Tony Champion on Career Development - Episode 112

Joining Jeffrey in this episode is a longtime friend of his, Tony Champion! Tony is a software architect with over 20 years of experience, developing with Microsoft technologies. As the president and lead software architect of his own firm, Champion DS, he remains active in the latest trends and technologies, creating custom solutions on Microsoft platforms. Tony is also an active participant in the community as an eight-year recipient of the Microsoft MVP reward, an international speaker, a published author, and a blogger.   Jeffrey and Tony discuss Tony’s new podcast, Developers Roads, his career development, the current state of .NET Stack and his predictions on where it’s headed, and his tips and recommendations for developers looking to go into consulting. He also provides tips around authority building, coaching programs, and where you should be investing your time right now as a developer.   Topics of Discussion: [:38] Be sure to visit AzureDevOps.Show for past episodes and show notes. [:46] About The Azure DevOps Podcast, Jeffrey’s offer to speak at virtual user groups, and his newest endeavor: a video podcast, Architect Tips! [1:30] About today’s episode with Tony Champion. [2:07] Jeffrey welcomes Tony to the podcast! [2:18] Tony gives a rundown of his career. [4:07] About Tony’s new podcast, Developers Road; when it is launching, its focus, and show format. [7:13] Tony shares about his experience as a consultant; the ups, downs, and biggest lessons. [9:21] Tony breaks down ‘consulting as a way of working’ vs. independent consulting, how developers can break into those fields, and his experiences throughout his career as a consultant. [12:35] Would Tony agree with the sentiment: “Experts teach because if you don’t teach then nobody in the world will recognize that you have expertise”? [15:26] Why Tony has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for several years. [16:05] Tony gives recommendations to listeners looking to build their authority in consulting. [18:50] A word from Azure DevOps Podcast’s sponsor: Clear Measure. [19:24] Coaching programs Tony recommends for developers who want to pursue consulting. [21:47] The current state of the current .NET Stack and where Tony sees it heading. [24:36] Tony shares his thoughts on the future of software development and gives some recommendations for where he believes it may be most valuable to invest your time as a developer. [30:45] Discussing what drives many of the current development jobs. [31:55] Tony speaks about his company, Champion DS, and what it was built off of. He also shares some more of his predictions for the future. [35:00] Jeffrey thanks Tony for joining the podcast.   Mentioned in this Episode: Azure DevOps Clear Measure (Sponsor) .NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer's Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo — Available on Amazon! bit.ly/dotnetdevopsebook — Click here to download the .NET DevOps for Azure ebook! Jeffrey Palermo’s Youtube Jeffrey Palermo’s Twitter — Follow to stay informed about future events! The Azure DevOps Podcast’s Twitter: @AzureDevOpsShow @TonyChampion on Twitter TonyChampion.net Developers Road Podcast Microsoft Silverlight   Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.