the presentation I gave to Jazoon plus some minor updates. 2012

1. Lessons learned
in Agile Career
Development
Ionel CONDOR
SDL
365

2. Agenda
 About me
 The objective of this presentation
 Misconceptions about Career Development
 Lessons from the past
 Lessons from our times
 Lessons from cognitive science – a model of skill acquisition
 Lessons from community - career dilemmas and false
friends along the way
 Try & Error lessons from my experience
 Lessons from book authors - reading recommendations
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3. About me
Work
Mid/Sr Dev
Jr Dev Dev Dev Dev
Dev Lead
Jr PM PM PM
Jr Dev Dev Dev
Manager Man Man
Life
Jr Husband
and Father
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4. The objective of this presentation
Are these Diamonds or
just shards of glass?
One of these can be
YOUR Career !
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5. Some recent data about us and our jobs
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7. Misconceptions about Career Development
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8. Lessons from the past
No formal
Career
Development
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9. Lessons from the past
I am a busy Manager
…but I give you
some reading
options 
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10. Lessons from the past
HR offers some
soft skills
trainings
…But you still
have many
options to
improve your
hard skills
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11. Lessons from the past
Our parents were
asked this:
“Where you will be
in 10-20 years ?”
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12. Lessons from the past
Comprehensive,
nice on paper
What about ?
Follow up ?
Metrics ?
Feedback ?
Up to date ?
Real ?
Personalization ?
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13. Lessons from the past
or
• “There Is
No Career Ladder”
(see
Harvard Business Review)
• “Career Plans Are
Dangerous”
(see
Harvard Business Review)
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14. Lessons from the past
EVERYBODY WANTS
TO CHANGE THE WORLD
BUT NOBODY WANTS
TO CHANGE
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15. Lessons from our times
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16. Lessons from our times
• You need to support your career
• Get busy living or get busy dying
• Stay Agile and iterate, always in a
permanent beta
• Follow the cheese
• Adaptability creates Stability
• Analyze your n years of experience
• Watch out the arrogance that comes from success
• Watch out your predisposition toward endeavors
that offer immediate gratification 16
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17. Lessons from our times
IF IT IS IMPORTANT
TO YOU, YOU WILL
FIND A WAY.
IF NOT, YOU „LL FIND
AN EXCUSE.
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18. Lessons from our times
Look for an opportunity to practice it !
Good Love
? At Doing
Asked
Routine ?
to do
at work
Learn and Practice !
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19. Lessons from our times
Factors for success:
Inhibitors:
• Drive & Passion • Lack of belief in
• Leadership self
• Networking • Fear of Risk
• Poor
• Integrity
Communication
• Luck & Timing • Procrastination
• Intellect • Lack of passion
• Taking risks • Greed and ego
• Planning
But how do I get to know me better?
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20. SWOT Analysis
S W
TRENGTHS EAKNESSES
• List them here • List them here
Internal
factors
O T
PPORTUNITIES HREATS
External
• List them here • List them here factors
Positive Negative
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21. Or a simple one
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22. Lessons from our times
Ask yourself some tough questions
What am I selling so special?
First, Faster, Only, Better, Cheaper than others
Is it Skills, Energy, Passion, Adaptability to Change,
Quick decision maker, Risk taking,
Communication skills, Networking, Good planning,
High quality, …, …. ?
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23. Lessons from our times
Ask yourself some tough questions
When thousands of low cost people
overseas can do my job,
why I am so special?
First, Faster, Only, Better, Cheaper than others
Is it Skills, Energy, Passion, Adaptability to Change,
Quick decision maker, Risk taking,
Communication skills, Networking, Good planning,
High quality, …, …. ?
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24. Lessons from our times
Ask yourself some tough questions
I am in Top 50 in my profession
in my town because I am the
First, Faster, Only, Better, Cheaper than others
Is it Skills, Energy, Passion, Adaptability to Change,
Quick decision maker, Risk taking,
Communication skills, Networking, Good planning,
High quality, …, …. ?
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25. Lessons from our times
Ask yourself some tough questions
What is a day in the life of my company when I
am not there and I do not add value ?
Do they miss my Skills, Energy, Passion, Adaptability to
Change,
Quick decision maker, Risk taking,
Communication skills, Networking, Good planning,
High quality, …, …. ?
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26. Lessons from our times
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27. Lessons from cognitive science – a model of
learning
Expert
Needs to be
Proficient put in a
Needs context that
Competent unhindered favors his
practice and intuition and
Needs real the big creativity
Advanced world
Beginner general
exposure, Pro picture, Syste
Novice Needs simple, cess Oriented m Oriented
controlled
Needs simulations
recipes, mo
nitoring and
first
successes
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28. Lessons from cognitive science – a model of
learning
Tasks
So you want to become
Env an Expert?
10 years
of effort
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29. Lessons from cognitive science – a model of
learning
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30. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
A SMOOTH SEA
NEVER MADE A
SKILLFUL SAILOR !
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31. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
• specialist/generalist
• architect/manager/project manager/business roles
• Peter‟s principle
• layer vs. feature
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32. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Anti patterns:
• sheep dip
• time constraints
• lack of SMART
objectives
• lack of coaches and
mentors
• inadequate learning
• inadequate reading
• memory/brain bugs 32
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33. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Winners do not
carry losers !!!
as Advanced
Beginners
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34. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Keep practice: “if you
think you are standing
firm, be careful that you
don't fall!” (The Holy
Bible)
ill remain
as Advanced Beginners
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35. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Watch out: Most people
are and will remain as
Advanced Beginners
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36. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Use it or loose it !!!
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37. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Favor rules for Novices
and Intuition plus
Creativity for Experts
Beginners
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38. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Do not create
general rules
Advanced Beginners
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39. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
There is no substitute
(rule, tool, standard,
process, methodology)
for thinking and
communication
Advanced Beginners
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40. Lessons from community - career dilemmas and
false friends along the way
Credits to The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
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41. Try & Error lessons from my experience
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42. Try & Error lessons from my experience
Does your company offer you also the time to study ?
Should it ?
• Monday morning
“Career Plan”
• Friday in the afternoon
• “Ad-hoc presentations”
• Are you doing your part ? 40h-20h rule
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43. Try & Error lessons from my experience
Daily
Weekly
Safari Books
Monthly
Work with a Individual &
coach & Group Study 3-6 Months
Presentations
mentor 6-12 Months
Enlightening Revisit
talks Career
Sessions of Objectives
pair Identify Certification
programming needs & plans
coaches Conferences
Inspect & Leadership
Adapt trainings
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44. Try & Error lessons from my experience
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45. Try & Error lessons from my experience
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46. Try & Error lessons from my experience
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47. Try & Error lessons from my experience
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48. Try & Error lessons from my experience
 Books
 Podcasts
 User Groups
 Public or Private/In house Conferences
 RSS Readers for Blogs
 Group study / group presentations / group practice
 Daily Code Kata s
 It‟s about….. THE JOURNEY
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49. Lessons from book authors - reading
recommendations
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50. Lessons from book authors - reading
recommendations
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51. Lessons from book authors - reading
recommendations
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52. Lessons from book authors - reading
recommendations
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53. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU
Blog: http://ionelcondor.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @ionel_condor
Email: ionel_condor@yahoo.com
…and let‟s keep our career
in a permanent beta !!!
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54. Bibliography
• Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha: “The Start-up of You”
• Sam LightStone: “Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org.
Become Great”
• Andy Hunt: “Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware”
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