I know I am an introvert. I relish the solitude of reading, writing, thinking by myself.
Solitude doesn’t mean I like to be alone all the time. Just some span of time, where I am by myself with my own thoughts. When I can get these thoughts out on paper, I feel energized.
This seems in opposition with my work, in which I have to interact with almost every engineers at my company. I enjoy one on one interactions, or even one to two. I find that we can exchange and learn from each other. These learnings usually can be translated down on paper and be applied more broadly.
This week, I’ve also made a decision in my career to focus on being an individual contributor and not pursue engineering management. Being an IC gives me energy. Being a manager to only a few people gives me energy.
(Again, this blog is for me, not for you )