Beyond Coding

I’ve never heard someone talk bad about hackathons. Everyone loves it. The projects that’ve been built during hackathons have even been the start of a company, of something big. But what about hackathons make people like it so much. Is it the people, the format, the culture? Sashrika Kaur comes on to discuss all these things and more! Enjoy! 🎙 Connect with Sashrika Kaur: https://linkedin.com/in/sashrika-kaur https://twitter.com/sashrikakaur Full episode on YouTube ▶️ https://youtu.be/L5TFtJet-Ic New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to ⁠Xebia⁠ for sponsoring this episode! OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:29 - Sashrika moving to London 00:02:37 - Friendships across the world 00:03:09 - How Sashrika got involved in Major League Hacking 00:05:51 - Innovation Days vs. hackathons 00:09:13 - People love hackathons 00:13:36 - A focus on collaboration 00:15:04 - Building things from scratch 00:18:14 - The perfect duration of a hackathon 00:20:07 - hackathon skills that translate to your career 00:23:47 - The benefit of reading code 00:25:05 - Competitiveness in developing software 00:27:01 - Personal insecurities in hackathons 00:32:21 - It's about the outcomes 00:32:57 - Good vs. great hackathons 00:37:16 - Why the term "hacker"? 00:39:57 - Optimal team sizes 00:41:49 - What do you become a hackathon coach? 00:44:04 - Why Sashrika works in big tech 00:48:23 - Balancing the workload 00:51:41 - More or less hackathons? 00:55:21 - Go to hackathons!

Andrew comes on to share his love for blogging and knowledge sharing in general. Especially with regards to teaching. Whether it’s in tech, or anywhere else, it’s incredibly rewarding and fulfilling to see people grow and overcome challenges with your guidance.  Enjoy! 🎙 Connect with Andrew:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/devhammer https://twitter.com/devhammer https://devhammer.net Full episode on YouTube ▶️ https://youtu.be/APPp7jZMZrA New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to ⁠Xebia⁠ for sponsoring this episode!

Andreas Prins comes on to share the pivot and journey he’s gone through with StackState, a product company. My biggest takeaway is how much more effective you can be by solving one problem, and solving it really well. By maintaining focus on a single use case, things become simpler and more clear. Both from a customer perspective, as well as from the teams that build the product. “If you need 6 web pages to explain what you do, you might want to rethink your solution” One of my favourite quotes from the episode.  It was a real pleasure to learn from his journey and I hope it’s a good listen as well :) Enjoy! 🎙 Connect with Andreas Prins: https://linkedin.com/in/andreasprins https://twitter.com/andreasprins Full episode on YouTube ▶️ https://youtu.be/ojJZ4ijWq0I New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to ⁠Xebia⁠ for making this episode possible! OUTLINE:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:28 - The day to day of Andreas00:01:14 - Market Research00:02:31 - Taking ideas from open source00:03:45 - What problem is StackState solving?00:06:45 - How has StackState evolved?00:09:46 - Building the right thing00:12:55 - Engineers adopting solutions00:16:17 - Breadth vs. depth00:17:54 - Feedback from the engineering team and customers00:20:26 - Who talks to customers?00:21:55 - Pitfalls of technical founders00:25:49 - Super focus on one problem00:27:20 - Getting great engagement at demo's00:30:30 - Processing feedback00:32:51 - Understanding the big picture00:35:56 - Entrepreneurial mindset00:37:41 - Entrepreneurial environments00:40:18 - Open core and building a community00:45:52 - Not accepting the status quo00:47:29 - Outro

Insecurities, everyone has them, but not everyone deals with them the same. And interestingly enough, behaviour and insecurities can originate from experiences you’ve had as a child. This is one of the many takeaways I had from chatting with Alex Østergaard on this episode.  With an interest in coaching myself, it was a real pleasure to learn from his perspective and how he does things. Active listening, zero judgement and self-compassion being a few ingredients to his success.  Enjoy! 🎙 Connect with Alex Østergaard:  https://linkedin.com/in/alex-life-coach Full episode on YouTube ▶️ https://youtu.be/u5xkR267WfA New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to ⁠Xebia⁠ for making this episode possible! OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:38 - Patrick's managers 00:01:42 - Resources to help with coaching 00:03:27 - How to build up trust 00:04:40 - No Judgement 00:06:03 - Criticism and drive 00:06:48 - Self-compassion 00:09:04 - Feeling of being not good enough 00:12:55 - Self-care 00:15:36 - Getting out of a slope 00:18:09 - Control how you feel 00:20:55 - Alex's LinkedIn profile is amazing 00:21:48 - Big Tech Tunnel Vision 00:24:18 - Toxic relationship with your company 00:25:50 - Weight of gold 00:26:47 - Fulfilment vs. compensation 00:28:52 - Self doubt and trusting yourself 00:32:38 - Patrick's past insecurities joining Xebia 00:35:38 - None of us know what we're doing 00:36:24 - What people think of you 00:38:26 - Fear of judgement 00:39:19 - Judgement from the podcast 00:40:30 - Asking for help 00:41:41 - 5 types of imposter syndrome 00:43:28 - Pride 00:45:37 - Behaviour explained through the past 00:47:30 - No one is to blame 00:49:00 - It's not right or wrong

Managing your mind. It’s not something I thought you could do, or would need to do. But after chatting with Reiner Kraft, I think doing so can have a profound impact on bringing focus and increasing performance.  Reiner shares his journey of becoming aware of mindfulness to now helping others to manage their minds with data and through coaching.  Enjoy! 🎙 Connect with Reiner Kraft: https://linkedin.com/in/reiner https://www.themindfulleader.net https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3uuWfXcVNWOG1g59f9520Q Epigenetics: https://www.epigenetikpraxis.de Full episode on YouTube ▶️ New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to ⁠Xebia⁠ for making this episode possible! OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:25 - Work Culture USA VS EU 00:00:25 - Career path 00:01:32 - Changing Your Work environment 00:02:31 - Stress & Mindfulness 00:04:06 - Working culture in Europe 00:07:25 - Pressure at work 00:12:56 - A state of flow 00:17:04 - Measuring present awareness 00:20:05 - Becoming more mindful 00:27:46 - Mental work vs. physical work 00:32:59 - Growing up and focusing 00:37:56 - Influence of technology on body and mind 00:43:39 - Performance of the mind and body 00:49:44 - Changing your lifestyle 00:54:39 - Outro

We're back with another Q&A episode! 🙌 Tons of great questions and a very special guest jumps in here and there as well! The man with many names, my friend and producer: Roald Willemsen 🎙Enjoy! 🤗 Full episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/srJp0N9_iLc New episodes every Wednesday with me 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to ⁠Xebia⁠ for making this episode possible! OUTLINE:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:47 - If you could start your career over what would you do differently?00:05:00 - How valuable did you find the podcast in terms of personal development and giving back to the community?00:05:07 - Personal Development00:10:07 - Giving back to the community00:11:49 - What’s next for the podcast?00:13:05 - Patrick Akil Podcast00:14:55 - Are you a native English speaker?00:17:33 - How much do you work remote and how much do you go to the office?00:20:31 - If you couldn’t do the podcast anymore what would you do?00:22:17 - How does a new software engineer make themselves valuable as an employee in this era of AI and machine learning?00:27:12 - As a software engineer, what is the one thing you'll never actually want to do?00:29:23 - Who or what has inspired you in your career?00:33:53 - How would your 10 year old self react to what you are doing now?00:35:14 - What do you remember most about your first job?00:43:53 - Outro

Our 100th episode special with Jason Lengstorf! It's been a while since we've done an in-person episode, but Jason happened to be in the neighbourhood, so we made it happen 🙌 We had a blast and kept rolling longer than usual with exciting discussions on various topics 🚀 Thank you so much for tuning in for this milestone episode, I truly appreciate your support! 🤗 Connect with Jason Lengstorf: https://www.jason.af https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlengstorf https://twitter.com/jlengstorf https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnty0z0pNRDgnuoirYXnC5A Full episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/RNW7S9U7VkA New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to ⁠Xebia⁠ for making this episode possible! OUTLINE:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:37 - Live podcasts00:01:48 - In person podcasts00:03:15 - Public speaking00:05:28 - Finding your topic00:07:21 - Preventing a burnout00:11:48 - Work-life balance00:15:01 - Creative outlets00:16:38 - Different ways to consume information00:19:41 - Authenticity and integrity00:22:35 - Relationships throughout your career00:25:23 - Type of work and the scale of the organisation00:31:27 - Mapping out your core values00:36:10 - Understanding the politics of an organization00:39:57 - The challenges with big organisations00:42:37 - Strategically levering relationships00:44:45 - Stress and weird behaviour00:48:37 - Big picture thinking00:52:22 - Outcomes vs output00:57:00 - Culture and marketing01:04:08 - Engaging media01:15:48 - Company cultures01:19:43 - Changing perception01:23:48 - Amazing USPs01:32:32 - Customer value01:37:54 - Come build with me01:41:36 - Streaming in front of people01:47:27 - Riding the waves01:50:17 - Big thank you!

What started out as a passion project turned into a full-fledged global organization for Vanessa Sanyauke. She shares how to level up in your career, set realistic expectations and how she started a side hustle which later became her main hustle.  What really stuck with me is how far hard work and dedication can bring you, but not without sacrifice. Enjoy! 🎙 Connect with Vanessa Sanyauke: https://www.vanessasanyauke.com https://linkedin.com/in/vanessa-chiedza-sanyauke-9b41171a https://twitter.com/vanessasanyauke https://www.girlstalklondon.com Full episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/NFALtI3_vcA New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible! OUTLINE:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:32 - Remote working internationally00:01:58 - Working from the office00:02:28 - Raising investment00:03:14 - Controlling your nerves while pitching00:03:59 - Minorities and the chance of getting funded00:04:31 - Day to day Business00:05:48 - Running a global organisation00:06:57 - Challenges of running a global organisation00:09:12 - Remote working vs in-person working00:10:10 - Building a community00:13:01 - Ethics around picking your sponsorships00:15:43 - Building a network00:17:13 - Companies and networking00:19:13 - Starting your career00:22:23 - Talking with people00:23:23 - Leveling up in your career00:24:49 - Working for yourself00:27:31 - Starting a side hustle00:29:12 - Preventing a burnout00:33:03 - How to say NO?00:36:26 - Invest in yourself00:39:38 - Work ethic00:44:04 - Outro

Forrest Knight shares how his perspective towards ChatGPT has shifted as we discuss the benefits of having AI as a team member, its place in a team, and the tasks that AI can handle. Next to that we cover the benefits of working in a team in comparison to working on personal projects, the value of creating, and the differences between learning from research and experience. You’ll really like this one! Enjoy 🎙 Connect with Forrest Knight: https://youtube.com/c/@fknight  https://twitter.com/forrestpknight https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestpknight Full episode on YouTube ▶️ New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible! OUTLINE:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:28 - ChatGPT00:02:10 - Coding with ChatGPT00:03:04 - What kind of tool is ChatGPT?00:09:00 - ChatGPT as Team Member00:10:08 - AI's Place in the Team00:12:35 - Tasks for AI00:17:07 - Research in Content Creation00:21:04 - Coding outside of work00:27:39 - Benefits of working in a team00:31:19 - Asking for help inside a team00:36:09 - Scheduling Research00:41:22 - Working by yourself VS working in a Team00:43:49 - Changing Workflows00:48:22 - Research, experience and learning00:49:27 - The Value of Creating00:51:59 - Don't be afraid of AI00:53:13 - Outro

Milan Milanović shares his structured approach to personal development. A fundamental aspect of that is personal goals. He explains why setting the right goals is crucial for success, and how to sustainably achieve them over time.  Next to that, we touch upon the significance of mentoring and coaching and how a regular cadence can accelerate your personal development and career growth.  Enjoy 🎙 Connect with Milan Milanović:  https://milan.milanovic.org  https://www.linkedin.com/in/milanmilanovic https://twitter.com/milan_milanovic Full episode on YouTube ▶️ https://youtu.be/vW3w3CWyI7w New episodes every Wednesday with our host 🎙Patrick Akil!   Big shoutout to Xebia for making this episode possible! OUTLINE 00:00:00 - Intro00:00:23 - Milan is an avid reader00:02:27 - Putting theory into practise00:04:43 - How Milan organizes knowledge00:06:33 - Finding your life path00:09:19 - Ikigai00:12:19 - Companies should invest in your growth00:13:57 - Measurable goals00:16:39 - Patrick's experience with goals00:18:42 - Where will you be in 5 years?00:19:59 - How to find a mentor or coach00:21:20 - Mentoring process00:23:49 - The benefits of mentors and coaches00:25:02 - Soft skills are necessary00:27:50 - Milan's love for hands-on tech00:31:59 - Milan's 5 year plan00:33:08 - Inspiration vs. output00:35:04 - Passion and opportunity00:37:15 - Sustainable work00:38:00 - Condensing content and sharing00:41:12 - Patrick's horrible note taking system00:44:05 - Systems are better than goals00:46:02 - Consistency > motivation