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Published: July 26, 2019, midnight

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Phil\\u2019s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Aslak Hellesoy. Aslak is the creator of Cucumber and co-founder of Cucumber Limited.\\xa0 He is a co-author of The Cucumber Book and was an early adopter of XP and BDD.

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He has worked as a programmer, software architect, business owner and trainer in a variety of industries including finance, telecom and retail.

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In this episode Phil and Aslak discuss his involvement in the test-driven way of working and how Cucumber came about. He explains how his Open Source projects played a role in the company\\u2019s formation and how his career has benefited from this way of getting things done.

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Aslak demonstrates why learning functional programming languages is now a good idea. They also discuss the merits of CRDT and functional programming languages.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(8.50) TOP CAREER TIP

Get involved in Open Source. Doing that has played a big role in Aslak\\u2019s career success. It is an effective way to learn new tech, have fun, expand your network and make a difference.

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Aslak also recommends taking on speaking engagements. In the podcast, he explains how he got started and how you can do the same.

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(12.05) WORST CAREER MOMENT

Many years ago, Aslak found himself working on a big finance project. From the start, the team knew the deadline was impossible to meet. But, the project manager ignored this fact and did not make the customer aware of this issue. Despite everyone working long hours, the deadline was missed. It was a very de-motivating and stressful experience.

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Bert saw firsthand the damage a lack of transparency and trust could do. That incident sparked his interest in behaviour-driven development (BDD). He could see that working collaboratively was a far better approach.

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(14.27) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Selling the company he had built up with his team over the course of 5 years is Aslak\\u2019s career highlight. Aslak is looking forward to having more time to dedicate to Open Source work while still being involved in evolving Cucumber. It has also enabled him to get back to being able to code all day.

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(16.05) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

Aslak is a little concerned about where the latest tech is going to take us as a society. A lot of good things are going to come out of AI. But, AI and other new techs are still very much open to abuse by governments and organizations.

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More optimistically, Aslak points out that a career in tech still offers excellent job security, particularly for software developers. A situation that is not likely to change anytime soon.

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(17.50) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? \\u2013 Aslak ended up pursuing an IT career by accident. Only when he understood the power of the World Wide Web did his desire to work in tech really take hold.

What\\u2019s the best career advice you received? \\u2013 Get a mentor, someone who is prepared to spend time with you.

What would you do if you started your career now? \\u2013 Aslak would learn functional programming rather than procedural programming.

What are your current career objectives? \\u2013 Aslak is looking forward to having a full-time team working on Cucumber. There are a lot of exciting features he wants to see added.

What\\u2019s your number one non-technical skill? \\u2013 Listening to other people.

How do you keep your own career energized? \\u2013 Learning new techniques, languages, frameworks, databases and platforms.

What do you do away from technology? \\u2013 Aslak has two young daughters and enjoys cooking and playing five-a-side football.

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(23.15) FINAL CAREER TIP

Have lunch with a colleague you do not know well, preferably, someone who is doing something different from you. This will help you to understand the business you are working in far more. That will make you a far better developer.

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BEST MOMENTS

(9.22) \\u2013 Aslak - \\u201cWorking on Open Source projects is a great way to learn new technologies.\\u201d

\\xa0(16.51) \\u2013 Aslak - \\u201cBeing a software developer is going to be a pretty safe job choice.\\u201d

(19.16) \\u2013 Aslak - \\u201cGet yourself a mentor. No matter where you are in your career a mentor will help.\\u201d

(20.08) \\u2013 Aslak - \\u201cLearn functional programming languages, you can get more done with them.\\u201d

(21.32) \\u2013 Aslak - \\u201cListen to others and ask the right questions.\\u201d

(23.15) \\u2013 Aslak - \\u201cGet to know people from all areas of the business it will make you a better programmer.\\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 Aslak Hellesoy

Aslak Hellesoy is the creator of Cucumber and co-founder of Cucumber Limited.\\xa0 He is a co-author of The Cucumber Book and was an early adopter of XP and BDD.

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He has worked as a programmer, software architect, business owner and trainer in a variety of industries including finance, telecom and retail.

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CONTACT THE GUEST \\u2013 Aslak Hellesoy

Aslak Hellesoy can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/aslak_hellesoy

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

Website: https://aslakhellesoy.com/

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