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Episode 228 – Learn Fast Adapt and Get a Blog to Share What You Know with Jamie Maguire
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Jamie Maguire
Jamie Maguire. He has a keen interest in web development, code, machine learning, psychology, business, and start-ups. Jamie has been writing code since he was a kid, often typing out magazine code listings and then changing the code to see how they behaved. He’s currently a Microsoft .NET Senior Developer, a Microsoft AI Most Valuable Professional and a STEM ambassador.
In this episode, Phil and Jamie Maguire discuss how working on a social media API eventually led to his working in AI. Jamie demonstrates that the barrier to entry to the AI field has now all but disappeared and how anyone can now get involved in that field. Jamie explains how he copes with the frenetic rate of change within the IT industry. They also talk about how a research project led to Twitter, then Microsoft picking up on what he had to offer.
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Resources
JamieMaguire.Net – Check out Tom’s website!
2 Top Career Tips
1) Find ways to learn fast. Apply what you learn and adapt if you need to. In today’s job market this is essential. There is a lot of disruption tech that means things are now changing really fast.
2) Get a domain name and use it to share your thoughts and what it is you are doing. Ignore what everyone else is doing and just run your own race, everyone has something to contribute.
Show Notes
Worst Career Moment
At one stage in Jamie’s career, he was working in a highly politicised environment, trying to complete his master’s degree, a research project and cope with a serious family situation. It was awful, but, it taught him that with enough grit and determination, you can get through anything. He also learned the importance of looking after your health and making time for yourself to disconnect, no matter what.
Career Highlight
Jamie entered the side project he was building into Twitter’s Promote initiative and they liked it. He was invited to the States and asked to demo it. Unfortunately, he did not win, but he did get access to some of their private and beta APIs. In time, what started out as a side project, led to him winning the MVP award in AI. It taught him the importance of sharing what you know and that putting your work out there is the best way to get noticed.
The Future
AI is definitely hot, right now. It is now much easier to break into the field. Gradually, it is becoming easier for you to just pull what you need off the shelf, for example, through Cognitive Services or IBM Watson. For very little money you can build a product, document what you are doing and get noticed. When you do that you automatically end up with a great portfolio.
The Reveal
What first attracted you to a career in I.T.?
Hacking games for the Spectrum was what ignited Jamie’s passion for coding and all things I.T.
What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Evolve and adapt quickly.
What is the worst career advice you’ve ever received?
Just smash it into production. Terrible advice, you have to test stuff no matter what the time constraints are.
If you had to begin your career again in today’s world, what would you do?
Jamie would start a blog immediately instead of waiting like he did.
What career objectives are you currently focusing on?
Showing developers how they can integrate AI into what they are doing and finding innovative ways to use AI on big social platforms.
What’s the number one non-technical skill that has helped you in your career so far?
Being able to take a step back, think about all the moving parts, identify the key components and spot the patterns. Jamie has two other very important skills that he also talks about.
What do you do to keep your own career energized?
Following other developers on Twitter and seeking out development initiatives. Doing this sparks all kinds of ideas.
What do you do in your spare time away from technology?
Jamie is very much a family man. He also goes to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and disconnects completely from tech, at least once a month.
Contact The Guest
Contact Jamie Maguire through the following social media platforms:
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