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Thanks for the tips.
I just started my own bussiness augustus last year.
As I am not well known around as a IT-guy (more like the isp guy) these tips and the one regarding the 10 resolutions for it consultants are greatly appreciated.
http://i.techrepublic.com.com/downloads/Gilbert/adl_10_resolutions_consultant.pdf
,
Leopold
I just started my own bussiness augustus last year.
As I am not well known around as a IT-guy (more like the isp guy) these tips and the one regarding the 10 resolutions for it consultants are greatly appreciated.
http://i.techrepublic.com.com/downloads/Gilbert/adl_10_resolutions_consultant.pdf
,
Leopold
the good thing is you get to be on a payroll and paid more for doing less. its working smarter not working hard
Although this was a good article, I find there is also a downside to being an expert. This is something I encountered in one particular job. When you become really good at something, and are recognized as the senior or expert authority, you will find everyone coming to you for help. Everyone calling you for the answers. It's one thing to be helpful, but another when people start knocking down your door all the time.
If you enjoy being a "superstar" and all the attention that comes with it, then you should be fine. But if you also enjoy your privacy and don't want to have everyone relying on just you for answers (which is what might happen), then it's also advisable not to play your trumpet too loud.
If you enjoy being a "superstar" and all the attention that comes with it, then you should be fine. But if you also enjoy your privacy and don't want to have everyone relying on just you for answers (which is what might happen), then it's also advisable not to play your trumpet too loud.
Thanks for sharing these great tips - need more material like this on the Internet. Was looking for tips for effective IT managers and couldn't find any online last week - this is right on. Thanks for the share
This is very inspirational! I work nights at a data-center providing tech support especially to the other side of the world who's up and doing business while America sleeps. I've pretty much grown beyond my position( and bored silly ). All specialized departments are locked and aren't looking for new people with the exception of Sales. Sales just isn't me.
I'm kinda of a jack of all trades but non-specialized. I love this article. I love the emphasis on starting small and specializing on knowing something solid. Great advice! Thank you! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I hear the wake up bell now.
I'm kinda of a jack of all trades but non-specialized. I love this article. I love the emphasis on starting small and specializing on knowing something solid. Great advice! Thank you! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I hear the wake up bell now.
I have let my skills slip in the past and it was a very stressful adjustment after leaving a job I was complacent in. Not keeping up with the current trends in technology, like software/hardware and learning new skills will hurt you in the long run. I see a lot of people who sit back and let their skill sets rust away. In 2 or 3 years the skills you have today will become meaningless, to a new employer.
The area that will never stop is Open_Source, Linux_distro's and being able to implement solutions without paying license fees for every project keeps you invaluable and being able to support it, meaning no hacked up garbage.
The area that will never stop is Open_Source, Linux_distro's and being able to implement solutions without paying license fees for every project keeps you invaluable and being able to support it, meaning no hacked up garbage.
This is to "Photogenic Memory". Your current state sounds similar to mine about six years ago. I worked for a fortune 500 company in a data center/NOC performing a variety of functions that included data backup, help desk support for overseas loacations, and other repetitive tasks. I was somewhat happy with the company and the job, because I was able to touch a variety of technologies and the pay was good. Like you, I was sometimes bored silly.
I did not want to be complacent, but was at a loss as to how to move up or to more challenging positions. I possessed an associates degree at the time. I decided to use my spare time to try to enhance myself and my skills. I looked around and found a part-time job where I could work on weekends doing IT work for a company that needed weekend support. I also started taking night classes to get my bachelors in an IT related discipline. This was very challenging and took up all of my free time.
One day I arrived at my main data center job to find out that I no longer had a position due to IT outsourcing. I was initially a bit anxious and a bit fearful.
To make a long story short, taking on the additional job on the weekends along with school helped. It showed drive and initiative. I replaced the main job with another job working for another corporate entity while continuing to work the part-time weekend position. After another short period of less than a year, the part-time job had a full-time upper level IT position open. My experience doing "jack of all trades but non-specialized" IT work, along with getting my bachelors degree made me a great fit for this position.
Do not quit your job because you are bored. Challenge yourself to learn everything you can and/or enhance your skills during your "bored silly" time. Then you will be able to stretch and reach that next position. Good luck!
I did not want to be complacent, but was at a loss as to how to move up or to more challenging positions. I possessed an associates degree at the time. I decided to use my spare time to try to enhance myself and my skills. I looked around and found a part-time job where I could work on weekends doing IT work for a company that needed weekend support. I also started taking night classes to get my bachelors in an IT related discipline. This was very challenging and took up all of my free time.
One day I arrived at my main data center job to find out that I no longer had a position due to IT outsourcing. I was initially a bit anxious and a bit fearful.
To make a long story short, taking on the additional job on the weekends along with school helped. It showed drive and initiative. I replaced the main job with another job working for another corporate entity while continuing to work the part-time weekend position. After another short period of less than a year, the part-time job had a full-time upper level IT position open. My experience doing "jack of all trades but non-specialized" IT work, along with getting my bachelors degree made me a great fit for this position.
Do not quit your job because you are bored. Challenge yourself to learn everything you can and/or enhance your skills during your "bored silly" time. Then you will be able to stretch and reach that next position. Good luck!
looking at the state of how people are hired and fired, it's a good thing to stay abreast of new innovation which will elevate one to the next level and also to be prepared at all times. it is a good post'dont quit ..plan a professional exit'to read and make one to think twice about decision making in IT field and excersing ideas mentioned.
good wording, I am currently in store support position, but looking to advance in network/VOIP I like working in network but its hard when you dont have a lot of experience but I am doing a self study to get my certifications in CCNA and CCNA VOIP. This is a skill that I am ambitious about and want to get in. Do anyone have any advise on is this an area of interest that I should persue or more in depth with Information Technology.
Thanks
Thanks
IN this day and age, you cannot take having a job lightly. I was laid off after being with a company for 13 years. I was the top network engineer, but my salary was the biggest. I felt pretty confident in my skills and thought that I would have no problems finding a job. It took me over 10 months of submitting 5-6 resumes a week until I finally got my current job.
My advice to you would be to use your position like a sponge - soak up everything you can from it, get your education/training in what you want, get a few opportunities lines up and THEN leave. I can't speak for your situation, but in this day and age of high unemployment and market saturation, you can't bank on finding a job quickly
My advice to you would be to use your position like a sponge - soak up everything you can from it, get your education/training in what you want, get a few opportunities lines up and THEN leave. I can't speak for your situation, but in this day and age of high unemployment and market saturation, you can't bank on finding a job quickly
Loved the post. I was stuck in Jack-of-All trades mode for quite sometime. Over the past couple of years I was forced to do somethinga about that and things have begun to change dramatically. Working on my second Niche now.
Wow...I think this is the single most useful thing I have ever read on TechRepublic! Well done!
I think an _extremely_ valuable, although somewhat hard to exactly define, skill would be in the area of 'Making Lemonade From Lemons', ie: since companies are so enamored of _outsourcing_, being the person who can be the bridge between a company's IT and the outsourcer, who knows if the outsource personnel do not know _squat_ about the very technologies (network, collaboration (Notes, Exchange, etc), databases (Incredibly Big Machines (DB2), Evil Empire (SQL Server), Larry's (Oracle)), storage, VM, operating systems (Evil Empire (Windows) and Real (AIX/HP-UX/Oracle Solaris/Linux)), etc) they are SUPPOSED to be managing.
After upper management signs the contracts, the _remaining_ IT staff and end-users are left to deal with the aftermath - and it takes a GOOD 2-3 years for an outsourcer to get up to speed with managing a company's data center (I've been through three, count 'em, three, data center moves...)
After upper management signs the contracts, the _remaining_ IT staff and end-users are left to deal with the aftermath - and it takes a GOOD 2-3 years for an outsourcer to get up to speed with managing a company's data center (I've been through three, count 'em, three, data center moves...)
As an IT "jack of all trades" consultant for the last 13 years, clients relied on me to be able to knows how the accounting system ties to the mail system links to the web site and partners with the phone system. But, they would hire other "specialists" who were experts in the accounting program, but seemed to have less than intermediate knowledge of networks or servers or desktops for that matter. It's a client/server application for God's Sake! Don;t you have to know how all the pieces talk to each other?!? AND they got paid better than we did for having to know a tenth of what we had to.
While there is something to be said for specializing, you also need ot have a good core understanding of how it all works together.
While there is something to be said for specializing, you also need ot have a good core understanding of how it all works together.
This is fantastic !!! Great Post ,Great way to start your IT Skills New Year Resoulution
This is a great post. Very challenging and motivational. I'm a .Net person and this is really a bully beef!!
is to tell management what they want to hear, claim you can do it, and then leave before the wheels come off.
It's always been my opinion that experts are people who know nothing about anything else, and IT is always general, you can't divorce a tool from the uses it's put to, and you can't effectively isolate one facet of it and achieve anything.
Don't get known as the xxx expert, they can be replaced the tech might obsolesce, it might be switched.
Get known as the person who gets things done if you want a successful IT career, if you want to become a superstar, get caught in bed with one of the Beckhams or something....
Superstars are insecure failures who require the adulation of the ignorant in order to bolster their feeble egos.
It's always been my opinion that experts are people who know nothing about anything else, and IT is always general, you can't divorce a tool from the uses it's put to, and you can't effectively isolate one facet of it and achieve anything.
Don't get known as the xxx expert, they can be replaced the tech might obsolesce, it might be switched.
Get known as the person who gets things done if you want a successful IT career, if you want to become a superstar, get caught in bed with one of the Beckhams or something....
Superstars are insecure failures who require the adulation of the ignorant in order to bolster their feeble egos.
This is getting printed out and stuck on my wall. I've now been around IT for about 15 years. 18 months ago (!!) I moved into my first IT Manager role, and I am looking at how to now take the next step from IT Manager in a small organisation (ie, IT Manager/Jack of All Trades/Small staff) to a larger organisation.
Specialisation is what I take out of this, but figuring out WHAT to specialise in, is hard. I have come from a programming background, done BA and PM roles, now IT Managing a network and ERP environment. The choices (from my current role) are endless.... ERP, Network Admin and IT Security, VOIP, Project Management, CRM.....
ACK !!!
Specialisation is what I take out of this, but figuring out WHAT to specialise in, is hard. I have come from a programming background, done BA and PM roles, now IT Managing a network and ERP environment. The choices (from my current role) are endless.... ERP, Network Admin and IT Security, VOIP, Project Management, CRM.....
ACK !!!
This tips are very helpful, I also in the right path and will sustain my quest to be the next superstar.
Debra,
Perhaps you might say a few words beyond "Pitch a query, and when you get your first assignment, put your all into the article" to those who might be interested in getting writing assigments?
How do people find and contact appropriate editors? What do they want to see in author queries?
LL
Perhaps you might say a few words beyond "Pitch a query, and when you get your first assignment, put your all into the article" to those who might be interested in getting writing assigments?
How do people find and contact appropriate editors? What do they want to see in author queries?
LL
@ herlizness: I had the same question, as I do write--and wrote well--but have no idea how to gain entre into the published elite. Alas, I do not think Debra walks her talk. I may have missed a response, but of the articles I have read, she NEVER responds to queries. I guess she has forsaken her own advice and has forgotten the "little people." Give me Chip Camden or any number of TR writers any day for knowledge and engagement.
@jacobus57: well I guess Debra doesn't think interacting with her readers is any part of the path to becoming an "IT Superstar."
I understand that people are busy and when you put yourself out in the public eye it can be overwhelming to even try to respond to inquiries but in this case it makes her point in the article a bit of a worthless tease to the average reader. It's akin to reading a finance writer's column and having to puzzle over advice like "always buy high quality stocks."
I gather that some of the blogger/writers on TR can be contacted by email and some cannot; you might try sending an inquiry to one of those who can and forget about the ones who don't want to be reached.
I agree that Chip is knowledgable and engaging ... and he replies to inquiries in comments; a better practice I think ...
Generally, TR seems to hide the structure of the site in terms of who does what. It's a common practice on web sites. I don't like it.
I understand that people are busy and when you put yourself out in the public eye it can be overwhelming to even try to respond to inquiries but in this case it makes her point in the article a bit of a worthless tease to the average reader. It's akin to reading a finance writer's column and having to puzzle over advice like "always buy high quality stocks."
I gather that some of the blogger/writers on TR can be contacted by email and some cannot; you might try sending an inquiry to one of those who can and forget about the ones who don't want to be reached.
I agree that Chip is knowledgable and engaging ... and he replies to inquiries in comments; a better practice I think ...
Generally, TR seems to hide the structure of the site in terms of who does what. It's a common practice on web sites. I don't like it.
I don't mean this derogatorily, but, (to rephrase jkameleon's post) when, in the course of doing all these things, do you find time to do any actual work?
I am a software developer / architect for a small firm and oversee four other developers. I am considered by my peers to have excellent development skills and to be highly productive. I average 10 - 12 hour days, and try to spend as much time as I can with my family on weekends. But even at that pace I am constantly falling behind on projects because upper management seems to think that if I have more than 5 minutes a day when I'm not actively scheduled to be writing code, I can take on another project. Sadly, this is the NORM for most persons in IT.
As far as the items on your list go, I make every attempt to do most of these things. However, I can only apply about 1-2 hrs a day outside of the office to accomplishing any of these (and practically NONE while IN the office), and they are all VERY time consuming. That means it can take a MONTH to write a single blog entry. For example, if I'm lucky I can update and respond to messages on my Face Book account more than once A WEEK. I haven't been out to a convention or presentation or even a meeting of our local developers group in four years because I can't get the time away from my desk.
So I ask again: How do I do all this and still find time to actually earn a living so that I can feed my family?
I am a software developer / architect for a small firm and oversee four other developers. I am considered by my peers to have excellent development skills and to be highly productive. I average 10 - 12 hour days, and try to spend as much time as I can with my family on weekends. But even at that pace I am constantly falling behind on projects because upper management seems to think that if I have more than 5 minutes a day when I'm not actively scheduled to be writing code, I can take on another project. Sadly, this is the NORM for most persons in IT.
As far as the items on your list go, I make every attempt to do most of these things. However, I can only apply about 1-2 hrs a day outside of the office to accomplishing any of these (and practically NONE while IN the office), and they are all VERY time consuming. That means it can take a MONTH to write a single blog entry. For example, if I'm lucky I can update and respond to messages on my Face Book account more than once A WEEK. I haven't been out to a convention or presentation or even a meeting of our local developers group in four years because I can't get the time away from my desk.
So I ask again: How do I do all this and still find time to actually earn a living so that I can feed my family?
I pretty much have a browser open and lurking on a few news sites along with skimming a long list of sites twice a week or so. When waiting on progress bars or between tasks, I'm checking news updates and such. I've been lucky in making "keeping up with current IT news" and "researching latest security threats" part of the job description.
I have a feeling there are MANY others out there with very similar situations; I am most certainly one of them.
I am the IT Manager and staff for a small wholesale distributor. I have often said the most challenging and time consuming task for someone in my position is task management, and more specifically task prioritization. In the past 8 or so years, I can probably count on one hand the number of days my proverbial plate did not receive more tasks than I can handle in a day. Although I have since come to grips with the fact I will never be able to address everything which comes my way, it does indeed impose upon my ability to do much anything else.
I'm with you on this one.
I am the IT Manager and staff for a small wholesale distributor. I have often said the most challenging and time consuming task for someone in my position is task management, and more specifically task prioritization. In the past 8 or so years, I can probably count on one hand the number of days my proverbial plate did not receive more tasks than I can handle in a day. Although I have since come to grips with the fact I will never be able to address everything which comes my way, it does indeed impose upon my ability to do much anything else.
I'm with you on this one.
I disagree. Being a jack of all trades is what I strive for. Doing client-services myself, you kinda have to have that mindset. You deal with everything, not just one portion of IT.
I've made a very decent living for over 15 years now being a "jack of all trades" and however much I like the tech I deal with I feel that spending all day, every day with it would bore me silly. I also feel that I have a far better idea how the tech interacts and the problems and challenges that can come from that interaction, rather than having the narrow view of knowing one tech in depth and to a large extent ignoring all others. I'm not denying there are areas that I could still learn a lot more, but I think I have a far better understanding of the overall environment than a lot of people - knowing a little about a lot can be as useful (if not more so) than knowing a lot about a little.
I love reading things like this. I'm green in the professional experience field (one year to my name), so posts like this one help me to understand what I need to be a better IT tech.
It can be just an ad for your consulting business or a showplace for you to brag about your awards (if you do it in the right way).
What would be the correct way?
What would be the correct way?
Take a look at this site.
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Art-of-The-Brag---7-Effective-Ways-to-Toot-Your-Own-Horn&id=1819354
Basically, a lot of people who brag about themselves (that I know) come off as jerks or "I am superior to you".
Maybe the term bragging is not a good one to use, it should be more of a process of showing what you have accomplished but making sure that you acknowledge others that helped you get there.
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Art-of-The-Brag---7-Effective-Ways-to-Toot-Your-Own-Horn&id=1819354
Basically, a lot of people who brag about themselves (that I know) come off as jerks or "I am superior to you".
Maybe the term bragging is not a good one to use, it should be more of a process of showing what you have accomplished but making sure that you acknowledge others that helped you get there.
This article is good for the upcoming IT specialist like who want to advance more in IT.
What should one basically specialise in IT Field for upgrade.
What should one basically specialise in IT Field for upgrade.
i'm trying to get into networking, specializing in which aspect not there yet, anyone wana help let me know, lets make some contacts
Actually the points are flowing and i would really want to try them out, especially the last point lol.
Hats off to the author of this article. Though I am only a software developer, I feel the article so inspiring and all the discussed points are genuine.
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