Communications of the ACM
Eight Ways to Advance Your It Career By Staying Relevant
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Given the rapid pace of change within the tech sector, it's important to keep up with the latest trends and technologies, whether you already have a job or are looking for work. So how can you stay current when the world of IT is continually changing? It's important to both learn broadly about your industry in general as well as keep a narrow focus on your specialty — the market is too large, with too many workers, to just know a little about everything these days. There will always be a need for specialties within the IT industry. The tools are out there to stay current, whether it's industry blogs; conferences and classes; certifications; or online user communities.
In addition to following industry news, you can stay current by attending classes, boot camps, or conferences. Conferences not only expose you to updated information, they also help you to meet leading authorities and vendors in the IT industry as well as network with your IT peers. In addition, IT certifications can indicate to employers that you take your job seriously and that you are knowledgeable on specific technologies. By selectively choosing certifications applicable to your area of expertise, you can remain up to date and continue to add to your list of qualifications. Particularly useful for developers seeking advice from their peers, user communities are also an effective way to stay current with the latest trends and techniques for your particular area of IT expertise. Most communities have discussion forums, FAQs, knowledge bases, and some even have job boards and resume posting services.
For IT professionals, most industry magazines are either cheap or free — most simply require you to fill out a short qualification form. Filling out the qualification form often allows you access to registration-only portions of online publications as well as white paper and e-book downloads. There are several publishers that offer hundreds of free subscriptions — and they cover just about any segment of the IT industry. Blogs are also a good way to stay current about specific topics, companies, or segments of the industry. Obviously, social networking comes into play when you are trying to stay current in the IT industry. With practically every market segment, company, and technology represented on social sites like Facebook, Google+, and Yahoo!, along with professional social sites like LinkedIn, social networking can be useful for staying connected to the IT industry and your peers. Aside from the industry connections to be made, social sites are good sources of industry insider news and hints of technology to come. Finally, job boards are not just tools for those looking for work — they also make excellent resources for finding out what skills, certifications, education, and experience employers in your area of expertise are actively seeking.
From Network World
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