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Phil\\u2019s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Scott Ambler. Scott works with organisations around the world to help them to improve their software processes.\\xa0 He provides training, coaching and mentoring in disciplined agile and lean strategies at both the project and organisational level.

He is also the founder of the Agile Modelling (AM) and Agile Data (AD) methods and co-founder of Disciplined Agile (DA).

In this episode, Phil and Scott discuss why Scott got interested in agile and continues to develop it. How he helps large organisations to change the way they work by leveraging the experiences of other organisations.

They talk about how to effectively test the architecture of a system, at an early stage, and why it must be done.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(6.41) TOP CAREER TIP

Read widely. You need to be constantly consuming information from a wide range of sources.

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(7.46) WORST CAREER MOMENT

Many years ago, Scott ended up working with a strong team who were handicapped by having to use technology that basically did not work. The different parts of the system could not talk to each other and the database could not handle negative numbers. Worse, these fundamental flaws could not be fixed.

Months later, it all crashed and burned. The experience taught Scott the benefits of testing early. You have to prove the architecture as soon as possible.

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(10.59) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Scott really enjoys seeing software and systems he has worked on being used when he walks down the street. He also loves the fact he is still in touch with some of the teams he worked with, in the past. Working with great people has been something he feels has been a highlight of his career.

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(12.51) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

The complexity and variety of the work you do as an IT professional is what helps to make things so interesting. Given the fact that the world is in a constant state of flux, Scott believes there will always be interesting challenges to tackle.

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(14.15) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? \\u2013 At university, Scott decided to take computer science because he had enjoyed programming since high school. So, a career in IT was a natural progression for him.

What\\u2019s the best career advice you received? \\u2013 Read often.

What\\u2019s the worst career advice you received? \\u2013 Focus on one technology.

What would you do if you started your career now? \\u2013 Scott says he would probably follow a similar path. But, he would want to work on a legacy system. He explains why that is, in the podcast.

What are your current career objectives? \\u2013 Scott wants to dive deeper into understanding why certain approaches work and others don\\u2019t. He wants to be able to answer these fundamental questions.

What\\u2019s your number one non-technical skill? \\u2013 Being a good writer.

How do you keep your own career energized? \\u2013 Being curious and always striving to learn something new.

What do you do away from technology? \\u2013 Scott loves cycling. He also collects Atari 8 consoles and old computers.

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(20.22) FINAL CAREER TIP

Continually expand your skillset and take every opportunity to learn from others. And always question what you do.

Develop several core specialities. But, be sure to look beyond them. Work to understand the challenges of the business you work for and always be willing to pick up new skills.

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BEST MOMENTS

(5.06) \\u2013 Scott - \\u201cOwn your own process, choose your way of working.\\u201d

(6.41) \\u2013 Scott - \\u201cAlways be trying to learn, always be reading and read widely.\\u201d

(9.59) \\u2013 Scott - \\u201cIt is important to test early and prove the architectures working code.\\u201d

(18.14) \\u2013 Scott - \\u201cBeing able to communicate, particularly using the written word is still absolutely critical.\\u201d

(21.13) \\u2013 Scott - \\u201cAlways be willing to pick up new skills and work with others.\\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:

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 SCOTT AMBLER

Scott Ambler works with organisations around the world to help them to improve their software processes.\\xa0 He provides training, coaching and mentoring in disciplined agile and lean strategies at both the project and organisational level.

He is also the founder of the Agile Modelling (AM) and Agile Data (AD) methods and co-founder of Disciplined Agile (DA).

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CONTACT THE GUEST \\u2013 SCOTT AMBLER

Scott Ambler can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

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

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sambler

Website: https://www.scottambler.com/index.html