Inside Tech Careers

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S1E16 - Nick Nurock: Founder at Standup Computing

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 06:00:58 GMT

Harry speaks to Nick Nurock, a former Software Engineer at Transport for London (TfL) who now runs Standup Computing, delivering AI literacy workshops to school students.

Starting his career as an electronics engineer, Nick transitioned into software development and played a key role in TfL's contactless payment system implementation. While at TfL, he also formalised and expanded their software development graduate and apprenticeship schemes.

Nick now focuses on educating young people about artificial intelligence through his startup, Stand Up Computing. Having already taught over 2,500 pupils, he aims to demystify AI and encourage critical thinking about its benefits and risks. He shares valuable insights about getting started in software development, and advises new developers not to get discouraged when their code doesn't work the first time, as problem-solving is a key part of the development process.

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Standup Computing

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Women and Non Binary Ruby

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S1E15 - Jess Sullivan: Senior Software Engineer at Scan.com

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 06:00:24 GMT

Harry speaks to Jess Sullivan, a Senior Software Engineer at Scan.com.

Jess explains how she taught herself to code, discussing how she started with free resources and the importance of choosing the right language to learn.

Jess discusses how AI tools have become part of her daily work. She offers valuable insights for aspiring developers, highlighting the importance of resilience, finding the right programming language to start with, and joining supportive communities. She also shares practical advice about improving typing skills and reassures listeners that a traditional computer science background isn't necessary to succeed in software development.

Jess on LinkedIn

freeCodeCamp

CodeNewbie Podcast

Algorithms Illuminated by Tim Roughgarden

Refactoring: Ruby Edition by Jay Fields, Shane Harvie, Martin Fowler and Kent Beck

Coderspeak: The Language of Computer Programmers by Guilherme Orlandini Heurich

The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change by Camille Fournier

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No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

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S1E14 - Tom Read: Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Serco

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 06:00:42 GMT

Harry talks to Tom Read, formerly the Chief Executive Officer and Director General at the UK Government Digital Service, and now the Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Serco. Serco is a multinational company that works with governments to fulfil contracts across many sectors including defence, health, space, justice, migration, customer services, and transport.

Tom discusses the range of contracts which Serco operates, highlighting some interesting and unique examples. Tom also shares his advice for those thinking about starting a journey in technological leadership.

Tom on LinkedIn

Tom on Twitter

Pivot Podcast

Marty Cagan’s books

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Watch UK Parliament debates and committees

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S1E13 - Mirnali Koneswaran: Policy Officer at Royal Academy of Engineering

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 06:00:59 GMT

Harry speaks to Mirnali Koneswaran, a Policy Officer at the Royal Academy Of Engineering who specialises in education and skills policy development. Previously, Mirnali contributed as a Research Assistant at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, focusing on data analysis and research initiatives.

Mirnali breaks down what policy is and how it can have a tangible impact. Harry and Mirnali also discuss the Engineers 2030 project that Mirnali’s team is working on, which aims to challenge how we think about engineering today, and how the engineering workforce needs to be different.

Mirnali on LinkedIn

Engineers 2030

Two cheap ways to test your fit for policy work from Effective Altruism Forum

Royal Academy of Engineering website

Parliamentary Office of Science Technology (POST)

80,000 Hours

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Matthew’s personal website

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S1E12 - Matthew Browning: Principal Product Manager at YouGov

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 06:00:46 GMT

Harry speaks to Matthew Browning, a seasoned tech professional with an impressive background that includes co-inventing BBC iPlayer and working on various projects at the BBC. Matthew now serves as a Principal Product Manager at YouGov, bringing his wealth of experience to the world of data analytics and market research.

Matthew shares his advice for young professionals and discusses the changing landscape of technology careers, from the dot-com boom to today's globalised workforce.

Matthew on LinkedIn

BBC iPlayer patent

Hacker News

O'Reilly Media

Programming Perl by Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen and Jon Orwant

FOSDEM

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Dave’s Learning Dust Podcast

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S1E11 - Dave Leonard: Strategic Director of IT at Watergrove Trust

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 06:00:31 GMT

Harry speaks with Dave Leonard, the Strategic Director of IT at the Watergrove Trust, an expanding multi-academy trust of schools based in Rochdale, in the North West of England.

They discuss the challenges and rewards of managing IT in an educational setting, and delve into the future of technology in schools, including the impact of AI on education and the growing importance of cybersecurity.

Dave on LinkedIn

Dave on Twitter

Edufuturists Podcast

Open: How We'll Work, Live and Learn in the Future by David Price

Association of Network Managers in Education

Google Champions Community

Yes Man by Danny Wallace

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Computerphile’s YouTube Channel

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S1E10 - Chris Cox: Chief Technology Officer at Quality Compliance Systems

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 06:00:04 GMT

Harry talks to Chris Cox, the Chief Technology Officer at Quality Compliance Systems. Chris talks through his journey from being a young programming enthusiast to the CTO of a company serving over 140,000 users. Chris also shares his perspective on the role of a CTO, balancing technical expertise with soft skills like strategic thinking and people management.

Chris on LinkedIn

Software Engineering Radio Podcast

O'Reilly Subscription

Pluralsight

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Google Applied Digital Skills

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S1E9 - Sammy White: Learning Lead at Glean

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 06:00:10 GMT

Harry speaks to Sammy White, a former Learning Evangelist and now the Learning Lead at Glean, a company which aims to revolutionise note-taking for students in higher education. They explore the challenges and rewards of working in EdTech, and Sammy explains how her background in education informs her work in product marketing.

Sammy on LinkedIn

Glean website

Microsoft Speaker Coach

Common Sense Education

Glassdoor

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Government Digital Service Website

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S1E8 - Leanne Cummings: Deputy Director of GOV.UK

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 06:00:02 GMT

Harry interviews Leanne Cummings, the Deputy Director of GOV.UK. They discuss the formation, evolution and purpose of the UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS). Leanne explains what project management looks like at GDS, and how data drives their decision-making processes. They also explore the unique challenges of managing the UK Government’s official website, and Leanne offers advice for those aspiring to build a career in digital public sector roles.

Leanne on LinkedIn

GOV.UK Pay

GOV.UK One Login

Inside GOV.UK Blog

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Arthur’s personal website

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S1E7 - Arthur Turrell: Senior Manager for Research and Data at The Bank of England

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 06:00:21 GMT

Harry interviews Arthur Turrell, a Senior Manager for Research and Data at the Bank of England and author of The Star Builders: Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet. They discuss his transition from physics to data science, his work in financial stability, and how the elements on the Alan Turing £50 banknote were chosen.

Arthur on LinkedIn

Arthur on Twitter

Bank of England website

Bank of England Financial Stability Reports

Bank Underground

Bank of England School Visits

Python for Data Scientists

Coding for Economists

The Elements of Statistical Learning: Data Mining, Inference, and Prediction by Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani and Jerome H. Friedman

Simon Willison’s Newsletter

The Royal Statistical Society’s Data Science and AI Newsletter

Talk Python to Me Podcast

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics by Tim Harford

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Joshua’s personal website

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S1E6 - Joshua Lowe: EduBlocks Team Lead at Anaconda

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 06:00:18 GMT

In this episode, Harry sits down with Joshua Lowe, the founder of EduBlocks: the popular drag-and-drop coding tool which he created at a young age and now works on full time following its acquisition by Anaconda. Joshua discusses his educational pathway and highlights the advantages of apprenticeships, and shares his advice for those looking to launch a career in tech.

Joshua on LinkedIn

Joshua on Twitter

EduBlocks by Anaconda

Events from the Raspberry Pi Foundation

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Artificial Intelligence at Ipsos

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S1E5 - Ben Page: CEO at Ipsos

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 06:00:49 GMT

Harry talks to Ben Page, the Global CEO of Ipsos - one of the world’s leading market research companies. Ben gives us an overview of what market research involves and why it matters, with some interesting examples of projects that Ipsos has conducted. Ben also shares his advice for aspiring market researchers and leaders, and offers some insights into how technology could transform the sector in the future through both AI and synthetic data.

Ben on LinkedIn

Ben on Twitter

Ipsos

Ipsos Global Trends

Tim Harford’s writing for the Financial Times

Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure by Tim Harford

Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald A. Heifetz

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Y Combinator Startup School

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S1E4 - James Kuht: CEO & Co-founder at Inversity

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 06:00:56 GMT

Harry speaks with James Kuht, an Oxford medicine graduate and former military CTO who was a founding member of the Prime Minister’s Data Science team at 10 Downing Street. Now, as the founder of Inversity, James aims to train tomorrow’s technologists by addressing some of the world’s toughest challenges. In this episode, James shares pivotal moments from Inversity’s journey so far and offers advice for aspiring founders.

James on LinkedIn

James on Twitter

Inversity

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The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

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S1E3 - Faria Anzum: Senior Product Designer at Canva

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 06:00:21 GMT

Harry speaks to Faria Anzum, a product designer on the ecosystem team at Canva, which is a design platform that empowers hundreds of millions of users worldwide to create stunning visuals. Faria recounts her journey into product design and shares her advice for aspiring designers, and how they can get started.

Faria on LinkedIn

Faria on Dribbble

Canva for Education

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No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

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S1E2 - David Leen: Staff Software Engineer at Netflix

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 06:00:49 GMT

In this episode, Harry speaks with David Leen, a Staff Software Engineer at Netflix who shares his journey from studying theoretical physics to working with generative AI at one of the world’s leading tech companies. David shares some insights about Netflix’s unique culture and values, discussing the company’s “people over process” approach and its emphasis on candour and responsibility. David also explains the work of Amazon Web Services, and how he was on the team revolutionising cloud computing. Finally, David discusses the skills he believes are essential for success in tech, from attention to detail and curiosity to the importance of networking.

David on LinkedIn

Netflix Culture

Radical Candor by Kim Scott

The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer

Jeff Bezos’s Shareholder Letters

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The Economist’s Free and Discounted Student Subscription

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S1E1 - Alex Selby-Boothroyd: Head of Data Journalism at The Economist

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 05:55:25 GMT

In this episode, Harry talks with Alex Selby-Boothroyd, Head of Data Journalism at The Economist. Alex shares fascinating insights about how his team transforms complex data into compelling stories and visualisations, from tracking the Ukraine war using satellite data to analysing the impact of COVID-19. Having led the data journalism team since 2017, Alex offers a unique perspective on how the field has evolved, including The Economist's journey from publishing its first chart in 1926 to now having a specialised team of over 20 data journalists. He discusses the three core skills needed in data journalism - writing well, being good with data, and having good ideas - and explains why human insight remains crucial even in the age of AI. The Economist is a global newspaper founded in 1843, known for its concise analysis of world events and its distinctive data visualisations that help readers understand complex topics through clear, impactful charts and graphics.

Alex on Twitter

Alex on LinkedIn

How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter about Visual Information by Andy Kirk

Journocoders

Off the Charts Weekly Newsletter from The Economist

30 Day Map Challenge

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