From Bulbasaur to Venusaur: Bloom in Unlikely Jobs – Anna Sherman | ElixirConf US 2025

[Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hello, I'm Anna Sherman. If we have not met yet, um I am a senior software engineer and team lead at Zillian. Zillian works hard to protect the things that you love in a very easy and simple way with insurance coverage at point of sale. Um, at Zillian, we write and ship elixir code on the daily. And even though we've moved beyond the startup stage and into a growth company, Zillian is still able to run on a ridiculously small amount of resources and we're still able to make changes on the dime without complexity of staple objects slowing us down. I've been with Zillian for six years now and have very much enjoyed getting to help build both the team and the codebase. My talk today is about how to make the best out of any job that you might have and help it support your career. This talk came from many conversations that I've had over the years and from a podcast that I recorded, though I actually don't know if that podcast was ever released. Um, and one more thing to know about me before we get started, if it's not obvious already, I'm super into Pokemon. And in my small amount of free time, um, I play the trading card game at my local game shops. And I even played in the my first regionals in Atlanta this year, and it was a ton of fun. Um, so as I was putting this talk together, I started noticing some fun things. Um, the different job scenarios that I wanted to talk about really reminded me a lot of Pokemon cards and how each card has its own strengths, abilities, and role in a deck. So, I decided to lean into it. Um, you'll notice a Pokemon themed flavor throughout the talk, and I hope it makes the ideas both more enjoyable and memorable. So, originally, this talk had a much simpler and blunter name. Take the shitty job. That might sound harsh. Uh, but the heart of the message is this. Sometimes when you're on the job hunt, especially early in your career, the options in front of you might seem not ideal. They might even seem, well, shitty. Um, but I want to challenge that perspective. This talk is mostly aimed at people who are newer into their tech careers. Uh, but the truth is it applies to anyone who's looking to make a change. Maybe you're looking to shift disciplines, or maybe you're trying to get into writing Elixir professionally, uh, when it hasn't been a part of your day job yet. But what if some of the jobs that seem shitty on the surface could actually offer long-term value? What if they're just early stage cards and a much bigger deck that you're building? Let's start with one of the most common jobs Arisa might feel crappy. Low pay. You may find a job that's aligned with your interest or gives you a chance to grow technically uh but the salary isn't where you want it to be. To be very clear, I absolutely encourage you to advocate for fair compensation uh that reflects your skills and your contributions. Um but the reality is especially early in your career, it's not always possible to get that number that you're wanting. Um, negotiation leverage comes with experience, confidence, and context, which can take some time to build. That's why I call this scenario the Bulbasaur job. Bulbasaur is a basic Pokemon, modest in strength, not flashy, and not something you build your entire deck around. Uh, but given time and experience, it can evolve first into Ivasaur and then eventually into Venusaur, a powerhouse with real game impact. A lower paying job might not be your end goal, but it can be the stepping stone that gives you a chance to build practical experience, contribute to real projects, learn how production systems work, and understand team dynamics and workplace expectations. That kind of growth turns into bargaining power, either for a raise or promotion within the same company that you're at or for a stronger role somewhere else. In TCG terms, you're evolving your Bulbasaur into something with much more impact on your long-term strategy. So, while it might feel like a temporary or a lesser choice, a Bulbasaur job can be the first card that you play that sets up your deck and the rest of your career into motion. We're fortunate not to be locked into single strategy like trainers might have been in the early days of the game. Back then, it was common to build one deck, one career. our parents all were like, "Go to college, get a job at a company, move on." Like, that's you're there forever. That's not how it is for us anymore. Um, so the game's changed. In today's world, our skills are like a well-built deck of versatile cards, adaptable, strategic, and ready to pivot. We can swap cards, build new decks, and adjust our play style based on the challenge in front of us. This flexibility is a huge advantage for us. Understanding that your job is not your final build gives you freedom. You know that each role is just one part of your overall strategy, helping you grow, gain experience, and prepare for your next move. Some of the job scenarios we'll explore might feel like really tough matchups. But just like in the TCG, every match is just temporary, and each one teaches you something that helps you win the next. So, let's talk about the kind of job that asks for a lot. Long hours, late nights, tight deadlines. It can feel like you're constantly logging hours, shipping features, jumping from bug to bug, and wondering if you'll come up for error. I call this the Snorlax job. Snorlax is famous for two things. Massive endurance and powerful potential, but only after he wakes up. In the TCG, Snorlax comes with drawbacks sometimes, like you can't attack the next turn. Um, but its attacks, they hit hard. When used right, Snorlax can absolutely swing your game. And that's the reality of some long hours jobs. They're intense, no doubt. But if you approach them intentionally, then you can level up faster than any rare candy ever could. Yes, you're putting in more time. But if you treat those extra hours like dedicated X speed grinding, you can accelerate your growth in ways that it would take much longer at a slower pace job. This is your rare candy moment. Rare candy is an item in the Pokemon games that let you skip the usual grind, instantly evolving your Pokemon without having to level it up the hard way. In the Pokemon TCG, Rare Candy lets you evolve a basic Pokemon directly into a stage two, skipping the awkward middle stage and saving precious turns. It's a shortcut, but only if your basic Pokemon is ready for it. That's what a long hours job can be. A kind of rare candy in disguise. It's intense and it costs a lot of energy, but if you use that time well, you can skip ahead in your career. You might go from junior to mid-level a little bit faster than you would at a cushier job. Um, you could pick up more advanced skills and real world contexts that few others get early on in their careers. And you may get trusted with infrastructure or architecture or product disc decisions far early in your in your role than you would at other places. But here's the catch. Just like with Rare Candy, you still need the foundation. If you're not ready, if you don't have the basics down, the shortcut won't stick. You'll evolve, sure, but you might feel like an overlevelled Charizard with no moves. So, use the opportunity intentionally. Stay curious. Ask questions. Write things down. Learn from every fire that you help put out. This is your fasttrack evolution, so you need to make it count. In the Pokemon world, trainers who travel far and fight often often fill their Pokédex very quickly. In a long hours job, you'll touch a wider variety of tools and problems. Logging systems, observability, build pipelines, message cues, O caching strategies, and so much more. Document everything that you're learning. Keep notes. Save interesting problems and patterns. That way, even when your job feels super chaotic, you can walk away with your own trademark binder collection of reusable knowledge that you can take anywhere. Use it to train for bigger battles. So, Snorlax is often used as a wall, something to absorb pressure so that your real attackers can get powered up. You can take that same approach here with long hour jobs. Use the job to get ready for roles where you'll lead, influence architecture, and contribute to open source. Build a reputation for reliability and strength under pressure. Push yourself in a safe way to kind of find where your limits really are, like how long can I actually work or not? And and stick to those. Think of this like your victory road training art. It's really hard, but it gets you ready for that elite four of your career. rest like it's a strategy, not a surrender. Even Snorlax has to sleep. In the TCG, its rest ability often comes with a penalty, but it also has full HP recovery. So, don't just keep attacking every turn. Schedule recovery. Take real breaks when you can. Long weekends, vacations, or just afternoons off after a big deployment. Protect your personal time like you would a legendary Pokemon. You only get so many of them. and build a post- project ritual that includes reflection and rest. Rest isn't wasted time. It's charging up for your next big hit. Long-hour jobs aren't ideal forever, but they can be transformative if you treat them as intentional training and not just suffering. So, use the time to learn deeply, build broadly, strengthen your technical and your emotional endurance, and stack XP for your next evolution. Just remember, even Snorlax can't stay away forever. So, make sure you're growing and not just grinding. So, the next job scenario that I like to talk about is the bed job. In the Pokemon trading card game, most competitive decks um are built around like a specific strategy, usually focused on a single Pokemon type. This keeps your energy line up tight and your win condition consistent. So whether it's a lightning deck with Mariahon or uh a psychic deck built around Guard EX, the core idea is the same. Pick a strategy, build around it, and execute. But then we have Bed. Bed is not a heavy hitter. It's a basic Pokemon with low HP and basically no attack power. It shows up in all kinds of decks, not because it wins the games directly, but because it buys time. Boo is often used as a stall card, a way to give you a turn or two to set up your real strategy. Its flexibility uh doesn't match your deck's type per se or main strategy, but it plays a critical role in your success. That's exactly how I see certain jobs in your career, especially those that don't use your preferred programming language. So, let's say your ideal be uh deck is built around Elixir. uh you love it, it's your main attacker. Uh but maybe the job market is flooded with JavaScript or Python or Java roles instead. Those roles might not be the perfect match for your deck. Uh but it doesn't mean that they're useless. Um these are your BDO jobs. They give you time to set up, time to build real world experience and grow your skills and evolve as a developer. Just like bed stalls for time while you get your stage 2 Pokemon attacker ready. These jobs buy you the space to learn to work in a production environment. Get your hands on tools like git cicd pipelines and containerization. Improve your collaboration skills and practice delivering code to you to real users that matters. So I was in a similar spot. I studied math in college and took a couple of CS classes, but I mostly learned to code on my own. So, I didn't know what I didn't know getting my first job. And languages and frameworks, they're just a piece of the puzzle of what you need to know to be a professional developer. The real growth came from working on production systems, learning deployment strategies, and navigating real world deadlines with a team. So, a bed job, though it might not look like much at first in your deck, it's match tempo that it's provides, the experience it unlocks, and the long-term setup that it enables are really valuable for your career. And here's the best part. Just like in the TCG, if you play your Budoo Smart, you can evolve your role, put in solid work, build trust with your company, and you may be able to even influence the deck at your company. you might be able to shift the tech stack towards elixir if you become a trusted senior developer in a company for a long time. Um, turning bed into the unexpected MVP of your game. So, don't overlook the beds. They're not flashy, but they might just be the card that lets you win the match. Now, let's talk about a tough one. One of the most challenging job scenarios that you might be facing, the toxic workplace. You might have landed a job that seems to appear good on paper, decent pay, interesting problems to solve, and even a modern tech. Maybe you're writing elixir. Uh but the people around you make it difficult. Maybe there's negativity, passive aggression, poor leadership, or even outright hostility. Whatever the flavor, it's emotionally draining, and it's hard to do your best work when you're constantly on edge. I call this one the Garbador job. Garbodor is a Pokemon that's literally made out of garbage. Its design isn't cute, though I did generate a really cute one um or graceful. It's toxic sludge brought to life. Uh but here's the thing. In the TCG, Garbodor has historically had some of the most annoying and disruptive abilities in the game, like locking down an opponent's abilities just by being on the field. So, you didn't ask to play with Garbador, but now he's on your board. So, now what do you do? You build a strategy around it. Here's how to make the most out of a Garbodor job. Treat it like a limited format. In a limited format, players build their decks from a small randomized pool of cards, usually open from booster packs just before an event. Limited formats focus on on the spot creativity and adaptability. You didn't choose your teammates or your managers that are making this toxic environment for you. But just like in a limited draft, success is about making the best plays with what you've pulled. So focus on what you can control. Sharpen your technical skills. Improve your elixir fundamentals if you're writing Elixir. Automate, re uh refactor, write tests, do things that future you and future employers will value. Uh, even in the worst environments, you can still often find technical challenges worth solving. Practice condition resistance. In Pokemon, conditions are special effects that can impact a Pokemon during battle. They represent things like being poisoned or confused, and they usually make the battle more challenging. Some conditions cause ongoing damage each turn, others limit or block actions, and some create a chance for a Pokemon of hurting itself. Um, the key idea is that these conditions are temporary handicaps. They change how the battle plays out by weakening a Pokemon, slowing it down or preventing it from attacking. I think we've all ran into some of these scenarios, right? Um, trainers need to play plan play around them, heal them, or use them strategically against opponents. So, working in a toxic environment is like being under constant poison or confusion status. It's exhausting and it wears you down over time. You need to develop your emotional resistances. Set healthy boundaries. Don't internalize other people's dysfunction. This is a really hard one. Um, document your work and keep your standards high, even if others around you are not. Just like in the battle, you're more effective when you're not letting status conditions linger turn after turn. Use your full heal. Whether it's taking time to recharge, getting support from mentors, or journaling your experience to process it. So if you're stuck in a garbageor job, your goal might not be to win the championship, but maybe gain expect enough XP to kind of evolve out of it. Even in a toxic environment, you're learning how to deal with difficult people, how to communicate clearly and professionally under pressure, how to how to stay calm when things are chaotic. These are hardearned skills that will serve you long after you leave this toxic toxic job. But know this, you do not have to stay forever. Just like in the TCG, you can retreat. And sometimes that's the smartest play. Don't feel like you have to wait until a situation gets worse. When you've gotten what you need, whether that's a new skill, a new project for your portfolio, or just clarity about what you don't want in your next team, give yourself permission to move on. Working in a toxic environment can be demoralizing. It doesn't have to define your career. Play it smart, keep your strategy tight, and evolve when you're ready. Okay. So, my last job is is about ethical issues. So, sometimes you find yourself working for a company whose mission, practices, or stances clash with your own values. We live in kind of a weird time right now. I think more and more people are experiencing this. And you might not just disagree with with the company. You may actively worry about the thing that you are building and the impact of the help of the work that you're helping to build. So this is what I call the Team Rocket job. Team Rocket is infamous for their questionable ethics. They're the villains of the Pokemon world. Known for exploiting Pokemon and causing trouble. Yet beneath the chaos, their teams include skilled scientists, strategists, and engineers. They have the tools and talent to do great things if only their goals align for the greater good. So what happens when you're a talented trainer and you're on the wrong team all of a sudden? How do you make a difference or at least avoid contributing to something harmful? Be a subtle sabotur in the best way. Uh in the TCG, Mimikyu's ability to lock down an opponent's damage effect is a perfect example of disruption. You don't have to fight the entire system headon um to slow it down, but you can be a strategic disruptor. So, within your role, look for ways to raise concerns tactfully about ethical issues. Advocate for best practices that reduce harm like data privacy and security. Push for transparency in your team's work and decision-making processes. You're going to want to choose your battles wisely. Not every fight is going to be worth it and direct confrontation can backfire um or even isolate you at at some of these jobs. So like a well-timed protect or substitute move, pick moments where your voice will carry weight and meetings where decisions are being made, code reviews, or even design discussions. Save your energy for these moments. Use clear, calm communication and back your concerns with data and examples. Sometimes planting a seed is just enough to help grow chains late later. Excuse me. Build your network of allies. Team Rocket's downfall often happens from a lack of support and trust even amongst their own team. In contrast, strong teams grow through collaboration and shared values. So seek out like-minded colleagues or allies outside of your immediate team. People who share your concerns or your values. engage with the elixir and developer communities that focus on ethical tech together. You'll have more influence, resources, and encouragement. So, also like a Garbodor job, know when to retreat, and that's okay. So, sometimes the mission won't change and you'll find that your impact is limited. So, knowing that choosing to leave is a valid and powerful choice, it's not giving up and it can help evolve your path. So, plan your exit thoughtfully, gather experience, and build a portfolio that aligns with your ethics. When the right opportunity comes, you'll be ready to join a team where your work feels meaningful and aligned with your values. Working on a Team Rocket job doesn't mean you're powerless or complicit by default. You have options. Use your skills to redirect projects that cause harm. Choose when and how to push back thoughtfully. Build alliances that amplify your voice. And when necessary, retreat strategically to protect your integrity and your well-being. Like a true trainer, you're learning, adapting, and choosing the best path forward. Not just for your career, but for your conscience. If you take away just one thing from this talk, let it be that every job, no matter how imperfect or shitty it might seem at first, it has the potential to help you evolve. Some roles are Bulbasaurs, humble beginnings that grow into powerhouses. Some are snorlax jobs, demanding but offering huge XP gains if you play them right. And others might be beds, garbadors, or team rocket gigs. Unexpected, messy, and misaligned. But each teaches you skills, resilience, and strategy that can shape the rest of your career. So whether you're starting out in a Bulbasaur job, grinding through a Snorlax role, or navigating the tricky plays of Garbodor or Team Rocket, remember none of these are your final evolution. They're just steps along the way. into becoming your own Venusaur, strong, impactful, and fully in bloom. Thank you so much. [Applause] >> And if you like Pokemon, you can follow me along on Instagram here. This is where I poke post all of my Pokemon shenanigans. Thank you. 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✨This talk was recorded at ElixirConf US 2025. If you're curious about our upcoming event, check https://elixirconf.com✨ Let's keep in touch! Follow us on: 💥 Bluesky: https://elixirconf.bsky.social 💥 X: / elixirconf 💥 LinkedIn: / elixirconf