GitLab Learning & Development, 16 Aug 2021

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: Career Development with Brendan O'Leary

Description

Description: In this interview, Jacie Bandur on the Learning & Development Team interviews Brendan O’Leary, Senior Developer Evangelist to learn more about what their career development journey has looked like. To ask Brendan any questions, check out the Async AMA issue: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/people-group/learning-development/programs/-/issues/14.

A

Hi, I'm jc bander on the learning and development team and I'm joined by brendan o'leary, senior development, senior developer evangelist here at get lab, and today we're going to talk about career development so brendan. Could you tell us a little bit about what your career development has looked like to date?.

B

Sure yeah, that it's a great question that it's interesting, because I've had a number of different roles at get lab, so I've been at gitlab since october of 2017 and I originally started in customer success. So uh in post sales customer success. Actually it was kind of started that program, uh our services organization, um which has obviously grown in quite a bit since then, but it was originally me uh and- and that was because I had been running a team.

B

You know a devops team before uh that used gitlab, and so it was kind of a natural fit. um But then you know, as our product grew in in breadth, we grew the product management team which really had been where I had spent. Most of my career is in product management, uh and so it seemed natural to me to want to go over and do that.

B

I had fallen in love with git lab itself as a user through gitlab ci and so then to then be given the chance to maybe be a product manager for ci, which is what I ended up doing was just really exciting um and then for a long time. I was being recruited by someone who's no longer with git lab uh to the developer, evangelist role and I had been telling her no and then I realized wait. I've been a part-time evangelist of gitlab, my whole life, and you know you can't really be a part-time.

B

Anything at you know a certain scale, and so I decided to do that full time, um and so that's how I ended up where I am.

A

That's awesome. I love that, so um what intentional steps have you taken throughout your career, whether that has been at gitlab through different roles or before gitlab, to get really where you are today.

B

Sure yeah, I think I mean it's easy to say, but I think you have to always be learning and you have to be willing to always be learning. That's something that's really hard and it's really hard in the wrong environment.

B

uh Thankfully you know gitlab and I share a value there um in our ability to always be learning and to you know not assume that any questions are, you know should be obvious or should be you know um known by everyone, and so I'm never kind of ashamed to ask a question.

B

If I don't understand something- and I know that sounds really simple, um but in my career, that's that's how I've been able to gain trust both of you know, bosses and and folks that know me and as well as customers and partners- and you know when you are very honest and transparent about what you know and you don't know, um then, when you say something with authority now all of a sudden folks know: oh well, you do have an expertise in this area because you know you've shown your ability to to be really transparent, and so I think that that kind of value is what I've brought to intentionally living.

B

That value is what I brought to my career development.

A

That's awesome, yeah. It can be really hard to say I don't know the answer, but yeah it can be really really important. That's awesome, uh so that what you already said was really great advice. But do you have any additional advice for team members who are working on their career development.

B

Yeah, I would say you know, first of all, you know no one is ever ready for what they're given in life general right. We never feel ready. uh I happen to also be I'll go outside of career development. For this I happen to also be a father of four kids. um You're, never ready to do that um and you learn, and so I think again, making yourself a little uncomfortable and feel like you're, not quite ready for what you're doing.

B

That's, okay, like that's what we're all doing um and so put yourself out there and and make sure you're advocating for yourself in that way to say hey! No, I think I am ready or I'll be ready by the time. We need me to be to do this.

A

That's awesome. Well, those are the questions that I had for you today. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. I think this information is going to be really helpful for git lab team members that are looking to grow their careers.

B