It seems to be no end in sight to the shaky economy. Still companies are trimming and cutting back when it comes to salaries and staff. Growth is declining, at the same time as workloads are increasing.
Stresses from job and career worries, noticeably, are elevated by these conditions. While it may not seem appropriate, it’s actually a great time for IT professionals to hone in on the basics and strive to improve skills. Something you can do to set yourself apart from the crowd or better direct your career path is worthwhile. At times when unemployment hits or layoffs loom large, you may as well make the best of a bad situation by gearing up for a major job hunt and by adding something helpful to your resume.
However, a significant question is whether you should learn new skills in your current area, move in a totally different tech direction and learn something entirely new, or focus on necessary, but non-technical, business skills.
• Think about the goals
Realize that there is no one road to take, as each professional’s career situation is unique. On the other hand, training for any career path is always important.
Approaching this training or, more often, retraining for the management level, depends on an individual’s goals.
First, determine how happy they are doing what they are doing. It is apparently a different answer for somebody in a good position who is doing well than for somebody who is not doing well.
People that are uncertain should take an assessment test that can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses and help recognize job aspirations that would otherwise remain hidden. Estimation tests may often be available via a company’s in-house HR unit or can be found at third-party organizations.
By implementing a self-driven training plan, you can be a critical factor for those employees whose jobs are in danger of being cut or professionals who have limited career opportunities in their region.
If it’s happen to be in one of those environments where the array of tech jobs is relatively small, say outside a major metropolitan area, - you better be flexible and have a wider-than-average set of tech job skills. If not, and the organization you are with is forced to make cuts, you may find that getting your next job is tough.
• Training doesn't have to be tech related
An exciting new trend is the belief by experts that today’s training efforts don’t have to involve technology.
People, who may be looking for a new job, either willingly or not, are advised to think of training in “soft” skills. The main thought is that many employers look for things beyond the programming languages or types of networks workers are qualified in and similar narrow skill sets.
Essential skills consist of the ability to effectively communicate, a good understanding of business in general, and the ability to see where in the corporate landscape IT resides.
The biggest problem in IT particularly is that people are looking for the next technology but don’t have communications skills, and can’t write a memo that conveys a clear idea. It is difficult because in their personal networking, they stay in their peer group.
The ability to communicate and be an advocate for the department, the company, or even the industry is a better training goal than learning new tech skills. The tech abilities will likely become obsolete within a couple of years anyway, if the employee doesn’t grow out of using them first.
Another central feature of any training today is incorporating real-world experience. Only adding skills via classes are not the most efficient course of action. IT professionals who expand their horizons solely in classroom or online learning settings are often ill prepared for real-world positions that utilize those new skills. The effective way to really grow is to put the new skills to work.
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