IT Career Energizer

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Matthew Gaddy, a productivity and high-performance coach for engineers, helping them to operate at their best so that they can produce work that makes a difference. He is on a mission to increase productivity in a way that reduces stress and fosters a quality working environment. Matthew talks about the importance of visualizing our ideal outcomes and sticking to the roadmap that will take us there. He also discusses the value of time management and how planning can help.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Begin with the end in mind! We often get so caught up in the task itself that we lose sight of why we began in the first place.   WORST CAREER MOMENT When first applying productivity techniques to his work, Matthew found that he unfortunately burned himself out. This led to a greater understanding of the importance of taking time out.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT After making a huge leap in his career, Matthew recognized the value in ensuring we have sufficient reserves in case of setbacks. It also allowed him to make his next step much closer to his goals, which was also his most productive action.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The way the world of work has changed has allowed for a greater sense of prioritization. Systems and processes are all moving towards being more adaptable and allowing people to do their best.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – What’s the best career advice you received? – Start with the end in mind! What’s the worst career advice you received? – The way to get more things done is to work harder and for longer. What would you do if you started your career now? – Matthew would look to gain more clarity about the goal of the company and look for further ways to make positive change. What are your current career objectives? Producing content focusing upon increasing performance and mastering time. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Communication. How do you keep your own career energized? – Revisiting goals and realigning with what’s important. What do you do away from technology? – Running and fitness, as well as reading and spending time with family.   FINAL CAREER TIP Choose how you’re going to spend your time in advance and plan wisely. Work hard but take breaks. Remember your time is a finite resource.   BEST MOMENTS (1:30) – Matthew - “What I do is help engineers to master their time and to create their best work” (4:27) – Matthew - “Think about “What do I want? What do I want my lifestyle to look like?” And build backwards from that point” (7:45) – Matthew – “Time wants to be told what to do. It doesn’t like to be found” (19:35) – Matthew – “It’s not about the emails. It’s not about the customers. It’s about growing the business and making sure you’re communicating”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – MATTHEW GADDY Matthew Gaddy is a productivity and high-performance coach for engineers, helping them to operate at their best so that they can produce work that makes a difference. He is on a mission to increase productivity in a way that reduces stress and fosters a quality working environment.   CONTACT THE GUEST – MATTHEW GADDY Matthew Gaddy can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgaddy/ Website: https://www.matthewgaddy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.gaddy/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Michal Juhas, who has worked in the tech industry for more than 16 years. He has held a variety of positions during his career, from software developer to chief technical officer. And in 2019 he founded Geek Recruiters and he is now an IT Talent Advisor, Recruiter, Career Coach and Trainer as well as the author of 6 books and the creator of multiple video courses. Michal joins Phil to talk about why it’s crucial to gain as much experience as possible in the early days of your career, as well as the ways in which a note could help your job applications.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP At the beginning of your IT career journey, look for ways to gain more experience by accepting tasks from those who need work done. This looks great on your record when you come to the interviewing process.   WORST CAREER MOMENT When Michal’s company went out of business. He had built it from scratch, but it ultimately failed. Michal learned not to be too over-optimistic and be more realistic when it comes to challenges.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Working as a coach and recruiter, Michal finds many highlights these days by discovering new talent – those who bring something special to the role they have taken.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The global nature of IT means that developers can now take positions around the world. Technology allows free movement in remote terms, and skills can be put to good use, no matter where we live.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – After a suggestion from a friend, Michal fell into IT. What’s the best career advice you received? – to read more books, as they inspire the mind. What’s the worst career advice you received? – What would you do if you started your career now? – Michal would experiment with more technologies and learn more programming languages. What are your current career objectives? Identifying the companies that he wants to work for. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Marketing, sales and copywriting. How do you keep your own career energized? – Working with mission-driven companies, which adds a new sense of purpose. What do you do away from technology? – Spending time with family.   FINAL CAREER TIP When applying for a job, always include a note to explain why you are excited about a particular opportunity.   BEST MOMENTS (5:08) – Michal - “Diversity of experience helps you to find solutions for different problems” (13:23) – Michal - “Shift the focus from the salary to the other benefits of the work” (20:43) – Michal – “Read lots of books!” (24:15) – Michal – “Effectively, as a developer, as an IT professional, you are selling yourself on the market, so you need to be able to find your unique selling proposition”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – MICHAL JUHAS Michal Juhas has worked in the tech industry for more than 16 years. He has held a variety of positions during his career, from software developer to chief technical officer. And in 2019 he founded Geek Recruiters and he is now an IT Talent Advisor, Recruiter, Career Coach and Trainer as well as the author of 6 books and the creator of multiple video courses.   CONTACT THE GUEST – MICHAL JUHAS Michal Juhas can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaljuhas/ Personal Website: https://michaljuhas.com/welcome Career Tools Website: https://careerupgradetools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juhas.michal/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvfRMDDiKKqNVaezfvBVR0A

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Edidiong Asikpo, a developer advocate who writes technical articles about Kubernetes, web development, soft skills and open-source contributions. She has given more than 50 talks at various tech conferences and meetups around the world and also played a significant role in building three of the most impactful developer communities in Africa. Edidiong talks about the importance of embracing new opportunities. She also discusses consistency and why it matters so much when it comes to your career.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Always make sure that you take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. The best way to grow your career is to remain open to new possibilities.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Edidiong needed to set up a workshop, and was supposed to be facilitating the operation of it. When it finally came time to present the project, her internet connection was lost and the event could not be attended.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT After joining a company struggling with certain processes, Edidiong used her talents to turn around the business’s fortunes, leading to a reversal of negative opinion.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Careers in IT are very versatile. If you aren’t happy in one place you can always pivot and move to a different sector. Technology is a field in which you can easily switch..   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Seeing other young people using technology to change lives. What’s the best career advice you received? – You gain mastery over a skill by doing it often. What’s the worst career advice you received? – That Edidiong was ill suited to the course she had chosen. What would you do if you started your career now? – Edidiong would put herself out there a lot faster. What are your current career objectives? More content creation. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Writing. How do you keep your own career energized? – Taking breaks is very important and make sure that between the hard work you take care of yourself. What do you do away from technology? – Watching movies and travelling.   FINAL CAREER TIP You can’t get anywhere unless you start, so get going on your journey, and make sure you are consistent.   BEST MOMENTS (4:15) – Edidiong - “Always put yourself out there” (6:34) – Phil - “By doing “something” you are already ahead of somebody else” (8:30) – Edidiong – “It’s important to have a back up plan because you never know what’s going to happen” (16:02) – Edidiong – “You only learn how to do something by doing that thing”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – EDIDIONG ASIKPO Edidiong Asikpo is a developer advocate who writes technical articles about Kubernetes, web development, soft skills and open-source contributions. She has given more than 50 talks at various tech conferences and meetups around the world and also played a significant role in building three of the most impactful developer communities in Africa. She is also the co-founder of Tech UK as well as a tech mentor and empowerment coach with a specific focus on women and diversity.   CONTACT THE GUEST – EDIDIONG ASIKPO Edidiong Asikpo can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Didicodes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edidiong-asikpo/ Website: https://edidiongasikpo.com/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Sham Jabeen, who has worked in the tech industry for the past 12 years, starting her career is an Account Manager for an IT support and services company. She is now a Senior Account Manager for Total Computers, where she works in partnership with vendors such as Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Microsoft and Google, and manages clients in the legal, financial and gaming industries. She is also the co-founder of Tech UK as well as a tech mentor and empowerment coach with a specific focus on women and diversity. Sham talks about the value of building relationships. She also discusses the importance of finding a mentor, and how coaching can help to guide our career paths.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Building long term relationships are the key to a long term career. Your network is your net worth, and foundations built throughout your career will serve you at all points.   WORST CAREER MOMENT After beginning at a certain company, she was dismayed to find that the culture there was one of exclusion, and suffered extraordinary racism at the hands of her colleagues.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT After working incredibly hard, Sham landed a huge deal – the biggest in her organization during 2019 – and became the highest achiever of the year. This was accomplished through her relationships with others and hard work.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Sham is excited and inspired by the sight of more women in the sector, and more diversity in the tech space.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Financial incentives were extremely compelling. What’s the best career advice you received? – Don’t just settle and always be your authentic self. What’s the worst career advice you received? – That Sham was not capable enough to lead people. What would you do if you started your career now? – Sham would look more into cybersecurity or networking. What are your current career objectives? Tech UK, mentoring and coaching, being a role model and raising awareness. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Effective communication How do you keep your own career energized? – Setting goals, making sure that reboot time is taken, and being thankful for everything achieved so far. What do you do away from technology? – Dancing, dining out and praying.   FINAL CAREER TIP Find a good coach or mentor that will be able to guide you. Coaches help to give us new perspectives and can guide us through challenging times.   BEST MOMENTS (4:44) – Sham - “Your network is your worth” (9:12) – Sham - “If you build relationships, you will go from strength to strength” (23:46) – Sham – “I want to see more women leaders, role models, mentors, coaches. That’s what excites me about IT” (27:50) – Sham – “Don’t just settle and always be your authentic self”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – SHAM JABEEN Sham Jabeen has worked in the tech industry for the past 12 years, starting her career is an Account Manager for an IT support and services company. She is now a Senior Account Manager for Total Computers, where she works in partnership with vendors such as Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Microsoft and Google, and manages clients in the legal, financial and gaming industries. She is also the co-founder of Tech UK as well as a tech mentor and empowerment coach with a specific focus on women and diversity.   CONTACT THE GUEST – SHAM JABEEN Sham Jabeen can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sham-j-34732727/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tech__uk/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Ben Hong, a Vue.js Core Team Member and a Staff Developer Experience Engineer at Netlify as well as a Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies & Map Platforms. He has spoken, taught and Emc’ed around the world at events such as VueConfUS, Vue Toronto and O’Reilly’s Fluent Conf. He is also a lead instructor at Vue Mastery, one of the premier learning platforms for the Vue.js community. Ben discusses the value in investing in yourself with a growth mind-set. He also talks about why we should always appreciate our personal career path, and the experiences that make it unique.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Always invest in yourself with a growth mind-set. Look for methods and ways to improve and develop in your own time, as every time your move forward, you add value to your career as a whole.   WORST CAREER MOMENT After completing a project, Ben was suddenly asked about which direction he wished to go next, and could not answer. This taught him the value in focusing on specific skills and directions.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Getting the opportunity to join his current development team. For a long time, Ben had wished to reintroduce UX design to his portfolio, and this gave him the opportunity to do so.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Ben is excited about the popularity of open source, and the wealth of ideas happening right now on the web. The possibilities are seemingly endless.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Ben read an HTML book when young, and was instantly excited by the possibilities. What’s the best career advice you received? – Listen, learn, and then become the person that people come to with questions. What’s the worst career advice you received? – That his dream career path was not possible. What would you do if you started your career now? – Ben would have taken much better notes! What are your current career objectives? Content generation, and empowering others to build incredible things. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Relationship building. How do you keep your own career energized? – Ben ensures that he associates with communities who understand the burnout that can blight many IT careers. What do you do away from technology? – Playing the ukulele.   FINAL CAREER TIP Never hesitate to invest in yourself, as no one can ever take away the knowledge you gain or the experiences you have.   BEST MOMENTS (4:19) – Ben - “You are getting the compound interest from skills at a much faster pace. This is key to long term sustainability when it comes to a career in IT” (10:24) – Ben - “That cluster of ideas, discussions and debates – that is what excites me. There’s a lot to come and it’s far from over” (12:49) – Ben – “By building relationships with people so they trust you, it does a lot for the impact and influence that you can have” (15:51) – Ben – “Coding problems aren’t hard. People problems are hard”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – BEN HONG Ben Hong is a Vue.js Core Team Member and a Staff Developer Experience Engineer at Netlify as well as a Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies & Map Platforms. He has spoken, taught and Emc’ed around the world at events such as VueConfUS, Vue Toronto and O’Reilly’s Fluent Conf. He is also a lead instructor at Vue Mastery, one of the premier learning platforms for the Vue.js community.   CONTACT THE GUEST – BEN HONG Ben Hong can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/bencodezen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencodezen/ Website: https://www.bencodezen.io/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Annie Liew, who graduated from a Front-End bootcamp in summer 2019 and is currently the Front-End Engineering Lead at Pastel. She’s passionate about bringing the technical and visual aspects of digital products to life and cares deeply about the user experience, beautiful pixels and writing clean, accessible code. Her goal is to become exceptional at Front-End built on strong foundational UX concepts. She is also very active in the tech and design community. Annie talks about how effective focus can help you to dig deep into a problem set, as well as help to develop your skills. She also discusses the importance of retaining the fun in everything you do during your IT career.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Honing your ability to do deep work, and concentrating your focus can help you to achieve a deep focus in tasks and help to develop your skill set going forward.   WORST CAREER MOMENT While creating an app from scratch for her tech challenge during an interview process, Annie found that some of her skills were a little rusty, and was forced to retrain herself while also relocating her life and healing from a hand injury!   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Annie won out against impostor syndrome by working hard and showing resilience. The result was an offer from a very large tech leader   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Digital literacy is an incredibly powerful tool in today’s world. Being able to bring ideas to life in the tech space marks you out as someone who can make real, impactful change in the world.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The financial rewards which were very attractive. What’s the best career advice you received? – Mentors are invaluable and can guide you when your career hits choppy waters. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Always follow your passion so that you never work a day in your life. Passion shouldn’t always be the driving force in your career path. What would you do if you started your career now? – Annie would not change anything in her journey so far as all experiences brought her to where she is now. But she would spend less time on social media. What are your current career objectives? Getting better at Javascript, as well as developing back end knowledge. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – The ability to ask for, and take on board, constructive feedback without being offended. How do you keep your own career energized? – Annie makes sure that she brings her creative side to her work. What do you do away from technology? – Hiking, reading and travelling.   FINAL CAREER TIP Try to have fun and enjoy the process. Sometimes things can get tough, but remember that all struggles are temporary and all challenges provide lessons.   BEST MOMENTS (5:47) – Annie - “Something that is very useful is the ability to focus and go deep” (6:04) – Annie - “It helps to think of your skills and abilities as your career capital – valuable tangible assets that you can trade for things like salary and a great work environment” (10:20) – Annie – “We’re often more capable than we think especially in times of stress and pressure” (12:42) – Annie – “Only you can decide who you want to be and where you want to go”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – ANNIE LIEW Annie Liew graduated from a Front-End bootcamp in summer 2019 and is currently the Front-End Engineering Lead at Pastel. She’s passionate about bringing the technical and visual aspects of digital products to life and cares deeply about the user experience, beautiful pixels and writing clean, accessible code. Her goal is to become exceptional at Front-End built on strong foundational UX concepts. She is also very active in the tech and design community.   CONTACT THE GUEST – ANNIE LIEW Annie Liew can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniebombanie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/anniebombanie Website: https://anniebombanie.com

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Toni Collis, the CEO of Collis-Holmes Innovations, an award-winning leader, International Keynote speaker, Consultant and Leadership Coach. Her career has focused on facilitating the use of technology, and she believes that this requires true diversity in the future leadership of the tech industry. As Founder of Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC), she developed and led innovations aiming to diversify the international Supercomputing workforce. And in early 2019, she began to focus on her passion for broadening diversity & inclusion in the technology industry. She now offers Leadership & Executive Coaching for women in tech, with a personal goal of assisting 2000 women into the tech boardroom in the next 5 years. Toni talks about why remaining in our comfort zones can be restrictive. She also discusses why resilience is the key to overcome challenges.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP If you are not growing, then you’re shrinking. The longer we remain in our comfort zone, the smaller it becomes. Always look for ways to expand and grow.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Toni found, at one point in her career, that she was saying yes to far too many things, and the overwhelm made her feel as though she was underperforming and not reaching the potential that she felt she could. Through this, she learned that it’s okay to say no.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT When Toni was offered her first C-Suite executive role at the age of 34. A lot of work and determination had been spent, but the payoff was worth it.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Technology is the solution to all problems being faced by society today. By focusing upon fixing the world through tech, we can provide a better future for everyone.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – It was accidental – Toni realized that computing would play a large part in her degree education. What’s the best career advice you received? – You can’t fix all problems, so be selective about the ones you solve. What’s the worst career advice you received? – “You can’t afford to say no. Say yes to everything!” What would you do if you started your career now? – Toni would make sure she worked on things upon which supercomputing has more impact What are your current career objectives? Toni is trying to ensure that 2000 women are seated in boardrooms. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – The ability to read a room. How do you keep your own career energized? – Toni steps outside of her comfort zone on a regular basis. You need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. What do you do away from technology? – Travelling and DIY.   FINAL CAREER TIP Work on your executive presence and your resilience every day. No matter where you are in your career, you need these skills!   BEST MOMENTS (3:18) – Toni - “I could have more of an impact if I could empower more people to do tech exceptionally well than I could ever do by myself” (4:07) – Toni - “What I really want do is put people into positions of leadership in the technology sector that means we change the way it operates to the betterment of everyone involved” (6:17) – Toni – “It isn’t that you have a comfort zone. It’s that if you’re not constantly pushing at it, it’s actually shrinking, and that applies to every aspect of our lives” (17:14) – Toni – “ Technology is really the solution for all the problems the human race faces today”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – TONI COLLIS Toni Collis is , the CEO of Collis-Holmes Innovations, an award-winning leader, International Keynote speaker, Consultant and Leadership Coach. Her career has focused on facilitating the use of technology, and she believes that this requires true diversity in the future leadership of the tech industry. As Founder of Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC), she developed and led innovations aiming to diversify the international Supercomputing workforce. And in early 2019, she began to focus on her passion for broadening diversity & inclusion in the technology industry. She now offers Leadership & Executive Coaching for women in tech, with a personal goal of assisting 2000 women into the tech boardroom in the next 5 years.   CONTACT THE GUEST – TONI COLLIS Toni Collis can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonicollis1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonicollis/ Website: https://tonicollis.com/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Devin Ford, a self-taught front-end developer who enjoys solving complex problems under pressure. And he regularly tweets about what he’s doing and shares what he’s learnt along the way. Devin talks about the power of networking and how it can accelerate your career. He also discusses why resilience is the key to learning, and how to overcome rejection.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Many believe that you should have lots of projects going on at the same time. However, it is far better to have a variety of projects ongoing, as this will demonstrate your flexibility and breadth of knowledge.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Having failed to check a process, Devin found that a crucial error was made, which taught him the value of always making sure not to rush, especially when it comes to quality control.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Devin’s current work, involving building something that will make a huge difference to the way people engage with his platform.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The world is moving to a more decentralized, web-free world, and the possibilities are fascinating and exciting. It will also lead to a huge increase in privacy, and to a far more open world.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Devin and his father built his first computer and he was hooked instantly. What’s the best career advice you received? – Be honest and upfront with everything. What’s the worst career advice you received? – That you need to be married to a tech stack. What would you do if you started your career now? –Devin would find a more structured way of learning early on. What are your current career objectives? Devin is trying to move to a more senior position, and looking between platform and management roles. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – The ability to communicate. How do you keep your own career energized? – Learning new things, but also knowing when to take breaks, which is important in rejuvenating his passion for IT and tech. What do you do away from technology? – Video games and spending time with family.   FINAL CAREER TIP Don’t be discouraged if you receive a knock back, no matter what it is. There are some invaluable lessons to be found when you have to pick yourself up after a setback.   BEST MOMENTS (3:02) – Devin - “Had I not networked on Twitter, I probably would not have reach the position I am in” (5:45) – Devin - “You might feel that pressure to really perform, but it’s worse to deliver something bad fast, than to slow down and deliver something good, but slower” (11:32) – Phil – “When you’re in a role and you don’t know something, don’t just assume you shouldn’t ask. Always ask!” (16:04) – Devin – “Being able to bring that to a level where everybody is on the same playing field has really helped me when it comes to my career”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – DEVIN FORD Devin Ford is a self-taught front-end developer who enjoys solving complex problems under pressure. And he regularly tweets about what he’s doing and shares what he’s learnt along the way.   CONTACT THE GUEST – DEVIN FORD Devin Ford can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/devindford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devindford/ Website: https://devindford.com/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Jack Domleo, a front-end developer who loves working with web technologies and creating things for users to interact with. He has a particular passion for UX, accessibility and self-development. He is also the author of “Level-Up Your Career Today: Developer Edition” as well as a blogger and a speaker. Jack talks about the importance of diversifying when it comes to projects. He also discusses why we must not make excuses, and put the work in to get the things we truly want in life and in our careers.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Many believe that you should have lots of projects going on at the same time. However, it is far better to have a variety of projects ongoing, as this will demonstrate your flexibility and breadth of knowledge.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Jack was made redundant from his apprenticeship. After six months, the company went bankrupt, and at such a young age, he initially believed that his career had been irretrievably affected.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Being made redundant from his apprenticeship pushed Jack out of his comfort zone, which has helped him to grow and develop ever since, and has also made him more money!   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Technology is pushing every sector forward, and so the opportunities in every field seem to be limitless. But this does come with a downside, in that security is becoming a larger issue.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Jack has always had a knack with computers, and enjoyed considering the opportunities that they could bring. What’s the best career advice you received? – You are not your code. Don’t take comments too personally. What’s the worst career advice you received? – That being a front end developer only makes you unmarketable. What would you do if you started your career now? –Jack would work more upon the immature behaviour he displayed at the beginning of his career. What are your current career objectives? – Jack has focused upon side projects and appearances in order to provide an income separate from his employment. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Communication and confidence. How do you keep your own career energized? – Keeping abreast of not just developer tools, but new advances in tech in general. This is better done by fine tuning our social media input. What do you do away from technology? – Ice hockey, travelling and video games   FINAL CAREER TIP Don’t make excuses when you’re afraid of something. No one is going to lower the bar for you. Things are sometimes tough, but never impossible.   BEST MOMENTS (6:17) – Jack - “I do lots of different varieties of things, and I think that this better shows a broad range of things that I can do” (11:55) – Jack - “I feel like we have the right people in place to drive this world forward” (15:01) – Jack – “You are not your code, so the code you write does not reflect you as a person” (20:32) – Jack – “I know what I want to do, and what I want to achieve in my career, and that has definitely helped me”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – JACK DOMLEO Jack Domleo is a front-end developer who loves working with web technologies and creating things for users to interact with. He has a particular passion for UX, accessibility and self-development. He is also the author of “Level-Up Your Career Today: Developer Edition” as well as a blogger and a speaker.   CONTACT THE GUEST – JACK DOMLEO Jack Domleo can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackdomleo7 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackdomleo7 Website: https://jackdomleo.dev/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Michelle Barker, a Lead Front End Developer for Atomic Smash and the author of front-end blog CSS In Real Life. She likes to build fun, creative websites and side projects that are also performant and accessible. She has written articles and regularly speaks about front end development at web conferences and meetups, covering topics such as CSS Grid Layout and CSS Custom Properties. Michelle talks about the value of community and how it can energise your career development. She also discusses why learning should always be fun, and the value of taking time out to realign with what lights you up.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Find a community – online or offline – and allow the people there to help and guide you. This can greatly accelerate your personal development and growth.   WORST CAREER MOMENT When returning from maternity leave, Michelle an extra sense of pressure in terms of proving herself, along with being exhausted and overwhelmed by new parenthood. Since then, she has recognized the value of not adding pressure to oneself unnecessarily.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Working on a project for The Grand Appeal, a Bristol children’s charity, a cause close to Michelle’s heart due to her own experiences with her son.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The IT community itself and the many ways in which people are innovating and pushing the sector forward. Community is everything in IT, and finding the right one is a constant source of inspiration.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The intersection between creativity and technical knowhow. What’s the best career advice you received? – Write down your accomplishments. What’s the worst career advice you received? – That we must always be coding, even in our spare time, and make work our life. What would you do if you started your career now? –Michelle would put less pressure upon herself. Your career is not a race. What are your current career objectives? – Michelle is spending far more time on writing, particularly on her blog, and now in partnership with other publications. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Working in customer services and in the events industry so as to get a better understanding of how to interact with others. How do you keep your own career energized? – Michelle enjoys creative coding as an outlet. What do you do away from technology? – Netflix and playing the drums. FINAL CAREER TIP Learning should always be fun. If you’re struggling to get motivated, put down the tutorials and try to build something for fun!   BEST MOMENTS (4:00) – Michelle - “A good way to learn is to pick things up and just keep building little side projects. Follow the paths that interest you” (5:52) – Michelle - “I made so many connections just through taking the time to learn from others” (13:24) – Michelle – “You need to push past things, keep going, keep learning, and know that there aren’t any shortcuts. It’s not a race” (20:41) – Michelle – “Every time I make something come to life on the screen I feel that sense of accomplishment”   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/_PhilBurgess LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Instagram: https://instagram.com/_philburgess 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 – MICHELLE BARKER Michelle Barker is a Lead Front End Developer for Atomic Smash and the author of front-end blog CSS In Real Life. She likes to build fun, creative websites and side projects that are also performant and accessible. She has written articles and regularly speaks about front end development at web conferences and meetups, covering topics such as CSS Grid Layout and CSS Custom Properties.   CONTACT THE GUEST – MICHELLE BARKER Michelle Barker can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MicheBarks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-barker-02819230/ Website: https://michellebarker.co.uk/ Website: https://css-irl.info/