257: Consider Zigging Instead of Zagging and Set Clear Career Goals with Austin Belcak
07/06/20 • 56 min
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Austin Belcak. He teaches people how to land jobs they love in today’s market without traditional ‘experience’ and without applying online.
His strategies have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc., Fast Company, and USA Today. His clients have landed job offers at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook to name but a few.
In this episode, Phil and Austin Belcak discuss how to land an IT job with a major company even if you do not have traditional experience or qualifications. He explains how to establish a connection, build relationships, and leverage them. They talk about how to demonstrate to your target firm that you have something that they need.
They also discuss how not to fall into the trap of simply following the crowd. As well as looking at how the CoVid crisis is changing the way everyone works and lives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(29.32) TOP CAREER TIP
If you see everybody else recommending something, take a step back and ask if that is truly the best way to do things. Ask yourself why people are doing it that way. Are they getting results? If not, in all likelihood you will be able to come up with a better approach.
Often, being different is a good thing. It can help you to get noticed.
(31.47) WORST CAREER MOMENT
For Austin realizing that graduating from university was not enough to get him a decent job was a bad moment. He ended up in an awful job that paid poorly. Worse, he had a bad boss. Yet, even after applying for hundreds of jobs online, he could not get out of the situation.
In the podcast, he explains, in quite some depth, how he managed to break this negative cycle and find success.
(35.24) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Landing his current job with Microsoft is Austin ́s career highlight. For him, it has been life changing. During this section, he explains why that has been the case and what steps he has taken to ensure that he gets the most out of being in that position.
(39.04) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
The emergence of more flexibility in the workplace is exciting. It opens up all kinds of opportunities. Working from home has many potential benefits for the planet as well as for individuals and companies.
Austin and Phil also talk about how easy it now is to start something on your own.
(42.14) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The fact that working online and in IT offers the best lifestyle.
What’s the best career advice you received? – Only take advice from people who already have what you want.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – Go through the traditional job application process.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Austin would prioritize working on his storytelling and copywriting skills, so he could be a more effective communicator and marketer.
What are your current career objectives? – Doing well at Microsoft and helping as many job seekers as possible.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being a good copywriter, in particular, being able to write a persuasive resume or email.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Austin works on projects and hobbies outside of his work life.
What do you do away from technology? – Austin and his wife make their own hot source and are home brewers too.
(50.00) FINAL CAREER TIP
You need to be clear about what you want to do. It is important to choose one of the things you are interested in and focus on mastering that.
Speak to other people who work in those fields and roles to help you to narrow down your options. Then try Austin’s 30-day pilot method, which he talks about in the podcast.
BEST MOMENTS
(3.40) – Austin - “Step outside of traditional boundaries, get creative, demonstrate what you can do and the value you have to offer.”
(31.30) – Austin - “Consider zigging while everybody else is zagging. Often, it is a better way to get results.”
(0.00) – Austin - “Identify people who are doing the things you want to do and follow them. They have not got to be far ahead of you.”
(42.53) – Austin - “Only take advice from people who already have what you want.”
(50.00) – Austin - “The first step in anything is getting clear about where you want to go. You need to focus on one thing at a time.”
(52.43) – Austin - “Dip into something for 30 days. Take some courses, do a project. If you don ́t like it, just move on.”
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...
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Austin Belcak. He teaches people how to land jobs they love in today’s market without traditional ‘experience’ and without applying online.
His strategies have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc., Fast Company, and USA Today. His clients have landed job offers at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook to name but a few.
In this episode, Phil and Austin Belcak discuss how to land an IT job with a major company even if you do not have traditional experience or qualifications. He explains how to establish a connection, build relationships, and leverage them. They talk about how to demonstrate to your target firm that you have something that they need.
They also discuss how not to fall into the trap of simply following the crowd. As well as looking at how the CoVid crisis is changing the way everyone works and lives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(29.32) TOP CAREER TIP
If you see everybody else recommending something, take a step back and ask if that is truly the best way to do things. Ask yourself why people are doing it that way. Are they getting results? If not, in all likelihood you will be able to come up with a better approach.
Often, being different is a good thing. It can help you to get noticed.
(31.47) WORST CAREER MOMENT
For Austin realizing that graduating from university was not enough to get him a decent job was a bad moment. He ended up in an awful job that paid poorly. Worse, he had a bad boss. Yet, even after applying for hundreds of jobs online, he could not get out of the situation.
In the podcast, he explains, in quite some depth, how he managed to break this negative cycle and find success.
(35.24) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Landing his current job with Microsoft is Austin ́s career highlight. For him, it has been life changing. During this section, he explains why that has been the case and what steps he has taken to ensure that he gets the most out of being in that position.
(39.04) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
The emergence of more flexibility in the workplace is exciting. It opens up all kinds of opportunities. Working from home has many potential benefits for the planet as well as for individuals and companies.
Austin and Phil also talk about how easy it now is to start something on your own.
(42.14) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – The fact that working online and in IT offers the best lifestyle.
What’s the best career advice you received? – Only take advice from people who already have what you want.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – Go through the traditional job application process.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Austin would prioritize working on his storytelling and copywriting skills, so he could be a more effective communicator and marketer.
What are your current career objectives? – Doing well at Microsoft and helping as many job seekers as possible.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Being a good copywriter, in particular, being able to write a persuasive resume or email.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Austin works on projects and hobbies outside of his work life.
What do you do away from technology? – Austin and his wife make their own hot source and are home brewers too.
(50.00) FINAL CAREER TIP
You need to be clear about what you want to do. It is important to choose one of the things you are interested in and focus on mastering that.
Speak to other people who work in those fields and roles to help you to narrow down your options. Then try Austin’s 30-day pilot method, which he talks about in the podcast.
BEST MOMENTS
(3.40) – Austin - “Step outside of traditional boundaries, get creative, demonstrate what you can do and the value you have to offer.”
(31.30) – Austin - “Consider zigging while everybody else is zagging. Often, it is a better way to get results.”
(0.00) – Austin - “Identify people who are doing the things you want to do and follow them. They have not got to be far ahead of you.”
(42.53) – Austin - “Only take advice from people who already have what you want.”
(50.00) – Austin - “The first step in anything is getting clear about where you want to go. You need to focus on one thing at a time.”
(52.43) – Austin - “Dip into something for 30 days. Take some courses, do a project. If you don ́t like it, just move on.”
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...
Previous Episode
256: How to Make the Best Career Decisions and Work on Impactful Projects with Nyari Samushonga
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Nyari Samushonga. Nyari is the Chief Executive Officer of WeThinkCode_ where her primary responsibility is to gear the organization up for growth. She also co-founded FoldLeft, a digital consultancy that uses hypothesis-driven models to design and deliver impactful software solutions.
Her expertise lies in bridging the divide between business executives and tech innovators to maximize the value of software.
In this episode, Phil and Nyari Samushonga discuss the best way to make complex decisions, especially those that relate to your career. They also talk about how to successfully handle the politics that exists in most workplaces.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(4.55) TOP CAREER TIP
Get good at making decisions. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the many different things that could happen as a result of your decision. You need to learn how to understand and make sense of all of that complexity. During the podcast, Nyari shares 4 important questions you need to ask yourself when making decisions that will help you to do that.
(5.53) WORST CAREER MOMENT
Some time ago Nyari found herself working on a project that had big issues. She realized there was no way what had been promised to the client could be delivered. So, she spoke up. When she did, everything she was doing was called into question and she was frozen out.
For her, it was an awful time. In the podcast, she explains what she did about the situation and how she managed to come out the other side of it.
(11.23) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Finding effective ways to enable someone who has been struggling to learn how to code to breakthrough and finally succeed has been a career highlight for Nyari.
(13.25) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
It no longer matters what business you are in, you need IT. A fact that makes this a great time to be working in the industry. The opportunities are endless.
It also means you can find work in any industry that interests you. Whether you enjoy finance, architecture, teaching, or agriculture you can work on transformative IT projects that are relevant to that field. Better still it does not matter where in the world you are based.
(15.22) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Nyari wanted to create things and make a real difference in the world.
What’s the best career advice you received? – Learn to let go. Stop worrying about how the world perceives you and just try things. If you fail, let go and move onto the next thing.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – Don’t be so argumentative. Nyari thinks it is important to be authentic and open, which sometimes ruffles feathers.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Nyari would have started coding at an earlier stage in her career.
What are your current career objectives? – Right now, Nyari is focusing on scaling WeThinkCode and ensuring gender parity within the company.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Her accounting skills. They have enabled her to drill down and look at the bottom line to make sure there is a good reason behind everything her company does.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Nyari finds that constantly reinventing herself keeps her career energized.
What do you do away from technology? – Nyari enjoys road cycling, especially when she does a 100k ride and really pushes herself.
(23.59) FINAL CAREER TIP
Focus on being impactful. You want everything you do to count and make a difference. To succeed at doing that you need to be clear about what you are trying to achieve and only opt to work on those projects where you can have a positive impact.
BEST MOMENTS
(5.29) – Nyari - “Don ́t take decisions for granted. Make sure you are aware of what you are giving up and what you are gaining,”
(9.19) – Nyari - “Even when you strongly disagree with something, display empathy. It helps to keep the communication channels open.”
(14.11) – Nyari - “Take advantage of the fact that working in tech means that you can reinvent yourself more times than Madonna.”
(16.46) – Nyari - “If you fail, let go of that moment, then reach out and start something new.”
(26.03) – Nyari - “Focus on being impactful. Think about what you want to achieve, then work out how to succeed at making that change.”
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 ...
Next Episode
258: Refocus Regularly to Stay Relevant and Shoot for the Top with Joe Carson
Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Joe Carson. Joe is a cybersecurity professional with over 25 years’ experience in Enterprise Security & Infrastructure. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, an active member of the Cyber Security Community, and a frequent speaker at Cyber Security events around the world.
He is currently the Chief Security Scientist at Thycotic.
In this episode, Phil and Joe Carson discuss how to keep your skills fresh and relevant. Joe explains that it is not just about learning new languages. He shares how he uses physical experiences to help him to identify the right way to approach projects.
Joe also identifies several areas of technology that are set to take off, in the near future. They also discuss how to get started in the cybersecurity field.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
(5.38) TOP CAREER TIP
Never stop learning. Being a continuous learner ensures you do this and keep moving. It is now normal to have to switch roles and tech every five years or so. Knowing when to let go of a technology you love and move onto other things is important.
Joe explains how he works out what the trends are and stays ahead of the curve. As you will see from the podcast, that does not always mean learning a new programming language.
(11.26) WORST CAREER MOMENT
In 1999, Joe was working on the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service system, which is clearly a critical system. Naturally, around that time they were preparing for the year2K switchover. So, they had to take the system down completely and restart it from scratch.
When they did, the screen was blank. A truly awful, heart-stopping moment. In the podcast, Joe shares the strange reason behind that situation.
(15.39) CAREER HIGHLIGHT
In the early days of TEDX, Joe was asked to speak. He enjoyed the experience. But the highlight came after he had given his speech and sat back down.
At that point, he looked at the list of people were speaking with him and was blown away when he realized that he was in the company of people who had achieved amazing things. Olympians and quite literally rocket scientists. Until that moment, he had not really appreciated how far he had come and what he had achieved.
(18.23) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T
Joe is excited by the pace of change. Provided we embrace things like AI, with responsibility, he believes that our lives will improve in unimaginable ways.
The other thing that Joe talks about is the way in which humans interact with technology is changing. We will soon be using our brains rather than our fingers or voice to interface with all kinds of devices. So, right now the fascinating areas of data, cognitive, and neuroscience are especially hot.
(22.59) THE REVEAL
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Joe ́s love of gaming is what ultimately lead him to a career in IT.
What’s the best career advice you received? – Don ́t be a perfectionist.
What’s the worst career advice you received? – You need to be prepared to relocate to be successful.
What would you do if you started your career now? – Joe says he would not want to change much.
What are your current career objectives? – Learning more about RFID, radio frequencies, and IoT.
What’s your number one non-technical skill? – The ability to simplify things and explain complex things to practically anyone.
How do you keep your own career energized? – Joe is always trying new things, which keeps his career energized.
What do you do away from technology? – Joe enjoys photography, scuba diving, and travel.
(30.27) FINAL CAREER TIP
Shoot for the top. You do not necessarily have to take baby steps to get to your ultimate goal. Often, you can take a big leap and get there far faster than you think is possible.
BEST MOMENTS
(6.03) – Joe- “Keep moving forward and motivated. Embrace new ideas and never think it is too late to learn something fresh.”
(8.11) – Joe- “When creating something new, fully understand what you are trying to achieve by studying how it has to work in the physical world.”
(11.03) – Joe- “Dedicate blocks of time to something specific. This is the best way to deepen your understanding.”
(22.01) – Joe- “How we interface with technology is going to change drastically. So, that is a big growth area.”
(23.48) – Joe- “Don't try to be a perfectionist and don't be afraid to share and ask for advice.”
(31.46) – Joe- “Bypass all those small steps. Focus on your big goal, and just go for it.”
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 ...
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