It's important to remember that we are in one of the best times in history to be alive, especially if you have an interest in technology (or if you just like to get things done). I grew up in Belfast in a family that was interested in technology and two older brothers who gave me something to aim for. I played with Spectrums, saw early green-screen laptops, used the internet when it was just "bulletin boards" and I've surfed the wave of technology as it evolves to reach every corner of our lives. I love working in software, but it wasn't where I intended to be. I don't think I've ever really ended up where I thought I'd go in life. I've set out on one path only to spot an interesting opportunity that couldn't be missed and I'd jump on it. I used to think that I was lucky to keep being in the right place at the right time but looking back I now realise that I made my own luck and the key thing was to seize the opportunity. Careers are long and opportunities are short, and by spotting those opportunities I've been able to see some amazing things and create applications that users love. I certainly never wanted to be in charge, but I realised that's where I needed to be to make a difference and to create the right things the right way. I thought that I wanted to work in electronics, I wanted to know how the insides of machines worked and design them for myself. So I studied Electrical and Electronic engineering at university and that was a lot of fun, I learnt to work as a team of people, I learnt how to articulate a problem and the solution, and I electrocuted myself a few times (not badly, I'm ok). I'm still really interested in electronics, but I quickly found the electronics too abstract and I loved the fast and tangible delivery of software development - seeing results instantly on screen was very exciting. One thing that my experiences have taught me is what I like and don't like. I do like to feel like I'm making a difference and for that you need to have autonomy and ownership, and I like to give autonomy and ownership away to anyone who wants it. I like to have fun, work doesn’t have to be serious even when your world is on fire - a negative outlook will just drag you down. And if you're not working to improve how people live in the world around you then what are you doing? Technology is great, but not just for the sake of technology, think about the humans first and work backwards.
