253: Take Responsibility for Your Career and Work on Things You Enjoy with Dan Shappir
06/08/20 • 27 min
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Dan Shappir. He has been involved in software development for more than 25 years, having worked in a variety of different roles including engineer, team lead, architect, and chief technical officer. Dan is currently the performance tech lead at Wix.com where he focuses on making their 100 million hosted websites load and execute faster.
He is also an international speaker as well as a panelist on the JavaScript Jabber podcast.
In this episode, Phil and Dan Shappir discuss the importance of being in control of your career. As well as how to change things if you are on the wrong path.
Dan also explains why he thinks his biggest career highlights are still ahead of him and where today ́s emerging technologies are likely to take us. He also shares why he is more interested in hiring problem-solvers rather than just people who are familiar with a specific technology.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(5.25) TOP CAREER TIP
It is up to you to determine the meaning of your own success. Always choose the career path that makes sense for you. We all tend to listen too much to what others think. For example, so many people have switched to management and ended up being extremely unhappy because their role is no longer creative enough for them.
If you feel like you are on the wrong path, don ́t hesitate to make a change. It is all too easy to wait too long to do that.
(9.22) WORST CAREER MOMENT
In one of his former roles Dan ended up working with a CEO he could not see eye-to-eye with. Things got so bad that he did not even want to go to work.
At the time, he held a very senior position. So, leaving almost inevitably meant taking a step down. Fortunately, his wife was supportive, and he was brave enough to do exactly that. In the end, it turned out to be a good move for him. One that actually gave his career a boost.
(12.32) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Dan has had quite a few career highlights. Working on products that millions of people use is something he has particularly enjoyed.
He also enjoyed working for a small startup that ended up being listed on the NASDAQ by the time he left. In the podcast, he shares details of several more career highlights.
(14.44) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
The fact that every project you work on is to a large extent unique and different is not likely to change in the future. So, a career in I.T. will always be an interesting and fulfilling one.
(16.17) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Dan got into computers at a young age. Almost from the start, he wanted to create, rather than play video games so an IT career was a natural fit.
What’s the best career advice you received? – One great developer is worth any number of mediocre developers. That advice is what pushed Dan to be the best.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – Just shut up and do what you are told.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Dan would still be a programmer but would probably not do his master’s degree in software again.
What are your current career objectives? – Dan is currently working on enhancing his personal brand. In the podcast, he explains how he is doing that.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being interested in what others are doing and having the ability to genuinely connect with them.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Dan makes sure that he is always working on things he enjoys and takes an active rather than a passive role whenever he can do so.
What do you do away from technology? – Dan and his wife enjoy traveling when they are not doing things with their children. They like live music too.
(25.11) FINAL CAREER TIP
Enjoy what you are doing. Your job is a big part of your life, so make sure that you like your job. If you don ́t, take action and find something that you do enjoy.
BEST MOMENTS
(5.46) – Dan - “It is up to you to determine the meaning of your own success. Always choose the career path that makes sense for you.”
(12.14) – Dan - “If you are not enjoying the place where you ́re at, don ́t hesitate, make a change.”
(17.40) – Dan - “The key to success is to get the best people that you can to work for the company that you ́re at.”
(23.00) – Dan - “Try to work with people you have never worked with before. It is a great way to learn new things.”
(25.25) – Dan - “If you are not enjoying your work, change what you do. Life ́s too short not to do so.”
ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS
Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations 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...
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Dan Shappir. He has been involved in software development for more than 25 years, having worked in a variety of different roles including engineer, team lead, architect, and chief technical officer. Dan is currently the performance tech lead at Wix.com where he focuses on making their 100 million hosted websites load and execute faster.
He is also an international speaker as well as a panelist on the JavaScript Jabber podcast.
In this episode, Phil and Dan Shappir discuss the importance of being in control of your career. As well as how to change things if you are on the wrong path.
Dan also explains why he thinks his biggest career highlights are still ahead of him and where today ́s emerging technologies are likely to take us. He also shares why he is more interested in hiring problem-solvers rather than just people who are familiar with a specific technology.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(5.25) TOP CAREER TIP
It is up to you to determine the meaning of your own success. Always choose the career path that makes sense for you. We all tend to listen too much to what others think. For example, so many people have switched to management and ended up being extremely unhappy because their role is no longer creative enough for them.
If you feel like you are on the wrong path, don ́t hesitate to make a change. It is all too easy to wait too long to do that.
(9.22) WORST CAREER MOMENT
In one of his former roles Dan ended up working with a CEO he could not see eye-to-eye with. Things got so bad that he did not even want to go to work.
At the time, he held a very senior position. So, leaving almost inevitably meant taking a step down. Fortunately, his wife was supportive, and he was brave enough to do exactly that. In the end, it turned out to be a good move for him. One that actually gave his career a boost.
(12.32) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Dan has had quite a few career highlights. Working on products that millions of people use is something he has particularly enjoyed.
He also enjoyed working for a small startup that ended up being listed on the NASDAQ by the time he left. In the podcast, he shares details of several more career highlights.
(14.44) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
The fact that every project you work on is to a large extent unique and different is not likely to change in the future. So, a career in I.T. will always be an interesting and fulfilling one.
(16.17) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Dan got into computers at a young age. Almost from the start, he wanted to create, rather than play video games so an IT career was a natural fit.
What’s the best career advice you received? – One great developer is worth any number of mediocre developers. That advice is what pushed Dan to be the best.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – Just shut up and do what you are told.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Dan would still be a programmer but would probably not do his master’s degree in software again.
What are your current career objectives? – Dan is currently working on enhancing his personal brand. In the podcast, he explains how he is doing that.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being interested in what others are doing and having the ability to genuinely connect with them.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Dan makes sure that he is always working on things he enjoys and takes an active rather than a passive role whenever he can do so.
What do you do away from technology? – Dan and his wife enjoy traveling when they are not doing things with their children. They like live music too.
(25.11) FINAL CAREER TIP
Enjoy what you are doing. Your job is a big part of your life, so make sure that you like your job. If you don ́t, take action and find something that you do enjoy.
BEST MOMENTS
(5.46) – Dan - “It is up to you to determine the meaning of your own success. Always choose the career path that makes sense for you.”
(12.14) – Dan - “If you are not enjoying the place where you ́re at, don ́t hesitate, make a change.”
(17.40) – Dan - “The key to success is to get the best people that you can to work for the company that you ́re at.”
(23.00) – Dan - “Try to work with people you have never worked with before. It is a great way to learn new things.”
(25.25) – Dan - “If you are not enjoying your work, change what you do. Life ́s too short not to do so.”
ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS
Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations 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...
Previous Episode
252: Use Informal Mentors and Be as Hands-on as Possible with Krista Seiden
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Krista Seiden. She is an experienced leader in the digital analytics industry. She has led analytics and optimization at companies such as Adobe, The Apollo Group, and Google.
She is also a frequent conference speaker as well as a winner of ‘Digital Analytics Rising Star’ in 2014 and ‘Practitioner of the Year’ in 2015.
In this episode, Phil and Krista Seiden discuss how she got into digital analytics and how she used informal mentors and social media to learn and network. She also explains how volunteering has helped her to gain new skills and she shares her thoughts on the future of IT.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(3.35) TOP CAREER TIP
Use informal mentors. From the start of her career, Krista has been doing exactly that. When she saw something that interested her on social media, she would reach out to learn more. It proved to be an effective way of making connections. When she finally met them in person, after following them and reading what they had to say, she always had plenty to talk about with them.
(4.47) WORST CAREER MOMENT
When Krista ́s team came up with a way to increase the number of people signing up for a free trial by 20%. As was customary at Google, Krista sent out an email letting everyone know.
Unfortunately, it turned out that a significant percentage of the free trial conversions were from the Philippines. Most of which never became paid customers. However, their idea was still a good one, just not as effective as they had first thought. But it was still quite an embarrassing situation. Now, Krista always digs deeper into the numbers before sharing anything.
(8.20) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
After only 3 months at Google, Krista came up with a simple homepage that converted better than anything else. That in itself was an achievement. Better still, the stats for her idea even reached the inbox of Google ́s co-founder Larry Page. Over time, her approach was widely shared and used.
(12.09) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
The fact that new ways of doing things are emerging all of the time means that the possibilities are endless. Better still, it is relatively easy to learn and take advantage of these new technologies.
(13.20) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Krista was attracted to an IT career by the fact that you could nerd out and create something useful, fresh, and new.
What’s the best career advice you received? – You need to write more.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – You need to change who you are to fit in better.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Krista says she would probably major in business and minor in computer science instead of the other way around.
What are your current career objectives? – Krista is focused on growing and scaling her own analytics business.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Public speaking.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Krista always finds attending the SUPERWEEK analytics conference in Hungary to be energizing for her career. It is a great way to connect with others in the industry.
What do you do away from technology? – Krista enjoys spending time with her husband working on their home and looking after their new puppy.
(20.39) FINAL CAREER TIP
Get hands-on. The more you do the faster you learn. Volunteering is a great way to gain more experience and end up working on a variety of projects.
BEST MOMENTS
(3.30) – Krista - “Find informal mentors from your sector. People you can connect with and learn from.”
(14.25) – Krista - “Write more and write often enough for people to get to know you and your work.”
(15.49) – Krista - “Don ́t change who you are and how you are doing things, simply to fit someone else ́s idea of what you should be saying and doing.”
(17.59) – Krista - “Don ́t be afraid of public speaking. When you put yourself out there you benefit greatly from the I.T. ecosystem.”
(20.39) – Krista - “You learn more by doing. So, get hands-on. Try volunteering, it is a good way to work on a variety of projects.”
ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS
Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations 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
Next Episode
254: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Learn Soft Skills with Chani Simms
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Chani Simms. She is an award-winning cybersecurity leader and keynote speaker with more than 17 years’ experience in the IT industry. Chani is an advisor and a specialist in helping organizations to understand, implement, and manage information security and privacy requirements.
She is also the founder of the SHe CISO Exec. Global platform.
In this episode, Phil and Chani Simms discuss how to ensure that you are always learning and why being dropped in the deep end is often a good thing. They also talk about workplace bullying and what to do about it.
Chani explains how being afraid to fail holds most people back and how to overcome that fear.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(9.13) TOP CAREER TIP
Try to push yourself out of your comfort zone all the time. It is the only way to ensure you are always learning new things
(11.34) WORST CAREER MOMENT
At one stage, Chani was bullied in the workplace by her program director. It had never happened to her before, so she did not know how to react. She was afraid of the consequences of standing up for herself, so she finished the project.
In the podcast, Chani explains what happened next. She also shares some advice about what to do should you find yourself in a similar position.
(15.46) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Founding Meta Defence Labs with her friends and colleagues is Chani ́s career highlight, to date. They set up the company because they realized that for every project security came last, which meant that they were never able to do things properly. Setting up their own company enabled them to work the way they wanted and do things the right way.
For Chani, that experience was a springboard into what she is currently doing. In the podcast, Chani shares more of her entrepreneurial journey and how she ended up providing training for others.
(18.52) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
The industry is changing faster than ever before, which is something that Chani expects to continue. Chani enjoys training people so that they can keep up and continue to succeed within the industry.
(19.55) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Chani knew that she did not want to be a lawyer, accountant, or doctor. So, for her, a career in I.T was a great way to avoid having to take one of those jobs.
What’s the best career advice you received? – If you are not sure about something, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – Over the years, people have advised Chani not to try things because they thought she was going to fail. Most of the time they have been wrong.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Chani would spend a bigger percentage of her time learning soft skills instead of just focusing on tech skills.
What are your current career objectives? – Right now, Chani is focusing on security research and hacking.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being able to communicate well using multiple formats.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Staying super busy and having lots of projects on the go keeps Chani energized.
What do you do away from technology? – Chani enjoys spending time with her family and cooking. She also likes swimming and snorkeling.
(30.21) FINAL CAREER TIP
Don’t stand still. If you stay in a single position for too long you will end up stagnating. Keep challenging yourself and be sure to learn some soft skills as well as new technologies.
BEST MOMENTS
(8.47) – Chani - “Be creative and try new things. Even when you make mistakes you will still learn.”
(14.35) – Chani - “If you have a workplace issue that cannot be resolved, move on. Your sanity is more important than a big salary.”
(24.45) – Chani - “Learn soft skills. You will need them regardless of what technologies you end up learning and using.”
(30.22) – Chani - “If you are stuck in one job for many years, you're not progressing. Change jobs regularly to learn new skills.”
ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS
Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations 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/ph...
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