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Phil\\u2019s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Laura Klein. Laura has been an engineer, designer and product manager helping companies of all sizes learn about their users so that they can build products people enjoy using.

She\\u2019s author of the books \\u201cBuild Better Products\\u201d and \\u201cUX for Lean Startups\\u201d as well as co-host of the podcast \\u201cWhat Is Wrong With UX\\u201d.

In this episode, Phil and Laura talk about the differences between job security and career security. And they discuss the importance of research and preparation as well as the growing emphasis on ethics within the industry.

Laura also tells us why she is more excited about the potential of Augmented Reality than Virtual Reality.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(2.42) TOP CAREER TIP

The thing that Laura found to be really interesting and important is that there is no job security. Your job can fire you at any time, the company can go out of business at any time and so forth. Laura talks about having career security rather than job security and how you can continue to be employable. Don\\u2019t be than reliant on one job forever.

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(5.11) WORST CAREER MOMENT

Laura says that her first public talk in tech was a disaster. And this was in front of three hundred people. She had thought that giving a talk would be easy and similar to giving a high school talk but it was totally different. She hadn\\u2019t done enough research into what other conference talks were like. But Laura learnt from the experience and in particular to do research. She also started doing talks at much smaller venues such as meetups and hackathons.

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(8.51) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Laura tells Phil how excited she was at writing and publishing two books which she\\u2019s very proud of. However Laura says that, in contrast with her worst moment, she had the opportunity to give a talk to thousands of people at Davy Symphony Hall in San Francisco. This time the talk went very well.

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(10.00) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

Laura says that she believes we\\u2019re in a bubble which is likely to deflate a bit. She thinks there will be some painful shake outs. However she is excited about technology being made easier for everybody in a more accessible way. And she\\u2019s also excited about Augmented Reality rather than Virtual Reality.

Laura is pleased that there is now a greater focus on ethics within the industry.

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(12.31) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? \\u2013 Laura says it was initially simply a way to make money.

What\\u2019s the best career advice you received? \\u2013 Focus on career security not job security.

What\\u2019s the worst career advice you received? \\u2013 Laura was advised not to become a technology recruiter by someone who didn\\u2019t know anything about it.

What would you do if you started your career now? \\u2013 Laura says that she would have stuck with engineering a little longer.

What are your current career objectives? \\u2013 To figure out what she wants the next few years of her career to be. She\\u2019s reviewing her career and looking at how to switch up to something new.

What\\u2019s your number one non-technical skill? \\u2013 Writing. Laura says that there is nothing she has done or learned to do that is more effective at getting me jobs and well-known, all of which happened because I wrote stuff down.

How do you keep your own career energized? \\u2013 Laura has a podcast, \\u201cWhat is wrong with UX\\u201d. More people know Laura from the podcast than the books and the writing.

What do you do away from technology? \\u2013 Laura says that she has a hobby solving extremely hard puzzles for fun and sometimes in competitions.

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(18.17) FINAL CAREER TIP

Laura says that you shouldn\\u2019t take career advice from people like her. However she clarifies this by explaining that you should look to take career advice from people who have worked for the type of organisation that you\\u2019re interested in working for. Find people like you want to be in two to three years.

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BEST MOMENTS

(8.42) \\u2013 Laura - \\u201cAll of the things we do in design and research all of the time, apply them to the rest of your career\\u201d

(13.21) \\u2013 Laura - \\u201cFocus on career security not job security\\u201d

(18.48) \\u2013 Laura - \\u201cFind people like you want to be in two to three years\\u201d

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ABOUT THE HOST \\u2013 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.

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CONTACT THE HOST \\u2013 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 phil@itcareerenergizer.com and via the podcast\\u2019s website, https://itcareerenergizer.com

Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer

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ABOUT THE GUEST \\u2013 LAURA KLEIN

Laura Klein has been an engineer, designer and product manager helping companies of all sizes learn about their users so that they can build products people enjoy using.She\\u2019s author of the books \\u201cBuild Better Products\\u201d and \\u201cUX for Lean Startups\\u201d as well as co-host of the podcast \\u201cWhat Is Wrong With UX\\u201d.

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CONTACT THE GUEST \\u2013 LAURA KLEIN

Laura Klein can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lauraklein

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraklein2

Website: https://usersknow.com