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A lot of us work on distributed teams, or are building portfolio projects with people we’ve only met online. So you probably know how quiet that can get. You only talk when there’s a scheduled call, and you miss having someone around to ask a quick question or keep you company while you work.
Vroff puts everyone in shared virtual rooms. You can see who’s online and what they’re working on, then join them and work together in real time without setting up a call. Tasks, checklists, chat, and notifications are in the same place, so you’ll spend less time switching between apps.
It’s also based in the EU, encrypted, and GDPR compliant, which helps if your project works with sensitive data.
Plus, it’s free for up to 100 users.
Check it out at vroff.com.
SWE → AI Engineer: 3 Month Roadmap
Most “become an AI Engineer in 3 months” roadmaps are a bunch of baloney.
But that’s because they assume you’re starting from the very beginning. It is simply not realistic to learn everything you need from scratch in that short timeframe.
That being said, software engineers aren’t starting from zero. If you’ve been working as a software engineer for the past several years, you already have an extremely strong foundation, and if you focus on the right things and hustle, I do think it’s possible to make the transition within a couple of months.
This video is a breakdown of how I’d do it!
Or read the companion guide here.
How To Network as An Introvert
Networking is wildly OP for the job search.
It’s common to send 1,000 cold applications and hear nothing back. With in-person networking, in my experience as a career coach I’ve seen mentees get about 1 in 20 conversations turns into an interview, and every one or two gets them some kind of contact that could turn into something later. One member of the Launchpad met around 100 people in three weeks of events, and came away with just under 10 referrals.
But I know that walking into a room full of strangers is hard if you’re an introvert (trust me, I really empathize), so here are a few things I’ve learned that make it a lot more manageable:
Pick your events deliberately. Hackathons (the free ones are an easy start), meetups, and conferences all work, and so do smaller local things like fireside chats, panels, founder talks, happy hours, and recruitment-agency matching events. Ask Claude to research what’s happening near you, and join local tech email lists and Slack channels so you hear about them. You’ll also meet other job seekers, and hearing about their interviews is useful on its own.
Do a little homework before you go. Look up a few speakers or attendees on LinkedIn and ask Claude for some background and a couple of simple questions for each. During a talk, write down one product question to ask the founder afterward. It also helps to have a question or two that gets anyone talking, like “should beginners still learn to code?” or “will we still have jobs in five years?”
Set a small goal for yourself. I’d suggest introducing yourself to three people and connecting with one on LinkedIn. Look for someone sitting alone, or a small group near the food. Say hi, ask if they’ve been to events like this before, and keep it open-ended. Once you start talking to people it gets easier for the rest of the night.
Hold off on asking for a job or a referral. Lead with expressing interest in their work, then mention that you’re exploring opportunities, ask what they’re looking for and what their tech stack is, and suggest connecting on LinkedIn.
Follow up with everyone. Send a short message to every person you met, including the ones who aren’t founders or hiring. You never know who you could help in the future, or who could help you.
And if there’s nothing near you, start a meetup! Being the organizer is SUPER helpful because you have an excuse to talk to anyone. Volunteering at a bigger conference works the same way. It’s always nice to have a job to do at an event instead of wandering around awkwardly.
Most of these chats won’t turn into a referral, and that’s expected. You need a lot of conversations, and three per event adds up fast.
I know all of this is awkward and difficult. But so is applying for six months and hearing nothing back, and this actually moves you toward your goals. I believe in you!
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