A defining career decision: A Conversation with David Rowley
with David Rowley · UKI Microsoft Practice CTO at IBM, IBM
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About David Rowley
David Rowley is the UK & Ireland Microsoft Practice CTO at IBM Consulting, where he leads strategy and architecture across hybrid cloud, data and AI. With more than 25 years working with Microsoft technologies, including over a decade inside Microsoft, he operates at the intersection of enterprise transformation and practical delivery.
Episode Description
David Rowley shares his career defining moment, and why he believes the best decisions can be made in times of stress.
Key Moments
The moment David realised that returning to university might not be the correct choice and chose to fight the norm and follow a different jouenry.
Real progress often comes from trusting what you have experienced to be true, rather than continuing along a path simply because it is expected..
Transcript
David Rowley has spent more than 25 years working with Microsoft technologies across enterprise IT, cloud and AI. In this conversation, we focus on an earlier point in his journey, when a year in industry led him to question the expected path and make a deliberate move out of full time education and into the world of IT.
On the decision point
The moment I saw what the work actually looked like, it became difficult to go back to something that no longer felt relevant. At 19, this was a huge decision with many implications...
On backing experience over expectation
David reflects on the importance of acting on real evidence rather than following a predefined route. The placement gave him clarity on where he could contribute and what he wanted to build on.
On starting early in industry
Starting early meant learning through experience rather than theory. It forced me to understand how things actually work in practice, not just how they are supposed to and developed a mindset that I still benefit from today