Persevere, Network and Continue to Explore New Tech with Erik St. Martin

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, pushing through that stage brings big rewards.   Most I.T. careers start slowly, before taking off, often, at a stratospheric rate.   (5.09) WORST CAREER MOMENT At one stage, Erik had been burned by a couple of start-ups he had worked for. The last one had him and his team working 16 hour days, 7 days a week, for several months. When he pointed out that this was unsustainable, his boss´s response led to him leaving.   In fact, things got so bad that he had planned to leave the tech industry. In the podcast, he shares why he decided to stay.   (8.02) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Getting a job with Disney was huge. It gave him the chance to work with some fantastic tech and on really interesting projects, for example, Disney´s Magic Bands.    But, Erik is most proud of the GOTO conference he organises. In particular, the contribution it makes to the GO programming community and beyond.   (9.21) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T The fact that 10 years from now, at least 100 new techs will have emerged is exciting. Erik also predicts that, in the future, far more people will be able to progress up the ladder without having to reluctantly go into management.   (10.57) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – At first, I.T. was his hobby. So, when he got offered money to do it, he could not resist. What's the best career advice you received? – Never turn down an interview. Even if you are not ready to jump, you never know what will come of it. What's the worst career advice you received? – You need to go into management to be successful. What would you do if you started your career now? – When offered opportunities, Erik would say yes more often. At the start of his career, he often turned things down because he thought he was not qualified enough. What are your current career objectives? – Right now, Erik´s focus is on teaching. He does not really have hard and fast career objectives. What's your number one non-technical skill? – Creative problem-solving. Once you start doing it you will be amazed by what you can achieve. How do you keep your own career energized? – Teaching helps to motivate Erik. But, hearing about the new things developers are doing in other fields is what really excites and energizes him. What do you do away from technology? – Erik has kids, so wryly states that he mostly does what they want to do. He also plays the guitar and is taking singing classes.   (17.03) FINAL CAREER TIP Don´t get hung up on deciding what you want to end up working on, especially at the start of your career. At that stage, everything you do is building a foundation for your future. What you do then is going to lead to all sorts of opportunities further down the line. So, be open to trying new things.   BEST MOMENTS (3.25) – Erik - "It is easy for people to believe they are not cut out for tech. Often, to succeed, they just need to persevere." (11.20) – Erik - "Never turn down an interview, they enable you to understand what is out there and make more connections." (12.15) – Erik - "Increase your network every way you can. Attending conferences is a particularly good approach." (14.36) – Erik - "Play with new languages and enjoy them. You never know what the next big thing will be." (15.10) – Erik - "Don´t be afraid of failure. Nothing is too big for you, it is just code. You will figure it out."   ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organisations 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/philtechcareer LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philburgess Facebook: https://facebook.com/philtechcareer Instagram: https://instagram.com/philtechcareer 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 – ERIK ST. MARTIN Erik St. Martin has been a Web Developer, a Software Engineer and a System Architect, over the past 15 years.  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.   CONTACT THE GUEST – ERIK ST. MARTIN Erik St. Martin can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:   Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/erikstmartin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikstmartin Website:  http://erikstmartin.com