307: Never Underestimate Yourself and Be Thoughtful About Your Career Path with Don Jones

In this week's show, Phil talks to Don Jones, who has worked in the IT industry since the 1990s, and in that time has been everything from a software developer to a network engineer. He's written dozens of IT books, and now focuses on helping technologists become the owners of their careers. Don discusses why you should never underestimate your value. He also talks about why we must be thoughtful about our careers, and guide them selfishly in order to create our own unique path in the world.   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   TOP CAREER TIP Never underestimate yourself, and do not under-sell yourself. Don't let what you see influence your entire opinion about something.   WORST CAREER MOMENT Don projected his negative perspective onto an employer with which he was having difficulty. He left but found a worse experience. But it taught him not to run away from things, rather run towards better opportunities.   CAREER HIGHLIGHT Don has now found his ideal career position – a company that encourages growth and development at every turn.   THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Don is eternally excited by the sheer explosion of growth directions – the unlimited potential of fields within IT and how they can change the world at such pace.   THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Don has always been in love with science fiction, the future, and computers What's the best career advice you received? – You don't have to respond to every email! What's the worst career advice you received? – That we must be very good at mathematics in order to work with computers. What would you do if you started your career now? – Don would focus heavily on software development at the beginning. What are your current career objectives? – Don is spending time looking down the ladder and seeing who might need a hand upwards. What's your number one non-technical skill? – Writing and written communication How do you keep your own career energized? – Don looks for opportunities, and problems that need to be solved. Don actively seeks solutions and to empower others to do the same. What do you do away from technology? – Don writes fiction novels.   FINAL CAREER TIP Be thoughtful. Your career is the one thing that will be with you for your entire life. Consider each direction carefully and make sure it serves you selfishly.   BEST MOMENTS (5:12) – Don - "If you know the life you want, you can start to plan a career that can take you in that direction" (3:53) – Don - "Own that career, make it your own, and make it give you what you want" (8:01) – Don – "Be careful about making decisions based on incomplete thinking or an incomplete perspective. Keep an open mind" (10:03) – Don – "Don't run away from something. Run towards something"   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 Facebook: https://facebook.com/philtechcareer 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 – DON JONES Don Jones has worked in the IT industry since the 1990s, and in that time has been everything from a software developer to a network engineer. He's written dozens of IT books, and now focuses on helping technologists become the owners of their careers.   CONTACT THE GUEST – DON JONES Don Jones can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/concentrateddon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/concentrateddon/ Website: https://ampere.club Website: https://donjones.com