Second Career Devs
20 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsSecond Career Devs is a podcast that shares the stories of developers and software engineers who got there after spending time in a previous career (or two). Each guest shares their insights that could only be gained by following a path less traveled.
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Episodes
019 - Ryan Hamblin - Career Camp Counselor to Software Engineer
May 15, 2019 15:03 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Ryan Hamblin, a former exercise science and outdoor recreation manager who became a software engineer and is now the Web Program Manager at Lambda School. Ryan shares lessons about being responsible, gritty, and persistent in pursuit of changing your career. We also talk about the great work Lambda School is doing to enable people to make the same career change. Links in the episode: Lambda School - https://lambdaschool.com A Visual Represen...
018 - Kurt Kemple - From Felon To Full Stack Software Engineer
April 22, 2019 15:49 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Kurt Kemple, a former felon turned full stack software engineer. Kurt shares the events that landed him in prison and the changes he made to become the success he is today. He shares some hard lessons learned during his incarceration and how they continue to serve him now and into the future. Links in the episode: I'm an impostor - https://medium.com/@kurtiskemple/im-an-imposter-832418db8a45
017 - Sam Julien - From Financial Planning To Content Engineering
April 02, 2019 04:57 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Sam Julien, a former financial planner turned software engineer. Sam talks about his meandering journey to finance, the personal challenges he overcame to do so, and the great lessons he learned that he still uses today. Links in the episode: Sam's Website - http://www.samjulien.com Upgrading Angular - https://www.upgradingangularjs.com/ Surprises in My Switch to Remote Work - https://auth0.com/blog/surprises-in-my-switch-to-remote-work/
016 - Aimee Knight - From Figure Skater to Full Stack Developer
March 14, 2019 03:51 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Aimee Knight, a former figure skater turned full stack software engineer. A story of hard work, pain and sacrifice, Aimee takes us through her development as a figure skater. She shares some great lessons she learned from being an athlete and how they continue to serve her well today. Links in the episode: Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B22o_yeDE_s JS Jabber - https://devchat.tv/js-jabber/ Aimee's W...
015 - Chris Demars - Truck Driver Turned Web Developer
February 25, 2019 16:28 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Chris DeMars, a former truck driver turned web developer. Chris shares lessons learned from a life spent in Detroit, and his passion for web accessibility and speaking at conferences. Links in the episode: Tales from the Script Podcast - http://www.tftscript.com/
014 - Grant Glidewell - Substance Abuse Counselor To Web Developer
February 07, 2019 02:48 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Grant Glidewell, a JavaScript developer for Zesty.io, about his previous career as a substance abuse counselor for teens. Having struggled with substance abuse issues as young person, Grant knew precisely what he wanted to do for work: help others the way he needed help. We learn lessons from Grant about moving forward when the work you love isn't a viable option anymore. Episode Sponsor: Infinite Red - https://infinite.red Infinite Red is a...
013 - Jerome Hardaway - Air Force to Web Development's Captain America
January 15, 2019 21:30 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Jerome Hardaway, who went from enlisted in the Air Force to self-taught software engineer. He is also the founder of the non-profit Vets Who Code. Jerome shares with us his journey of entering the military, the challenges faced coming back home, and how he overcame the haters to start a successful program teaching others to be developers. Episode Sponsor: Infinite Red - https://infinite.red Infinite Red is a US-based consultancy specializing ...
012 - Mark Noonan - Ethnomusicology And Job Coach To Web Dev
January 03, 2019 18:15 - 1 hour - 56 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Mark Noonan, a web developer at Content Thread. Mark shares his story of studying ethnomusicology, working for a touring folk singer, and being a job coach for a non profit helping people with a variety of disabilities. He shares his struggles and victories in making the career change. Stick around after the outro for some interesting added content. Episode Sponsor: Infinite Red This episode is sponsored by Infinite Red, a US based consulta...
011 - Jamon Holmgren - Construction Worker, Home Designer to Software Engineer and Business Owner
December 03, 2018 05:13 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Jamon Holmgren, CTO and co-owner of Infinite Red, a consultancy specializing in React and React Native Apps. Jamon shares his story of going from construction worker and home designer to software engineer and business owner. Hear about how he got the opportunity to design a home for the general manager of the Portland Trailblazers, and how he started landing web development gigs before he had ever even made a website. Building Infinite Red P...
010 - Michael Chan - Family Business Accountant To Web Dev
July 02, 2018 16:04 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Michael Chan, a well known conference speaker and web developer in the React community. He shares his story of growing up working in the family business and how that took him from accounting, to music, to web development. He shares some nuggets of wisdom and a great new conference talk idea along the way. Links: Michael's talk at React Rally 2017 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9-Mb_axNgA War of Art by Steven Pressfield - https://www.ama...
Bonus Episode - Meetup Talk On Being a Second Career Dev
June 12, 2018 05:24 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBHey everyone! This week's episode is a bonus episode. I was recently invited to speak at a local meetup called pdxflit (PDX Future Leaders In Tech). The theme of the night was "Tech Career Starter Pack" and I gave a talk on being a Second Career Dev. I think I manage to cohesively interweave my past careers with a little bit of quantum physics to give a good mental model for pursuing your new career. I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed giving the talk. @pdxflit - https://twitte...
009 - Chris Bedowitz - Wall Street to Poker Table to Dev Laptop
May 26, 2018 18:09 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Chris Bedowitz about how long lasting passion for technology took him from Wall Street, to the poker table, and eventually into software development. A more seasoned career changer than most, Chris has lots of great advice to share for those who are considering making a change themselves. Links: Brian Holt's Intro to React - https://frontendmasters.com/courses/react/
008 - Shannon Kendall - Film Actress To JavaScript Dev
May 07, 2018 05:12 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Shannon Kendall about the life of being an actress, the challenges she faced, and what prompted her to set her life in a whole new direction. She provides a number of useful insights that could have only been learned by spending time in front of the camera. Shannon on Twitter - https://twitter.com/snkendall_ Shannon on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/snkendall Grace Hopper Academy - https://gracehopper.com
007 - Joel Griffith - From Jazz Trumpet To Software Engineer
March 26, 2018 06:31 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Joel Griffith, a former jazz trumpeter turned software engineer. Fair warning, you might want a box of tissues for this episode. Joel teaches us some heartfelt, tough lessons you can only learn by going through tragedy and coming out the other side with a new career and a new perspective.
006 - Madison Kanna - Fashion Model To Full Stack Dev
February 13, 2018 20:46 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Madison Kanna, a fashion model turned full stack developer. We discuss her passion for trying new things, the chip on her shoulder that motivated her to change careers, and how she's made the most of her non-traditional background.
005 - Andrew Cook - EMT To Cloud Consultant
January 20, 2018 06:54 - 41 minutes - 38 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Andrew Cook, a cloud technology consultant for Fortune 500 companies. He shares the insights he gained from years of working as an EMT paramedic. From real triage to dev triage, Cook's story is full of wisdom and lessons you won't want to miss.
004 - Bobby Johnson - Tyson Farms To Auth0
January 12, 2018 15:36 - 42 minutes - 39 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Bobby Johnson, a developer advocate for Auth0 Extend. He shares with us how he went from Tyson Farms to a long career in software development.
003 - Claire Niederberger - The Environmental Designer
December 22, 2017 06:14 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I chat with Claire Niederberger, an environmental designer turned "deseloper". She shares her story about building exhibits in New York City and how that impacts her work today.
002 - Sonia Gupta - The Louisiana Lawyer
December 03, 2017 19:24 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, I sit down with Sonia Gupta, a former lawyer turned Software Engineer. She shares her story about becoming an attorney, practicing law in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and what motivated her to make a career change. Noteworthy mentions in the episode: Turing School - @turingschool on Twitter Ibotta - @ibottaapp on Twitter
001 - Paul McBride And The Royal Air Force
November 24, 2017 19:25 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBIn this episode of Second Career Devs, we sit down with Paul McBride. Paul's first career was in the in the UK's Royal Air Force. He shares his experience with us, some funny stories, some insights he could have only gained through his service.