1 00:00:11,380 --> 00:00:16,320 >> Hello, everyone and welcome back to the  platypus theater at PyCon. I hope you had   2 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:24,480 a roaring time during the lunch break. We have  Brianna Laugher who is talking about "So You’re   3 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:30,320 a Software Developer, Now What? Exploring  Career Growth". She is a test lead of a team   4 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:39,440 of 10 and a previous software engineer at planet  Innovation. She is a pytest enthusiast. She helped   5 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:50,240 and organized pyladies Melbourne. Take it away. >> Ah!   6 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,720 "So You’re a Software Developer,  Now What? Exploring Career Growth".   7 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:10,240 Hi, everyone. I am Brianna. Thanks for tuning in.  Ge I have a Google Doc with links and resources.   8 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:17,440 If you are part of the PyCon audience head  there and I will put the link in the chat.   9 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,840 Have you ever had a meeting with our  manager where you felt like this?   10 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:32,000 Where you know things are going OK at the moment  but you have no idea what to say about the future?   11 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,840 Maybe where you want to be promoted  but you are not sure what it involves   12 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,880 or maybe thinking about your  career makes you feel lost.   13 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,520 Programming is fine but  doesn't thrill you that much.   14 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,760 Sometimes it such a struggle to get into  this industry, to find a job that we like,   15 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,680 that we forget to think about what  happens after that first step.   16 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,160 I want to give you lots of ideas for how to think  about and talk about where your career can go   17 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,720 so this time next year you  have a more fulfilling career.   18 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:17,760 I have been working as a software developer for a  few years. I feel lucky I have had the chance to   19 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:22,880 work in Python for most of those years. This  is my sixth presentation at PyCon Australia.   20 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:28,320 I have worked in small business, government as a  contractor and I have been at planet Innovation   21 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:36,560 for the last five years which is a design company  for medical devices and IOT. It is basically an   22 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:43,520 engineering consulting environment. Five  years ago when I started at Planet Innovation,   23 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:49,840 I had these same questions and doubts. OK. I  think I am a decent programmer. What's next?   24 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:56,400 Or should or could be next? I know that that can  be a scary conversation to have with your boss.   25 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:04,080 And now, working as a manager, I am on the  other side of the table. One of the things   26 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:09,920 I most want to know is what can I do that will  help you feel motivated and fulfilled at work?   27 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,480 If people in my team come to me with  ideas and questions about their future   28 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,840 it is just about my favorite thing in the world.   29 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,000 In this section, I want to talk about  career growth rather than progression.   30 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:29,440 Getting a promotion or more senior title  is definitely part of the story but there   31 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,920 are other parts as well. I want to talk  about a concept called product market fit   32 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:40,160 and how you can apply this idea to thinking about  your career. A big part of that is figuring out   33 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:45,840 what interests or suits you and I will share  a couple strategies to help figure that out.   34 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,040 I am going to focus on the company  where you are flight. -- right now.   35 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:59,120 One is you have great Intel and access  to it. You know the teams, the tech,   36 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:05,440 the people, and the office politics. Two,  you are a trusted and known quantity.   37 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:12,640 It is a lot easier to make a leap or left turn  under those conditions. We can apply this process   38 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:17,600 to a hypothetical new employee or the industry  at large but it will require a bit more work.   39 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,680 If you are in a toxic or dysfunctional  workplace than this doesn't apply.   40 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,720 It is really worth trying to improve conditions   41 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:31,200 from the bottom up and your best bet is  self-preservation by finding a new job.   42 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,080 Before we get into it, I want to get  some misconceptions out of the way.   43 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:44,400 So we are thinking about our career with the right  frame of mind, it is super easy to talk ourselves   44 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:50,400 out of doing career planning. It is extra work  and it might involve some difficult conversations.   45 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:57,600 Give me a chance to convince you that it  is worth doing. I have used these emojis   46 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:05,760 to clarify the helpful and unhelpful framing. If  you like, you can think of them as the Drake meme.   47 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,440 First up, my career growth  is my boss' responsibility.   48 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:21,200 Nope. Your boss can obviously influence your  career, help, hender but they can only help   49 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:28,640 if you set the direction. -- hinder. My friend  Javier described this as when you have a job   50 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:34,880 you have two jobs. One is the obligation  you have to the company and the work they   51 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:40,880 ask you to do and the other is the obligation for  yourself for your personal fulfillment or career.   52 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:49,680 Chris Cent says I write my own development  plan. I learned quickly if it was left to   53 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:56,480 someone else it wouldn't happen or it wouldn't be  relevant. On occasion, I can get my company's plan   54 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:06,240 and my own to overlap. That's the sweet spot.  That's the definition of fulfilling work.   55 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,000 Second up is the idea that  careers are for ambitious people.   56 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:17,680 Now maybe you think I don't need to talk about  my career. I am not planning to be the next   57 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:23,680 Steve Jobs. I don't want to work 80-hour weeks.  I just want to do my work, take a nice paycheck,   58 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:32,640 live my life. If that's you then good on you. I  fully respect not centering your life around work.   59 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:39,120 But I just want to ask is there any chance that  you are opting out of these conversations because   60 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:48,000 they make you feel uncomfortable because these are  not easy conversations. If you admit to yourself,   61 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:54,800 and your boss that you want something else,  you are making yourself vulnerable. You are   62 00:06:54,800 --> 00:07:01,840 inviting scrutiny and opening up the possibility  that they will say no, you are not good enough.   63 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:09,840 That is really scary. But if you do like  working in tech thinking and talking   64 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:14,640 about your career will ensure it is something  that can hold your interest for three, four,   65 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:20,800 five decades. If we are here for the long haul it  is worth making sure it is actually fulfilling.   66 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:27,680 So let's talk about the idea of product market fit   67 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,160 and how we can apply it to  thinking about our career.   68 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:39,920 Product market fit is an idea from startups  where a company interviews earlier customers   69 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:45,120 and try to make sure they are making a product  that addresses a real need that people will use   70 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:51,600 and need. Business founders have brilliant ideas  but they don't always translate into brilliantly   71 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:59,440 successful products. This is about exploring  so when you do launch your product it will be a   72 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:09,440 commercial success. This is the Planet Innovation  blurb about it. Market exploration, in-depth   73 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:17,200 interview, bright innovation, concept testing  and recommendations are the five things we talk   74 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,120 about. What would it like if we  apply this idea to our career?   75 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:27,760 Let's try and formulate product market fit for  your career. Product market fit for your career   76 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:35,303 means having a great job that is valued and meets  the needs of your employee. Considering it early   77 00:08:35,303 --> 00:08:41,200 derisks your career growth and increases the  licklilooked of your job being satisfying   78 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:48,800 and fulfilling. Our five stages might be  know my company, what is my company need,   79 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:58,480 know myself, what do I enjoy, what do I value,  and how am I perceived? Brainstorming or synergy.   80 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:07,840 Discussing ideas with trusted advisors.  Finally, agreeing on a plan with your manager.   81 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,120 You can adapt these if this  doesn't exactly fit your setup.   82 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:21,120 If you are a freelancer it will be know my  customers or niche more. Agreeing on a plan   83 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:28,400 doesn't need to be with your manager. Maybe it is  with a business partner or a peer. Let's dive in.   84 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:36,160 First up is market exploration  AKA what does my company need.   85 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:42,480 This whole question is about exploring the problem  space which in this context means focusing on   86 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:49,840 understanding our company in-depth and in detail  before we think about where we might fit in it.   87 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,440 The first thing to understand is  what is the structure of my company?   88 00:09:55,120 --> 00:10:01,440 Even with that, there is a few aspects to  consider. What is the formal structure? AKA   89 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:07,120 what does the org chart look like? It is good to  look at that and think do I know what all of the   90 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:13,200 teams do? Do I understand how they make money  or serve the business? And who are my contacted.   91 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,080 The next aspect is the job  ladder or career ladder.   92 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:23,840 What are the titles? How  does my company define them?   93 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:32,000 Do I know my current level? Can I draw links  from my achievements and current or future roles?   94 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:40,560 Some large companies have published their ladder  on a website progression.wy. If your company   95 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:46,560 hasn't published your ladder internally this is  a reasonable thing to talk about with your boss.   96 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,560 Then I think it is worth thinking  about what is the normal specialist   97 00:10:54,560 --> 00:11:00,560 roles you can see in your team or department?  Who are the go-to people for different topics?   98 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:08,080 These people may have the same titles as everyone  but have developed a representation of expertise.   99 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:13,840 There may be dedicated roles  or teams in larger companies   100 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:20,400 but I bet within any team or department  there are still informal roles at play.   101 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:30,160 Once we have mapped out how things are, we  can start thinking about what are the gaps?   102 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:36,800 Can you see that your team is struggling to  grasp new industry trends like machine learning,   103 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:43,920 observability, eventing and data engineering  or basic things like security, process, version   104 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:51,600 control or containers? Most teams struggle with  at least one concept considered basic by industry   105 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:56,880 at large. You don't need to be investing in a  cutting edge trend to make a difference to a team.   106 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,000 Maybe a list of all these gaps which  could be potential opportunities.   107 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:13,600 The second stage is developer know thyself and  that's about knowing your own motivation, goals   108 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:21,920 as well as how you are perceived I want to say  right now knowing yourself is not necessarily an   109 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:26,960 easy thing. Most are not born with a  vision or have a detailed 10-year plan.   110 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:33,920 The idea of ask for what you want is all well  and good but it requires you know what you want.   111 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:39,120 I want to suggest a couple of exercises that  I think can help with figuring that out.   112 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:48,560 First another mindset check. Career growth  means becoming a perfect programmer.   113 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:54,400 This is something that's easy to think  especially when there is so much emphasis   114 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:58,560 on programming skills as the barrier to  enter in job interviews, for example.   115 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:07,040 But the truth is your programming  skills alone will only take you so far.   116 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:12,640 Seniority is about impact. There are so  many different ways to have an impact   117 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:16,000 and your programming skills only  make up a small part of one of them.   118 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:22,560 Even if you stay in the individual contributor  pathway what you choose to work on,   119 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:27,920 prioritize and how you communicate about it can  create a much bigger impact than your coding.   120 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:38,240 First I am going to suggest that we do a bit  of analysis of your career or different jobs   121 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:43,040 to date. I think this is a good warmup  because it is very concrete. You don't   122 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:47,840 need to feel your true hearts desire. You just  need to reflect on what you have already done.   123 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:56,400 Mary Williams has a great talk called  "career vectors for technical leaders"   124 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,760 and she identifies six vectors  that can apply to a role.   125 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:06,720 Hands-on tech is about building things yourself  ie the essence of the individual contributor.   126 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:13,600 Tech strategy is more about architecture work  or making decisions ike build versus buy.   127 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:20,160 Delivery is about getting stuff done,  planning, meeting deadlines, shipping.   128 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,600 Organization management is  your classic manager-type work.   129 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,640 Commercial thinking is about understanding  budgeting and the financial model of the   130 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:36,240 broader company. And domain depth is about knowing  your industry or customer segment really well.   131 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:44,080 And I like this so much because it immediately  makes obvious that programming is only part   132 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:49,200 of the picture. I can take  this spider diagram and draw on   133 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:54,720 what I think reflects my personal strengths at  the moment and what is needed for my current   134 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:59,200 role which as I mentioned earlier  is the software groups test lead.   135 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:06,880 Straight away, any differences between the two are  obvious. This shows my current role is not fully   136 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:14,320 utilizing my strength in hands-on tech and on  the management side that's a growth area for me.   137 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:23,680 Will Larson has written about  engineering management and careers   138 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:29,440 and I want to highlight a couple of his  ideas. One is that it is not very helpful   139 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:34,640 to think about all your time at one particular  company as being all of the same experience.   140 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:42,000 Whether we change teams, or management decisions  come in suddenly, or even personal actions like   141 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:48,320 having a baby, these can all mark a transition  from a stable era to a rapid change period.   142 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:54,800 When you first join a new company it is  almost certainly a rapid change period as you   143 00:15:54,800 --> 00:16:01,680 try to absorb the information and understand the  organization's culture as well as tech. But if you   144 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:06,640 think back to when you first joined your current  workplace, once you found your feet, did you   145 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:12,160 settle into a stable period? Or did other things  happen that kept you in a rapid change period?   146 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:30,640 Julia Evans has a blog post where she writes  about periods of her learning pace increased   147 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:42,720 dramatically and other periods where it is flat.  This graph is the learning vector in will larson's   148 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:49,840 work history chart where he analyzes jobs in terms  of place, people, prestige, profit and learning.   149 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:58,160 In this graph, Will mapped out three jobs. I  think the direction of the vectors doesn't mean   150 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:06,320 anything. It is about the length. You can see  the learning aspect in his first job was huge.   151 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:11,360 The second job not so much. And then  the third job it increased again.   152 00:17:13,120 --> 00:17:17,840 Pace is about working at a stainable  rate so you can avoid burnout.   153 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:23,120 People is about the relationships you develop  with coworkers essentially building your network.   154 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:31,360 Prestige makes getting your next job  difficult and part is working at a   155 00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:42,720 respectable lace but he makes the point it is  manufactured through writing a blog or newsletter   156 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:47,520 or talking at an event like this. And  profit is pretty much your salary.   157 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:55,840 I like this graph as a way of saying profit is  not the only motivator. Learning is not the only   158 00:17:55,840 --> 00:18:02,560 motivator. You can think about what combination of  these factors have you enjoyed, what combination   159 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:06,800 are you experiencing at the moment, and  what combination are you ready for next.   160 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:16,160 Now you have warmed up by reflecting on what you  have already done and you can get to the tough   161 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:23,440 questions. What do I want? Something I have found  is my brain doesn't always have an answer for me   162 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:28,720 for this question. If I ask adjacent  questions I can move closer.   163 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:38,400 Some of the questions I might ask myself is  what feels scary or exciting? What makes me   164 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:44,320 feel really gratified? What tasks do I tend  to put off and really struggle to get done?   165 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:56,240 Another good topic to think about is values.  This is probably more if you are considering a   166 00:18:56,240 --> 00:19:02,960 new job or maybe a new team. I really like this  set from a website called key values which aims   167 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:08,560 to help companies and potential employees  find culture fit as loaded as that term is.   168 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:14,400 What I like the most about this is that  many are not inherently good or bad.   169 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:22,240 A potential team value is wears many hats  described as engineers have a broad set   170 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:27,040 of responsibilities and can take on additional  roles in addition to writing and pushing code.   171 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:34,800 Some people would read that like  yes, I 100% want that. Others   172 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:43,600 would be like I 100% do not want that. And both  of those are OK for both individuals and companies   173 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:51,840 but the main thing is when you find a new  job you are finding that right fit for you.   174 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,080 Finally, the last part of knowing  ourselves is to know how we are perceived   175 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:05,840 this is probably the scariest of all. Asking for  feedback, trying to understand our reputation.   176 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:10,880 To get the most out of this, you definitely need  to have a relationship with some degree of trust.   177 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:16,800 This doesn't need to be only your boss.  Think about peers in or outside of your   178 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:23,280 team you have worked that you could ask as  well. This is a whole topic in itself that   179 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:29,040 I don't have time to cover in detail but one  way to kick this off might be to share your   180 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:33,840 career vectors spider diagram with your  manager and see if they agree with it.   181 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:47,840 Time for brainstorming. Through all reflections so  far, you have probably had a lot of great ideas.   182 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:55,040 One way to use this is what's called the double  diamond, a classic design thinking concept. It   183 00:20:55,040 --> 00:21:01,760 describes four stages across two diamonds, both  which start with divergent thinking which is   184 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:07,360 essentially research and brainstorming before  widdling those ideas down into a core one to   185 00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:14,560 focus on -- wittling. This looks fancy but really  reminds us brainstorming needs to be approached   186 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:21,840 with an open mind, without an attachment to any  particular outcome. And these two diamonds often   187 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:28,320 refer to as the problem space and the solution  space. I think that is an insight just by itself   188 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:36,560 that is worth a lot. We have probably all on some  occasion jumped to what we think the answer is   189 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:42,240 before someone else has even finished asking  their question. I know I have. It is a classic   190 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:48,240 failure mode for engineers in conversation and  debugging. Your brain races ahead trying to   191 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:55,040 find an answer. What we actually need to do is  focus on the problem, on understanding it in a   192 00:21:55,040 --> 00:22:00,960 deep way, and in our case, all our research and  reflection is forming that deep understanding.   193 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:08,640 I am not going to say a lot about exactly  what form this brainstorming is going to take   194 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,320 because it will depend so much  on your personal situation,   195 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:16,640 the thinking are that you have done, the  company you are at, and the person that you are.   196 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:25,840 But let me bring up a couple more misconceptions  that can derail you before you start.   197 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:34,720 One trap is the idea that there is one or maybe  two career paths. And so when we think about   198 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:40,320 software, the stereotypical role is the software  developer and there is also some managers.   199 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:46,960 So maybe we have an individual contributor  and management track. Two career paths, right?   200 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:56,480 I really like this reply to the question do you  plan to retire from tech or are you planning on   201 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:03,200 a second career? Tom Foryth said depending on how  you count it I am on my fourth or sixth career.   202 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:08,720 This is a unique opportunity of acknowledging  the breadth of opportunities in software.   203 00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:17,840 It is not only industry and technology that define  potential career paths. There are a huge number of   204 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:22,560 roles where your programming skills and knowledge  of software development will serve you well   205 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:28,960 without being the primary focus. And let me spend  a little bit of time on this because for me it is   206 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:35,520 personal. As I mentioned for the past two years,  I have been the software group's test lead or test   207 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:42,080 manager at Planet Innovation. It is certainly not  a role that I ever thought about and I wouldn't   208 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:48,400 have applied for such a job before working  here but once I was in the company, I saw the   209 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:54,080 potential for the company and the potential for  myself, and the two married together really well.   210 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:02,240 I will add a caveat specially for  women and underrepresented minorities,   211 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:07,760 if you move away from a core engineering  type too early, you have a risk of being   212 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:12,640 type cast as not technical and it  may be difficult to move back later.   213 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:18,880 It is pretty BS but it does happen so you need  to consider how that could impact your options.   214 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:29,600 Another limiting conclusion our brain might reach  something like I can't take a new path. My path   215 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:36,480 is set. You might think all my experience is in  Python and I can't become a front-end developer   216 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:43,760 or I am a data analyst, I am stuck with SQL  and I can't become a machine learning engineer   217 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:45,840 or whatever it is.   218 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:57,440 And luckily, these misconceptions have been  covered in a previous talk in 2018 keynote.   219 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:05,440 The value of the growth mindset and the ego  interferes and stops us from trying something new.   220 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,080 If we can cache -- keep in touch  with the beginner's mind it is one   221 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:16,640 of the most important things to keep us  learning throughout our career. Who we --   222 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:21,680 when we think about the past, we might think about  all the doors closed and paths we didn't take   223 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:29,840 and now we are on a set road. The truth is  there is always a myriad of paths aled of us.   224 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:36,720 It is being able to overcome the look of  foolishness that helps overlook those paths.   225 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:46,640 We have been doing thinking and  brainstorming. Now it is time for   226 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:52,240 a reality check by discussing our ideas with  other people. Who should those other people be?   227 00:25:55,200 --> 00:26:11,120 One approach is to find a cabel, a group of  friends who work in the industry. A similar   228 00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:17,840 kind of idea is what Laura Hogan calls building  a manager Voltron. This is helpful if something   229 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:25,760 is missing from your relationship with your boss  but it is good anyone. This is more likely to be   230 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:35,120 leaders you have raport with that aren't on your  immediate team. Even if you get along well with   231 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:43,760 your boss, it is good to be exposed to different  leadership styles and perspectives -- rapport.   232 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:52,000 Last step, agree on a plan. While adegreeing --  agreeing on a plan is important hopefully this   233 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:57,360 process involves talking to your manager along the  way. Especially when figuring out the structure   234 00:26:57,360 --> 00:27:01,760 of your company, your boss probably has a  broader perspective that will be helpful.   235 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:08,480 Here are cheat codes and feel free to copy  these into the agenda of your next 1:1.   236 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:18,000 And one last misconception, career  planning means following the plan.   237 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:23,760 Maybe it is a five year, or ten-year plan,  you figure out a goal, work backwards   238 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,120 and if you don't end up achieving  the goal it peens you failed, right?   239 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:33,840 The truth is plans are nothing  but planning is everything.   240 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:40,960 We know from our work that plans end up changing  usually. That doesn't mean it was a waste of time   241 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:47,680 to write down a plan. The process of creating  the plan which is the ink thinking, dreaming,   242 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:54,160 talking and brainstorm is the important part. We  know the plan will change and we welcome that.   243 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:04,480 We have a step-by-step process for talking  about your career now. And at the start I   244 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:10,160 said I want you to have a more fulfilling career.  My question to you now is what's stopping you?   245 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:17,360 Next week have a better conversation about  your career. And next year, have a better job.   246 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:29,840 Your manager might be surprised. You  might even surprise yourself. Thank you.   247 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:33,360 MODERATOR: Hello. Thank you so much for  your talk, Brianna. That was so good.   248 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:45,120 Oh, you are muted. Classic. >> Thank you, Kaitlyn. It is   249 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:50,560 the first time I have talked about this topic. I wasn't sure how it would be received and I am   250 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:57,760 keen to get feedback from people. I have  in the Google Doc a section where you can   251 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:03,200 write feedback especially if it didn't hit the  mark for you. I would love to hear more about   252 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:08,320 why you think that might be.  And yes, I will join the hallway   253 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:16,000 video chat too to continue the conversation. >> We don't have time for questions on video but,   254 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:22,400 yes, as Brianna mentioned, she is going to be in  the hallway video chat too. You can put questions   255 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:30,800 into the Google Doc and continue typing about this  in text in the Platypus Hall way chat. Next up we   256 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:36,320 have a 15-minute gap before the next talk which  is Sam Bishop with "Snakes all the way down,   257 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:53,520 building Worlds with Python code" at 2:45 AEST. Thank you so much, everyone.