Your Information Technology Career: Beware The Comfort Zone

Information, technology, computers, career, cisco, ccna, ccnp, ccie, mcse, Microsoft, router, switch,chris,Bryant,ccie,12933, advantage

I've seen it happen time and again to programmers, network engineers and administrators, and other IT personnel. They get a solid IT position, a good-paying job, and they get comfortable. They stop keeping up with the latest technologies, they stop studying, they no longer keep their CCNA, MCSE, and other industry certifications up-to-date.... and then one day, their comfortable job is gone.

Maybe they get laid off, maybe the company moves and they don't want to move with it... but for one reason or another, they're in the worst position possible. They have no job, and they have allowed their IT skills to deteriorate to the point where they are no longer employable.

If you're in IT, you must be constantly learning. You must continually take the long view, and ask yourself three important questions. First, where do you want to be in three years? Second, what are you doing now in order to reach this goal? And finally, if you were laid off today, are your current skills sharp enough to quickly get another job?

That third question can be the hardest of all to answer honestly. I'm reminded of Microsoft announcing years ago that they would no longer be recognizing the MSCE 4.0 certification, since the network operating systems that certification was based upon would no longer be supported by MS. (Keep in mind that this change was announced months in advance, giving those holding the MCSE 4.0 plenty of time to earn the latest MS certification.)

Some MCSE 4.0s just went nuts. Microsoft's certification magazine printed letter after letter from angry MCSEs saying that their company would always run NT 4.0, and that there was no reason for them to ever upgrade their certification.

This wasn't just denial. This was career suicide. Let's say that their network never moved from NT 4.0. Let's also say that they got laid off yesterday. Would you want to go out into the current IT workplace and have your most recent network operating system experience be on NT 4.0 ? I sure wouldn't.

The fact is that you've got to continue studying, continue growing, and continue learning new things if you want to have a successful long-term IT career. If you plan on studying only one topic, getting into IT, and then never cracking a book again, you're entering the wrong field. And for those of us who have been in it for a while - again, ask yourself this question: "Am I prepared for what would happen if I were laid off today?" And if you're not, do something about it!

How To Start Your Career In Information Technology

The hardest part of your IT career can be just getting it started!  Chris Bryant, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert  #12933, shares his experiences and offers tips and advice on how to get started.

Many newcomers to Information Technology get an overly-optimistic picture of the field from tech school ads that continually make note that "an average MCSE salary is $80.000 a year!".  

And if someone's thinking of getting into IT and goes on the internet to do some research, they're met with the opposite end of the spectrum - complaint after complaint about how much IT is a terrible field, you can't break in, there's no room for newcomers, etc.

As usual, the truth lies in the middle.  As much as I love the IT field, I'll be the first to say that it's often hard to get that first job.  Many tech schools have a job placement department, and that can be one big plus in their favor. 

What if you don't have that resource working for you?  When you're breaking into any field, IT or not, you must not make the classic mistake of sending a ton of resumes and waiting for the phone to ring.   The odds are that it won't.

You must get out and talk to people.  The term "networking" doesn't just refer to allowing computers to talk to each other; it also refers to people talking to each other.  In your case, you've got to get out and meet people.  Check the business section of your local newspaper.  There will be dozens of networking meetings listed in there.  It doesn't matter that you aren't in the field yet; go to these meetings and meet people.  Initiative is never a bad thing.

And once you get that first job, make it count.  Show up on time and do what you say you'll do.  If you don't know something, dig into Google and find the answer or ask a more knowledgeable colleague.  (Just doing these few basic things will put you way ahead of the pack.)

Getting started in IT is as tough as breaking into any other field.  Having worked in a few different jobs in my life, though, I can tell you this:  No other field in the world rewards individual drive, initiative, and achievement like Information Technology.  The fact that you have to work so hard to get in will make your eventual and unstoppable success just that much sweeter.