Rob’s journey into PHP started in 1995—way back in the last century, as he puts it—when he got headhunted from a C++ role testing mobile phones. The twist? He was in an online gaming guild that needed a website, discovered PHP 3, and thought “this is way easier than writing C++.” Three decades later, he’s still here.

The Accidental Path to Independence

After years at various companies—some you’ve heard of, some you haven’t—Rob found himself constantly getting made redundant through no fault of his own. Companies got bought, restructured, or just folded. Eventually, someone planted the seed: “Why don’t you just go independent?” Fifteen years later, he’s still doing it, and the variety keeps it interesting.

APIs Are His Jam

When people ask what Rob does, the answer is simple: APIs. REST APIs specifically, though he’s increasingly working with OpenAPI specifications. Need someone to build the backend that talks to your mobile app? That’s Rob’s specialty. Building the thing that other systems talk to? Also Rob. He’s carved out a niche and he’s sticking to it.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Marketing

Here’s the challenge nobody talks about: how do you get clients when your clients aren’t developers? Rob’s clients are CTOs and CEOs who need developers, so traditional developer networking has to work backwards. He speaks at conferences, writes for PHP Architect, stays visible in the community—and hopes it eventually translates into someone saying “I know a guy.”

Mike’s American Healthcare Debut

In a delightful tangent, Mike shares the story of how he injured his finger setting up speakers at PHP[tek] and got to experience American urgent care. For the record, it was a lighting speaker that fell on his finger, not a human speaker. This injury happened right before meeting Chris for the first time—who Mike thought was American until Chris spoke with a very British accent. Brain: officially confused.

Community vs. Networking: The Friendly Version

“Community” sounds so much less intimidating than “networking,” doesn’t it? Rob, Mike, and Chris all agree: being part of the community—whether online or in person—has been the single biggest factor in their career success. You don’t have to be an extrovert. You don’t have to speak at conferences (though Mike just submitted talks to Tech 26—someone’s growing!). Just show up. Say hi. Join the Discord. Play chess. Answer questions when you can.

The Chess Club Career Strategy

Mike admits most of his interaction in the PHP Architect Discord wasn’t even technical—he set up a chess club and gave Eric and John tips on the game. That level of “just being around” eventually turned into a job. The lesson? You don’t need to know everything about PHP to be part of the community. Just be present.

Why People Want You to Succeed

Rob drops wisdom for anyone terrified of public speaking: the audience wants you to succeed. They’re not hoping you fail. You could talk about your dogs for 15 minutes and people would still cheer you on. It’s only a slight comfort when you’re “absolutely bricking it,” but it’s true.

Listen to hear why Rob thinks remote work hasn’t killed in-person community building, and how being on a C++ mailing list 30 years ago set the foundation for everything that came after.

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The post PHP Alive And Kicking – Episode 12 – Rob Allen appeared first on PHP Architect.