energiser

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Chuck Tomasi who has worked in the IT industry for 40 years. His roles have included software developer, systems administrator, project manager and technical consultant to name but a few. He has a particular interest in integrating devices and systems to increase the value of the overall solution.

And he likes share what he has learned with the developer community through blogs, videos, live streams, podcasts and books.

Chuck talks to Phil about the importance of remembering people skills when growing your career. He also discusses the value of putting yourself out there in order to find opportunities.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

 

TOP CAREER TIP

Never forget the value of people in the IT sector. Careers flourish when results are delivered, but also because relationships are nurtured.

 

WORST CAREER MOMENT

While preparing for a conference, Chuck was working with volunteers. There was a great need for perfection, but Chuck was let down by two volunteers, which almost threw the project into disarray.

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHT

At the most recent conference, Chuck got to MC the event and connected completely with most of the attendees.

 

THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

There is a world of opportunity out there in the IT sector, and the chance to create meaningful, impactful products that can change lives for the better.

 

THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – After a computer programming course in school

What’s the best career advice you received? – Trust is the ultimate currency

What’s the worst career advice you received? – It’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission

What would you do if you started your career now? – Find a mentor and coach much sooner!

What are your current career objectives? – Creating and maintaining relationships inside and outside of the company

What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being able to translate complex information for any audience.

How do you keep your own career energized? – Knowing that his work is positively impacting lives.

What do you do away from technology? – Podcasting, creating content, travelling and spending time with family

 

FINAL CAREER TIP

Even if you consider yourself to be introverted, make an effort to meet and greet people. Career opportunities almost always come from other people.

 

BEST MOMENTS

(2:56) – Chuck – “Putting your face out there helps recognition, and helps to build a community”

(3:50) – Chuck - “Careers are built on two things – results and relationships”

(4:22) – Chuck – “If you really want to be the hero then you need to listen to people and help them achieve their desired outcomes”

(13:06)– Chuck – “Computers and programming combine the best of logical thinking and creativity”

 

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 – CHUCK TOMASI

Chuck Tomasi has worked in the IT industry for 40 years. His roles have included software developer, systems administrator, project manager and technical consultant to name but a few. He has a particular interest in integrating devices and systems to increase the value of the overall solution.

And he likes share what he has learned with the developer community through blogs, videos, live streams, podcasts and books.

CONTACT THE GUEST – CHUCK TOMASI

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctomasi

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/tomasi

Website: https://www.chucktomasi.com/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Arpit Mohan, who has always been fascinated by technology, from taking apart has Tamagotchi to creating a mobile game that went viral.

He is the co-founder and CTO of Appsmith, an open-source project built by engineers for engineers. It is now used by more than 1,000 teams, employs people in 8 countries and has raised over $10 million in capital.

Arpit talks about the value of focussing upon soft skills such as communication and enhancing teams. He also discusses the value of reading, and how it can make you a better writer.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

 

TOP CAREER TIP

Software engineers focus on the tools and the code too much, we should focus more upon the soft skills that go with the job, such as the people and the teams.

 

WORST CAREER MOMENT

Arpit ran a delete query on a database, and mistyped the command, which wiped every order in the company’s system for the previous six months. This taught him the value of quality checking every moment.

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHT

While running a mobile game company, the game they were working on went viral. The user database began to grow very rapidly. 

 

THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

Software and IT has endless potential to provide solutions for the world. There are numerous ways in which the physical world cannot achieve certain things, but IT and software can make these things a reality.

 

THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The ability to create and express himself as a builder

What’s the best career advice you received? – Make your manager look good

What’s the worst career advice you received? – To focus on the money and compensation, and to go for the jobs that pay the best.

What would you do if you started your career now? – Arpit would focus upon the internals of systems

What are your current career objectives? – Trying to be a better leader, and to become a more effective communicator

What’s your number one non-technical skill? – The ability to write long form formats, such as memos.

How do you keep your own career energized? – Read, read, read!

What do you do away from technology? – Running, fitness and spending time with family

 

FINAL CAREER TIP

Reading is incredibly important. The more you read, the better you write.

 

BEST MOMENTS

(3:16) – Arpit – “I’ve always been bedazzled by the ability to create”

(6:06) – Arpit - “A lot of people end up being senior engineers, but junior humans, but it should be the other way around”

(7:00) – Arpit – “What will get you ahead in life is when you build trust with your team”

(16:46)– Arpit – “I’m very optimistic about careers in IT, because that’s where the future is”

 

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 – ARPIT MOHAN

Arpit Mohan is the co-founder and CTO of Appsmith, an open-source project built by engineers for engineers. It is now used by more than 1,000 teams, employs people in 8 countries and has raised over $10 million in capital.

 

CONTACT THE GUEST – ARPIT MOHAN

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mohanarpit

LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/arpitmohan

Website: https://www.appsmith.com/

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Alexander Embiricos, cofounder and CEO of Remotion, a virtual office that brings hybrid teams to life.

Before starting Remotion, he was a Product Manager at Dropbox, as well as having studied Computer Science at Stanford.

Alexander talks about the value in identifying a customer base that you can relate to on a personal level. He also discusses the value in empowering others.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

 

TOP CAREER TIP

In your job, make sure that the people you deal with – your customer base – are the kinds of people that you enjoy talking to.

 

WORST CAREER MOMENT

While working for Dropbox, Alexander realized that he did not have the sufficient manpower to meet an important deadline. He ended up performing the work himself, but was advised that this was not the point of project managing.

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHT

A video call with a customer, which resulted in Alexander being told how useful the Remotion tool had been to their way of working.

 

THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

Seeing how the community is able to build upon the work of others, iterating products and services, and pushing to see what is possible.

 

THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Being able to build upon other people’s work.

What’s the best career advice you received? –Make sure that you enjoy talking to the people you have to talk to.

What’s the worst career advice you received? – Focus on what will get your promoted, and not what the customer needs.

What would you do if you started your career now? – Become an engineer instead of a product manager.

What are your current career objectives? – How to distribute products more effectively, and how to be a better manager.

What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being curious about what other people think or are interested in.

How do you keep your own career energized? – The feeling of creating something and delivering it.

What do you do away from technology? – Sports and time with friends.

 

FINAL CAREER TIP

Always do your best to empower others so that they can solve problems for themselves.

 

BEST MOMENTS

(8:57) – Alexander – “Choose a target audience and make sure that, even when things are going horribly, that you’ll feel energized about the conversation”

(9:51) – Alexander - “Instead of focusing on what you’re going to build, focus on who you are going to build for”

(18:10) – Alexander – “In IT, it is much easier to build upon the work of others”

(21:50)– Phil – “Everyone is different, so the way you deal with one person will be different to another”

 

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 – ALEXANDER EMBIRICOS

Alexander Embiricos is the cofounder and CEO of Remotion, a virtual office that brings hybrid teams to life.

Before starting Remotion, he was a Product Manager at Dropbox, as well as having studied Computer Science at Stanford.

 

CONTACT THE GUEST – ALEXANDER EMBIRICOS

Twitter: https://twitter.com/embirico

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/embirico/

Website: https://www.remotion.com/

 

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Al Sweigart, a professional developer who teaches programming to kids and adults.

As well as being a speaker at Python conferences, he has written several bestselling programming books for beginners, including ‘Automate the Boring Stuff with Python’, ‘Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python’, ‘Cracking Codes with Python’, and ‘Coding with Minecraft’.

Al talks about the fact that many jobs are attainable, despite the job description and list of qualifications required. Never count yourself out of the race. He also discusses why coding itself can feel intimidating, but that it’s nothing to be feared.

Show notes can be found at https://itcareerenergizer.com/e289