and cost management.
It also looks at what the shift means if you're trying to break into the field.
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🌍IN THE ECOSYSTEM
Supabase is acquiring Turso by Paul Copplestone. Covers why Supabase is buying Turso, the team that rebuilt SQLite in Rust, and Glauber Costa joining to lead agentic infrastructure.
Learn In Public by swyx. Makes the case for publishing what you learn as you go, through blog posts, talks, and answers, so the people who can help you can find you.
Don't Call Yourself A Programmer, And Other Career Advice by Patrick McKenzie. An older post on how most engineering jobs are filled through introductions rather than job boards, and how to describe your work by the value it created.
⏱️UNTIL NEXT TIME
What is the strangest thing you have done to land an interview? Reply, and I will feature a few of them next time.
Know an engineer who will find this helpful? Share this link with them
Jubril Oyetunji
CTO, EverythingDevOps