Whenever the economy slows, whenever a natural disaster occurs or whenever there is a sense of fear about anything in society, the scammers come out in force. There will always be a contingent of people who take advantage of a bad situation. When jobs are tight and companies are struggling, the career scams start to flow. Beware the scammers and don’t make a bad situation worse.
One of the worst things career scammers can do is take money out of the pockets of people who might already be struggling with a stalled career or a layoff. You need money to feed your family and fund your job search, so scams like this directly effect your standard of living. Be very careful before handing over money without some concrete idea of how a program will effect your job search and career.
Watch closely
No matter how desperate you might feel, you need to investigate each opportunity closely and carefully. What promises are being made? How quickly will a given program show results? Worse still, is it yet another multi-level marketing scheme in disguise? You are going to be faced with a hundred different opportunities during the the next year and the sad fact is 99.9% of them will be bunk. Most of us already know this from our life experiences, no matter how old we are. Anyone over the age of 16 has faced many opportunities that sounded great at the start, but turned out to be much, much less than promised. Knowing this fact, and remembering it, offers a base level of protection against the scammers that are sure to come calling.
…seek out ways to improve your knowledge and skills above all else.
So, where do you look for methods to improve your career in down times? First, seek out ways to improve your knowledge and skills above all else. While many people will want to teach you how to make a better resume or perform better in interviews, it is your base skills and knowledge that will create the real job opportunities. Learn a new programming language or piece of software. Take a course in how to be a better manager from a reputable organization. Take a design course. Do whatever it takes to develop your existing skills and build new ones. Basically, you are turning the odds in your favor. The more you know, the more job opportunities will be available for you.
What to avoid?
How do you judge between the good and bad opportunities that present themselves? The first rule is an old one…if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Despite how many times we may have heard this in the past, we still ignore it on occasion. One reason for this is, when we are desperate for an answer to our problems we want to believe too much. We want to believe that this opportunity is the 0.1% that aren’t scams. We want to believe that this is the easy way out of our troubles. We want to believe that we’re not ignoring the “too good to be true” rule. Unfortunately, when we want to believe something too much, we can convince ourselves of almost anything. It is only after we have become mired in some program that we start to see the truth. In the worst cases, we can go against our own ethics and even laws in an attempt to make the opportunity work out. Be honest with yourself and ask that question every day, “Is this really a good idea or do I want to believe it’s a good idea?” You will be surprised at your answers, I am sure.
You will be faced with many scams (or near scams) in the coming months. You might even be dealing with them already. This is natural when money and jobs get tight. Evaluate every opportunity closely. Only spend money on ways that increase your work skills and try to avoid “believing too much” even when things get tough. If you can do this, you will emerge from this economic cycle smarter, stronger and more solvent.
There are many facets to planning and executing high-tech projects, whether you are upgrading 5 PCs or 500, releasing new software or inventing a new product. Not only do you need to worry about quantities, say how many copies of software you will need, but also qualities, like which machines to upgrade first or what features to include in the first release. Too often, people concentrate on the quantity issues, assuming the quality issues will take care of themselves. Unfortunately, this leads many projects down the path to confusion and possible failure.
Below I will use the example of a typical PC upgrade project, but the issues of quantity and quality will equally effect any project with a high-tech component. In fact, I believe they effect any project regardless of work involved.
Quantity
Answers.com defines quantity as: “A specified or indefinite number or amount.” When applying this to a high-tech project this can be described as, how many copies of Microsoft Office, how many features, how much it will cost? Some of these items are easy to discover. If I am upgrading PCs, I can easily count what software I will need for one PC and then multiply that by the number of PCs. This gives me the number and the cost with little problem. Of course, if all the PCs are different, or used by different personnel for different purposes, this becomes more difficult. Still, I am dealing with hard numbers. You may have to dig a bit to discover all the possible needs, but it is a relatively straightforward process and most high-tech workers do well with this part of a project.
This is where trouble can often arise, though. You should never think that specifying quantities is enough. A project is not only about machines, C++ code and web pages. Whenever there are people involved, there are many other issues to consider. The second half of project planning is getting behind the quantities and discovering the quality issues that might stop your project in its tracks.
Quality
Once you decide how much needs to be done, you need to delve into the “what”, “why” and “how” of the project. Why should this piece be performed first and this one second? How do you work through the project from beginning to end? How will your work impact the people you are upgrading? What steps need to be done? In what order? When should it be complete? I had to figure out the order, the process, the flow of the project.
Since the office has both a file server and a Filemaker Pro server, I realized that these would have to come first in the upgrade process. No workstation upgrades could be completed until these machines were upgraded or replaced and back in operation. This also meant that the users could continue doing some basic work while I started the project, so I would impact their productivity as little as possible. Again, because productivity was a priority, I should try to upgrade one PC completely before moving onto the next. Sure, there would be certain processes, such as long system software upgrades that could performed simultaneously, but my focus should be on returning one PC, namely the manager’s computer, to operation first so it could be used by the others as I continued the upgrade project.
As I get closer and closer to the completion of the project, I can focus more on each individual PC, as I have already planned what needed to be completed first to create a base level of operations in the office.
While the “quality plan” may look confusing to an outsider, to me it is a blueprint to project success. Not only have I considered how much I had to do, but also the best order in which to do it. Don’t neglect this part of your project planning. No matter how much your clients or managers may clamor for hard quantities, you will be the one responsible for managing the process and bringing the project to a successful completion. Just like a contractor building anything from a house to a skyscraper, you need to have a blueprint that makes sense to you, even if those around you are not be able to interpret it.
If any of you are in the New York City area, this would be an excellent (and free) chance to spruce up your resume and job-hunting skills with Mike and Mark from Manager Tools. Their Manager Tools Conferences usually cost thousands of dollars, but this is your chance to get some of the expertise for free.
Pass this along to however might find it useful.
Douglas
I know you’re busy, so I’ll cut to the chase. Mark and I, like you and others, continue to be concerned about the financial crisis that has hit many of our friends and associates. So, we decided to do something about it. If you haven’t already heard, I wanted to make sure you know about our efforts and enlist your support in getting the word out.
To help those affected by the crisis, Manager Tools will present a FREE, one day Career Crisis Skills Conference. We will conduct the training/seminar at the Marriott East Side in Manhattan from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on October 18th.
There will be room for 300 attendees on a first come, first served basis. We’d rather not have the limitation, but this is the best we could do in such a short time period.
Again, this conference will be FREE. I promise you, we won’t be trying to sell anything in the back of the ballroom to anyone you might recommend attend. We’re doing this training free to address many of our listeners (and perhaps yours!) and members who have called and emailed asking, “What do I do?”
Would you please do me a favor and share this information with as many folks as you can (perhaps on your podcast ;-)? Time is short and getting the word out is critical if we’re to help as many as we believe we can.
We will cover 4 major topics:
Your Resume - The one’s we’ve seen in the last 1-2 weeks needed LOTS of help.
Your Preparation - How to get ready to interview (and improve your resume).
Your Search - Things you can do now, and how to do them.
Your Interviews - All five parts of every interview, what’s going to happen and what to do in each step.
To put it mildly, the economic news here in the US has not been very good lately. Business failures, the mortgage crisis and more are driving the economy lower and slower. This is sure to take its toll on business and the employees of these businesses — including you. That said, I hope that all of you have put your finances in order over the last several years as I have written here in Career Opportunities. Good preparation is always the best defense whenever tough times hit.
Too often, workers suspend whatever career goals they have during tough times. Those who have a job feel grateful to be employed and those without a job will take nearly anything that comes along. I would caution you against such austere thinking. Career goals are just that, goals. We should continue to strive for our goals even when the economy is slow. I would say that this is the most important time to focus on our goals. This prevents us from making unwise decisions out of a sense of fear or even panic. Decisions made in the fog of panic can be the most damaging of our lives. Don’t allow fear to deter you from your most important goals .
Another danger zone is making decisions with money being the only criteria. I am fond of saying that money should never be the sole reason for doing (or not doing) anything. Money must be weighed with all other criteria. In one extreme example, it should be obvious that committing a crime in order to make money would be a bad decision. Derailing your career to make money is almost as foolish. Rarely do your career goals change just because the economy has changed. You still want some very basic elements in your career. Yes, it might be more difficult to attain these goals, but they don’t simply disappear. Don’t abandon all that, simply to make money today, or you may find your future success to be limited by that decision.
So, what can you do to insure that your career stays on-track, even when the world is a bit unstable? It all comes down to you. First, re-visit your career goals. Have external forces deeply effected your goals or the chances of obtaining them? For example, if you were working to become powerful and rich in the mortgage industry, you will have to take a hard look at that goal Even then you might see opportunities in this area after the current crisis shakes out. The important part is to calmly and clearly review your goals and make decisions based on thought and consideration, not panic.
Next, look at your current work environment. Does this current crisis give you an opportunity to shine in some way? Can you save your company money? Can you bring in more business? Can you expand the company into new markets? Shakeups aren’t just doom and gloom. They can sometimes provide new opportunities, too. While you certainly don’t want to take any pleasure in the misfortune of others, layoffs, buyouts and early retirements could offer you opportunities for advancement that might have been missing before.
I can’t say this often enough, don’t panic.
Finally, and I can’t say this often enough, don’t panic. Today as I watch the news, I see people panicking everywhere. They are predicting worst case scenarios and telling people to act today, based on their predictions. Wise people react according to what is happening now, not what might happen in the future. There are any number of things that might happen. While you can plan and prepare based on various scenarios, it is important to only act on cold, hard facts. Otherwise, it is very likely you will “leap from the frying pan into the fire” making your life and career more difficult. Good news is rarely as good as we might hope and bad news is rarely as bad as we might fear. Keep in mind the reality always lies somewhere in the middle.
No matter what happens, remember that you are in charge of your own life and your own career. Make the best decisions possible for yourself and your family. Don’t feel that you need to quash your own career goals because the economy is slowing. Your goals may change and adjust, but you can still continue to strive for them every day.
As if I needed it, this week I had an object lesson in the important principle of “Don’t Wait!” I try always to take this to heart and usually manage to operate under its precepts, but a combination of events led to a series of yet other events that needn’t have happened. Thank goodness, the damage to data, and self-esteem, was minimal, but it teaches an important lesson that bears repeating.
Do the project now
This particular event has its roots in a new client I first spoke to a few months ago. They had a small office running an aging Novell server using Groupwise as their email. Together we developed a plan to replace this server, upgrade their network and replace their email with an out-sourced solution. The company was not ready to move on the project immediately for a variety of reason, so I estimated the cost of the project and left it up to them to contact me when they were ready.
This week, during the height of a heat wave here in Los Angeles, I received an emergency call from the client. Their server had crashed. I knew that the machine was in a location that had very bad ventilation, so I told them to move it into the office and let it cool down for a while. Sure enough, after a few hours we were able to reboot the server and go back to work. This event brought home the need to move forward on the project immediately.
Do what you can
We arranged to have a new server delivered overnight and I quickly backed up the existing files to a local desktop machine as a safeguard against any future failures. I had not yet setup the new email addresses, though, so I postponed exporting the email from Groupwise until I had a place to put it. It is here that I broke my own rule. I assumed the server would last for 1 more day and I would be able to move the email out in an organized fashion. Of course, I was wrong. The server crashed again the next day and we were unable to resurrect it a second time.
What went wrong?
There are several points of failure illustrated in this story, all of which you will face at one time or another. First, clients are often reluctant to replace aging systems, especially if they appear to be functioning well enough for their needs. They seem to want to wring every bit of cost out of the system before committing to a new one. In this case, while the server had continued to function, both their UPS and tape backup unit had failed months before. This is not an unusual situation, though. I often find such things when I meet with a client for the first time. That said, these earlier failures should have created more of a sense of urgency to replace the system.
Secondly, when confronted with the initial failure, I should have exported all the mail to a safe location, just as I did with the data files. Instead, I was trying to hold on to an old plan instead of reacting to new issues immediately. I had wanted to move through this project slowly, running the new systems in parallel and therefore execute a smooth and elegant transition. In trying to stick to that original plan, it opened a window to data loss. This is a perfect example of what can happen when we are not open to a rapidly changing environment.
Third, the existing equipment was located in a room with little to no air-conditioning and surrounded by other equipment. This location should have been questioned during the initial installation. It is the job of all high-tech workers to help their clients avoid preventable problems. Somewhere in the past, changes could have been that might have postponed or prevented this failure. Be kind to your clients, and your fellow high-tech peers, when installing or updating new systems. It is important to remember that you might be reviewing or replacing their work in the future.
Hindsight is often the best teaching tool, if also the cruelest. I hope you find my experience a useful reminder that there are times when projects should be pushed through, regardless of whether the current system is still functioning. As high-tech careerists, there are times when we must impress a sense of urgency on our clients. Both for their benefit and our own.
I guess I have been podcasting so long that anniversaries no longer make an impact on me. Last Wednesday, September 24, 2008, I started my 5th year of Career Opportunities and my fifth year of podcasting in general.
It is hard to believe it has been that long and yet the podcasting and new media environment has changed dramatically from when I first began.
Thanks to all the readers, listeners and viewers who have part of Career Opportunities! I look forward to many years in the future.
This week I am asking you to engage in a bit of future-tripping. Looking at the reality of your job today, where do you think it might lead in 5, 10, 15 years? What might your career look like when you reach your 60’s? Using your imagination today could help to insure your destination tomorrow, but it might also make it clear if you are on the right - or wrong - path right now. If your imagined destination doesn’t appeal to you, it’s time to take some corrective action.
Frequent readers and listeners to Career Opportunities will be familiar with the next few steps. Take some time, in a quiet place where you can think and try to imagine what your job and career might look like in the future. Take along your journal or notepad to collect your thoughts as you go.
Where will you be living and working? What work will you be doing? Corporate or freelance? How much will you be earning? Will your current career even exist in the future? Now, let’s dig a little deeper. Are you happy in your career? Do you feel accomplished? Are you living where you want to live? What is your family like? Are they happy with your career choices and the time commitments required?
When I do this exercise with others, I often hear complaints that they “can’t possibly imagine that far ahead.” There can be several reasons for this. First, they might not be able to break away from the current state of their career. Sometimes we can be so immersed in the day-to-day reality of our work that it is very difficult to break out. That said, this is one of the easier issues to address. Given enough time and a quiet environment, we can all begin to imagine what might be possible in our career future. We just have to have the time and space to break away.
Other issues are more difficult, though. Too often when we are asked to imagine our career future, we are afraid of what we might find. If we are already dissatisfied with our career, we don’t want to imagine the future because in our eyes it can only get worse. Of course, if we are unhappy with the future that we see, this only means we need to create a new one. This is why you MUST think about your future, otherwise it will simply happen to you. You want to direct your future, reaching out for new goals and new challenges, not simply accept whatever has been dealt to you. This is the exact reason we engage in this “futur-ing” exercise.
For good or bad, once we have imagined our future, it gives us clear signs as to what we need to do next.
For good or bad, once we have imagined our future, it gives us clear signs as to what we need to do next. If you feel you are on the right track, then what are the next steps along this path? What can you do to insure that the future you imagined comes to pass? Do you need more training? Do you need to earn a new position in your company? Do you need to move to a different company with more opportunities for advancement?
If you look into the future and don’t like what you see, what are your next steps? Did you pick the wrong career back in college? Do you lack training or a diploma and this is holding you back? Does your company hold no chance for advancement? Are people actively blocking your career path?
Now, take each issue and revisit our exercise. How different would your life and work be if this issue didn’t exist? What are 5 ways of dealing with this issue? Can you make the issue simply go away? Does it require wholesale changes to your career or just a few tweaks here and there? If one person is standing in your way, how can you go around them, or reduce their influence? What would your career future look like if these problems no longer existed.
Despite how it might feel some days, you have the ability to shape and direct your career. it only requires the will to imagine the future and then take action to reinforce or change the future you see. You don’t have to accept what is given to you. It is your duty to shape your life and career in the best ways possible so that you develop the career you deserve.
Working as a freelance computer consultant can certainly have its challenges and its rewards, but sometimes it can be difficult to keep my career moving forward. Over the last several years, I have had various complications and interruptions that have effected my ability to continuously develop my career. While these complications certainly haven’t brought everything to a halt, they have forced me to be creative about how to continue my work, especially when everyday live intervenes.
Back to school
Seven years ago, I took a long hiatus from my work and became the stay-at-home parent for my son. This lasted for about 3 years. I continued to do some consulting work during that time, but it was significantly less than my usual load. Scheduling was a constant problem, so it seemed easier to bow out of the market, for awhile.
Now, I find myself in a similar situation, but with a few new quirks. Three years ago, my wife decided to return to school to get her graduate degrees. She achieved her Masters in History about a year ago and is currently in the second year of her Ph.D program. Initially, she was able to take most of her classes in the evenings, and my son is now in school, so this didn’t effect me too much. There were still scheduling issues, but through judicious use of daycare and play dates, I could work as much as necessary.
Busy, busy, busy
That said, as she gets deeper into her studies, her time has become more and more fragmented. Additionally, my son’s schedule has also become busier. We are not the type of parents who sign him up for every activity, but he is now engaged in ice skating lessons and will play Little League baseball again this Fall. Combine this with the various school events and it adds up to a busy schedule. This has set me to thinking again, about how best to manage my time so that I can handle the role of both high-tech professional and hands-on father.
Remotely yours
Lately, there have been some technological advances that have opened up new avenues for my work. Thankfully, in many cases, my work doesn’t require my physical presence. I have long offered telephone support and training to my clients, billed on a per-minute basis, and it usually adequate for many of their needs. However, as systems grow more and more complicated and customizable, the necessity of actually viewing the client’s screen has become a necessity.
VNC (Virtual Network Control) software has been around for quite a while, but configuring it to allow a connection to a client’s machine often involves changing router settings and other complications. Recently, though, a method was developed to allow the computer user to place an “outbound” call to a VNC “Listener” with limited software installs or software configuration. This, combined with the growing ubiquity of broadband, allows me greater access than ever before to computers without being physically beside them. I have used it to assist my clients on the other side of the country or just a few blocks away.
Microsoft, Inc. provides a similar product to assist in the management of their servers and desktops. RDC (Remote Desktop Client) allows me to use a server, just as if I was sitting in front of it.
This capability allows me to be available for my son and my clients in most situations. Often, I am completing some of my work, while he sits at the dining room table finishing his homework. Furthermore, using a Wi-Fi equipped laptop, I can often perform work when I am waiting for him at school or lessons. Here in Los Angeles, free wi-fi hotspots are expanding at an enormous rate. If I really need access desperately, I can expand my connectivity dramatically by signing up for paid access at any of the myriad Starbucks, Borders or Barnes and Noble franchises. This allows me to fit my work into the irregular holes that make up a typical day.
Balancing a life as a high-tech freelancer and equal- partner parent is never an easy proposition, but technology can provide some assistance. Whenever you are feeling stressed, look for technology that can provide the same measure of flexibility as your high-tech career.
Beware the Scammers
