14 suggestions for bringing your IT career to the next level, 14 career
IT is not easy to appreciate the value as a leader in the enterprise IT department. It is not easy to stand out from the general public.
2013 is a good year. According to expert reports, June of all new jobs in 10% come from the technical field. This is good news for IT technicians who want to upgrade, change jobs, and change jobs. However, if you want to "change" these occupations, you need to make them feel that you can bring more value.
According to CIOs, career consultants and experts, it is not enough to do a good job. You need to demonstrate your dedication to technological development and your ability to develop along with technological development. Each company's success track is different, but the 14 suggestions listed below can help you get success.
Communicate with your boss and company HR
Let your boss and HR representatives know that you attach great importance to the efforts needed to achieve success. Career Development Consultant David Brookmire believes that if you work for a medium and large enterprise, the HR department will divide the employee's abilities based on the level of work, such as the level of IT professionals and supervisors.
Brookmire suggested, "Go directly to HR and ask for the information. Sometimes it is published on the Enterprise Portal ." This is a good start to develop a career development plan.
Find a mentor
The mentor can help in many ways. In many cases, IT is critical for individuals to become enterprise IT supervisors. They can provide good advice on their careers, or make recommendations during internal promotions. They have a lot of technical and commercial knowledge and are willing to share with you. If you do not have such a mentor, check if the company has a mentoring program. If so, register.
"Tutoring is very important ." "One of the conditions for learning and growing is to establish mentoring relationships with someone throughout their work," said Hugh Scott, CIO of Energy Plus ."
Participate in an open-source project/volunteer
Keith Perry, Deputy CIO and Assistant Vice President of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, said that personal growth and development capabilities can be improved anytime, anywhere, it is not necessary to perform formal training in the classroom. As a developer, you can find and participate in projects you are interested in many places, which will help you become a better IT professional.
You can contribute your programming capabilities to a non-profit organization that focuses on the technology you are interested in. There are also some local UseNet developers, including a large number of people who love the technology they use.
Learn more about the company's business
"My biggest advice to IT professionals is to find an industry that they love and be willing to spend time learning about the business in this industry, not limited to the IT industry ." Keith Perry suggested.
Understanding how your business works can help you use your own technologies to innovate and solve business problems. "IT supports business strategies, and technological improvements may also affect the future direction of enterprises ." Tana Heminsley, founder and CEO of Authentic Leadership Global, said.
Build your own network
A lot of work is published on professional websites. Whether you participate in activities, developer meetings, or social media, you must strive to develop interpersonal relationships among trusted professionals. "You must be proactive in discovering people with decision-making capabilities and establishing relationships with them. Most people often seldom go out because they are too busy to attend these meetings and establish relationships with these people ." Said David Brookmire.
Know what you want
"When promotions in a company involve subordinate management, it is difficult for some high-tech talents to be promoted. IT technicians lack interest in management, leadership, and training of other IT technicians. I think this is crucial for the promotion ." Guillermo Ortiz de Zarate, Director of Information Systems at the National Council of Construction of the United States.
If you are not interested in something, it is very difficult to invest in it. "Look for your own interests in this field and don't be driven by money or fashion ." "Continuous improvement in skills in your favorite fields will lead to continuous success," Zarate said ."
Set realistic goals
Setting clear career development goals is critical to the success of your career.
1. Identify what success you want;
2. formulate clear and clear steps;
3. Anticipate all possibilities and develop all plans;
4. Constantly review your goals and track your success.
"Setting goals for your IT career is an uninterrupted process. These include extending your skills, such as education, obtaining qualification certificates, and researching emerging technologies. Throughout your career, you need to be confident that you can complete these tasks. No one will support you as you support yourself ." Stephen Van Vreede, a Career strategist and resume writer, said.
Draw a career Roadmap
Specify the stage to which you want to develop in a few years. It will help you decide what courses to study, what certificates to obtain, and what positions you can accept and do not accept.
"The evolution of technology is bound to have an impact on the role of the IT industry in the future. Everyone in the IT industry will also invest in innovative management skills. This benefits the companies they are in and will define and evolve their careers, "Keith Perry believes.
Evaluate your skills
You must understand your strengths and weaknesses in order to develop a special plan to make up for your shortcomings in professional skills, soft skills, and leadership skills. "In my opinion, in many cases, it technical staff may encounter many difficulties in the process of enterprise promotion because it requires management skills, and many people do not have the skills ."
There are many self-evaluation tools on the Internet to help you evaluate your current position.
University Course/Qualification Certificate
Returning to school is unlikely for a person who is working full-time and wants to support his family. It is actually possible. In the long run, obtaining a degree in your technical field can also produce value. "I decided to go back to school to get my master's degree in enterprise management to supplement my bachelor's degree in computer science. In addition, I take medical classes at night ." Said Keith Perry.
Obtaining the qualification certificate is a good way to increase your value. In the process of obtaining the certificate, you have not only obtained the certificate but also learned new and interesting things. According to experts, this is also a good way to earn more money.
Don't stick to your work field
In the IT industry, we tend to focus on the affairs we are facing, and these will soon become bitter. Jump out of your "comfort zone" and find a way to surpass yourself. Beyond the scope of your responsibilities, you can better demonstrate your value and dedication. This includes leading a special project, working out a solution to the problem, Discovering ways to do things efficiently, learning to use the power to use a third-party platform for source code protection, and developing a plan, and show it to your boss.
"Seize high-risk, highly influential business opportunities. We are appreciated for being able to take on larger projects and conduct strategic mergers and acquisitions with strong competence, strong self-confidence, and ability ." Said Tana Hemingsley, CEO and founder of Authentic.
Continuous delivery
"Let's say it is done. Clarify the problem to others as soon as possible and learn from the experience, "Heminsley believes.
"Continuous release results. This is the execution method. In the IT field, this means that projects are completed on time and on a budget basis with high quality ." Said David Brookmire.
Better management of your time
Time management, we all do better. There is never enough time to complete one thing. However, through time management, You can prioritize important tasks. Time management is to sort priorities.
Seek feedback
According to professional management, feedback is often received to help you better work.
Think about it: if a person does something in the wrong way, is it better to correct the mistake as soon as possible, or is there any adverse consequences a year later?
Feedback is often received to better polish your skills. Feedback can come from your mentor, your boss, and your colleagues.
We hope that the above 14 points will help you in your IT career and take IT to the next level!