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If you want to excel in an information technology career, you need to make a career plan or plot a career road map that will take you from your current skill level to a professional, highly skilled or expert level.
You will also need to create a plan for maintaining your skills at the level of top performers or experts in your field when you get there.
Whatever your current career (business analyst, data analyst, software developer, report writer, database developer, web designer, etc.), you need to sharpen your skills using one or more of the following training options:
1. Self Learning
2. Online Training
3. On The Job Training
4. Coaching or Mentoring
5. Classroom Training
The best training programs I have found include a combination of two or more of these training options.
Personally, I have invested a lot of time and money in self learning, online training, on the job learning and coaching or mentoring. I have also invested in class room training, but not to the same extent as the other training methods.
What is really important, is that you create a definite goal for what you want to attain and then define the specific training you will use to achieve those goals.
This is important because without constantly training your skills, you will begin to lag behind your colleagues.
When that happens, you will find it hard to ace your technical interview or get hired, you will be passed over for promotions and you will be one of the most likely to get fired on your team. Your job performance will also suffer and you will begin to show signs that you lack the confidence to do your job well.
How to choose the best training program for your career
Here are some tips that will help you choose the best training program for your career:
Choosing Self Learning or Teach Yourself Programs
Self Learning or teach yourself programs are usually the cheapest programs of studying. All you have to do is buy a book on the subject or topic you are interested in learning. For example, there are books on Amazon.com on almost any subject under the sun. You can also purchase e-books written by subject matter experts (SMEs) on any skill you want to learn.
The advantage of self study is that it is the cheapest way to learn a topic.
The disadvantage of self-study is that you may still not understand a topic after reading a book on it. Also, the books you buy may end up collecting dust on your shelf because it takes a lot more personal discipline or effort to buy a book and read it.
Choosing Online Training
Online training also known as e-learning, virtual classroom training or distance learning is growing in popularity because online training is cheaper than physical class room training.
Online training is usually location independent which means that you can in theory take an online class from any location in the world as long as you have a computer and an internet connection.
Online training is also more convenient for working adults who cannot afford to take out time from work and family committments to drive to a physical training class.
Online training is more self-paced and more convenient than classroom training because you may attend a virtual class at a time (evening, morning, afternoon).
The disadvantage of online training compared to to physical class room training is that you don't have the physical, intimate bonding experience of being in the same class with students and course instructors. For some, the lack of physical proximity with other students and class instructors is intimidating, so they will not enjoy an online training class.
Choosing On The Job Training
Learning with or mastering "on the job training" is a necessity requirement for today's information technology careers. This is because no matter how much online training, or self-studying or class room training you take, you will always have to learn something new on your job.
For example, you will need to learn the business processes of every company you work for, on-the-job. Also, it is not practical for your employer to send you to a class, each time a new software program or technology is installed at your place of work.
What this really means, is that you need to be adept at learning on the job to survive in today's fast-paced and highly competitive information technology job market.
Choosing Coaching or Mentoring
You need to have at least one coach or mentor at every level of your career.
Your coach should be someone who is more experienced than you and can help guide you through the challenges you will face on the job.
As you progress in your career, you will be faced with decisions that you will not be able to find answers for in an online training class or book or classroom.
Successful people in every career or discipline can easily name coaches or mentors who influenced, inspired or guided them to greater success than they where capable of by themselves.
The question "you should be asking" is not whether you need a mentor, but "who is best suited to be your mentor"?
Adopting a mentor can be as simple as asking someone who is much higher than you at work to be your mentor.
You can also read the publications, articles, books and informational products published by professionals or experts that you recognize in your industry.
Remember that you need a mentor and that you also have complete freedome in how
you go about selecting or choosing a mentor ... so choose wisely 
Class Room Training
Class room training is one of the more traditional programs of learning a skill.
The advantage of classroom training is the physical proximity between you and your teacher.
The disadvantage of classroom training includes the cost of attending it. Classroom training usually requires more of your time and costs more money.
My advice to you is to constantly sharpen and improve your skills, your career and your life using two or more affordable and flexible career training programs. If you do that continuously, you will become one of those people who succeeds in developing their personal talents and skills in their career or life.
About The Author
My name is Kingsley Tagbo and I'm a technical expert living in Saint Louis, Missouri. I write about the training, coaching, mentoring and personal development of software development professionals including business analysts, computer programmers, testers, project managers, web designers, data analysts, report writers, software developers and other information technology professionals .
My firm, Exacticity, performs software development consulting and training for clients throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. If you are in need of software development consultants or training, click here to get in touch with me.
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