Congrats to Grads! - A few tips to those starting their careers in IT

This blog, especially as of late, has been dedicated to idea's revolving around the .NET environment. However, this past weekend my cousin graduated from the Pennsylvania State University (Congratulations Nick!), reminding me that it was only 4 years ago that I received my undergraduate degree, and it is only now that I can truly start to look back on the past couple of years of my career and pinpoint what I did, didn't do, and will do over the next several years of my career to stay sharp. Therefore, I decided to blog about some items for those of you that are beginning your career's.

1 - Earning a degree does not equal "Bye Bye Books!"

Let's face it, no matter what institution you attend, you cannot learn everything you need to know in 4-5 years, and there's nothing wrong with that. College level educations are designed to give you a concentration, not an expertise, in a specific subject matter. So how does this information help you? Simple... read!

• Go online and read white-papers
• Subscribe to 'free' magazines like CIO, eWeek, and InformationWeek
• Purchase books (employers usually pay for them, so they're free, AND it shows dedication and maturity on your part!).

As you are well aware of by now, the stuff you learn now is old-news in 18 months. Everything you learned as a Freshman (or Freshwoman ;) is outdated, it was merely meant to teach you the concepts... nothing more. At this point, it's on you to continue your learning path, and the best way to do that is to read, read, and read some more. The good news is this, making it a habit to read not only keeps you fresh on the latest technology, but it gives you fresh idea's as well. Don't rely on management to push direction, have input to where you want technology to go.

2 - Set Your Career Path

When given a project at work, the first step isn't "Finish Project" (and if it is, look for a new job!), the first step is to create a list of steps. "First we meet with the project sponsor to get an idea on what the users need. Next, lets meet with the users and gather requirements. Then we can document our information and..." In other words, you create a plan, with specific goals, and systematically move from step to step. Treat your career the same way!

It's early in life, but it's no excuse to work day-to-day, year-to-year, without having a light at the end of the tunnel. Define where you want to be in 10 years, then down to 5 years, then 3, 2, and 1 year. You don't become an expert overnight, and nobody expects you to, but set goals for yourself so you can become an expert sooner rather than later. Life's too short to just roll with the punches, you have to throw some punches along the way!

That being said... yes... your career path with take short-cuts and long-cuts along the way. You never know what the future will hold. Perhaps you start out as a PC hardware technician, only to find 2 years later you want to do systems administration instead. The good thing is that you recognize that you have aspirations, the next step is to not be afraid to do what it takes to meet those aspirations. The bottom line is this, make your sacrifices now so you don't have to make them later.

3 - Ask for Training

I have a secret for you. There are these things called "Conferences". They usually take place in attractive locations and/or warm-climates, have scheduled meetings to discuss trends in technology, give away free stuff, and sometimes even have events with unlimited alcohol and food. And here's the best part, your employer will send you for free!

Believe it or not, sometimes we feel that work is not meant to be fun, and that you only receive perks from a job when you become a CIO with stock options... this is not the case. Going to conferences helps you keep up with current technology, get fresh idea's (just like in step 1!!!), network, and break the monotony of going to work week-to-week. This is all common sense, but it is also overlooked by both employee's as well as supervisor's on how beneficial it can be to send someone away.

Your employer will always have a budget for such conferences. Sometimes you get to go... sometimes you dont... and sometimes you have to travel with the geeky guy in the back of the office that goes to conferences for nothing more that SWAG.. but begger's can't be choosers! However, it never hurts to ask, and sooner or later you will invariably be told 'yes'.

4 - Surround Yourself with the Best

In the past several years you attended school, you learned many things. For example, how many glasses of "jungle juice" you can consume before the room starts to spin, how difficult it is to clean "jungle juice" off of your gracious host's bathroom floor, and how difficult it can be to take an exam while hungover from "jungle juice." However, the key thing is that you learned!

And all the while you were in the classroom, you learned from your professors, the resident subject experts on campus, the individuals who learned, tried, failed, learned again, and succeeded... and then taught you what they learned. Your career is much the same way. The individuals you surround yourself with should be well-skilled and well-experienced in what they do before they try to teach you what to do. Learn from those around you on how they have been successful, and more importantly how they have failed, to help you become successful as well. I know, it's difficult, you have that pretty piece of paper stating that you just went through several years of partying, while stopping by some classrooms along the way. However, your learning experiences have truly just begun. Stay strong, stay confident, and most importantly...

5 - Stay Positive!

Yes, I know, very cliche.. I'm sorry, but it really is an important point to make. Work a couple of years with a downer, someone who is always negative and pessimistic, and see how you view that person. More importanly, see how you view that person's career.

Life goes on whether or not you're in a good mood or a bad mood, feel sick or healthy, happy or sad, etc. The thing is, if you approach each challenge you encounter as an opportunity, you will be successful. If you approach each challenge as the latest pain in your rear-end, you will fail. End of story, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.

Keep in mind, when you're positive, people like you! If people like you, they work with you! Working with people, not against them, is a key part to your career. It's how you become networked and essential to helping your business or organization grow.

As I stated in the beginning of this post, it's only been a couple of years since I graduated. I'm certainly no expert in IT, and certainly no expert in journalism either! However, I've taken the time in my life to stop, albeit only for brief moments, to reflect, identify where I am, and where I am going. Do the same! If you don't like where your life is at, change it. If you receive a challenge, accept it and defeat it. If you fail at a challenge, learn from it and move on. When you commit to something, it's amazing what you can accomplish. To end with a quote from one of my very dear friends:

Remember how to eat an elephant... one bite at a time...