314: It’s Okay To Move Onwards And Upwards and Take Advice With A Pinch Of Salt with Alan Pope

<p>In this week’s show, Phil talks to Alan Pope, an Engineering Manager and Developer Advocate for InfluxData, the creator of InfluxDB which is an open-source time series database. He is also a podcaster and he describes himself as a through and through geek.</p> <p>Alan talks about why it’s okay to move on when the time is right in your career journey. He also discusses why it’s important to take people’s advice with a pinch of salt.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS:</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>TOP CAREER TIP</strong></p> <p>It’s okay to move on in your career when the time is right. Never feel as though you are chained to a position for your entire career. Being comfortable is often not a place where we challenge and grow.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>WORST CAREER MOMENT</strong></p> <p>When transitioning to a new company, Alan was confronted by HR who advised him that if he left, it would damage his career journey. It was a time of anxiety, but their threats came to nothing.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>CAREER HIGHLIGHT</strong></p> <p>Alan trained many aspiring IT professionals, so when it came to looking for a position of his own, his reputation was already secured. Putting yourself out there is incredibly valuable to your career path.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T</strong></p> <p>The IT world is enormous and offers countless possibilities. It is incredibly easy to pivot and move between pursuits and sectors and offers an endlessly interesting path for any aspiring IT professional.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>THE REVEAL</strong></p> <p><strong>What first attracted you to a career in I.T.?</strong> – Alan was a nerd, and after receiving a ZX81, Alan developed a love for coding.</p> <p><strong>What’s the best career advice you received?</strong> – You always have a choice</p> <p><strong>What’s the worst career advice you received?</strong> –</p> <p><strong>What would you do if you started your career now?</strong> – Alan would like to have attended university so as to establ