James Holt
IT Career Consultant & Digital Strategist · Hamburg, Germany
I’ve spent 18 years working inside IT departments and digital agencies across Europe — first as a developer, then as a manager, now as a consultant. I write about what actually happens in the industry, not what the job ads say.
My Background
I started my career as a backend developer inside a Tier 1 automotive manufacturer’s IT department in Stuttgart. Twelve years later I’d shipped enterprise ERP systems, managed a team of 14, and burned out exactly once. Good learning experience.
In 2018 I moved to the agency side. Six years across three digital agencies in Hamburg gave me a completely different perspective on how tech talent is hired, retained, and eventually lost. The inefficiency on both sides — candidates and employers — was striking.
I now consult independently, helping IT professionals navigate career transitions and helping agencies build better hiring processes. This blog is the written version of the conversations I have with clients every week.
Why This Site
Most career advice is written by people who’ve never hired anyone or been hired for anything technical. SEBN Career exists to fill that gap: practical, Europe-focused, and honest about the trade-offs involved in every career decision.
I reference real data — Eurostat, Stack Overflow Developer Survey, LinkedIn Economic Graph — and call out the fluff when I see it. If something I’ve written is wrong or outdated, drop me a line.
Credentials
- MSc Computer Science — University of Edinburgh
- 12 years corporate IT (Tier 1 manufacturing)
- 6 years digital agencies, Hamburg
- English (native), German (B2)
Writes About
- IT career transitions
- Tech hiring in Europe
- Agency vs corporate trade-offs
- Remote team management
18
Years in IT
3
Industries Covered
EU
Europe-first Focus
DE
Based in Hamburg
Get in Touch
Have a question about a topic I’ve covered, want to suggest an article, or just want to say hello?