Ep 21 - How to Become A Software Engineer with Kelsey Hightower

On this episode of #WorkinginTech, we're chatting with Kelsey Hightower. Kelsey is a celebrated software engineer, developer advocate, and speaker known for his work with Kubernetes, open-source software, and cloud computing. Kelsey dropped out of college and taught himself the skills required to start his career as an independent contractor for BellSouth, before becoming involved in the open-source world, working at New Relic, CoreOS, Puppet Labs, and most recently at Google. Kelsey has become one of the most well-known speakers on Kubernetes, and has also spoken on other topics, including serverless computing. He has co-founded the Kubernetes-focused conference KubeCon and co-wrote the book "Kubernetes Up and Running." Kelsey will share his remarkable career journey and insights on the power of open-source software and cloud computing. Get ready for an insightful discussion! 𝕏 CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIALS 𝕏 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juwonthetechie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuwonTheTechie Threads: https://www.threads.net/@juwonthetechie IG: https://www.instagram.com/juwonthetechie/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juwon-io/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juwonthetechie CONNECT WITH KELSEY Twitter: https://x.com/kelseyhightower CHAPTERS 0:00 - Intro 0:42 - Why Tech? 4:21 - Finding Resources in the 90's 7:38 - Job Search Strategy 11:16 - Experience as an Entrepreneur 16:14 - Landing the First Role 19:41 - Settling Down 24:04 - Working in a Team 28:46 - The Power of Networking 35:37 - Moving into Kubernetes 40:48 - Certifications & Learning 43:27 - Starting Out New 46:00 - Building Communication Skills 49:37 - What Is Kubernetes? 55:32 - Render(ATL) Keynote Prep 58:50 - Retirement 1:14:52 - Avoiding Burnout 1:19:26 - Final Words 1:20:28 - Conclusion