RJ Kanson

Values

I value collaboration. A single person can only accomplish so much, but a team working together can accomplish anything.
I value humor. I’d prefer to be assigned a tough task with a funny joke rather than an easy task with a boring routine.
I value experimenting. I learn best by trying out different things first, then reading the documentation.

If applicable, I like to communicate in gifs. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say, and I’m not quite that eloquent.
Organization is my lifeline. I can get overwhelmed quickly if I have too many notifications/alerts. Especially if there are multiple notifications for the same thing within different avenues (Slack, Email, etc.)
I’m, like George, curious and need to understand how a function/method/program works rather than just seeing abstracted magic. I prefer the magic stays at birthday parties & Vegas.

How do you best receive feedback, be it positive or negative?

For positive feedback, any avenue is acceptable. Sharing positive feedback amongst a group helps spread that happy vibe to everyone!
For negative feedback, I prefer a 1:1. As with the previous, sharing negative feedback publicly kinda bums people out in my opinion.
For recognition, see positive feedback notes.

What hours do you usually work?

My primary timezone is EST – New York time.
As a fully remote worker I can be pretty flexible, but I like to keep within a (9-10) to (5-6) EST if possible.

When do you prefer to work alone, versus in groups?

I’m open to working in groups if anyone asks/prefers to work that way, but am totally okay with going solo for some time.

How do your energy levels fluctuate throughout the day?

I’ve got severe caffeine addiction, so excuse any foggy-brain I may have in the early mornings. Luckily, with timezone differences though, I may be reaching peak alertness once everyone else starts to get up!
I accidentally started doing IF (Intermittent Fasting) in college, and have kept it up since then, so lunch breaks are super important to me. Coffee can help me push through my mornings, but if I don’t eat by 1/2pm EST, I’ll be of no use to anyone.

If you need me, Slack is your best bet.
As with many Engineers, my email inbox is flooded with alerts and notifications. I try to trim where I can with filters, but I’m only human.

How should people best get your attention for urgent matters outside of normal working hours?

What’s your relationship to work communication when not at work?

What are your signs that you’d prefer to not be interrupted when at work?

I try to set my Slack status accordingly – and try to automate it to set it for things like meetings.

Batman
Dogs
eSports (FPS focused, not super into MOBA’s)
Gaming in general (LOVE well written single-player rpgs. Uncharted, Horizon, Witcher, etc.)
Personal finances (Love making reactive spreadsheets, especially for budgets)