IT Career Energizer

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Scott Ambler. Scott works with organisations around the world to help them to improve their software processes.  He provides training, coaching and mentoring in disciplined agile and lean strategies at both the project and organisational level. He is also the founder of the Agile Modelling (AM) and Agile Data (AD) methods and co-founder of Disciplined Agile (DA). In this episode, Phil and Scott discuss why Scott got interested in agile and continues to develop it. How he helps large organisations to change the way they work by leveraging the experiences of other organisations. They talk about how to effectively test the architecture of a system, at an early stage, and why it must be done.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (6.41) TOP CAREER TIP Read widely. You need to be constantly consuming information from a wide range of sources.   (7.46) WORST CAREER MOMENT Many years ago, Scott ended up working with a strong team who were handicapped by having to use technology that basically did not work. The different parts of the system could not talk to each other and the database could not handle negative numbers. Worse, these fundamental flaws could not be fixed. Months later, it all crashed and burned. The experience taught Scott the benefits of testing early. You have to prove the architecture as soon as possible.   (10.59) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Scott really enjoys seeing software and systems he has worked on being used when he walks down the street. He also loves the fact he is still in touch with some of the teams he worked with, in the past. Working with great people has been something he feels has been a highlight of his career.   (12.51) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The complexity and variety of the work you do as an IT professional is what helps to make things so interesting. Given the fact that the world is in a constant state of flux, Scott believes there will always be interesting challenges to tackle.   (14.15) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – At university, Scott decided to take computer science because he had enjoyed programming since high school. So, a career in IT was a natural progression for him. What’s the best career advice you received? – Read often. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Focus on one technology. What would you do if you started your career now? – Scott says he would probably follow a similar path. But, he would want to work on a legacy system. He explains why that is, in the podcast. What are your current career objectives? – Scott wants to dive deeper into understanding why certain approaches work and others don’t. He wants to be able to answer these fundamental questions. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being a good writer. How do you keep your own career energized? – Being curious and always striving to learn something new. What do you do away from technology? – Scott loves cycling. He also collects Atari 8 consoles and old computers.   (20.22) FINAL CAREER TIP Continually expand your skillset and take every opportunity to learn from others. And always question what you do. Develop several core specialities. But, be sure to look beyond them. Work to understand the challenges of the business you work for and always be willing to pick up new skills.   BEST MOMENTS (5.06) – Scott - “Own your own process, choose your way of working.” (6.41) – Scott - “Always be trying to learn, always be reading and read widely.” (9.59) – Scott - “It is important to test early and prove the architectures working code.” (18.14) – Scott - “Being able to communicate, particularly using the written word is still absolutely critical.” (21.13) – Scott - “Always be willing to pick up new skills and work with others.”   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.  And 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 – SCOTT AMBLER Scott Ambler works with organisations around the world to help them to improve their software processes.  He provides training, coaching and mentoring in disciplined agile and lean strategies at both the project and organisational level. He is also the founder of the Agile Modelling (AM) and Agile Data (AD) methods and co-founder of Disciplined Agile (DA).   CONTACT THE GUEST – SCOTT AMBLER Scott Ambler can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/scottwambler LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sambler Website: https://www.scottambler.com/index.html

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Diomidis Spinellis.  He is a professor in the Department of Management Science and Technology at the Athens University of Economics and Business, and a long-time IT practitioner.   He is the author of many open-source software tools, including UMLGraph, CScout, and git-issue.  His latest book is “Effective Debugging: 66 Specific Ways to Debug Software and Systems”.    In this episode, Phil and Diomidis Spinellis discuss how taking the time to develop tools to solve what are sometimes small problems makes you a better programmer and boosts your career. They talk about how to become an effective communicator and quickly understand the root of the problems you are working to solve.   Diomidis shares examples of how simple solutions can be used to achieve step changes. He also talks about the maths behind machine learning and the future of the IT industry.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (4.03) TOP CAREER TIP The first skill you need to develop is communication. This is because everything you do involves humans. The work that you do is generally connected to larger systems.   If you want your technology to truly help and be widely adopted you need to be able to see the wider picture. You have to be able to effectively present your ideas to your colleagues, customers and the wider world.   (5.43) WORST CAREER MOMENT In the 80s, Diomidis was charged with installing a powerful processor to sit alongside an existing one. Unfortunately, when Diomidis did the installation, it literally went up in smoke. He explains why in the podcast.   At the time, this equipment was crazy expensive and you had to wait months to get hold of it. So, his error was a major one. Fortunately, the company took the view that mistakes were learning opportunities. That experience taught Diomidis to be extra careful when actions can have irreversible consequences.   (9.23) CAREER HIGHLIGHT While serving the Greek government as the Secretary General for Information Systems he was asked to consolidate the payment authority system for its civil servants. Basically, he had to centralize the payment authorization process. It was to be a herculean task that could have cost a huge amount and taken at least 5 years to roll out.   Fortunately, an old hand in the administration came up with what most people thought  of as a crazy idea. In the podcast, Diomidis explains how he was able to take that idea and very quickly develop a solution.   (11.54) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Every year, we are blessed with better algorithms, new technology and more powerful computers. So, issues we could not solve yesterday can be solved today.       (13.36) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The chance to acquire the necessary skills to be able to control computers. What’s the best career advice you received? – Listen to other people, so you can understand their problems properly. Also, listen to and consider any advice you are offered. What’s the worst career advice you received? – To learn the 4GL 4th generation programming language, advice he did not follow. Over the years, Diomidis has learned not to invest too deeply in proprietary technologies. What would you do if you started your career now? – Diomidis would become a machine learning expert. He would go as far as gaining a deep understanding of the underlying mathematics. What are your current career objectives? – Working collaboratively with people from across the world. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Writing. In the podcast, he explains how he developed this skill and uses it today, in his work. How do you keep your own career energized? – Diomidis has got into the habit of periodically evaluating what he is doing in his career, which gives him direction. Looking for and solving new problems also keeps him energized. What do you do away from technology? – Diomidis enjoys hacking gadgets. But, when he wants a complete break from tech, it is the natural world that he turns to. He also likes to run.   (20.03) FINAL CAREER TIP Constantly learn new things- new programming languages, tools and ways of working. Doing this keeps things fresh, helps you to find more solutions and keeps things relevant.   BEST MOMENTS (4.23) – Diomidis - “Learn to communicate with your colleagues and customers. To present your ideas effectively.” (8.23) – Diomidis - “When mistakes are made that is how we learn.” (8.36) – Diomidis - “Be extra careful when your actions can have irreversible consequences.” (18.43) – Diomidis - “Using technology as a lever can make you 10 times more productive.” (20.08) – Diomidis - “Constantly learn new things.”   ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations to design, develop and implement software solutions.  Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers.  And 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 – Diomidis Spinellis Diomidis Spinellis is a professor in the Department of Management Science and Technology at the Athens University of Economics and Business, and a long-time IT practitioner.   He is the author of many open-source software tools, including UMLGraph, CScout, and git-issue.  His latest book is “Effective Debugging: 66 Specific Ways to Debug Software and Systems”.   CONTACT THE GUEST – Diomidis Spinellis Diomidis Spinellis can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:   Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/coolsweng LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dspinellis GitHub: https://github.com/dspinellis Website:  https://spinellis.gr  

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Noelle LaCharite. She is an advocate for women in technology, and passionate about mindful Leadership, work-life harmony and helping people achieve more through the use of AI.   She has spent many years as a trainer, solutions architect and evangelist for IBM, RedHat, EMC, Amazon and Microsoft.  Noelle has delivered keynotes, workshops and conferences around the world.      In this episode, Phil and Noelle LaCharite discuss the opportunities AI offers and how to embrace the technology so you can take advantage of them. As well as why every developer needs to get involved in AI, as soon as possible.   She also explains how she has used mindfulness and other mental exercises to improve her focus and she shares several other productivity tips. Phil and Noelle also talk about how to recognise and tap into your natural strengths to find your ideal place within the IT industry.     KEY TAKEAWAYS: (3.26) TOP CAREER TIP Build good mental discipline. Over the years, using various methods, Noelle has trained herself to stay truly focused on one thing. As a result, she has become far more productive.   In the podcast, Noelle explains some of the things she has done to develop laser-like focus. A level of focus that enables her to stay present and calm, even when working on stressful projects that move along at a crazy pace.   (5.00) WORST CAREER MOMENT At one point in her career, Noelle was pushed out of a company that she knew she was serving well. But, the leadership were not fans of her.   They could not sack her because of her productivity or work. Instead, they just spoke to her colleagues about her in a negative way. In time, this very subtle drip-drip assault on her reputation had an effect and Noelle ended up having to leave.   (6.52) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Not so long ago, Noelle appeared on NBC as a representative of Microsoft. She was asked to speak about a project she worked on with data scientists from MIT and curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.   During the interview, she was also able to speak about AI and the role it is playing in improving accessibility. A subject Noelle is particularly passionate about because her son has Down syndrome.   (8.30) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The endless opportunities IT offers and the fact that it is getting easier and easier to achieve remarkable things is something that Noelle finds exciting. For example, in under a year, Noelle went from knowing nothing about natural-language or AI to building skills on Amazon and Alexa. Some of which became the most popular in the world.   Right now, the opportunities in the AI field are endless. There is no barrier to entry. So, anyone can get involved.   (10.09) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – As a single parent, Noelle needed a job that paid well. A career in IT was an excellent way to earn the money she needed to look after her family. What’s the best career advice you received? – A friend gave her the highly personalised advice, to avoid the politics of a company. To know who her friends were and stay close to them while growing her career. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Sit down and be quiet. For Noelle personally, that was very bad advice. What would you do if you started your career now? – Noelle would work to leverage her natural skills while developing her career. Working with your strengths makes it much easier to progress quickly. What are your current career objectives? – Right now, Noelle is exploring Mindful Management and how she can put it to use. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being a good storyteller. In the podcast, Noelle explains how she has been able to use that skill to become a better conference speaker. How do you keep your own career energized? – In the podcast, how she taps into books to keep her coding skills fresh becomes better informed than many others and uses Github to showcase what she has learned. CHANGED What do you do away from technology? – Noelle owns a 17-acre farm in the mountains. She finds that farming enables her to mentally and physically disconnect from technology.   (18.42) FINAL CAREER TIP Right now, AI is like cloud computing was 10 years ago. We know that every business is going to start using AI, at some point. So, now is the time to get involved in the AI field. When you do you will be in far better shape career-wise. Both now and moving forward.   BEST MOMENTS (3.48) – Noelle - “Train yourself to be able to truly focus on one thing at a time.” (8.41) – Noelle - “In the IT industry, with the right focus, you can achieve a huge amount very quickly.” (9.04) – Noelle - “Right now, anyone can enter the IT field. They just need desire, aptitude and passion.” (16.13) – Noelle - “Read the tech books you buy from cover to cover. Then freshen up your skills by writing the code you learned.” (19.02) – Noelle - “Get involved in AI now. Soon, every business will be using it. So, everyone needs some AI knowledge.”   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.  And 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 – Noelle LaCharite Noelle LaCharite is an advocate for women in technology, and passionate about mindful Leadership, work-life harmony and helping people achieve more through the use of AI.   She has spent many years as a trainer, solutions architect and evangelist for IBM, RedHat, EMC, Amazon and Microsoft.  Noelle has delivered keynotes, workshops and conferences around the world.     CONTACT THE GUEST – Noelle LaCharite Noelle LaCharite  can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:   Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoelleLaCharite LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noellelacharite Website: http://aileadershipinstitute.com/    

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Lyndsey Padget. Lyndsey is the founder of Longplay Software and a full stack developer, having worked at both mega-corporations and start-ups.  She enjoys sharing her knowledge on topics including git & release management, test-driven development, agile and Kanban, and many more. And she believes that the difference between a good software engineer and a great one often has little to do with code. In this episode, Phil and Lyndsey Padget discuss effective ways to end negative cycles and habits so that you can finally grow your career. They discuss how not being afraid to ask the right questions, at the right stage, enables you to succeed. Lyndsey shares her take on where the biggest breakthroughs in AI are likely to come from. She also talks through the wisdom of being both a mentor and a mentoree.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (5.30) TOP CAREER TIP When growing your career you need to take act offensively rather than defensively. In the podcast, Lyndsey explains what she means by this using a real-life example and sharing numerous actionable tips with the audience. She explains how to stop wasting time and energy seeking out opportunities. Lyndsey shows you how to go from having to take whatever comes along to finding work that you actually enjoy. Roles that enable you to achieve your goals, instead of leaving you working to help others to achieve their goals.   (9.53) WORST CAREER MOMENT A few years ago, Lyndsey got hired to lead a backend development team. Yet, when she actually started she was told she was leading a frontend team. Two very different things and Lyndsey had not really worked on the frontend before. But, despite this, she was able to make a success of that situation. She explains how she did this and how you can do so too, if necessary, in the podcast.   (15.25) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Speaking at the Norwegian Developers Conference (NDC) in Oslo was a highlight. It was the first time Lyndsey had spoken internationally. Lyndsey explains how to be successful as an international speaker by knowing your audience and adapting what you deliver to better fit in with their cultural experiences.    (20.00) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Lyndsey is fascinated by the possibilities of AI. For example, getting natural language processing right is already changing the way we communicate. She also shares why she believes that the sex industry could be the source of some of the biggest breakthroughs in AI and the way it is used.    (22.11) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – When she was 13 she was invited to join a programme at a local software company. From that moment, she was hooked on IT. What’s the best career advice you received? – A good manager absorbs heat and radiates sunshine. In other words, she needed to protect her team from negativity and be more positive. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Take every speaking engagement you are offered. If you do that you just end up overcommitted and exhausted. What would you do if you started your career now? – Not be afraid to ask questions and seek help. When Lyndsey started out, she made the classic mistake of trying to figure everything out by herself. What are your current career objectives? – Lyndsey is keen to work on larger projects. So, she is currently figuring out how to make that happen. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Communication. It is the key to everything, listening makes you a better collaborator as well as ensuring you deliver what the client actually needs. How do you keep your own career energized? – Lyndsey rarely spends more than a year doing the same thing. At which point, she likes to pick up the pace and change things up. What do you do away from technology? – Lyndsey is acutely aware of the fact that she needs to use her downtime to recharge. So, she blocks off time to be with her kids, cook, sew and do DIY.   (35.39) FINAL CAREER TIP Become a mentor and a mentoree. The industry does a good job of teaching people to code. But, it is not so good at making sure that newcomers succeed in their new career. Going from being someone who can code to landing and succeeding in your first roles is something a lot of people need help with. The more mentors step forward the better it will be for the industry, as a whole. If you want to continually improve, finding your own mentor will prove very beneficial. Being mentored does not stop you from mentoring others.   BEST MOMENTS (9.32) – Lyndsey - “Get out of planning mode and into doing mode. You have to take action to move your career forward.” (12.06) – Lyndsey - “Nothing good comes of an environment where people are afraid to ask questions.” (24.54) – Lyndsey - “If you are a manager, protect your team from unnecessary negativity and stay positive.” (28.01) – Lyndsey - “Time is money. So, don’t be afraid to ask questions, it will help move things along.” (37.25) – Lyndsey - “You should be both giving and receiving in the mentorship, circle of life”   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.  And 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 – Lyndsey Padget Lyndsey Padget is the founder of Longplay Software and a full stack developer, having worked at both mega-corporations and start-ups.  She enjoys sharing her knowledge on topics including git & release management, test-driven development, agile and Kanban, and many more. And she believes that the difference between a good software engineer and a great one often has little to do with code.   CONTACT THE GUEST – Lyndsey Padget Lyndsey Padget can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/lyndseypadget LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndseypadget Website: http://www.lyndseypadget.com/    

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Ed Finkler. Ed is a software developer at DelMar Software Development. He is also co-host of the Development Hell podcast and he is currently raising mental health awareness in the tech community with his Open Sourcing Mental Illness speaking campaign. In this episode, Phil and Ed Finkler begin by talking about how mental illness impacts tech professionals and why awareness of the issue needs to increase. They also talk about how Ed has successfully managed his own mental illness issues. Ed and Phil discuss the future of IT and the need to simplify both the creative process and what we build. They also cover the need to use dependable tech.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (7.38) TOP CAREER TIP You need to develop your non-technical as well as your technical skills. These so-called soft skills are actually vital to success. Being a good communicator, the ability to work well in a team and having empathy are all essential.   (11.56) WORST CAREER MOMENT For Ed, that was being let go from a start-up position. At the time, he was working hard and felt that he was fully fulfilling the brief. It was hard for Ed to accept this change, especially because he had difficulties in other areas of his life. That was when his anxiety and depression really took hold and negatively impact everything. In the podcast, he explains how he managed to come out the other side.   (22.05) CAREER HIGHLIGHT At one stage, Ed’s mental illness completely destroyed his confidence. So, being able to gradually come back from that and once again become a fully-functioning developer was understandably a career highlight for Ed. But, perhaps even more so is what came out of that struggle. He is really proud of founding Open Sourcing Mental Illness and the fact that it has now gained momentum and taken on a life of its own. It is nice to know that it will be there and continue to help others for many years to come.   (26.41) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Ed hopes to see the focus shifting from web development to creating tools that make things easier and more straightforward for developers. He feels that “complexity is the enemy” and believes that the more complex things are the more likely they are to screw up. Ed is excited about the fact that the community and open source are being embraced. He explains why in the podcast.   (34.45) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Ed has always loved computers. He kind of drifted into his IT career because he wanted to be able to build certain things. What’s the best career advice you received? – Don’t have a loyalty to a specific technology, brand or company. Reserve your loyalty for people. What’s the worst career advice you received? – It is a good idea to apply new and unproven technologies in production. It is not a good idea. This kind of fashion-driven development is extremely risky. What would you do if you started your career now? – Ed would start by learning Python. What are your current career objectives? – Being happy in his day to day life and at peace. Once you achieve that everything else, including work, becomes a lot easier. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – The ability to speak in front of people and enjoy doing it. How do you keep your own career energized? – Mixing things up, working in different languages on a range of projects. What do you do away from technology? – Ed loves music production. He has released an album and is about to release a 6 track EP.   (54.29) FINAL CAREER TIP Focus on the things that make you happy. You need to ensure that the things that make you feel satisfied are a part of the work that you do. In the podcast, Ed provides examples. He also explains that this does not necessarily mean working things that you find exciting.   BEST MOMENTS (9.46) – Ed - “How you communicate and interact with people and how empathetic you are will impact your success.” (29.24) – Ed - “The more complex things are, the more things are likely to screw up. We need to simplify things.” (35.15) – Ed - “We have to remember how lucky we are to work in the industry.” (40.04) – Ed - “Being focused on constantly learning new technologies can be actively detrimental to your career.” (41.53) – Ed - “You should make conservative technology choices when building things. End-users need dependable and proven tech.” (54.41) – Ed - “Seek out work that makes you feel satisfied and happy.”   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.  And 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 – Ed Finkler Ed Finkler is a software developer at DelMar Software Development. He is also co-host of the Development Hell podcast and he is currently raising mental health awareness in the tech community with his Open Sourcing Mental Illness speaking campaign   CONTACT THE GUEST – Ed Finkler Ed Finkler can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/funkatron LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfinkler/ Website: https://funkatron.com/    

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Luke Kanies. He is a design and strategy-oriented advisor, speaker, writer and the founder of Puppet, a company helping to define the future of software.   He has a number of interests, including software productivity, business strategy and the inclusion of more people in the software revolution.    In this episode, Phil and Luke Kanies discuss how and why he created Puppet. Luke goes into detail about his journey through founding, funding and finally leaving the company he formed.   Luke also talks about how being a bit of a maverick thinker and risk-taker has helped him to have such a successful career. They also speak about a huge software development market that is still virtually untapped and how users having more control of their data will change things, moving forward.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (10.09) TOP CAREER TIP Getting fired is incredibly valuable. It has happened to Luke several times. After a while, he worked out that not being afraid of being fired freed him up to pursue the things he really cared about and be honest.   He became braver and took more risks, an approach that really paid off for him. Provided you do not go too mad, taking a few risks can be good for your career.   (12.40) WORST CAREER MOMENT Luke has had a few bad career moments. But, it is the collateral damage that comes from running a growth company that has been the worst thing about his career.  Luke discusses the mistake he made of hiring a friend. Unfortunately, working in a high-growth environment put an incredible strain on their relationship and caused a lot of damage.   In the podcast, Luke goes through some of the issues he had with setting up and running Puppet. He talks about challenges like financing, pulling together an executive team, scaling and leaving the company behind. All of which created difficulties for Luke.   (16.03) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Making Puppet, it feels great when someone comes up to him and thanks him for creating Puppet. Luke explains that people tell him that Puppet made their lives so much easier. DevOps pros regularly tell him that they now enjoy better pay and a good work/life balance because of what Puppet did for them.   (17.40) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Luke thinks that the practice of surveillance capitalism is coming to an end. He is also excited by the movement to decentralise the web and give the power back to the people.   Smartphones and cloud platforms have opened up the chance to build products that literally billions of people can use. You can now build truly specialised software tools to help people to do their jobs better.   (22.20) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The fact IT was a good fit for him and he was able to get paid well. Before he took on an IT role he was fired from every previous position he held. What’s the best career advice you received? – Reserve the right to wake up smarter tomorrow. In other words, if new information comes along, don’t be afraid to change your point of view. What’s the worst career advice you received? – There is no chance that you can succeed with Puppet. They were definitely wrong about that. What would you do if you started your career now? – Luke would look at what everyone else is doing and look to fill the white space. Luke likes to do something different. What are your current career objectives? – Luke is focusing on building tools to automate tedious tasks, so you are freed up to do more interesting, better paid and fulfilling work. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Luke sees writing as his superpower. He uses writing to work through his problems and ideas. How do you keep your own career energized? – Handling multiple projects and pushing forward on 3 or 4 parts of his career at the same time. What do you do away from technology? – Luke enjoys spending a lot of time with his family. He is a keen cyclist, enjoys mountain biking, video games and photography.   (31.57) FINAL CAREER TIP Find your own convictions. Don’t always follow the crowd.   Look for common assumptions and opinions that you believe may be wrong or no longer valid. Study them and see if they are correct. If they are not, challenge them. This is a great way to discover new things, stretch your mind and change things up.     BEST MOMENTS (10.52) – Luke - “Being prepared to take considered risks will take your career in interesting directions.” (20.11) – Luke - “Building software for specific professions is a huge market just waiting to be tapped.” (28.44) – Luke - “Use writing to work through your problems and ideas. Writing things down clarifies everything.” (32.18) – Luke - “Explore your unconventional opinions in-depth. Doing so enables you to come up with ideas no one else has thought of yet.”   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.  And 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 – Luke Kanies Luke Kanies is a design and strategy-oriented advisor, speaker, writer and the founder of Puppet, a company helping to define the future of software.   He has a number of interests, including software productivity, business strategy and the inclusion of more people in the software revolution.   CONTACT THE GUEST – Luke Kanies Luke Kanies can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:   Twitter: https://twitter.com/lkanies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukekanies/ Website: https://lukekanies.com  

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Paul Boag. He is a leader in digital transformation and user experience design thinking.  Through consultancy and training, he helps organisations make better use of technologies. He is also author of five books including “Digital Adaptation” and “User Experience Revolution” as well as being a speaker on user experience design and digital transformation. In this episode, Phil and Paul Boag discuss the importance of taking a multi-disciplinary approach to what you do. Paul repeatedly provides examples of how to do this and demonstrates the positive impact it can have on your career. They also talk about the evolution of machine learning and AI. Paul explains how soft skills, being a good salesperson and staying flexible have helped his career.     KEY TAKEAWAYS: (5.17) TOP CAREER TIP Broaden your horizons; think outside of your immediate discipline. When you familiarise yourself with other tech and areas of business, communicating and working collaboratively becomes easier. You end up with the knowledge and vocabulary you need to understand and be understood better by others. In the podcast, Paul and Phil discuss how to do this without becoming overwhelmed. Being a generalist is not a bad thing. For example, Paul specialises in UX, but can still write code. This enables him to understand the principles used to create the systems he is working on.   (8.43) WORST CAREER MOMENT During the 90s Paul worked at a .com. When it looked like it was about to go bust, the senior management decided to turn it into an agency. They came up with a list of people to offer jobs to. But, they did this without consulting the staff. That clandestine approach caused a tremendous amount of hurt. Surprisingly, even for those that got a job out of that process. This negative experience taught Paul the importance of being open and transparent with his staff. He is now a far more empathetic person.     (12.10) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Paul’s career highlight was helping a frozen ready meals firm grow their e-commerce sales by several thousand percentage points. They specialised in delivering these meals to elderly customers. Paul provides several examples of why this project turned out to be so exciting and interesting to work on. During this section, he clearly demonstrates why you need to think beyond your discipline if you want to become a truly successful IT professional     (16.38) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Paul loves the way you get hired to do one thing, only to find that a couple of weeks later the job changes and you are doing something completely different. It is very exciting especially for the creative people who work in IT.   (19.29) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Nothing, because Paul does not actually see himself as an IT professional. You can find out why by listening to the podcast. What’s the best career advice you received? – Success is going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Don’t stop working, never stop hustling. Paul explains how this advice led to his burning out, during the .com boom. What would you do if you started your career now? – Paul would focus on developing smart devices. He is particularly interested in enabling users to interface invisibly with the technology. What are your current career objectives? – Paul wants to build longer-term relationships with some of his clients. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – The ability to sell, being able to sell ideas, himself and his vision. How do you keep your own career energized? – Interacting with other people. Learning from and teaching them. What do you do away from technology? – Paul likes to travel.   (26.12) FINAL CAREER TIP Stay flexible. You never know where new technology will take your career.   BEST MOMENTS (5.19) – Paul - “Think outside of your immediate discipline, this will turn you into a better collaborator.” (10.06) – Paul - “Be honest and transparent with your staff. The clandestine approach always causes untold damage.” (21.29) – Paul - “Get the work-life balance right, if you don’t you will soon burn out.” (27.09) – Paul - “Stay flexible. Careers never go in the direction you expect, so you need to be prepared to adapt.” (27.18) – Paul - “Focus on those soft skills as much as possible. Your collaborative and business skills are the ones that stand the test of time. ”     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.  And 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 – PAUL BOAG Paul Boag is a leader in digital transformation and user experience design thinking.  Through consultancy and training, he helps organisations make better use of technologies. He is also author of five books including “Digital Adaptation” and “User Experience Revolution” as well as being a speaker on user experience design and digital transformation.     CONTACT THE GUEST – PAUL BOAG Paul Boag can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/boagworld LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulboag Website: http://boagworld.com

EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Nicolas Frankel. Nicolas is a developer advocate who has consulted for customers in a wide range of industry sectors including telecoms, banking and insurance.  He usually works on Java and Spring technologies with a focus on rich internet applications, testing, continuous integration, continuous development and DevOps.   As well as a frequent conference speaker, he is also author of three books including “Learning Vaadin” and“Integration Testing from the Trenches”.    In this episode, Phil and Nicolas Frankel discuss why you need to ask plenty of questions and not be afraid of failure. They also talk about how teaching and mentoring others helps you to grow as an IT professional.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (3.15) TOP CAREER TIP Do not be afraid to ask questions especially when you are a junior. People won’t think you are stupid when you ask how and why. In fact, this is the sign of a good developer.   During the podcast, Nicolas provides several examples of how asking questions has helped him to get to the root of why something needs to be done a certain way. Being informed like this makes it far more likely that the code you write will fully meet the end-users needs.   (6.04) WORST CAREER MOMENT Early on in his career, Nicolas managed to take down a production server. He was trying to automatically delete a specific set of files. Unfortunately, he ended up deleting them all. Nicolas explains exactly what happened during his discussion with Phil. It was a tough way to learn to never write anything in production.   (9.09) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Interestingly, for Nicolas, it was not one of the many big projects that he had worked on that was his career highlight. It was actually a small project that he and another developer completed while working directly with the stakeholder.   Up until that point, he had always worked with layers of management between him and the end client. The customer was thrilled with the result and thanked him and his colleague in person. It was the first time that had happened to Nicolas, which gave him a real lift.   (11.30) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The IT industry continues to get more interesting. There are so many opportunities to make things work better. For example, there is a huge need to make systems communicate and work together.   Right now Nicolas is especially interested in the new ways things are being deployed. He is excited by the new possibilities offered by using Docker Engine – Community.   (13.58) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Surprisingly, it was a course that Nicolas took while at architect school that sparked his interest in I.T. He explains exactly how that happened, in the podcast. What’s the best career advice you received? – Good communication is essential. You need to be prepared to share what you are doing with others. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Stop coding and get into management. People thought that the coding work Nicolas loved doing so much would all be outsourced. That did not happen, so Nicolas has been able to continue to earn a living doing the work he loves. What would you do if you started your career now? – Nicolas said he would not change anything about his approach. He found working for a consultant to be a good way to gain experience. What are your current career objectives? – Nicolas is working on his people skills by attending more conferences and engaging more with others when he attends. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being a good teacher and mentor. Teaching others has greatly improved Nicolas’ understanding of all kinds of tech. How do you keep your own career energized? – Talking at conferences, writing about IT, creating prototypes and setting up demos all help to keep his career energized. What do you do away from technology? – Nicolas loves sports he finds that it helps him to de-stress.   (25.35) FINAL CAREER TIP Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t be afraid to fail. Failing is natural. If you don’t try you will never fail.   BEST MOMENTS (5.50) – Nicolas - “Do not be afraid to ask questions. Keep asking why to get to the root of things.” (16.58) – Nicolas - “Communicate what you are doing, why you are doing it and how it is better than other alternatives.” (19.33) – Nicolas - “Working for a consulting company early in your career is an excellent way to gain experience.” (21.31) – Nicolas - “Now everything is about teamwork, so social skills are becoming increasingly important.” (22.46) – Nicolas - “Teaching others pushes you to delve deeper, to understand more and hone your skills.”   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.  And 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 – Nicolas Frankel Nicolas Frankel is a developer advocate who has consulted for customers in a wide range of industry sectors including telecoms, banking and insurance.  He usually works on Java and Spring technologies with a focus on rich internet applications, testing, continuous integration, continuous development and DevOps.   As well as a frequent conference speaker, he is also author of three books including “Learning Vaadin” and“Integration Testing from the Trenches”.   CONTACT THE GUEST – Nicolas Frankel Nicolas Frankel can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:   Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicolas_frankel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasfrankel/ Website: https://blog.frankel.ch/

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Cassidy Williams. She is a software engineer at CodePen and the director of outreach at cKeys.  Previously, she has worked for Amazon, L4 Digital, Clarifai and Venmo. She also runs a weekly newsletter and loves teaching and helping people become better coders.  In this episode, Phil and Cassidy Williams discuss the benefits of getting involved with the wider community and teaching them tech skills. They talk about the need to constantly evaluate the work you are doing to make sure that it is still right for you. Phil and Cassidy also review how the frontend is changing and what the websites of the future will look like.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (4.18) TOP CAREER TIP Know what you don’t want just as much as what you do. If you do not want to work in a certain kind of environment or use a specific tech knowing that is the case is essential. You have to avoid that kind of work even if it looks like it will take you closer to your dream job. Putting yourself in an uncomfortable place to reach your ultimate goal rarely works out. Usually, you just end up feeling miserable. At which point, it is all too easy to give up on your dream.   (6.08) WORST CAREER MOMENT A few years ago, Cassidy was offered a well-paid job with a good title at Amazon. Despite the fact that it was going to be practically impossible to maintain the level of life-work balance she had been enjoying at her previous firm, she took the job. For Cassidy, this turned out to be a huge mistake. She no longer had the time to work on side projects and got very little job satisfaction out of her new role. It was a tough way to learn what really mattered to her.   (9.04) CAREER HIGHLIGHT In the podcast, Cassidy shares four great highlights from her career. Including her work at Clarifai which gave her the chance to build a programme from the ground up and share it with the world.   (13.28) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Cassidy is really excited by the direction that frontend development is going in. React, Angular and Vue have really mixed things up and the possibilities are now endless. These more advanced front ends will make websites a lot faster, more functional and accessible.   (15.42) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Creating her first website is what got Cassidy hooked on IT. What’s the best career advice you received? – Ask yourself, what’s the worst that could possibly happen? Cassidy finds that thinking this way stops her from worrying too much and unnecessarily holding herself back. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Sign up for absolutely everything. It will make you better at time management. Following that advice will lead to burn out and leave you working on things you don’t really care about. What would you do if you started your career now? – Cassidy would start out by working for a large company. Then move onto working with smaller firms and start-ups. In the podcast, she explains how this can benefit your career. What are your current career objectives? – Cassidy is figuring out how she can earn enough relatively passive income, so she can spend more time working on side projects that interest her. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Communication, both speaking and writing. In the podcast, Cassidy explains how she went about developing these skills. How do you keep your own career energized? – Working on interesting side projects is what keeps Cassidy’s career energized. It is the main way she learns about new tech. What do you do away from technology? – Cassidy and her husband are musicians, so they both spend a lot of time playing music. She also loves making funny videos and coming up with new jokes.   (22.12) FINAL CAREER TIP Periodically, sit down and have a meeting with yourself about where your career is going. Every quarter or so, review your goals, objectives and what you are working on. Make sure that you are happy with what you are doing and where you are going. At this stage of the podcast, she shares the questions you should be asking to ensure that you stay on track and enjoying the work that you are doing.   BEST MOMENTS (4.34) – Cassidy - “Know what you don’t want just as much as what you do want.” (13.06) – Cassidy - “Technical workers should take full advantage of the freedom being able to work from anywhere offers them.” (18.06) – Cassidy - “Start your career working for a large firm, later you can switch to smaller firms.” (20.01) – Cassidy - “Learn to effectively communicate what you are thinking and don’t be afraid to ask questions.” (22.23) – Cassidy - “Periodically, take time out to honestly evaluate your career and ensure the work you are doing will keep you happy.”     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.  And 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 – Cassidy Williams Cassidy Williams is a software engineer at CodePen and the director of outreach at cKeys.  Previously she has worked for Amazon, L4 Digital, Clarifai and Venmo. She also runs a weekly newsletter and loves teaching and helping people become better coders.     CONTACT THE GUEST – Cassidy Williams Cassidy Williams can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/cassidoo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassidoo/ Website: https://cassidoo.co/  

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is James Ward. He is a software developer who shares what he learns with others through presentations, blogs, demos and code.  He is a self-proclaimed Typed Pure Functional Programming zealot but often compromises on his ideals to just get things done. And as well as being the co-author of “First Steps in Flex” and the creator of the first Java hosting service back in 1997, he helped to launch the Reactive Manifesto. In this episode, Phil and James Ward talk, at length, about the best ways to get involved in the IT community, help others and grow your reputation within the industry. They also discuss how to be effective at influencing decision-makers. James also talks about how to go back to basics when explaining things to beginners. A skill you need when building a team.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (4.26) TOP CAREER TIP Find a community you want to be a part of and work to improve it. Everyone benefits when you do that, including you. In time, you become well known and people start to recognise your efforts and what you have to offer. You can contribute in all kinds of ways. Write blog posts, put together documentation, provide code samples and more besides. Use forum and social media to uncover what people are struggling with, and then provide something to help them to meet those challenges.   (7.10) WORST CAREER MOMENT James worked at Adobe, in particular on Flex. When HTML, CSS and the web started growing, he realised that it would have a significant impact on how relevant Adobe Flex was. At that stage, James wanted to develop Flex in a way that enabled people to port their applications easily to the web. Unfortunately, he was unable to convince the management of the need to do this. It led to him leaving a job he loved because he knew the tech he was working on was going downhill. The experience taught James that he needed to work on his influencing skills.   (11.34) CAREER HIGHLIGHT James’ career highlight was TypeSafe the company behind Scala. He enjoyed being able to simplify things to the point where people could actually get started with using the tech. First, they created activator which made everything easier to install and provided templates. Later, they provided hundreds of pieces of sample code, which made things even easier.   (15.46) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T There is so much happening right now. It is almost overwhelming. But, this is a good thing because it means that the possibilities are endless. James has a lot of fun learning the new technologies and playing around with the latest tech gadgets. He shares details of his rocket related project with the audience.   (17.29) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – James describes himself as being a nerd, even as a young kid, so for him taking up a career in I.T was a natural step. What’s the best career advice you received? – You need to work on your dependability.  In the podcast, James explains how he overcame his own flakiness. What’s the worst career advice you received? – James has been lucky with his advisors, so did not have a worst piece of career advice to share. What would you do if you started your career now? – Get involved in machine learning, AI and data dynamics. What are your current career objectives? – James really wants to improve developer journeys and experiences. Right now, he is focused on using Java Spring in Google Cloud to do this. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – His desire to learn. At this stage he talks about a couple of his side projects he is involved in, including WebJars. What do you do away from technology? – James loves spending time in the mountains in Colorado. He is a keen hiker, biker and skier.   (25.21) FINAL CAREER TIP Share what you know. Everyone has something unique to share with their community, so make sure you do. You never know how many people you can end up helping by doing so.   BEST MOMENTS (4.29) –James - “Find a community you like and participate. Working to make that community better will get you known.” (11.20) –James - “Take people on a journey when trying to influence them. Build your arguments slowly over time.” (18.22) –James - “Be dependable. When you say you will deliver something, make sure that you actually do.” (19.33) –James - “Learn not to over commit. If you are a people pleaser, learn to say no a little more.” (25.22) –James - “Share what you know with your community. Everyone has something unique to share.”   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.  And 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 –James Ward James Ward is a software developer who shares what he learns with others through presentations, blogs, demos and code. He is a self-proclaimed Typed Pure Functional Programming zealot but often compromises on his ideals to just get things done. And as well as being the co-author of “First Steps in Flex” and the creator of the first Java hosting service back in 1997, he helped to launch the Reactive Manifesto   CONTACT THE GUEST –James Ward James Ward can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:   Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/_JamesWard LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesward/   Website: https://www.jamesward.com/