254: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Learn Soft Skills with Chani Simms
06/15/20 • 32 min
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...
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...
Previous Episode
253: Take Responsibility for Your Career and Work on Things You Enjoy with Dan Shappir
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...
Next Episode
255: Share What You Know and Be Willing to Have Your Views Challenged with Bret Fisher
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Bret Fisher. Bret is a freelance DevOps and Docker consultant, Udemy Instructor, trainer, speaker, and Open Source volunteer. He teaches courses on Docker and Container technology and often does live training workshops.
He’s also a volunteer Docker Captain and has been blogging about tech for more than 15 years.
In this episode, Phil and Bret Fisher discuss the importance of holding strong opinions on things that are fact-based. While still listening, with an open mind, to what others have to say on the matter and not being afraid to change your view when appropriate.
They also discuss how to effectively use even short online courses to greatly improve your career prospects. Bret also shares why employers now want to employ people who are willing and able to help others.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(4.43) TOP CAREER TIP
Here Bret talks about the importance of having “strong opinions that are weakly held”. It is important to know why you hold the opinions you do, but you also have to be prepared to discuss other possibilities. Even change your opinions should someone make a strong argument that proves you need to do so.
This approach ensures you become a decisive person who is also able to move with the time and use other people ́s ideas to improve things
(9.36) WORST CAREER MOMENT
Bret ́s worst moment happened when, for a blog he was working on, he forgot to tick the AWS auto-scale box. So, when one of their posts went viral and was number one on the Reddit homepage, the site went down. As a result, they missed out on a ton of traffic. It was fixed within an hour, but it was an awful mistake to make.
In the podcast, Bret explained how he changed the way he works to make sure it could not happen again.
(13.32) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Bret describes what he is doing now as being his career highlight. In particular, being able to reach and help a huge audience through his courses and how that has helped to turn him into a popular public speaker.
In this section, Bret explains how he keeps everything fresh. As well as how he keeps up with the changing needs of his audience.
(17.21) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
Bret and Phil discuss how the implementation of tech automation is changing the job market. As well as how people who work in the IT field can take advantage of this by seeking out and learning new stuff.
Bret also discusses how you can use low-cost training to change direction and boost your career. Sometimes you only have to spend the equivalent of a few days taking a course and implementing what you learn to equip yourself to land a fantastic new job.
(23.26) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Bret always liked computers, so it was a great fit for him.
What’s the best career advice you received? – Share everything you can. Be a fountain of knowledge for your colleagues.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – Go get a college degree to get your promotion.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Bret would still bootstrap and learn everything from the ground up.
What are your current career objectives? – Currently, Bret is focusing on how to use automation, metrics, and infrastructure as code as an effective way to manage change.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being comfortable standing up in front of a group of people and talking about something.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Helping others is what keeps Bret ́s career energized.
What do you do away from technology? – Bret enjoys spending time with his wife cycling, going to the beach, and exploring local eateries.
(28.51) FINAL CAREER TIP
Regardless of where you are on your career path, stop and think about what skills you are going to need. Then address any deficit you find.
Also, do everything you can to help others and share what you know. The people who are willing and able to do this are now seen as important assets by most employers.
BEST MOMENTS
(6.57) – Bret - “Hold strong, fact-based, opinions. But also listen to what others think and be prepared to change your stance, when appropriate.”
(13.19) – Bret - “Learn how to use Q&A processes to prevent human errors from causing problems and improve workflow.”
(17.40) – Bret - “Seek out new stuff. When you do you will always be able to find new opportunities.”
(19.20) – Bret - “Take advantage of training online. It is cheap. Yet, provided you follow through, it can change your career.”
(23.46) – Bret - “Share everything you can. Be a fountain of knowledge for your colleagues.”
(29.51) – Bret - “Your value is now directly tied to how much you can share and help others.”
ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS
Phil Burgess is a...
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