I.t. Career Energizer: Phil Burgess Chats With Robert C Martin, John Sonmez, David Rael And Other Successful It Professionals

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Mahdi Kafi. He started his career at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Canada where he learned the basics of IT consulting.  He now works for DXC Technology where he is an IT consultant helping HR departments to better understand how to make employees' lives easier through the use of technology.   In this episode, Phil and Mahdi Kafi discuss the need to keep an open mind when it comes to your career. They talk about how the industry is opening up and finding new ways to get the most out of their employees. Mahdi also shares some methods IT professionals can use to take their career in the right direction and progress faster.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (2.14) TOP CAREER TIP Don’t be afraid to change your career plans. By all means, have a plan but bear in mind that as you and the industry evolve you will have to change and update it.   During the podcast Mahdi shares a personal experience that demonstrates why this is so important.   (3.26) WORST CAREER MOMENT

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Simo Ahava. He is a recognised expert on customizing web analytics and tag management solutions to improve the entire “life cycle” of data collection, processing and reporting.   His main areas of expertise lie with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, and Google has appointed him as a Google Developer Expert in these fields.   He is also a partner and co-founder at 8-bit-sheep, a prolific blogger and an experienced conference speaker.   In this episode, Phil and Simo Ahava discuss how helping others sharpens your skills and keeps you in touch with the fundamentals. They also talk about how compromising your personal values usually have a negative impact on your career.   Simo also shares how to prepare for entrepreneurship and when to make the switch from being an employee.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (4.36) TOP CAREER TIP Find a community around a topic you are good at or would like to become good at. Share, guide and be proactive in that community

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Stephen Kuenzli. He has designed, built, deployed and operated highly available and scalable software systems in high tech manufacturing, banking, and e-commerce sectors, for nearly 20 years.   He has a B.S. in Systems Engineering and he loves working through challenging design problems and building solutions that are safe and enjoyable to use.    In this episode, Phil and Stephen Kuenzli discuss the need to develop non-technical skills to be able to progress your career. Stephen shares and effective way to be a continuous learner without over-stretching yourself or letting other things slide.   They also talk about the importance of sticking to your standards and refusing to be pressured into shipping a faulty product and how to do that. He also explains how to maintain the balance you need to stay successful.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (2.27) TOP CAREER TIP Be proactive about managing your career. Throughout his career, Stephen has blocked out at leas

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer is James Turnbull. He is VP of Engineering at Glitch.  James was previously a founder and CTO at Empatico, CTO at Kickstarter, VP of Services at Docker and a CTO in residence at Microsoft to name but a few.  He is also the author of several books, including “Monitoring with Prometheus” and “The Docker Book”.   He is originally from Melbourne, Australia, but now resides in Brooklyn, New York.   In this episode, Phil and James Turnbull discuss the need to find work that truly excites you. They talk through how to deal with the inevitable mistakes you make in a positive way.   James also speaks about how adaptive technology is transforming the lives of those with disabilities. He also shares why you need to ask about onboarding at the interview. In particular, during the early stages of your career.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (02.35) TOP CAREER TIP Don't assume you're going to be doing the same job forever. You are going to evolve, and the IT industry moves fast. So,

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Josh Clark. He is a UX designer and design leader who helps organisations build products for what’s next.  Josh is the founder of Big Medium, a New York design studio specialising in future-friendly interfaces for artificial intelligence, connected devices and responsive websites.   He is the author of several books and he speaks around the world about what’s next for digital interfaces.   In this episode, Phil and Josh Clark talk about the need to advocate for the end-user as well as meet the needs of the business you are working for. Josh discusses the need to be persistent, but to also recognise when it is time to move on.   They discuss why the next wave of I.T. innovation is going to impact the very fabric of our lives. The culture, and how vital it is for developers to make the right decisions.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (5.38) TOP CAREER TIP It is important to create a separation between you and your work. You are not your work.   Remembering thi

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Michel Weststrate. He is a trainer, speaker, micro-consultant and independent open source developer.  As well as the author of MobX, MobX-State-Tree, Immer and a plethora of smaller packages.   Michel is on a quest to make programming as natural as possible   In this episode, Phil and Michel Weststrate discuss how to raise issues in a constructive way that greatly improves the chances of them being solved. They talk about why it makes sense to share code via OpenSource.   Michel explains how he pushes himself to tackle difficult problems without running the risk of burn out. He also touches on why he thinks React Suspense is going to have a huge impact and how tech is likely to evolve over the next few years.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (2.22) TOP CAREER TIP Try to raise solutions rather than problems. It is far better to explain that there is an issue and at the same time share your preferred solution. Simply sharing the problem with your manager, who d

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Erik St. Martin. Over the past 15 years, Erik has been a Web Developer, a Software Engineer and a System Architect.  He is passionate about all things Go, Kubernetes, Containers, Distributed Systems and Information Security.   Erik is currently a Principal Cloud Developer Advocate for Microsoft Azure, who is actively involved in the OSS community.   In this episode, Phil and Erik St. Martin discuss the need for those who are just starting out to push through the early part of the learning curve. They also talk about the importance of networking and how to do it, including, one quite unusual approach Erik uses.   He shares why he is not afraid to spend time playing with new concepts and languages. As well as why you should be prepared to push the boundaries.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (3.06) TOP CAREER TIP If you want a career in I.T. you have to persevere.  In the beginning, the learning curve is very steep, which is why a lot of people give up. But, pu

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Denny Cherry. He is recognised as one of the deftest and most knowledgeable cross-platform IT consultants in the world.  He has been a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional since 2008 and has held the highest level certification available for each version of SQL Server since 2000.   He has also published dozens of articles and is an author of multiple books as well as a popular speaker.      In this episode Phil and Denny Cherry discuss why chasing money instead of pursuing something that interests you is a fast way to stall your career. As well as how being a good listener can help you to succeed.   Denny also explains how he became an MVP and how others can do the same. They discuss the impact SQL Server 2019 is likely to have on the way I.T. professionals work and how it will empower end/users, like never before.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (4.54) TOP CAREER TIP Don’t worry about following the career path that enables you to earn the most money. Instea

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Nils Hofmeister. He is an Engineering Director working at Xing.  He started his career as a software engineer, working on virtual reality projects and computer games.  And after spending some time on DevOps projects, he now focuses on helping cross-functional development teams to succeed.   In this episode, Phil and Nils Hofmeister discuss the challenges of managing remote working and how his team overcomes them. They speak about why it is best to work for organizations that encourage collaboration.   As well as the benefits of employing people that are more knowledgeable than you. Nils also talks about AI and how close it is to replicating what real life forms can do.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (4.02) TOP CAREER TIP Karma works. Nils admits that may sound a little naive. But, he has found that taking the time to help others has really paid dividends for him. Most people do their best to return the favour.   But, if your organisation does not reward tha

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Jamie Maguire. He has a keen interest in web development, code, machine learning, psychology, business, and start-ups. Jamie has been writing code since he was a kid, often typing out magazine code listings and then changing the code to see how they behaved.   He’s currently a Microsoft .NET Senior Developer, a Microsoft AI Most Valuable Professional and a STEM ambassador.   In this episode, Phil and Jamie Maguire discuss how working on a social media API eventually led to his working in AI. Jamie demonstrates that the barrier to entry to the AI field has now all but disappeared and how anyone can now get involved in that field.   Jamie explains how he copes with the frenetic rate of change within the IT industry. They also talk about how a research project led to Twitter, then Microsoft picking up on what he had to offer.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (6.33) TOP CAREER TIP Find ways to learn fast. Apply what you learn and adapt if you need to. In today’s

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:  Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Damian Brady. He is a Microsoft Cloud Advocate who specialises in DevOps and MLOps.  He has been a programmer and consultant for more than 20 years across a broad range of industries and he regularly speaks at conferences and other events around the world.        In this episode, Phil and Damian Brady discuss the way MLOps is developing. They talk about how to choose the career path that is right for you. Damian also shares how his writing and public speaking helped him to land h job at Microsoft.    KEY TAKEAWAYS:  (3.39) TOP CAREER TIP  Pay attention to what you do and don´t like. Doing that will help you to settle on a career path earlier and ensure that you end up doing something that you actually enjoy.    Damian noticed that he wanted to know what had happened to his code once it went into production. This made him realise that DevOps was likely to be a good fit for him.    (5.44) WORST CA

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Jeremy Keith. He is a web developer at Clearleft, a design agency that he co-founded, in 2005.  He is the author of several books about web design and is a regular speaker at conferences across the world.   He is also an organiser of events, including the recent Patterns Day 2 in Brighton.    In this episode, Phil and Jeremy Keith discuss how writing improves your spoken communication skills and builds your career. They also talk about how to get through difficult career phases. Jeremy shares his take on the future of the industry as a whole including some of the concerns he has about the direction web development is going in.     KEY TAKEAWAYS: (2.36) TOP CAREER TIP As you learn something and progress in your career, write about it. You could just keep a record for yourself or put it all on a website. That approach has served Jeremy well.   This really enhances your communication skills. You soon become good at explaining complex things in wr

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Laura Klein. Laura has been an engineer, designer and product manager helping companies of all sizes learn about their users so that they can build products people enjoy using. She’s author of the books “Build Better Products” and “UX for Lean Startups” as well as co-host of the podcast “What Is Wrong With UX”. In this episode, Phil and Laura talk about the differences between job security and career security. And they discuss the importance of research and preparation as well as the growing emphasis on ethics within the industry. Laura also tells us why she is more excited about the potential of Augmented Reality than Virtual Reality.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (2.42) TOP CAREER TIP The thing that Laura found to be really interesting and important is that there is no job security. Your job can fire you at any time, the company can go out of business at any time and so forth. Laura talks about having career security rather than job security and how you

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Aimee Knight. She is a software architect at Tuft and Needle, specialising in JS, React and CSS. She is also a Google Developer Advocate for Web Technologies, a panellist on the JavaScript Jabber podcast and n international keynote speaker. In this episode, Phil and Aimee Knight discuss how not being afraid to fail and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable improves your career prospects. Aimee shares how she learned as a young athlete to focus and stop wasting her mental energy. A way of working that greatly increases what you can accomplish   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (3.24) TOP CAREER TIP Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. The people who succeed in the IT industry are the ones that work outside their comfort zone. Overcoming your fear of failure is one of the greatest catalysts in your life.   (7.31) WORST CAREER MOMENT Like so many people before her Aimee ended up inadvertently deleting production data. That was even after it had gon

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Michael Hunger. Michael is the Caretaker General of the Neo4j Developer Community. For the past few years he has been working with Neo Technology on the open source Neo4j graph database. He likes to help Neo4j users to be successful with their use cases & projects and he is the project lead of Spring Data Neo4j. He is also an author of several books as well as a regular conference speaker. In this episode, Phil and Michael discuss behavioural career tips, why patience, understanding and compassionate are so important and why you shouldn’t be afraid to be a contributor. They also talk about making the most of every day and how opportunities can open up to you when you expand your horizons.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (3.10) TOP CAREER TIP Michael talks about the book Apprenticeship Patterns which is a collection of behaviours that are suitable to people joining the industry. It includes tips and tricks from experienced practitioners and is a book that

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Dave Malouf. Dave a Consultant, Coach and Educator. His mission is to help designers and design teams reach their value potential for the organisations they work with. He has been a designer, a design leader, and a former professor of design. And brings this to bear with frameworks and methods to help professionals level up. He is a co-founder of the Interaction Design Association, the co-founder of several conferences as well as a writer, a globally sought after speaker and workshop facilitator. In this episode, Phil and Dave discuss the likelihood of having multiple careers, why you can unintentionally become a zealot and why having an insatiable curiosity can drive your career forward. Dave also talks how significant a part of your life your career is and why understanding people is such a useful skill.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (5.19) TOP CAREER TIP You will have multiple careers in your life. Being open to that reality helps you craft your story f

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Jen Looper, a Google Developer Expert and a Cloud Developer Advocate Lead at Microsoft with over 18 years’ experience as a web and mobile developer, specialising in creating cross-platform mobile apps.  She is also the founder and CEO of Vue Vixens, which is an initiative promoting diversity in the Vue.js community. In this episode, Phil and Jen Looper discuss why making connections by physically meeting people is still the most effective way to network and uncover new career opportunities. They talk about how the frontend is changing. In particular, the impact the faster frameworks like Svelte are going to have. Jen also explains why those who are new to the industry can benefit from focusing on open source.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (2.50) TOP CAREER TIP Network as much as you can. In particular, attend user groups and meetups. It is surprising how much face time will help you. People remember you better and you make stronger connections this way. Wh

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Joe Natoli. Joe is a UX consultant, author and speaker.  He has nearly three decades of experience consulting with and training the product development teams of some of the world’s largest organisations.   He has taught over 140,000 students through his online courses and is a regular keynote speaker and lecturer at events across the globe.    In this episode, Phil and Joe Natoli discuss how dogmatically sticking to processes or methodology can lead to failure. They talk about how reliance on process stops you from thinking about and solving the real problem.   Joe explains how mentoring helps him and why he does not mind failing sometimes and likes to be pushed out of his comfort zone.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (5.00) TOP CAREER TIP Dogmatic adherence to process or methodologies, of any kind, is not a good thing. If you are not careful it can end up painting you and the company you are working for into a corner.   The real world is messy, so insisting

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Mark Heckler. He is a Pivotal Principal Technologist and Developer Advocate, conference speaker and published author focusing upon software development for the Internet of Things and the cloud. He has worked with key players in both the private and public sector across multiple industries to develop critical capabilities on time and on budget.  He is also a frequent open source contributor as well as author/curator of a developer-focused blog. In this episode, Phil and Mark Heckler discuss how to not let the fact that the industry moves so fast that it is impossible to keep up overwhelm you.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (2.09) TOP CAREER TIP Embrace but do not accept your inadequacy. In the world of IT, things move so fast that you are effectively losing ground every day. It is impossible to keep up and know everything. You can either let fact frustrate you or spur you on and enjoy the fact that there are always fresh challenges to enjoy. However, it is v

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Steph. She is a Security Analyst with a background in journalism and web hosting. She is the creator and editor of StephAndSec.com which is a blog focused on technology, inclusion and lifetime learning.   She’s also a chapter lead for Women In Security and learning as much as she can about anything and everything.   In this episode, Phil and Steph discuss what it takes to work in the IT security industry. They talk about why getting started in the sector is not as hard as people say it is. Steph shares insights into the future of IT security. She also talks about how to know when it is time to move on to another opportunity.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (9.11) TOP CAREER TIP If you want to work in security you need to be a curious and passionate person. Slight paranoia helps too, as does having good attention to detail. But, teams need a mix of traits and skills to be able to be effectively, so potentially anyone can work in the industry and be successful