Pay it Forward this New Year – Rewriting the code on tech education

This New Year period Packt Publishing Ltd are commissioning their newest group of authors – you, the everyday expert – in order to help educate the next generation of developers, coders and architects.

Packt, a global leader in education publishing technology and coding eBooks and videos,  are asking the technology community to ‘pay it forward’ by looking back at their career and paying their advice forward to support the next generation of technology leaders via a survey. 

The aim is to rewrite the code on career development and find out what everyday life looks like for those in our community.

The Pay it Forward eBook that will be created, will provide tips and insights from the tech profession. Rather than giving off the shelf advice on how to better your career, Packt are asking everyday experts – the professionals across the globe who make the industry tick – for the insights and advice they would give from the good and the bad that they have seen.

The most insightful and useful responses to the survey will be published by Packt in a new eBook, which will be available for free in early 2019.

Some of the questions Pay it Forward will seek answers to, include:         

• What is the biggest myth about working in tech?
• If you could give one career hack, what would it be?
• How do you keep on top of new developments and news?
• What are the common challenges you have seen or experienced in your profession?
• Who do you most admire and why?
• What is the best piece of advice you have received that has helped you in your career?
• What advice would you give to a student wishing to enter your profession?
• Have you actually broken the internet? We all make mistakes, how do you handle them?
• What do you love about what you do?

People can offer their responses here.

As as a thank you, survey respondents will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win one of 10 annual Packt subscriptions worth £230.

Commenting on Pay it Forward, Packt Publishing Ltd CEO and founder Dave Maclean, said:

“Over time we all gain knowledge through our experiences. We’ve all failed and learned and found better ways to do things.  As we come into the New Year, we’re reflecting on what we have learnt and we’re calling on our community of everyday experts to share their knowledge with people who are new to the industry, to the next generation of changemakers.”

“For our part, Packt will produce a book that pulls together this advice and make it available for free to help those wishing to pursue a career within technology.”

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and is in complete confidence, with no disclosure of names or details, unless agreed.

About Packt: Founded in 2004 in Birmingham, UK, Packt’s mission is to help the world put software to work in new ways, through the delivery of effective learning and information services to IT professionals.

Working towards that vision, it has published over 6,000 books and videos, providing IT professionals with the actionable knowledge they need to get the job done – whether that’s specific learning on an emerging technology or optimizing key skills in more established tools.

As part of our mission, we have also awarded over $1,000,000 through our Open Source Project Royalty scheme, helping numerous projects become household names.