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...