237: Be Flexible About Your Career Plans and Explore All of The Possibilities with Mahdi Kafi

<p>Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Mahdi Kafi. He started his career at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Canada where he learned the basics of IT consulting.  He now works for DXC Technology where he is an IT consultant helping HR departments to better understand how to make employees' lives easier through the use of technology.</p> <p> </p> <p>In this episode, Phil and Mahdi Kafi discuss the need to keep an open mind when it comes to your career. They talk about how the industry is opening up and finding new ways to get the most out of their employees. Mahdi also shares some methods IT professionals can use to take their career in the right direction and progress faster.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS:</strong></p> <p><strong>(2.14) TOP CAREER TIP</strong></p> <p>Don’t be afraid to change your career plans. By all means, have a plan but bear in mind that as you and the industry evolve you will have to change and update it.</p> <p> </p> <p>During the podcast Mahdi shares a personal experience that demonstrates why this is so important.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>(3.26) WORST CAREER MOMENT</strong></p> <p>In his last job, things were slow. At points, they had very few clients. But it was not all bad. It gave Mahdi a chance to invest in himself and learn new skills.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>(4.19) CAREER HIGHLIGHT</strong></p> <p>His new job is proving to be the best thing he has ever done, so far. The business is growing fast, so the work he is doing is having a real impact. He is ensuring that the firm’s staff have the skills they need to move things along at the necessary pace.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>(4.47) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T</strong></p> <p>The fact that you no longer need a college degree to get involved in the I.T. industry means that it is changing fast. It is exciting that people from all walks of life can now have great I.T. careers. Once they have learned to code people can solve all kinds of problems. So, this new environment is really empowering people.</p> <p>