Hey! I’m Dave Fano, CEO of Teal.
Teal is an online community and digital platform that enables professionals working in the tech industry to grow their careers with confidence.
I am so excited to be a part of this AMA and share more information on how to take control of your career.
This AMA is async so please ask your questions anytime and I’ll be answering them on Fri Feb 19th!
Popping in a question here on behalf of @pearl_girl_ca on Instagram:
“
Hello Dave, Melissa here. Question please, in your opinion is it prudent to learn agile as a future project management protocol for digital?
In my experience, teams on marketing initiatives have been merging styles to make progress rather than adhere to a strict pm protocol.
So looking forward to learning from your reply! 
Thank you.”
I already code in language A. The market seems to be hot for language B. I already started getting into language B, recently, because of this. But of course, nobody wants to hire me yet for language B since I’m just a newbie at that yet (inexperienced, etc).
My question is: what should I do given this chicken-and-egg situation? In other words, how do I get proficient in something if nobody will hire me and provide that working environment for me in language B that deals with real world problems? If I was already good in language B, I wouldn’t have employment problems in the first place! lol
What advice would you give a person who wants to switch careers from software development to product management? Thank you.
Hey Dave! What are your thoughts on mentors and seeking them out? Obviously positive mentoring relationships most often come naturally by circumstance, but I get the sense there is a more intentional, yet still natural approach to building professional relationships that turn into more of a mentor relationships.
Any thoughts on the best way to approach this?
Thanks!
I have been a Microsoft Systems Administrator for 40+ years and wish to continue inn the workforce, however, I do NOT wish to commute to a brick and mortar office or client. I have the technology in my virtual office to connect to a client’s network where ever it is located. I am certified and have broad experience desiring part-time contract assignments. How do I find I.T. managers willing to utilize my expertise remotely based on my resume or phone/ZOOM conference all?
Hi Dave!
My situation is similar to firebender’s.
After 20 years of working as a 3D artist I want to change career to a full-time (Python) developer preferably as data engineer or backend developer. Jobwise I already have several years of Python experience and I spent a fair amount of my spare time to learn as much as possible, but it seems to be harder than expected to switch careers.
I have the feeling that employers see me as “just an artist” and don’t take my motivation seriously since in most cases I don’t even get a response to my application.
So do you have any advice on how I could convince the employers that I am worth of being at least interviewed?
Thank you!
Hi, Dave and everyone!
How should you approach career change when you’re almost in your 40s? I genuinely don’t mind taking steps back in my seniority level, but I’m wondering if a) would anyone hire a 38-year-old assistant b) I might be signaling that there was nothing valuable that I could take from my past work experiences.
My background:
My most recent job title was Content Editor; I worked for 9 years for a travel website. Before that, I was a Marketing Communications Coordinator for 4 years. Now I’m trying to migrate to digital marketing. I would be much more comfortable starting with an assistant role, but I don’t know if it’s possible or advisable.
I’m currently based in Lisbon, Portugal.
Thanks in advance for any advice 
If I want to work with Admin or as A PA but only has some work experience ( more then 10 years old). Where do I start? Do I even have a chance to get a fully remote employment in this?
I work as a customer service agent today
I have a masters in publishing
Kindest E
Hi Dave,
I am an experienced project manager (7+) years of experience with a PMP. I recently got a Scrum Master certification. I have been trying to get a agile project management job or scrum master job, but seem to be hitting a wall because I don’t have experience in ‘software development lifecycle’ projects. How do I bridge this gap? I think my knowledge and experience translates, but like others have posted - the hiring manager wants someone with experience in the specific area. I’m afraid my applications are automatically getting binned because of this.
Thanks!
Hi!
I generally don’t like to think about skills in the abstract. I would recommend you find companies and jobs that interest you and look at the requirements in their job descriptions. if you can’t get it there, try doing an informational interview with someone that works at your desired companies.
Hope that helps!
Dave
The best way to show experience is to show built work. You can do that in 2 ways, make your own product / project or volunteer. At the end of the day “Experience” is just a proxy for proof that you have the skill.
Hey!!! Going to try replying with looms since I’m really bad at typing
Great Question! here you go
You absolutely can! Here are my thoughts
Here you go!
Hi! Great questions. Here is my reply
Hi! Great Question. Here you go
Hi! Great question! Here you go
Thanks for being here @DFano!
What does a successful career change look like? Do you have any tips on making a smooth transition between giving your notice and your last day at a job in remote environments, + between your old job and new job? (Ex. taking a week off to decompress and prepare, etc.)