Podcasts about second career devs

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Ryan Hamblin, a former exercise science and outdoor recreation manager who became a software engineer and is now the Web Program Manager at Lambda School. Ryan shares lessons about being responsible, gritty, and persistent in pursuit of changing your career. We also talk about the great work Lambda School is doing to enable people to make the same career change. Links in the episode: Lambda School - https://lambdaschool.com A Visual Representation of the Ryans at Lambda - https://twitter.com/RyanleeHamblin/status/1079960781863542784

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Kurt Kemple, a former felon turned full stack software engineer. Kurt shares the events that landed him in prison and the changes he made to become the success he is today. He shares some hard lessons learned during his incarceration and how they continue to serve him now and into the future. Links in the episode: I'm an impostor - https://medium.com/@kurtiskemple/im-an-imposter-832418db8a45

GUEST BIO: Kyle Shevlin is a front end web developer and software engineer who specializes in JavaScript and React.   Kyle is also host of the Second Career Devs podcast where he talks to guests who became software engineers after a previous career.   EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Phil’s guest on today’s show is Kyle Shevlin. Kyle specializes in working with JavaScript, React, Redux, GraphQL, Noda, Webpack, D3 and several others at the front end. Currently, he is working as a Senior Software Engineer for Webflow. Kyle is an Egghead.io instructor and is about to release a new JavaScript related course. He is also the host for the very popular Second Career Devs podcast, which is targeted at IT professionals who have previously worked in other industries. Kyle also speaks at conferences, meetups and regularly live streams on Twitch. KEY TAKEAWAYS: (00.57) – So Kyle, can I ask you to expand on that brief intro and tell us a little bit more about yourself? Kyle explains that he is a software engineer at WebFlow. There he is working on democratizing software as well as expanding the world of visual development and website building. He also makes podcasts and enjoys spending too long on Twitter. Kyle is a good scratch golfer and at one time he was going to turn professional. But, things did not work out, which he is actually now quite glad about. Playing sport is a tough way to make a living, especially if you are not in the top 100. He jokes that he much prefers his cushy IT career. (2.28) – Can you please share a unique career tip with the I.T. Career Energizers audience? Kyle says it is important to be open to opportunity. Over the years, Kyle has taken advantage of opportunities that he was not really looking for. Taking chances has had a very positive impact on his life. However, Kyle is not suggesting you go into things blind. You still need to do a bit of research to make sure it is a genuine opportunity and is right for you. (3.22) – Phil comments that a lot of people are reluctant to take risks, so is interested to know how Kyle overcomes that tendency. Kyle responds by admitting that he is more risk averse than he would like to be. However, when his gut reaction is to hold back, he actively pauses and fully evaluates the situation. This helps him to respond differently, if it is appropriate to do so. A lot of the time it turns out to be fear that he does not have the ability that holds him back. Every time he has pushed himself to get past that fear, he succeeds. (4.24) – Can you tell us about your worst career moment? And what you learned from that experience. A few years ago, when he was first hired his manager tasked him with stirring things up a bit. His manager wanted to mix things as a way of driving change, with the long term goal of producing a positive result for everyone. Unfortunately, a few weeks into the job Kyle’s manager was moved on. So, he no longer had their support. However, Kyle carried on with the task he had been given. Unfortunately, things did not work out well. He tried to push change without gaining trust and getting consensus first. This experience taught him that you need to pick the right time to make changes. If something needs changing, Kyle now pauses, takes stock, appraises the situation properly, identifies the priorities, and then proceeds. Most importantly of all, he builds trust before trying to implement change. (6.48) – What was your best career moment? For Kyle, this is a tricky question because he automatically thinks of the latest thing he has achieved as a highlight. Each new achievement still gives him a bit of a rush. Career-wise this is a good thing because it keeps him chasing the next accomplishment. Kyle believes that the fact he is always chasing that high is partly responsible for his success. For example, he is about to release a new course as a way of building on the work he has been doing with egghead.io. He knows from all of the feedback that what people have learned from him has made a positive difference to their lives. That great feeling has driven him on to produce more tutorials. (8.19) – Phil comments on the fact that feedback is great because it gives your energy levels a boost, feeds your passion and enthusiasm. This ends up pushing you towards your goals. Kyle agrees that this positive feedback loop is very beneficial. When people tell you your work is good, it pushes you on to produce something even better. (8.41) – Can you tell us what excites you about the future of the IT industry and careers? The fact that something new is always happening is one of the things Kyle finds exciting about the IT industry. In particular, how much the JavaScript ecosystem has grown and is still growing. It is particularly good to see the language being updated more frequently. Kyle is also excited to see more people getting involved in web development and software engineering through JavaScript. Code schools are attracting people from all walks of life. They bring lots of experience, energy and passion with them, which is beneficial for the IT industry as a whole. (10.22) – What drew you to a career in IT? Kyle really enjoys solving little problems. He has always been a fan of logic puzzles, crosswords and that sort of thing. In fact, as part of his philosophy degree, he studied logic. When he began to code, he was able to apply what he had learned about logic in a tangible way. In ways that make a positive difference in the world. (10.53) – What is the best career advice you have ever received? Someone once told Kyle to remember that you have two ears and one mouth. He likes to talk, so has had to learn to pause and really listen. (11.07) – If you were to begin your IT career again, right now, what would you do? Kyle says the only thing he would probably do differently is to skip grad school. Before starting his software engineer career, Kyle was a pastor. A job which led to him spending years studying for a theology masters. Now, he really wishes he had skipped his degree, discovered IT, and switched sooner. (12.22) – What are you currently focusing on in your career? Right now, Kyle is focusing on making a good start at WebFlow. His past couple of jobs were not a good fit for him. But, he already knows the CEO and many members of the Webflow team well, so feels that he is finally in the right place. So, right now, he just wants to get stuck in and do a great job. (13.24) – So, are you planning to continue with your podcast? Kyle is planning to continue putting out a podcast every couple of weeks. (14.00) – What is the number one non-technical skill that has helped you the most in your IT career? Kyle has found that becoming more empathetic has really helped him. Trying to understand how others are feeling and what their needs are helps you to click with them. Over the years, he has realized that the times he has failed usually correlate to when he has been least empathetic. Phil agrees, he has noticed that more people in the IT sector are waking up to the need to be more empathetic. It is a change that is greatly benefiting the industry. (15.50) – Phil asks Kyle to share a final piece of career advice with the audience. Kyle’s advice is to be vigilant about burnout. He suffered through this about a year ago. So, he wants people to be aware of the danger and take better care of themselves and set aside enough time to enjoy a healthy personal life. BEST MOMENTS: (2.40) KYLE – "Be open to opportunity." (4.16) KYLE – "Get more into the habit of taking that risk and saying yes, because that is the only way you're going to grow" (8.33) KYLE – "When you hear quality things about the work you're doing it encourage you to make even more quality work for them" (11.00) KYLE – "I'd studied logic and coding allows me to apply that logic in a very tangible way and make a change in the world" (13.22) KYLE – "Work happiness leads to life happiness, in my case." (15.00) PHIL- “Empathy is something that people need to consider almost daily when they interact with people.” CONTACT KYLE: Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyleshevlin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleshevlin/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleshevlin/

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Sam Julien, a former financial planner turned software engineer. Sam talks about his meandering journey to finance, the personal challenges he overcame to do so, and the great lessons he learned that he still uses today. Links in the episode: Sam's Website - http://www.samjulien.com Upgrading Angular - https://www.upgradingangularjs.com/ Surprises in My Switch to Remote Work - https://auth0.com/blog/surprises-in-my-switch-to-remote-work/

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Aimee Knight, a former figure skater turned full stack software engineer. A story of hard work, pain and sacrifice, Aimee takes us through her development as a figure skater. She shares some great lessons she learned from being an athlete and how they continue to serve her well today. Links in the episode: Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B22o_yeDE_s JS Jabber - https://devchat.tv/js-jabber/ Aimee's Website - http://www.aimeemarieknight.com/

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Chris DeMars, a former truck driver turned web developer. Chris shares lessons learned from a life spent in Detroit, and his passion for web accessibility and speaking at conferences. Links in the episode: Tales from the Script Podcast - http://www.tftscript.com/

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Grant Glidewell, a JavaScript developer for Zesty.io, about his previous career as a substance abuse counselor for teens. Having struggled with substance abuse issues as young person, Grant knew precisely what he wanted to do for work: help others the way he needed help. We learn lessons from Grant about moving forward when the work you love isn't a viable option anymore. Episode Sponsor: Infinite Red - https://infinite.red Infinite Red is a US-based consultancy specializing in React, React Native, mobile applications and web design. Links in the episode: Dan Abramov's Blog Post - Things I Don't Know as of 2018 - https://overreacted.io/things-i-dont-know-as-of-2018/ Codecademy - https://codecademy.com/ freeCodeCamp - https://www.freecodecamp.org/

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Jerome Hardaway, who went from enlisted in the Air Force to self-taught software engineer. He is also the founder of the non-profit Vets Who Code. Jerome shares with us his journey of entering the military, the challenges faced coming back home, and how he overcame the haters to start a successful program teaching others to be developers. Episode Sponsor: Infinite Red - https://infinite.red Infinite Red is a US-based consultancy specializing in React, React Native, mobile applications and web design. Links in the episode: Vets Who Code - https://vetswhocode.io/ General Assembly - https://generalassemb.ly/ Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink - https://amzn.to/2SRsw77

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Mark Noonan, a web developer at Content Thread. Mark shares his story of studying ethnomusicology, working for a touring folk singer, and being a job coach for a non profit helping people with a variety of disabilities. He shares his struggles and victories in making the career change. Stick around after the outro for some interesting added content. Episode Sponsor: Infinite Red This episode is sponsored by Infinite Red, a US based consultancy specializing in React, React Native, mobile applications, and web design. Infinite Red is deeply involved in the React and React Native open source communities, with projects like Ignite and Reactotron. Their team is so good with mobile development that they contribute to the React Native core project and they publish a React Native newsletter with over 10,000 subscribers. Maybe you'll be their next one. If you have a project and need design or engineering help and are looking for an experienced team that can take it all the way from concept to completion, you need to get in touch with Infinite Red at infinite.red. That's right friends, they have a .red top level domain. That's infinite.red. Make sure to mention you heard about them from Second Career Devs. Links mentioned in the episode: Content Thread - https://www.contentthread.com/ Donate to People Making Progress - https://peoplemakingprogressinc.org/donate/ Cork Gamelan Ensemble - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uNHnY7vHhE Code For America - https://www.codeforamerica.org/ Paratransit Pal Article - https://medium.com/paratransit-pal/paratransit-pal-won-40-000-at-at-ts-atlanta-civic-coding-challenge-and-gave-it-all-to-charity-30bba157d92d

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Jamon Holmgren, CTO and co-owner of Infinite Red, a consultancy specializing in React and React Native Apps. Jamon shares his story of going from construction worker and home designer to software engineer and business owner. Hear about how he got the opportunity to design a home for the general manager of the Portland Trailblazers, and how he started landing web development gigs before he had ever even made a website. Building Infinite Red Podcast - https://building.infinite.red/ House Jamon Designed for General Manager of the Portland Trailblazers - https://twitter.com/jamonholmgren/status/1048104464874258433 Gant and Jason Build a Facial Recognition App - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNEDvkKcXf0&feature=youtu.be ProMotion Open Source Library - https://github.com/infinitered/ProMotion

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Michael Chan, a well known conference speaker and web developer in the React community. He shares his story of growing up working in the family business and how that took him from accounting, to music, to web development. He shares some nuggets of wisdom and a great new conference talk idea along the way. Links: Michael's talk at React Rally 2017 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9-Mb_axNgA War of Art by Steven Pressfield - https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/1936891026/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1530546676&sr=8-2 Michael's Talk on React Component Patterns - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaZg8wg39QQ

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Chris Bedowitz about how long lasting passion for technology took him from Wall Street, to the poker table, and eventually into software development. A more seasoned career changer than most, Chris has lots of great advice to share for those who are considering making a change themselves. Links: Brian Holt's Intro to React - https://frontendmasters.com/courses/react/

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Shannon Kendall about the life of being an actress, the challenges she faced, and what prompted her to set her life in a whole new direction. She provides a number of useful insights that could have only been learned by spending time in front of the camera. Shannon on Twitter - https://twitter.com/snkendall_ Shannon on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/snkendall Grace Hopper Academy - https://gracehopper.com

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Joel Griffith, a former jazz trumpeter turned software engineer. Fair warning, you might want a box of tissues for this episode. Joel teaches us some heartfelt, tough lessons you can only learn by going through tragedy and coming out the other side with a new career and a new perspective.

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Madison Kanna, a fashion model turned full stack developer. We discuss her passion for trying new things, the chip on her shoulder that motivated her to change careers, and how she's made the most of her non-traditional background.

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Andrew Cook, a cloud technology consultant for Fortune 500 companies. He shares the insights he gained from years of working as an EMT paramedic. From real triage to dev triage, Cook's story is full of wisdom and lessons you won't want to miss.

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Bobby Johnson, a developer advocate for Auth0 Extend. He shares with us how he went from Tyson Farms to a long career in software development.

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Claire Niederberger, an environmental designer turned "deseloper". She shares her story about building exhibits in New York City and how that impacts her work today.

In this episode of Second Career Devs, I sit down with Sonia Gupta, a former lawyer turned Software Engineer. She shares her story about becoming an attorney, practicing law in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and what motivated her to make a career change. Noteworthy mentions in the episode: Turing School - @turingschool on Twitter Ibotta - @ibottaapp on Twitter

In this episode of Second Career Devs, we sit down with Paul McBride. Paul's first career was in the in the UK's Royal Air Force. He shares his experience with us, some funny stories, some insights he could have only gained through his service.