Take a Proactive Approach to Your Career and Give Back with Lyndsey Padget

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Lyndsey Padget. Lyndsey is the founder of Longplay Software and a full stack developer, having worked at both mega-corporations and start-ups.  She enjoys sharing her knowledge on topics including git & release management, test-driven development, agile and Kanban, and many more. And she believes that the difference between a good software engineer and a great one often has little to do with code. In this episode, Phil and Lyndsey Padget discuss effective ways to end negative cycles and habits so that you can finally grow your career. They discuss how not being afraid to ask the right questions, at the right stage, enables you to succeed. Lyndsey shares her take on where the biggest breakthroughs in AI are likely to come from. She also talks through the wisdom of being both a mentor and a mentoree.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: (5.30) TOP CAREER TIP When growing your career you need to take act offensively rather than defensively. In the podcast, Lyndsey explains what she means by this using a real-life example and sharing numerous actionable tips with the audience. She explains how to stop wasting time and energy seeking out opportunities. Lyndsey shows you how to go from having to take whatever comes along to finding work that you actually enjoy. Roles that enable you to achieve your goals, instead of leaving you working to help others to achieve their goals.   (9.53) WORST CAREER MOMENT A few years ago, Lyndsey got hired to lead a backend development team. Yet, when she actually started she was told she was leading a frontend team. Two very different things and Lyndsey had not really worked on the frontend before. But, despite this, she was able to make a success of that situation. She explains how she did this and how you can do so too, if necessary, in the podcast.   (15.25) CAREER HIGHLIGHT Speaking at the Norwegian Developers Conference (NDC) in Oslo was a highlight. It was the first time Lyndsey had spoken internationally. Lyndsey explains how to be successful as an international speaker by knowing your audience and adapting what you deliver to better fit in with their cultural experiences.    (20.00) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T Lyndsey is fascinated by the possibilities of AI. For example, getting natural language processing right is already changing the way we communicate. She also shares why she believes that the sex industry could be the source of some of the biggest breakthroughs in AI and the way it is used.    (22.11) THE REVEAL What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – When she was 13 she was invited to join a programme at a local software company. From that moment, she was hooked on IT. What’s the best career advice you received? – A good manager absorbs heat and radiates sunshine. In other words, she needed to protect her team from negativity and be more positive. What’s the worst career advice you received? – Take every speaking engagement you are offered. If you do that you just end up overcommitted and exhausted. What would you do if you started your career now? – Not be afraid to ask questions and seek help. When Lyndsey started out, she made the classic mistake of trying to figure everything out by herself. What are your current career objectives? – Lyndsey is keen to work on larger projects. So, she is currently figuring out how to make that happen. What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Communication. It is the key to everything, listening makes you a better collaborator as well as ensuring you deliver what the client actually needs. How do you keep your own career energized? – Lyndsey rarely spends more than a year doing the same thing. At which point, she likes to pick up the pace and change things up. What do you do away from technology? – Lyndsey is acutely aware of the fact that she needs to use her downtime to recharge. So, she blocks off time to be with her kids, cook, sew and do DIY.   (35.39) FINAL CAREER TIP Become a mentor and a mentoree. The industry does a good job of teaching people to code. But, it is not so good at making sure that newcomers succeed in their new career. Going from being someone who can code to landing and succeeding in your first roles is something a lot of people need help with. The more mentors step forward the better it will be for the industry, as a whole. If you want to continually improve, finding your own mentor will prove very beneficial. Being mentored does not stop you from mentoring others.   BEST MOMENTS (9.32) – Lyndsey - “Get out of planning mode and into doing mode. You have to take action to move your career forward.” (12.06) – Lyndsey - “Nothing good comes of an environment where people are afraid to ask questions.” (24.54) – Lyndsey - “If you are a manager, protect your team from unnecessary negativity and stay positive.” (28.01) – Lyndsey - “Time is money. So, don’t be afraid to ask questions, it will help move things along.” (37.25) – Lyndsey - “You should be both giving and receiving in the mentorship, circle of life”   ABOUT THE HOST – 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.   CONTACT THE HOST – 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 [email protected] and via the podcast’s website, https://itcareerenergizer.com Join the I.T. Career Energizer Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer   ABOUT THE GUEST – Lyndsey Padget Lyndsey Padget is the founder of Longplay Software and a full stack developer, having worked at both mega-corporations and start-ups.  She enjoys sharing her knowledge on topics including git & release management, test-driven development, agile and Kanban, and many more. And she believes that the difference between a good software engineer and a great one often has little to do with code.   CONTACT THE GUEST – Lyndsey Padget Lyndsey Padget can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms: Twitter: https://twitter.com/lyndseypadget LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndseypadget Website: http://www.lyndseypadget.com/