318: Learn From Your Communities and Remember That Learning Is Fun with Michelle Barker

<p>In this week’s show, Phil talks to Michelle Barker, a Lead Front End Developer for Atomic Smash and the author of front-end blog CSS In Real Life. She likes to build fun, creative websites and side projects that are also performant and accessible.</p> <p>She has written articles and regularly speaks about front end development at web conferences and meetups, covering topics such as CSS Grid Layout and CSS Custom Properties.</p> <p>Michelle talks about the value of community and how it can energise your career development. She also discusses why learning should always be fun, and the value of taking time out to realign with what lights you up.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS:</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>TOP CAREER TIP</strong></p> <p>Find a community – online or offline – and allow the people there to help and guide you. This can greatly accelerate your personal development and growth.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>WORST CAREER MOMENT</strong></p> <p>When returning from maternity leave, Michelle an extra sense of pressure in terms of proving herself, along with being exhausted and overwhelmed by new parenthood. Since then, she has recognized the value of not adding pressure to oneself unnecessarily.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>CAREER HIGHLIGHT</strong></p> <p>Working on a project for The Grand Appeal, a Bristol children’s charity, a cause close to Michelle’s heart due to her own experiences with her son.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T</strong></p> <p>The IT community itself and the many ways in which people are innovating and pushing the sector forward. Community is everything in IT, and finding the right one is a constant source of inspiration.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>THE REVEAL</strong></p> <p><strong>What first attracted you to a career in I.T.?</strong> – The intersection between creativity and technical knowhow.</p> <p><strong>What’s the best career advice you received?</strong> – Write down your accomplishments.</p> <p><strong>What’s the worst career advice you rece