348: Build Your Skill Set and Have Patience with Luke Switkowski

In this week's show, Phil talks to Luke Switkowski, the CEO and cofounder of Kognitiv, a company that provides Workday consultancy and professional services. He has been working with Workday for more than a decade and developed an on-demand services model supporting Workday clients. Luke talks about why skill sets are at the heart of every IT career. He also discusses the value of patience when it comes to unhappiness in your career path.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP To build a career, you have to build a skill set. It takes patience and time, but everything is predicated upon this, so give it your full attention.   WORST CAREER MOMENT While consulting on a project, the testing was something of a disaster. Testing showed that the systems built were dysfunctional and barely working.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Starting the Kognitiv business, and making it a success!   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The tools and capabilities available to everyone in the world of today are very exciting, and enable us to make incredible things.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The potential to tinker and solve problems What's the best career advice you received? – Niche down and learn your specialist area. What's the worst career advice you received? – That degrees of education are always important to every part of your career What would you do if you started your career now? – Work in consulting What are your current career objectives? – Making Kognitiv even better What's your number one non-technical skill? – Asking questions How do you keep your own career energized? – Working on side projects and pursuits to make the world even better What do you do away from technology? – Barbecuing and grilling!   FINAL CAREER TIP If you're not happy in a position then don't react by quitting immediately. Look for the root cause of your unhappiness and try to fix it.   BEST MOMENTS (4:51) – Luke – "Whether we like it or not, we live in a skill-based economy and a skill-based society" (11:09) – Luke - "Don't assume that everyone will perform their roles in a project. Take more ownership of the work you have to do, and really follow through on it" (15:37) – Luke – "Find a niche area in which you're ready to learn, and learn it to the best of your ability" (18:52)– Luke – "Ask questions and don't be afraid to ask for help"   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 [email protected] and via the podcast's website, https://itcareerenergizer.com Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer   ABOUT THE GUEST – LUKE SWITKOWSKI Luke Switkowski is the CEO and cofounder of Kognitiv, a company that provides Workday consultancy and professional services. He has been working with Workday for more than a decade and developed an on-demand services model supporting Workday clients.   CONTACT THE GUEST – LUKE SWITKOWSKI Twitter: https://twitter.com/kognitivinc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-switkowski/ Website: https://kognitivinc.com/