Workshop

Creativity is the one universal ingredient of success. Creatives report higher job satisfaction and lead more fulfilling lives than any other class of people. And yet our school curricula focus on rote learning and test taking at the expense of art, problem-solving and higher-order thinking. Microsoft Distinguished Engineer James Whittaker shows you how to develop your creative mind and use it as the fulcrum of a lifestyle where creativity doesn’t just happen, it becomes the default case for everything you do in work and life. Come to this session and learn to supercharge your creativity to make your work more interesting and your life more exciting.

Learn:

• How to learn faster and retain knowledge better.
• How to merge your passions with your day job.
• How to discover and nurture your creative biorhythms.
• How to become an expert in your field.
• How to turn your creativity on at will.

 

Biography

James Whittaker’s career spans academia, start-ups and top tech companies and starts in 1986 as the first computer science graduate hired by the FBI. James then worked as a freelance developer, most notably for IBM, Ericsson, SAP, Cisco and Microsoft, specializing in test automation. He joined the faculty at the Florida Institute of Technology where he continued his prolific publication record in software testing and security. In 2002 his security work was spun off by the university into a startup which was later acquired by Raytheon.

James’ first stint at Microsoft was in Trustworthy Computing and Visual Studio. He then joined Google as an engineering director and led teams working on Chrome, Maps and Google+. In 2012 James rejoined Microsoft.

James is known for being a creative and passionate leader and sought after speaker and author. Of his five books two have been Jolt Award finalists and one a best-seller.