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

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Marcus Olson, who discovered his love of technology by disassembling and reassembling computers salvaged from a shuttered Black & Decker office. He also taught himself Basic so that he could create his own, simple text-based games. He is now the CEO and Founder of Pliancy, a technology-enabled professional services company that helps growing start-ups scale their corporate IT. Marcus talks about why we should always focus upon the driving value behind the companies we work for. He also discusses the value of being prepared and showing up entirely, so that opportunities can be taken.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Focus on what the value is that you drive for the companies in which you work. Often, people fall into the trap of loving their product because they love it for themselves instead of identifying the need it can serve.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Marcus took a job at the government that paid okay, but the prospects were dull, and it did not allow him to follow the p

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 i

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Tyler Rohrer, a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience around end user computing. He has worked in and around the most progressive and challenging deployments in the world. And most recently, he founded Remotely INC, the world’s first Hyper Converged Console. He is leveraging his experience in the digital workspace and end user computing space to help enterprise companies contend with the daily security risks they face with remote and hybrid end users. Tyler talks about the importance of trusting your instincts when it comes to your career. He also discusses why it’s okay to ask for help and guidance when needed.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Always trust your instincts. They are generally trying to lead you in the right direction. Listen to what your heart says to you.   WORST CAREER MOMENT After hitting the wrong button, a software malfunction occurred, but it taught Tyler the value in always taking the utmost care, and to own up to your mistakes.   CAREE

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 mobil

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 co

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Howard Scott Warshaw, a video game pioneer, an award-winning filmmaker, an innovative technologist, an author, and a Museum of Modern Art artist. He now employs this eclectic skillset as a psychotherapist in California’s Silicon Valley. His latest book, “Once Upon Atari” (subtitled How I made history by killing an industry) details his exploits at Atari and how they reshaped his life. Howard talks about why we should remember that goals are only achieved through hard work and perseverance. He also discusses the value to be found in understanding what it is that we really want in life.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Be prepared to pay your dues when it comes to your career. Dreams are all well and good, but always recognize that hard work is required in order to achieve them.   WORST CAREER MOMENT While working on Yars Revenge, Howard insisted on carving out his own path for the game but was forced to admit later that the game he’s insisted upon was not good.   CAREER HIGH

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Janet T Phan, the Founder and Executive Director of Thriving Elements and Senior Technical Product Manager for Amazon’s Project Kuiper. She has a vision to develop and empower young women in STEM to make a sustainable impact and inspire the next generation of women leaders. Janet talks to Phil about the value in making ourselves replaceable in the industry. She also discusses why “no” can mean a whole new world of opportunities for you.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Technology grows every day. If we make ourselves as replaceable as possible, then we show up for ourselves, and allow our skillsets to be easily passed on to others.   WORST CAREER MOMENT In a previous role, early in her career, Janet told her manager that she had aspirations to be a manager herself. This was met with derision by her superior, and unfortunately changed her attitude towards Janet into one of negativity.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Janet was part of a huge global launch that went exceedingly well, impre

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Jossie Haines, a software engineering leader at the forefront of emerging customer technology across Silicon Valley. She has held management roles at Apple, Zynga and American Express and she is currently VP of Software Engineering and Head of DEI at Tile. She’s also a public speaker and she coaches technology leaders on creating inclusive and diverse working spaces. Jossie talks about the importance of networking in growing your career in tech. She also discusses the value of resilience, and why we must practice self-care   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Networking is invaluable to your career. So many people in tech are introverted, but they must try to do better to get to know others, as the positive impacts are very important.   WORST CAREER MOMENT At Apple, Jossie found that being too nice was not always effective when it came to developing her leadership qualities.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Working for Tile has provided many highlights as it has allowed Jossie to make the bi

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Adrianus Warmenhoven, a Defensive Strategist and Threat Intelligence Manager at NordVPN. He is responsible for getting the most relevant Indicators of Compromise, malware samples and their indicators and mapping out the threat landscape for the company’s customers. He has undertaken security reviews and advised companies on how to deal with active threats and extortion. Adrianus talks about why corporate politics should be avoided in your IT career journey. He also discusses why the basics should be ingrained at the outset of your IT career journey.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Don’t play the game of corporate politics. Focus on the job, what it gives to you in terms of satisfaction, and become the best in your field.   WORST CAREER MOMENT There are no singular “worst moments” – only a general string of challenges that all add up to learnings that we can take and move forward with.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT A company for which Adrianus was working was expanding into Africa. It

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Mark Angle the Chief Cloud Operations Officer at OneStream, having previously held leadership positions in areas including data centre operations, service desk, enterprise architecture and service delivery. His passions lie at the intersection of technology, science, and nature but he gets his in-office adrenaline rush leading collaboration discussions or presenting to a customer. Mark discusses why we should always go further when it comes to self-development and learning. He also talks about why we should always keep our eyes open to spot new possibilities and opportunities.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP We excel when we push past the boundaries of what we need to learn, and take on more information. This pushes us to grow more and be ready when opportunities arise.   WORST CAREER MOMENT While managing a group of engineers, Mark plugged some of the patch cabling in, which wasn’t labelled. There was a malfunction, and the result was that a large corporate network across

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Don Pezet, the CTO and Lead Edutainer at ITPro.TV. He has been working in the IT industry since 1997 and has been training others since 2001. He is a certified trainer with many vendors including Microsoft, CompTIA, Google and Cisco. His combination of real-world experience, textbook knowledge, and a questionable sense of humour have helped him to entertain and educate thousands of people. Don talks about why it’s vital that we are continually learning throughout our IT journey. He also discusses we should never settle when it comes to our IT career.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Always do your best to be continually learning and developing, even in your spare time, which can provide a fun and experimental time. Make IT your passion and always look at what is possible.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Don worked with a student who did not correctly implement a server and its functionality. This led to a huge loss of data.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Don has overseen the implementation and c

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Greg Edwards, a technology entrepreneur since 1998. Before founding CryptoStopper, he started Axis Backup, a backup and disaster recovery company for the insurance industry. In 2015, Axis backup was acquired by J2 Global, enabling the creation of CryptoStopper which focuses exclusively on cybersecurity. Greg talks about the importance of following up when it comes to the recruitment process. He also discusses the value in taking control of your own career plans.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Always follow up when you’re looking for a company you’d like to work with. Never be afraid to chase your application, or to pursue a hiring manager about vacancies.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Greg lost a huge client to a competitor, which drastically hit his company’s revenue. He initially thought it would be catastrophic, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed his company to grow and scale.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT After performing well, early on in his career, Greg was

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Kirk Marple, a customer-focused technology leader. He is the CEO and Founder of Unstruk Data and has more than 25 years of experience developing media management pipelines, leading DevOps at venture backed companies and structuring successful exits. Kirk talks to Phil about how taking risks and looking for opportunities can often provide the most growth. He also discusses the importance in looking past negative feedback and shaking off self-doubt when it arises.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP You are the one responsible for your career. Look for ways to take chances. By doing so, you will achieve far more growth and development.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Kirk has experienced what it is to be along some way in a project, only to find that the team are not fulfilling their potential, leading to some strained conversations.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Working for Public Broadcast Systems, Kirk enacted and created a product that made its way into mainstream society. This was a source of g

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Craig Goodwin, the co-founder of Cyvatar.ai, a game-changing cybersecurity firm that makes cybersecurity simple for businesses by providing fully managed, customer-centric security solutions. He is a Certified Chief Information Security Officer and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, having held the role of Global Chief Security Officer for a number of large public and private sector organisations. Craig talks about why we should go wide instead of deep when it comes to knowledge. He also tells us why it’s okay to admit when we don’t know the answers.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Always go wider rather than deeper. If you have aspirations in your chosen branch of the industry, try to broaden your knowledge base rather than specializing too much.   WORST CAREER MOMENT During a lull in his personal life, Craig found himself struggling to deliver at his best. His biggest regret was allowing this to continue. As a result, his reputation suffered, but it h

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Maura Charles, the founder of Keep it Human, a digital innovation consultancy. She has 25 years of experience working in digital transformation and digital product management for beloved brands like Bloomingdale’s, Real Simple, and the New York Philharmonic. She loves helping teams get unstuck by finding the right digital processes to build bridges between the technology side and human side so that they can work together. She uses a human-focused approach that helps companies both connect with their customers and prioritize their own people. Maura talks to Phil about the value in keeping a growth mindset. She also discusses why it’s vital for us to pause, reflect, and question everything.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Focus on learning new things at all times. By keeping a growth mindset and always looking for ways to develop, new pathways will open in your career.   WORST CAREER MOMENT During the first years of her career, Maura did not always know how to stand up for h

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Kevin Harris, who has been in the IT field for over 20 years, holding positions that range from Systems Analyst to Chief Information Officer. He is now a higher education administration official at American Public University System, continuing to make system improvements to support student success and learning. As a faculty member he has delivered instruction in several disciplines including business, cybersecurity, computer science, and computer networking, with particular interest in information security and computer forensics. Kevin joins Phil to talk about how exposure to new opportunities can help to shape our attitudes. He also discusses the value to be found in sharing our own career stories, and how this can inspire others.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Make sure you’re always stepping out of your comfort zone. By pushing yourself into spaces outside of your comfort zone, you develop new sensibilities and attitudes.   WORST CAREER MOMENT During a junior role, Kev

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Leon Kuperman, the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Cast AI. He has worked in technology for more than 20 years in roles that cover product management, software design & development though to production deployment.   Leon talks about the value in fostering an engineering mind-set. He also discusses the importance of following our passions and how working on things we’re interested in can help us to be far more productive.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Developing an engineering mind-set is a keystone element in ensuring that you have a successful career as an IT leader. You must be immersed in the subject matter of what you are building.   WORST CAREER MOMENT A system was taken offline by hackers who demanded a ransom in order to release it back to the company Leon was working for. Rather than pay their demands, Leon was tasked with fixing the problem, retrieving the site and ensuring it could not happen again. However, this was not possible. The ransom was p

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Sunir Shah, the founder and CEO of AppBind as well as president of the Cloud Software Association. He has spent his career creating and selling software products to improve how the internet works. And he believes that nothing is more profitable than becoming a piece of the internet! Sunir talks to Phil about why we should make use of the internet to reach out to those with knowledge and experience. He also discusses the value in reminding ourselves of our own capabilities when challenges arise.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP The world is filled with fascinating people, each imbued with an arsenal of knowledge. Seek them out and talk to them. The internet has made this a much easier prospect as we are all connected.   WORST CAREER MOMENT As well as suffering a crisis of self-doubt and pivoting in his career, Sunir was fired after a particularly disappointing business encounter. But this experience led him to the founding of his company.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Sunir had deliver

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Meredydd Luff, the CEO and cofounder of Anvil, a platform for building full-stack web apps entirely in Python. He has a PhD in building usable programming systems from Cambridge University and he wants to make programming more accessible for everyone. Meredydd talks about the importance of finding your “and” – the secondary skill that adds value to you. He also discusses why bringing your unique offerings to your IT career can make all the difference.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Look for what your personal “and” is. If you are just a developer then that’s okay, but it’s always best to be one thing “and” another. This makes life much more interesting and yourself much more valuable.   WORST CAREER MOMENT After completing a huge amount of work, Meredydd discovered that his system had been built upon degraded hard disks. This led to a huge outage for a popular messaging system in the Philippines.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Starting and building Anvil – taking the complete system

In this week’s show, Phil talks to Ulf Schwekendiek, the first mobile engineer at Siri before it was acquired by Apple as well as a co-founder of Ditto which was acquired by Groupon. He is now the co-founder and CEO of Centered, designing the platform and building a team that shares his passion for achieving mindfulness at work. Ulf talks about the importance of keeping your creative spirit alive as your career progresses. He also discusses the value in documenting your ideas.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP If you have a creative spirit, always make sure that you keep this spirit alive in whatever you do. Make time to create and always be curious about what could be.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Ulf experienced a time in his career when he felt as though he should become a manager, because of the expectations placed upon him by others. He soon realized that this was not where his passion truly lay.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Ulf prefers to focus upon the failures of his career, rather than become too nostalgic for the hi