Learn Fast Adapt and Get a Blog to Share What You Know with Jamie Maguire

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Jamie Maguire. He has a keen interest in web development, code, machine learning, psychology, business, and start-ups. Jamie has been writing code since he was a kid, often typing out magazine code listings and then changing the code to see how they behaved.

He’s currently a Microsoft .NET Senior Developer, a Microsoft AI Most Valuable Professional and a STEM ambassador.

In this episode, Phil and Jamie Maguire discuss how working on a social media API eventually led to his working in AI. Jamie demonstrates that the barrier to entry to the AI field has now all but disappeared and how anyone can now get involved in that field.

Jamie explains how he copes with the frenetic rate of change within the IT industry. They also talk about how a research project led to Twitter, then Microsoft picking up on what he had to offer.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(6.33) TOP CAREER TIP

Find ways to learn fast. Apply what you learn and adapt if you need to. In today’s job market this is essential. There is a lot of disruption tech that means things are now changing really fast.

(7.38) WORST CAREER MOMENT

At one stage in Jamie’s career, he was working in a highly politicised environment, trying to complete his master’s degree, a research project and cope with a serious family situation.

It was awful, but, it taught him that with enough grit and determination, you can get through anything. He also learned the importance of looking after your health and making time for yourself to disconnect, no matter what.

(10.42) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

 Jamie entered the side project he was building into Twitter’s Promote initiative and they liked it. He was invited to the States and asked to demo it. Unfortunately, he did not win, but he did get access to some of their private and beta APIs. In time, what started out as a side project, led to him winning the MVP award in AI.

It taught him the importance of sharing what you know and that putting your work out there is the best way to get noticed.

(14.42) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

AI is definitely hot, right now. It is now much easier to break into the field. Gradually, it is becoming easier for you to just pull what you need off the shelf, for example, through Cognitive Services or IBM Watson.

For very little money you can build a product, document what you are doing and get noticed. When you do that you automatically end up with a great portfolio.

(17.15) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Hacking games for the Spectrum was what ignited Jamie’s passion for coding and all things I.T.

What’s the best career advice you received? – Evolve and adapt quickly.

What’s the worst career advice you received? – Just smash it into production. Terrible advice, you have to test stuff no matter what the time constraints are.

What would you do if you started your career now? – Jamie would start a blog immediately instead of waiting like he did.

What are your current career objectives? – Showing developers how they can integrate AI into what they are doing and finding innovative ways to use AI on big social platforms.

What’s your number one non-technical skill? Being able to take a step back, think about all the moving parts, identify the key components and spot the patterns. Jamie has two other very important skills that he also talks about.

How do you keep your own career energized? – Following other developers on Twitter and seeking out development initiatives. Doing this sparks all kinds of ideas.

What do you do away from technology? – Jamie is very much a family man. He also goes to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and disconnects completely from tech, at least once a month.

(25.43) FINAL CAREER TIP

Get a domain name and use it to share your thoughts and what it is you are doing. Ignore what everyone else is doing and just run your own race, everyone has something to contribute.

BEST MOMENTS

(7.00) – Jamie - “Get comfortable with learning new skills. In today’s job market, it is essential that you do.”

(9.36) – Jamie - “When all hell’s breaking loose, keep a cool head, create your own stability and take care of your health.”

(15.39) – Jamie - “For very little money, anyone can build a product, document what they are doing and get noticed.”

(18.39) – Phil - “Keep your mind open to alternatives, to different ways of thinking about the same problem.”

(28.50) – Jamie - “Get a domain name, share what you are doing and what your thoughts are.”

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 in Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITCareerEnergizer

ABOUT THE GUEST – JAMIE MAGUIRE

Jamie Maguire has a keen interest in web development, code, machine learning, psychology, business, and start-ups.  Jamie has been writing code since he was a kid, often typing out magazine code listings and then changing the code to see how they behaved.

He’s currently a Microsoft .NET Senior Developer, a Microsoft AI Most Valuable Professional and a STEM ambassador.

CONTACT THE GUEST – JAMIE MAGUIRE

Jamie Maguire can be contacted through the following Social Media platforms:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jamie_maguire1

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

Website: http://jamiemaguire.net