The Survival Guide for Technical Careers

Advice for a Long, Satisfying, and Prosperous career in Technology, from Industry Veterans who've done it.

Why Create a Guide?

Courses to help you with your technical skills are abundant. And while they are certainly an important factor in your career, a person’s ability with the “softer skills” tends to contribute more to that person’s success. Unfortunately, these critical “life skills” aren’t taught very well, if at all, in our schools or in the work-place.

The problem is ... a large percentage of those who are drawn to technical work aren’t “naturally gifted” in these arts (myself included), nor are we shown how to effectively handle interpersonal conflicts, team dynamics, cultural differences, or organizational politics. All too often, some of us default to learning "the hard way." Therefore ...

One of the goals of this series is to help you improve your soft skills while avoiding common work-place dangers.

When it comes to a career in tech, “One Size DOES NOT Fit All.” Not everyone wants to work in "Big Tech", or join a large corporation. Furthermore, your life's priorities are sure to change a lot over a long career. What may be important to you in your 20s may not be so important as you age. Given this ...

Another goal of this series is to help you discover the “best course” for your career, wherever you are in your life’s journey.

How Will It Be Delivered?

This will be a “Limited Digital Series” delivered via a custom streaming platform currently under development.

The videos will be viewable from a simple web app that runs in a browser; no need to go to an app store and install a native app. The app itself adheres to Mobile-First and Responsive Design principles, and can be used on a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and even TVs.

What Topics Will Be Covered?

The Guide consists of the following modules:

  • Career Management
  • Self-Employment
  • Job Search

The content is drawn from my own experience and from the wisdom of other tech veterans (i.e. people with 20+ years of experience) who have enjoyed successful careers in technology themselves.

We’ll also explore traditional employment vs. self-employment (i.e. contracting, free-lancing, gig-work), career paths for “Individual Contributors” (ICs) and Managers, performance reviews, and even how to survive technological disrupters like Artificial Intelligence.

The total duration is estimated at 15 hours, of which 1/3 has been completed.

Who Is It For?

“The Survival Guide for Technical Careers” is aimed at anyone in a technical profession, from college grads, to techies with 10-30+ years of experience (yoe). Whether you’re a software developer, a DBA, a network admin, a Developer Evangelist, a Prompt-Engineer, or even a VP of Engineering, the Guide was created for you.

When Will It Be Available?

I’m aiming for Q2-2026. Unfortunately, I sorely underestimated how big this project would be and how much I’d have to learn, from how to produce broadcast-quality videos, to the new frameworks and technologies I selected to create the platform and app.

As of December 2025:

  • The Streaming platform and app are mostly done
  • The Job Search module is done
  • Production Planning for the remaining modules and interviews is in under way

whoami

Rob Daigneau

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by. My name is Rob Daigneau. I enjoyed a career in tech that spanned more than 30 years, from 1st-generation home-kit computers, to mainframes, mini-computers, and client-server, to the Internet, the Cloud, and now AI.

I’ve held a number of roles, from Programmer, to Principal Architect, to Director of Engineering. In addition to working as a “traditional employee”, I spent 1/3 of my career as a self-employed freelancer and independent consultant. As an independent, I authored "Service Design Patterns", published on the “Martin Fowler Signature Series” and printed in 4 languages. And for a while, I even spoke fairly regularly at tech conferences from London to San Francisco.

I’m "semi-retired" now, but rather than focus entirely on leisurely pursuits, I felt a desire to give back and share a few “lessons-learned”. I imagined what advice I might give my younger self, and the idea for this guide was born.

Thanks again for stopping by, and watch this space for occasional updates