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May 18, 2001

Where to, now?

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Over the several years I have written this column I have had people ask me for advice about their high-tech careers. While I write about this topic every week I am somewhat hesitant about offering specific advice for an individual. So much depends on their life and the goals that they want to accomplish. So much depends on their skills, their interests and their desires. That said, I usually try to offer some helpful advice based on my own personal experience. Today's column gives you all a little insight into what I might say if you sent me a message like, "Where to, now?"

Know more about more

First and foremost, the more you know about a wide variety of topics the more opportunities you will be able to pursue. Over the years I have seen a trend to greater and greater specialization in the high-tech industry. Workers who were once generalists have now broken up into microcomputer specialists, network specialists, specialists by operating system, database system, programming language, etc. The unfortunate side effect, however, is to make these high-tech workers more susceptible to layoffs and slowing economies. One only need look at the current state of web developers, web graphics designers and others in the "dotcom" economy. Their specializations will become viable again one day, but they need to put food on the table and shoes on their feet today.

Know more about more and you will diminish the effects a bad economy, dotcom slowdowns and a host of other problems. You should be able to interview for a host of jobs in a host of different disciplines. In that way you can be reasonably assured that you will find some job, even if it isn't the one you want for the rest of your life. This allows you to concentrate on getting your next job without worrying about the basic necessities of life.

Don't rush to certify

Time and time again I get questions about which certification program to take to be sure of getting a job. Truthfully, I don't feel any certification can promise you a job and any school that makes that promise should be reviewed carefully.

You can often get the knowledge and skills you need to better your career on your own. Certification programs can teach you a lot, but they are expensive and often don't focus on the hands-on knowledge that is most useful. If you want to learn about programming visit your local bookstore or library and dig in. Find a mentor who can review your code and offer you hints, tips and tricks. Volunteer to write a database application for some non-profit group so you can get some practical experience and also develop a piece you can show prospective employers.

The expense of certifications can be an extreme burden to someone who is out of work already. Better to dig in and learn by doing. I have found that most companies will waive certification requirements for jobs if you can demonstrate the necessary skills. You can always get the certification later, maybe on someone else's dime.

Develop a portfolio/Tell a story

When the time comes to start looking for that next job it is important that you be able to demonstrate to companies exactly what you have done and exactly what you can do. This means collecting letters of recommendation, commendations from your company or letters from your clients on an on-going basis. You don't want to be scrambling around for these items while you are undergoing a layoff.

If you are a web designer, make sure you can demo your greatest sites. If you are an IT-related troubleshooter, make sure you have some great stories to tell about your biggest projects or the hardest problems you had to solve. In fact, everyone should develop their "stories" in preparation for future interviews. A good story can demonstrate your skills far better than a few lines on a resume. Even your resume should be written like a story. In either case, interview or resume, you are telling the interviewer what you have accomplished and why they should hire you. Use your stories to make the interviewer want to bring you in for that first interview or bring you back again to meet with the next person up the line.

Every career situation is different, but hopefully these three concepts will help to form your own thinking about your high-tech career.

 

about this column.

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Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant in Van Nuys, California. Readers can discuss career issues with other readers by joining the Career Opportunities Discussion on Douglas' web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/

He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com

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