November 13, 2025

How to Build a Career When the Rules Keep Changing w/ Taylor Desseyn & Jason Torres

44 minutes

Recorded live at All Things Open, Robbie talks with Taylor Desseyn and Jason Torres about the future of tech careers, AI’s impact on hiring, and why relationships still matter more than résumés. They share insights from years in recruiting and community building, stressing that genuine connection—not cold applications—opens doors in today’s market.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:48) - A toast to Busch Light

(05:46) - Meet Taylor and Jason

(08:14) - Is now a good time to get into tech?

(13:12) - How AI is reshaping the tech job market

(16:07) - Standing out in a crowded industry

(20:36) - Can open source help you get hired?

(23:48) - Will Shane Beamer head to Virginia Tech?

(25:13) - Do pro athletes really make too much money?

(26:47) - Should politicians be paid like CEOs?

(30:43) - What it means to be an authentic creator

(34:07) - How Torc is chasing greatness

(38:01) - Is AI killing organic content growth?

(39:26) - Parenting, perspective, and balance

(42:20) - Where to connect with Taylor and Jason online

Links

Busch Light: https://www.busch.com/

Ep 216: Why Open Source Might Be Your Best Career Move w/ Shruti Kapoor: https://whiskey.fm/why-open-source-might-be-your-best-career-move-w-shruti-kapoor

Jason Lengstorf: https://jason.energy/

Costco: https://www.costco.com

The Office: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(American_TV_series)

Dragonberry Bacardi: https://www.bacardi.com/us/en/our-rums/dragonberry-rum/

Goldschlager: https://www.sazerac.com/our-brands/sazerac-brands/goldschlager.html

Jagermeister: https://www.jagermeister.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/

Guidance Counselor 2.0 podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/career-counseling/id1256154656?mt=2

Ep 493 - Pretending to Have The Job Before You Get It w/ Josh Cirre, DevRel @ Laravel: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-493-pretending-to-have-the-job-before-you-get/id1256154656?i=1000729870607

Cobol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COBOL

React: https://react.dev/

X: https://www.x.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com

Discord: https://discord.com

Taylor's All Things Open talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEV7TO7UEBU

Mr. Beast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast

Kai Cenat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Cenat

All Things Open: https://allthingsopen.org/

.NET: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/

Java: https://www.java.com/

React Miami: https://www.reactmiami.com/

Taylor's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@tdesseyn

Slack: https://slack.com/

South Carolina Gamecocks: https://gamecocksonline.com/

Shane Beamer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Beamer

Virginia Tech: https://www.vt.edu/

James Franklin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Franklin_(American_football_coach)

Pennsylvania State University: https://www.psu.edu

LaNorris Sellers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaNorris_Sellers

Patrick Mahomes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs: https://www.chiefs.com/

NVidia: https://www.nvidia.com/

Apple: https://apple.com

Elon Musk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/

DHH: https://x.com/dhh/

Rails: https://rubyonrails.org/

Bain: https://www.bain.com/

McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/

Netlify: https://www.netlify.com/

Barstool Sports: https://www.barstoolsports.com/

Syntax: https://syntax.fm/

Sentry: https://Sentry.io/

CodeRabbit: https://www.coderabbit.ai/

Torc: https://torc.dev

Torc Community: https://torc.dev/community

Torc Discord: https://torc.dev/discord

Connect with Taylor

Website: https://linktr.ee/taylordesseyn

X / Twitter: https://x.com/tdesseyn

Connect with Jason

GitHub: https://github.com/jasonetorres

X / Twitter: https://x.com/TasonJorres

Connect with the hosts

Robbie Wagner: https://x.com/RobbieTheWagner

Chuck Carpenter: https://x.com/CharlesWthe3rd

Adam Argyle: https://x.com/argyleink

Subscribe and stay in touch

Website: https://whiskey.fm

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whiskey-web-and-whatnot/id1552776603

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19jiuHAqzeKnkleQUpZxDf

Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1552776603

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhiskeyWebAndWhatnot

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By RobbieTheWagner, Charles William Carpenter III, Adam Argyle, and The Radcast Network

4.8

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