The One Minute Commute is a free eBook written by Zack Grossbart. It shows you how to get and keep a job as a successful remote software developer. You'll learn how to interview for a remote software development position, how to convince your boss that distributed teams can work on any software project, and the tools you need to work away from the office. You'll see step-by-step instructions on how to effectively communicate with your team when you aren't physically present for day-to-day meetings. You'll find out how to avoid the pitfalls and drawbacks common to being a remote engineer and become successful working remotely.
You can also read The One Minute Commute as a PDF.
Preface
Doyle’s Room – Online Poker and Telework
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Introducing The One Minute CommuteYou Are Not Your Code
What It Takes To Work Remotely
The Plan of The One Minute Commute
Section 1: Landing A Remote Job
Chapter 2 - Market Yourself Into A Remote Job
Market Yourself Into A Remote JobPublicize Yourself Into a Telework Job
Build Your Personal Network
Personal Networks for Telework Success
Sidebar – Specialization
The Big Brother Telework Model at oDesk
Building A Brand
Get A Job By Warping Bill Gates
Working With Open Source Projects
Choosing an Open Source Project
Getting Started With Open Source
Starting Your Own Open Source Project
Becoming Publicly Visible
Showcase Your Abilities With a Blog
Types of Blog Articles
Quality Over Quantity
Getting Blog Readers
John Resig’s JavaScript Programmer Blog
Garr Reynold’s Personal Branding Blog
Chapter 3 - Land The Remote Job You Love
Looking For Your Next JobFind Your Next Job With Specialization
Working With Recruiters
Interviewing
The Phone Screen
When To Talk About Working Remotely
The In-Person Interview
Accepting The Job
Chapter 4 - Transitioning to a Remote Job
Transitioning To A Remote JobMake It Easy To Say Yes
Telework Works for You
Make The Telework Transition
Start Teleworking
Section 2: Team Organization
Chapter 5 - Team Profile: CodeSourcery
Code Sourcery: An Open Team In ActionMake It Easy To Give You An A
Track Teleworker Productivity
Staying Close To Teleworkers Around the World
Being An Open Team
Feeling Like One Organization
The Only Man In The Office
The Benefits of A Teleworking Team
A Fully Distributed Company
Chapter 6 - Staying Close When You're Far Away
Staying Close When You’re Far AwayStaying Close With Your Team
Your Picture Is Worth More Than 1,000 Words
Start With Face-To-Face
One Laptop Per Child In Nepal
Talk About Yourself… A Lot
Talk About Other People Too
Make Time To Waste Time
Cultivate Personal Connections
Manipulating People Is Good
Cross-Cultural Connections
Hallway Conversations
Don’t Just Be Yourself
Staying Close
Teleworkers Presenting
Teleworkers Talk To Customers
Contribute Outside of Your Team
Help People From Other Teams
Attend Corporate Events
Attend Industry Events
Beware of The Dotted Line
Emotional Connections For Telecommute Success
Chapter 7 - Team Profile: Subversion
Subversion – Creating An Open TeamSecond Class Citizens At Subversion
Subversion Transition To An Open Team
What About Code
Subversion’s Open Team Results
Chapter 8 - Open Teams
Open TeamsWhat If My Team Isn’t An Open Team?
Code Kingdoms
Bragging
Open Source and Open Teams
Understanding Open Teams
An Open Team In Action
Peer Review Makes More Time
Be Patient
Small Changes Make a Big Change
Real Life Isn’t Like The Movies
Putting Open Teams Into Action
How To Succeed In Your First Peer Review
Code Style
The Peer Review State of Mind
Document Why, Not Just How or What
Use The Tools Well
Good and Bad Code Comments
Code Reviews
Tag Team Code Comments
How To Get a Good Code Review
How To Give A Good Code Review
Online Code Review Tools
All Team Members Should Review Code
What About The Managers
My Manager Can’t Code
Distributed Open Teams
Section 3: Communication
Chapter 9 - Communicating in Real-Time
Communicating In Real-TimeInternet Relay Chat
Stalk Words
Instant Messaging
Conference Calls
Little Distractions Replace Big Ones
Video Conferencing
How You Communicate Matters
Chapter 10 - Written Communication
Written CommunicationGeneral Communication Guidelines
Improve Your Written Communication
Think About Your Audience
Read What You Write
Read What Other People Write
Grammar Girl
Punctuation Matters
Writing Style
Don’t Be Funny
The Curious Case of The Misplaced Modifier
Direct Email
Mailing Lists
Forums and Newsgroups
Creating Your Professional Programmer Blog
Bug Tracking As Communication
Learn The Command Line
Wikis
Your Personal Wiki Page
The Consolidation of Information
Work With The Tools, Not Against Them
Chapter 11 - Remote Presentations
Remote PresentationsCreating Good Remote Presentations
Desktop Sharing
Presenting Well
Garr Reynolds Presenting Remotely At Powerpoint Live
Making Effective Slides
Use Fewer Slides With More Data
Mixing Up Your Content
Give Your Audience Something To Take With Them
Creating a Demo Script
Avoiding Unnecessary Visual Distraction In Your Slides
Educating, Impressing, and Inspiring Demos
Sharing The Screen
Making Your Virtual Presentations Real
Chapter 12 - Team Profile: 37signals
Team Profile: 37signalsThe 37signals Tools
Building a Very Small, Very Loyal Team
37signals: Simple and Easy To Use
Chapter 13 - Understanding and Resolving Problems
Signs of Teleworking TroubleBeware of The Black Box
Fixing Problems
The Two-Tiered Team
Hotelling
You Aren’t Getting Your Work Done
Stay Focused and Productive
Your Team Hates Your Telework
A Coworker Is Taking Advantage of Your Telework
You Aren’t Getting Promoted
Your Manager Wants You Back In The Office Too Often
Virtual Problems With Real Solutions
Section 4: Balance
Chapter 14 - Balancing Work Life and Home Life When You Live In The Office
Balancing Work Life and Home Life When You Live In The OfficeCreate A Good Work/Life Balance
Staying Focused While Teleworking
Julie C’s Flexible Schedule
Staying Focused… Without Being A Jerk
Don’t Let Telework Get You Isolated
Setting Up Your Home Office
Staying Professional While Teleworking
Robin M’s Story
Telework and Your Family
Completing The Telework Balancing Act
Chapter 15 - Conclusion
The One Minute Commute Saved My JobThe Principals of The One Minute Commute
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