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Published: Jan. 6, 2020, midnight

Phil\u2019s 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.\xa0 He is passionate about all things Go, Kubernetes, Containers, Distributed Systems and Information Security.

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Erik is currently a Principal Cloud Developer Advocate for Microsoft Azure, who is actively involved in the OSS community.

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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.

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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.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(3.06) TOP CAREER TIP

If you want a career in I.T. you have to persevere. \xa0In 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.

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Most I.T. careers start slowly, before taking off, often, at a stratospheric rate.

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(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\xb4s response led to him leaving.

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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.

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(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\xb4s Magic Bands.

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\xa0But, Erik is most proud of the GOTO conference he organises. In particular, the contribution it makes to the GO programming community and beyond.

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(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.

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(10.57) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? \u2013 At first, I.T. was his hobby. So, when he got offered money to do it, he could not resist.

What\u2019s the best career advice you received? \u2013 Never turn down an interview. Even if you are not ready to jump, you never know what will come of it.

What\u2019s the worst career advice you received? \u2013 You need to go into management to be successful.

What would you do if you started your career now? \u2013 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? \u2013 Right now, Erik\xb4s focus is on teaching. He does not really have hard and fast career objectives.

What\u2019s your number one non-technical skill? \u2013 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? \u2013 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? \u2013 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.

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(17.03) FINAL CAREER TIP

Don\xb4t 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.

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BEST MOMENTS

(3.25) \u2013 Erik - \u201cIt is easy for people to believe they are not cut out for tech. Often, to succeed, they just need to persevere.\u201d

(11.20) \u2013 Erik - \u201cNever turn down an interview, they enable you to understand what is out there and make more connections.\u201d

(12.15) \u2013 Erik - \u201cIncrease your network every way you can. Attending conferences is a particularly good approach.\u201d

(14.36) \u2013 Erik - \u201cPlay with new languages and enjoy them. You never know what the next big thing will be.\u201d

(15.10) \u2013 Erik - \u201cDon\xb4t be afraid of failure. Nothing is too big for you, it is just code. You will figure it out.\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.\xa0 Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers.\xa0 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:

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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

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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 ERIK ST. MARTIN

Erik St. Martin has been a Web Developer, a Software Engineer and a System Architect, over the past 15 years.\xa0 He is passionate about all things Go, Kubernetes, Containers, Distributed Systems and Information Security.

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Erik is currently a Principal Cloud Developer Advocate for Microsoft Azure, who is actively involved in the OSS community.

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CONTACT THE GUEST \u2013 ERIK ST. MARTIN

Erik St. Martin can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

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

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

Website:\xa0 http://erikstmartin.com

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