Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Jeremy Keith. He is a web developer at Clearleft, a design agency that he co-founded, in 2005. He is the author of several books about web design and is a regular speaker at conferences across the world.

He is also an organiser of events, including the recent Patterns Day 2 in Brighton.

In this episode, Phil and Jeremy Keith discuss how writing improves your spoken communication skills and builds your career. They also talk about how to get through difficult career phases. Jeremy shares his take on the future of the industry as a whole including some of the concerns he has about the direction web development is going in.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(2.36) TOP CAREER TIP

As you learn something and progress in your career, write about it. You could just keep a record for yourself or put it all on a website. That approach has served Jeremy well.

This really enhances your communication skills. You soon become good at explaining complex things in writing and using speech. Writing is also a great way to be noticed.

(6.14) WORST CAREER MOMENT

Having to let some staff go, because of the financial situation his company was in, was gut-wrenching for Jeremy. However, it taught him that no matter how hard things get, life goes on. The people he had to let go now have decent jobs, so they are now in a good situation.

That experience also changed the way he handles company finances. As a result, they have not had any financial issues since.

(9.21) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

CoolSiteoftheDay.com has been highlighting the best sites and apps, since 1994. Keith was a fan from day one and set himself the goal of getting one of his sites selected as the coolest site of the day. Naturally, he was thrilled when that is exactly what happened.

(11.05) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

Keith is worried about some aspects of the industry. Websites have become too bloated and slow, especially in light of the needs of emerging markets. He is concerned that the process of creating sites is becoming so complicated that the majority of people are not be able to easily learn the skill.

Nevertheless, he is still optimistic. The web design and development communities are still willing to share and work closely together. Once someone figures something out, they share it a way of working that benefits everyone.

(14.02) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The fact that something he made in his bedroom could be seen by anyone in the world who wanted to view it.

What’s the best career advice you received? –If you are supposed to be somewhere or do something, show up.

What’s the worst career advice you received? – Invest in this or that technology. Usually, following that advice turns out to be wrong. Instead, you need to learn the underlying principles.

What would you do if you started your career now? – He would probably go down the self-taught route and focus on learning the underlying principles rather than focusing on just one tech discipline.

What are your current career objectives? – Helping others is what brings Jeremy the most satisfaction, so that is his current focus.

What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Writing. It has enabled him to become a good public speaker and communicator.

How do you keep your own career energized? – Jeremy has been lucky to find new tech that has interests him enough to keep him energized.

What do you do away from technology? – Music is still his first love. He also enjoys reading, but he is careful to read non-fiction as well as fiction, which keeps things interesting.

(20.07) FINAL CAREER TIP

Build your own website and use it to learn to write well, share what you know in different ways and track your career.

BEST MOMENTS

(4.42) – Jeremy - “Develop the skill of being able to explain things well.”

(12.39) – Jeremy - “Share what you know once you have figured something out. This is good for everyone.”

(14.57) – Jeremy - “If you are supposed to be somewhere, or on a call, at a certain time, be there.”

(15.52) – Jeremy - “Don’t invest in just one tech. Instead, learn the underlying principles. You can apply those to anything.”

(20.14) – Jeremy - “Have a website of your own where you share things and track your career.”

ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS

Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organisations to design, develop and implement software solutions. Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers. In 2017, Phil started the I.T. Career Energizer podcast to try to help as many people as possible to learn from the career advice and experiences of those that have been, and still are, on that same career journey.

CONTACT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS

Phil can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/philtechcareer

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess

Facebook: https://facebook.com/philtechcareer

Instagram: https://instagram.com/philtechcareer

Website: https://itcareerenergizer.com/contact

Phil is also reachable by email at phil@itcareerenergizer.com and via the podcast’s website, https://itcareerenergizer.com

Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer

ABOUT THE GUEST – JEREMY KEITH

Jeremy Keith is a web developer at Clearleft, a design agency that he co-founded, in 2005. He is the author of several books about web design and is a regular speaker at conferences across the world.

He is also an organiser of events, including the recent Patterns Day 2 in Brighton.

CONTACT THE GUEST – JEREMY KEITH

Jeremy Keith can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/adactio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adactio

Website: https://adactio.com/

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