Keep Your Work Life in Perspective and Pair Curiosity with Generosity with Josh Clark

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Josh Clark. He is a UX designer and design leader who helps organisations build products for what’s next.  Josh is the founder of Big Medium, a New York design studio specialising in future-friendly interfaces for artificial intelligence, connected devices and responsive websites.

He is the author of several books and he speaks around the world about what’s next for digital interfaces.

In this episode, Phil and Josh Clark talk about the need to advocate for the end-user as well as meet the needs of the business you are working for. Josh discusses the need to be persistent, but to also recognise when it is time to move on.

They discuss why the next wave of I.T. innovation is going to impact the very fabric of our lives. The culture, and how vital it is for developers to make the right decisions.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(5.38) TOP CAREER TIP

It is important to create a separation between you and your work. You are not your work.

Remembering this helps you to cope if something you have created is not well received. The truth is that success doesn’t make you a better person, nor does failure make you a worse one.

(9.00) WORST CAREER MOMENT

Nearly 20 years ago, Josh created a low-cost CMS system. Around the same time, blog platforms and WordPress began to offer something very similar at no cost.

That was bad enough. But, what was worse was that Josh did not let go of his project and move on. He failed to recognise that there was no longer a need or market for his paid product. As a result, he wasted a lot of time and energy and ended up damaging his sense of self. Sticking with it too long had really held him back.

(13.13) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Josh´s career highlight was landing Time Inc. as his first big client. They liked the fact that, at the pitch stage, he was able to present the team to them. Being a small agency without many employees that worked by pulling together a contractor team that was tailored to each project, enabled him to do this. Time Inc. liked knowing who the team would be and the fact that every person on it had said yes because they specifically wanted to work on their project.

(18.05) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

The focus is now moving away from mobile. Now what we can do with data is more important. Machine learning is going to unleash huge change. But. It is also a risky time for society. It would be easy to get the management of all that data wrong. To a large extent, developers are the gatekeepers.

(22.32) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Josh felt constrained, especially, creatively in his filmmaking role. So, the idea that in I.T. you could create anything really appealed.

What’s the best career advice you received? – Look ahead, but make sure that you also draw satisfaction from what you are working on today.

What’s the worst career advice you received? – Do what you love. If you turn the thing that you love into work, there is a risk that you will sully it.

What would you do if you started your career now? – Josh is not sure where he would start. He would probably focus on honing his research and problem-solving skills, rather than on a specific tech.

What are your current career objectives? – Understanding machine learning as a design material.

What’s your number one non-technical skill? Being an active listener and at ease with working collaboratively.

How do you keep your own career energized? – By exploring the creative process and getting to know what other people are doing.

What do you do away from technology? – Josh loves going to museums. He is also passionate about running. He is the creator of Couch to 5K.

(30.47) FINAL CAREER TIP

Be proud of what you do, but also show humility. Share with others and ask lots of questions. Pairing together curiosity with generosity yields great rewards.

BEST MOMENTS

(2.09) – Josh - “Try to understand what customer needs are as well as what the business needs and find a way to stitch the two together.”

(6.56) – Josh - “Keep things in perspective. Success doesn’t make you a better person, nor does failure make you a worse one.”

(12.31) – Josh - “Failure is, okay, it can be a learning experience. But, fail fast. Don’t cling on too long to a failing project.”

(23.30) – Josh - “You never arrive, every time you meet a goal there is something new that is beyond your reach, for you to strive for”

(27.46) – Josh - “Learn how to collaborate with other people. Active listening is an important part of this.”

(20.48) – Josh - “Remember that software shapes behavior. So, be intentional about the values you put into what you create.”

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 – JOSH CLARK

Josh Clark is a UX designer and design leader who helps organisations build products for what’s next.  Josh is the founder of Big Medium, a New York design studio specialising in future-friendly interfaces for artificial intelligence, connected devices and responsive websites.

He is the author of several books and he speaks around the world about what’s next for digital interfaces.

CONTACT THE GUEST – JOSH CLARK

Josh Clark can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigmediumjosh

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshclark/

Website: https://bigmedium.com/