ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » career http://www.it-career-coach.net How To Take Your Career To The Next Level Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:09:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 What Is The Best Career Move for Technical Support Engineers? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/08/27/what-is-the-best-career-move-for-technical-support-engineers/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/08/27/what-is-the-best-career-move-for-technical-support-engineers/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:46:00 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2983

Careers for Network / Support Engineers

Careers for Network / Support Engineers

I would like to start this post by introducing [Ask IT Career Coach], a Career Advice Column that offers help, answers or solutions for your most challenging career situations.

This question was submitted by a reader from Johannesburg, South Africa: “What will be a best career move as a Desktop Engineer?”

The Best Career Move For Desktop or Technical Support Engineers

  1. Which Career Are You Best Suited For?

    There is no one singular career that works for every desktop engineer, so your first job is to discover the career you are best suited for.

    You may move to another related career and become a: network engineer, information security specialist, server administrator, network administrator or you may transition to a career that has nothing to do with desktops, servers, hardware or networking!

  2. How Do You Choose The Best Career?

    You can choose the next career move based on what your friends or colleagues recommend for you or based on what is the best-paying job in your field or based on which careers are currently in-demand or in-fashion.

    • However some of the folks recommending specific careers do so because that is all they have ever know or because they do not know about other alternative career options!

    • Choosing the next career move based on how much you are paid is not advisable because it leads to career instability and poor performance.

      Sooner or later, you will discover that you are not really passionate about the career and you will be unable to advance because of that!

    • Moving into a career because it’s in-fashion or popular is short-sighted because it results in you doing work that you’re not suited for.

      For example, becoming a pre-sales support engineer may be popular in your circle but still be a dumb career move for you because the constant traveling, socializing or presenting demands wears on you!

  3. Do You Know What You Love?

    Have you considered moving to a career that you love? If you find yourself unable to take that route, it’s because you have not taking the time to identify what you love doing!

    • Identify what you are good at

      Evaluate the feedback you get from colleagues or co-workers and use that to figure out what you are good at.

    • Identify your hobbies

      Evaluate your productive hobbies or part -time activities and use that to figure out what you like.

    • Analyze your Strengths and Weaknesses: Don’t just pick a career that you like or avoid careers that you dislike, take a balanced inventory of your likes and dislikes … Read this post to find out how!

What Is The Best Way To Figure Out Your Next Career Move?

Neo, you may download a FREE Report on “How To Make A Career Change”.

This free REPORT provides you with more information on how to choose the next career move!

Technical Support / Helpdesk Career Advice Column

In this post, I answered the question of which career is the best move after working as a Desktop Engineer.

If you have any question about this, be sure to post it as a comment on this page and I would answer it for you.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/08/27/what-is-the-best-career-move-for-technical-support-engineers/feed/ 8 How to Start Business Analysis After a Career in Computer Programming http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/08/17/how-to-start-business-analysis-after-a-career-in-computer-programming/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/08/17/how-to-start-business-analysis-after-a-career-in-computer-programming/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:30:35 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2975

How To Start A Business Analyst Career

How To Start A Business Analyst Career

Identifying your transferable skills is the first step towards successfully transitioning, changing or starting a new business analysis career.

Though this article is written for those starting a business analysis career after having worked as a computer programmer, the principles presented here are helpful to anyone interested in starting any new career.

The first step in starting a new career is building self-confidence by recognizing that the career you are transitioning to has some relationship or similarity to the jobs you have performed in the past.

It is important to take this first step of identifying your transferable skills because it instills self-confidence, reduces anxiety and helps you bridge the gap to a new career.

We like what we are familiar with and we feel more tense, anxious or uncertain about unfamiliar or new environments because we are not sure that we can cope or succeed in them.

So, taking this first step of identifying your transferable skills will do wonders for your self-confidence and career success.

Identify Your Transferable Skills

Did you realize that the skills you develop as a computer programmer go beyond purely coding skills?

As a computer programmer, you perform a number of tasks or roles at different points in your career which will assist you in starting a new business analysis career.

Start by making an inventory of your current skills and then identify those that will assist you in bridging the gap between your computer programming and business analyst career.

Some of these transferable skills may include:

  • Networking
  • Requirements gathering
  • Requirements documentation
  • Technical writing
  • Oral and written communication
  • Leadership
  • Critical thinking and analytical skills

Here are additional pointers to the role of transferable skills in starting a new business analysis career.

Transition your Leadership Skills

The typical software developer is a heads-down coder who focuses on specific tasks and does not think in terms of the big picture or pay attention to it (not a big picture thinker).

However, if you have been a technical or team lead, then you are comfortable with thinking and working on the big picture and at the same time, managing all the smaller details that accompany developing software such as:

  1. Estimating, planning or assigning tasks with project managers
  2. Gathering or validating requirements for the developers with business analysts
  3. Planning iterations, releases or builds with release managers
  4. Hiring new team members with IT Management
  5. Validating high-level business cases, user stories, vision and scope documents with the business team (directors, senior management, power users, customers and business analysts).

In this leadership and big-picture role, you would have learned how to delegate tasks, solve human problems as opposed to purely coding issues and worked with all sorts of professionals: customers, IT / project managers, business team etc.

This ability to work with, relate or communicate with different types of corporate users is a skill that you will transfer to your new business analysis career.

Transition your Technical Writing Skills

Technical writing is a skill that is frequently practiced or exercised by senior software developers and technical or team leads.

This is because from time to time you are asked to write software manuals, create help files or document the internal workings of software systems with Use Cases or UML.

Even in companies where there is a full-time technical writer, you may be asked to assist with documenting the procedures, business processes, architecture or business requirements because the technical writers cannot keep up with the volume of work!

So, you have probably practiced or exercised written communication skills which are transferable to your new career in business analysis!

Transition your Software Requirements Gathering Skills

Many developers have had to gather, analyze, validate and document software requirements at some time in their careers because their team lacked enough dedicated business analysis resources.

In this role, you would have had to identify the critical stakeholders or customers, elicit and analyze their requirements, document and validate the requirements with your software development or management team.

In this role you would also have practiced critical thinking and analytical skills, developed or managed professional relationships and exercised vital oral communication and networking skills.

Here is the main takeaway from this post for you

  1. Take an inventory of your skills
  2. Identify your transferable skills
  3. Bridge the gap to your business analyst career using your transferable skills

This post discusses how to start a new business analyst career. Follow the steps outline in this post to instill self-confidence in your abilities or bridge the gap between your current occupation and your desired career in business analysis.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/08/17/how-to-start-business-analysis-after-a-career-in-computer-programming/feed/ 12 Don’t Let Your Career Become A Silo! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/03/dont-let-you-career-become-a-silo/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/03/dont-let-you-career-become-a-silo/#comments Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:01:51 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2942

Is Your Career A Silo?

Is Your Career A Silo?

Don’t let your career become a prison. Use it as a launching pad for achieving your dreams.

If you would like to change career but feel like you can’t satisfy the specialized requirements on job postings, here is some good advice for you!

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Column for IT professionals looking for answers to their most challenging career situations.

Why Is Changing Roles So Hard?

Changing roles is hard because Information Technology (IT), Web, or Software Development Managers want depth of experience in specific, narrowly defined or over-specialized skills.

For example, you may be a strong HTML developer and yet fail at a job interview because you don’t have HTML5 on your resume even though you will easily learn it, if hired!

Or you may be an e-commerce business analyst (ba) with 5 years of experience and yet you can’t qualify for an “e-commerce ba job because it requires an agency or advertising background”. This type of job description seems to imply that having an agency or advertising background is essential in a business analyst role!

Is Your Career A Silo?

IT careers have not always been silos. Software developers have been known to gather or document requirements for their projects (business analysis), create software manuals or help files using specialized programs (technical writing) or create and execute test plans (quality assurance).

But because of the siloing of IT roles, our personalities are now limited by our careers instead of being expressions of them.

Don’t Let Silos Stand In Your Way

Transitioning careers is harder than it needs to be because of this narrow, over-specification of skills.

  • Your career is not bound to your college education. You are better of assuming that college is a training ground for improving thinking, probelm solving or analytical skills. College does not dictate your life work!

  • You are more than your resume. You succeed at work because of your intrinsic personal abilities which transcend job descriptions. Your resume only proves that you can get things done. Your resume does not determine what you can or cannot do!

The ability to succeed at a job is within you. It is not limited by over-specialized job postings. This means that you should believe in yourself and let that confidence drive your career transition.

For example, if you are a software developer used to gathering requirements for your team, believe that the same intrinsic personal traits (good communication or documentation skills) will help you transition into a full-time business analyst or technical writer job.

I am saying that you musn’t let your current job become a silo. Use it as a launching pad to your dream career.

Software Development As A Launching Pad For IT Careers

Believing in yourself means that you focus on building bridges between your current and dream career instead of focusing on the restrictive or limiting words frequently used on job postings.

with all this in mind, here is how you can transition from a software developer to a business analyst role.

Expand the scope of your day to day computer programming tasks to take on more business analysis tasks.

A good number of software development projects lack full-time business analysis resources. Take advantage of this opportunity to become a business analyst. Here is how:

  • Volunteer to gather, elicit or document the requirements for your software development projects. Don’t stay within the silo fo a typical software developer job role.

  • Learn UML and Use Cases which are skills that are common to both business analysts and software developers. This helps you build a bridge between your current and desired skills.

  • Bridge the gap between your current programming team and stakeholders. Become the go-between who interprets requirements to software developers or explains the programmers’ concerns to stakeholders.

  • Distinguish yourself by studying or training to be the best informed business analyst on your team. Many software developers have fragmented or incomplete knowledge of what business analyst do. Don’t be one of those.

    For example, some software developers know a little bit of Use Cases or UML, But having fragmented or incomplete knowledge doesn’t get the job done.

  • When an opportunity for a full-time business analyst resource opens up in your company apply for the position and ask the same stakeholders you are working with to recommend you.

  • If a business analyst position does not open up in your firm, document all the work that you are doing and apply for a full-time business analyst position at another company.

Don’t let your career, education or job postings become your silo. You have to believe in yourself and learn how to build bridges between your current job and the career you want.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/03/dont-let-you-career-become-a-silo/feed/ 1 How To Handle Recruiter’s Phone Calls? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/06/04/how-to-handle-recruiters-phone-calls/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/06/04/how-to-handle-recruiters-phone-calls/#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:05:33 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2926

How To Handle Recruiters Phone Calls

How To Handle Recruiters Phone Calls

Recruiters are the gatekeepers for business analyst jobs.

They are in touch with more employers, consulting or full-time engagements than most business analysts.

This post answers the question of how to handle or deal with recruiters calling about business analyst jobs.

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to submit your question as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!

If you enjoy reading this post, please be sure to … Share this Post with Friends

Here is a question posted by a business analyst on how to deal with recruiters

I have received some phone calls from recruiters recently about BA jobs.

We talk about the description, and then my experience.

At the end of the call, they always promise to call back.

They most likely never do. When I try to follow up, they most often do not reciprocate.

Is this typical

Or is the a better way for me to handle these calls

How To Handle Phone Calls From Recruiters

Handling recruiters successfully depends on your ability to put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes or negotiate from a point of strength.

Here are some tips on how you can do just that!

  1. Put Yourself In The Recruiter’s Shoes

    Recruiters are primarily out to help their bottom line.

    With that in mind, your conversations with recruiters must prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you are qualified for the job.

    This means that you are not trying to convince, beg or plead for a job but that you come across as a skilled, experienced or knowledgeable business analyst with a pleasing personality.

  2. Tailor Your Conversation To The Job Description

    Recruiters generally have a light grasp of technology.

    Which means that they may not be as familiar with the requirements listed in the job description as you may think.

    So, make it easy on recruiters and present your skills, experience or background in the light of the job description at hand.

    For example, if a job description is posted for a business analyst with business use cases skills and you present your skills as system use cases, you may be passed.

    So, make sure that your skills, background or experience cover the specific requirements mentioned in the job description.

  3. Grab The Recruiter’s Attention

    Get your act together before getting on the phone with the recruiter.

    While on the phone, take charge of the conversation and grab the recruiter’s attention within the first few minutes of the conversation.

    All things being equal, recruiters tend to feed off your energy level.

    So, if you sound positive and upbeat, they will conclude that they want to do business with you.

    If you sound unsure of yourself, they are likely to conclude that you are hiding something or that you are not as good as you need to be!

    The best preparation is to rehearse your opening statements or polish your presentation before getting on the phone with the recruiter.

  4. Looking for a Job? Stay Busy!

    Don’t sound like you are just staying at home waiting for a job, even though that may be the truth.

    Talk about how busy you are and how you are lining up interviews because recruiters are wired to follow the herd.

    In other words, if you sound like you are busy taking interviews and lining up jobs, they will scramble to represent you as well.

    But if on the other hand, you sound like you are having difficulty finding interviews, they will shy away from you too!

    Recruiters behave like this because they reason that if their colleagues are not going after you, then either you are not qualified or not a good match for the job.

I hope that these tips will help you represent yourself better to recruiters.

One of the well-kept secrets of working with recruiters is that they prefer polished, professional presentations from candidates who seem to know what they are doing even.

This is because recruiters often cannot distinguish an experienced, skilled or knowledgeable candidate from another business analyst who is less skilled.

So, plan, prepare and present your skills in the best light possible and you will win their hearts and souls :-)


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/06/04/how-to-handle-recruiters-phone-calls/feed/ 0 How To Break The Unemployment Cycle? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/03/07/how-to-break-the-unemployment-cycle/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/03/07/how-to-break-the-unemployment-cycle/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:50:43 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2863

How To Break The Unemployment Cycle

How To Break The Unemployment Cycle

Sometime ago, Glendal (a project manager on this website) asked me to suggest a solution for the current unemployment crises facing the USA. While still working on an answer to that, the same question was again popped to me in a recent interview with Dice.com.

Since this is a question weighing on the minds of people … Today, it will be my pleasure to answer the question: “How To Solve The Unemployment Crises Facing The United States of America.“.

I will preface my solution by saying that unemployable people will find that their situation results from either not having the right skills or not knowing how to market their skills or both!

Disregarding folks who can’t work because of disability or medical issues, you will find that most people can find work, if they pay enough attention to their skills, hands-on experience or their marketability.

How To Break The Cycle Of Unemployment Facing The USA

The solution to unemployment is embracing a lifestyle of learning new technology. For your career or skills to be marketable, what you know must be tied into a facet of technology that is currently in-demand in your industry.

Why should you care about technology?

Technology in one form or the other creates or eliminates jobs and drives the entire economy forward. When you ride the wave of technology, your career is in-demand and when your skills are behind the technology curve, your employment prospects start to dwindle!

So, one of the biggest challenges facing unemployable people is that their skills are behind the technology curve.

Read about the dependency between modern-day careers and technology in this article titled: “Always Be Learning“.

Here are some pointers or indicators of having skills out of touch with today’s technology.

  • College Band-Aid

    You have a college degree and you think that makes you employable. Or you don’t have a college degree and you think that is the reason why you can’t get a job!

  • The Gold Watch Syndrome

    You are too focused on racking up years of service or retiring with a gold watch at the end of your career.

    Losing your job forces you to face the unpleasant reality that employers don’t care about years of service anymore!

  • Certified Incompetent

    You view certifications as the roadmap to career success and so, you buoy your career up with them.

    Only to lose your job because your employer eventually sees through your certified incompetency.

A long-time ago, having a college degree guaranteed an entry-level job at a great company. Once you were hired, you would stay at that one job and build your nest egg.

Today’s employer hires for sharpness of skills or breadth of experience and not for old-school reasons. And you have a job, only for as long as your skills are in-demand or you stay-ahead of the technology curve!

How To Be Employable

  • #1 – Bridge Technology Gaps by Learning New Skills

    Learn skills that are in-demand by employers.

    Don’t just learn the skills you like or want, develop skills that are actually being posted in real-world job descriptions.

    Don’t wait for employers to lower their requirements and don’t plan on finding work with obsolete skill-sets either.

  • #2 – Stay Ahead Of The Technology Curve By Constantly Updating your Skills

    Plan to update, improve or become an expert at what you do.

    Don’t assume that what you learned 1 year ago is still current … because it’s not.

    If you sharpen your skills constantly, you will become a highly skilled or sought-after technology professional.

    If your skills are sharp, you will be highly employable and in-demand … even as employers compete for your services and not the other way round!

  • #3 – Always Be Learning

    Invest time, money and effort on a continuous basis in your career development.

    Don’t bet on making a one-time investment that will keep you employed for the rest of your life because that is no longer realistic.

    What is realistic is an expectation to “get out of your career … only what you put into it“.

    So, invest money, time and effort into learning new skills or updating skills continuously and you will be sought-after or in-demand in your industry.

  • #4 – Market Your Skills Better

    A number of unemployed people can get jobs if they just learned how to market their skills better.

    If you hate to hear the “marketing word”, here how to market your career without being a shameless promoter!

    • Build Your Brand Or Become A Leader

      Start by doing what you love and then convey your passion at job interviews.

      This last point is important because hiring managers or employers love to hire passionate IT professionals who really care about their skills, their careers or their industry. Because there are so many people that are out to just get a job … your passion will stick out in a crowded job market!

      If you can’t find something that you love, then go into a career that you can eventually become really good at.

      Finally, build a brand around networking with people and solving the problems facing your industry.

      The approach that I’m talking about is explained in an article titled: Become A Leader And Get The Job You Want!

  • #5 – Choose A New IT Career

    Let me wrap up by saying that this post is intended for Information Technology (IT) professionals (business analysts, computer programmers, database professionals, software testers, project managers, etc).

    If you’re not already an IT professional or you need help with evaluating your IT career choices, I suggest that you get a copy of the THE BLUEPRINT – YOUR ROADMAP TO CAREER SUCCESS E-BOOK + WORKBOOK. Starting with the e-book and finishing up with the workbook, you will learn how to make better career choices.

Finally, unemployment is not based on education or age but on how well-aligned your skills are with the current technology. If you choose the right career, improve your skills constantly, and market your career better, your skills or services will always be in-demand.

You Deserve A Good Life … Go Get It :D

Read additional thoughts on employment, job prospects and technology titled: “Always Be Learning“.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/03/07/how-to-break-the-unemployment-cycle/feed/ 0 Are You Inspired Enough? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/10/are-you-inspired-enough/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/10/are-you-inspired-enough/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:32:04 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2812

how to make friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie

How To Win Friends And Influence People

This is a real-life story taking from events in my life. Please read and share it with your friends

I stumbled upon “Think And Grow Rich” on my 17th birthday.

Shortly after reading Napoleon Hill’s classic, I also read “You Can If You Think You Can by Norman Vincent Peale” and got hooked on self help / motivational books.

A few years later, I read a really good book in that genre … “Awaken The Giant Within By Tony Robbins“.

What made “Tony Robbins’ Awaken The Giant Within” stand out was that Tony tried to backup his promise with some scientific, neuro-psychological, mind altering stuff.

Now, to be honest, I really didn’t try to change my destiny with Tony’s neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).

I was and am still skeptical of self help, motivational books because they seem to skip the last step of their own self-help message.

By skipping the last step, I mean that self help books generally omit the actual, practical steps required for success.

Self help books are generally unsuited for practical, real-world challenges, because their premises are usually too wide. They tend to offer promises for every financial, emotional or social problem and they aren’t helpful enough because wide, general claims are not realistic!

However, “Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends And Influence People” is a rare breed of self help book because it contains practical, step by step instructions that can change your life.

I guess that Dale Carnegie succeeded where other self help authors failed because he narrowed his promise to … “helping you win friends” , instead of something like: “helping you overcome every problem in life”!

Getting back to my story …it’s me, I am 21 years old … and in college. I am the President of a Public Speaking and Motivational Club with about 100 college students. I have been giving speeches on “how to succeed in life” to my fellow college students, even though I am still, just a student!

And I want to become a Motivational Speaker!

Which is an insurmountable problem because every self help author or motivational speaker that I know of, builds a career around making wide, general, untargeted promises.

My problem was that apart from Dale Carnegie, every one else was making too wide a promise.

So, even though I had cultivated a following, I left the self help business behind in college … in search of a narrow promise that I can fulfill.

My Promise To You Is …

I will help you discover your passion, do the work you love or bring your passion to market.

Discover your Passion: by identifying or focusing on tasks that bring pleasure to you and to others.

In other words, I will help you find the work that you love .. work that others find equally useful.

Develop your Passion: by maximizing your strengths or becoming the best at your game via deep skill building AND practice.

Bring your Passion to Market: by building or promoting your personal or corporate brand and becoming a leader in your industry using effective PULL vs. PUSH techniques.

Thank you for reading this or sharing it with your friends. Do leave a comment for me, if i inspire you, in any way :-)


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/10/are-you-inspired-enough/feed/ 2 What Career Is Right For Me? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/01/what-career-is-right-for-me/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/01/what-career-is-right-for-me/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:55:00 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2771

Choose The Right Career

Choose Right!


If you are looking to start a new information technology career, you may be wondering about how to choose the right career.

This post helps you answer that question.

After reading this post, feel free to ask a question or discuss the topic by posting your opinion or comments.

  1. What do you love to do? start off by reviewing all the productive things that you love to do and then compile a list of careers from them.

    For example, if you like repairing electronic hardware, you may consider becoming a hardware or network support specialist or if you like writing, you may consider becoming a technical writer or a business analyst.

  2. What do you have some background or experience in?: review your previous working experience or background for skills that you ca re-use in a new IT careers.

    For example, if you have a background in marketing and sales, you may consider becoming a technical recruiter and if you have a background in programming electrical circuits you may consider going into computer programming.

  3. What are you interested in doing? you may develop a list of careers based on what you already know about information technology.

    For example, you may may be interested in becoming a web designer because you are interested in designing flashy or artistic websites or websites.

    While in college, I realized that I had a desire to connect and relate to people.

    I was the kind of person that would sit through and listen to someone’s sad or happy story … so I knew later on, when the opportunity presented itself that I was really interested in becoming a career coach!

  4. Research Job Postings: Job postings on Dice.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.NET and other job boards come with a description of each job.

    Using careful, methodical research and analysis, you can categorize these job postings and document the requirements, skill level, technologies or environments for each job.

    Finally, you can review and choose the types of careers that seem interesting based on your research of current demand for skill sets.

  5. SWOT Analysis : you can use a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis to determine the suitability of one career option versus another.

    For example, you can use a SWOT Analysis to compare your suitability for a business analyst job versus your suitability for a computer programming job.

    A SWOT Analysis also helps because it serves as a reality check and it helps you review the assumptions for choosing one career over another.

  6. Consider The Market Demand: you can research a list of jobs and use the information about the demand for each job, salary or compensation and career prospects to determine the attractiveness of each career path.

    This method may suit you, if you are driven or motivated by compensation.

    Also considering the demand for your skills apart from the compensation provides you with better on the future prospects of the career.

    It is a mistake to consider the pay, salary or compensation for a career without considering the market demand for the career because the two things are not the same!

  7. Consider The Learning Curve: how easily you learn, understand or apply information in a new career is a direct result of your suitability for the career.

    For example, if you choose to become a business analyst and you find it hard to study, understand and recall business analysis topics, then you may be going into the wrong profession!

    same thing with being a computer programmer … I have met folks that have computer science degrees from 4 year colleges … yet they can’t read a programming book out of pure self interest or by themselves!

This post addresses the challenge of picking or choosing the right information technology career.

If you have a question or a challenge about this, you may post it as a comment on this page or send it in using our contact form!


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/01/what-career-is-right-for-me/feed/ 2 #3 Success Principle: When It Comes To Experience, Beggars Can’t Be Choosers http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/07/3-success-principle-when-it-comes-to-experience-beggars-cant-be-choosers/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/07/3-success-principle-when-it-comes-to-experience-beggars-cant-be-choosers/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:17:52 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2753

Beggars Can't Be Choosers

Beggars Can't Be Choosers

One of the bigger issues facing IT professionals is: “the challenge of building experience“.

This challenge exists because employers still require experience for hiring, even when you need their jobs to build experience!

It’s the classic Catch-22: “chicken or egg which came first challenge” that may be solved through internships or full-time jobs.

However, internships are getting increasingly competitive (Read More …) and employers are still insisting on handson experience before making job offers.

Why Internships Are Hard To Get

For a while, internships helped provide the missing handson experience to IT professionals learning new skills or transitioning careers.

Now internships are hard to come by because employers are refusing the burden of hiring or managing interns. And here is the reason why:

  1. Productivity: interns need to be managed by experienced employees meaning that productive time will be lost to employers.

    Productive time is lost when experienced workers have to show interns the ropes, supervise or assign work to them.

  2. Risk: employers are unwilling to invest in interns because they are more likely to fail at completing their assigned tasks or duties.

    There is also the added risk of redoing the work done by interns when it fails to meet expectations!

  3. Money: employers hesitate to pay interns because there aren’t sure of the immediate economic benefits and they refuse to hire unpaid interns because unpaid interns also cost money and time to supervise or train!

How To Build Experience From Scratch … Without A Job

The challenge facing those that fixate on getting experience through internship programs or full time jobs is that of becoming stumped … when they can’t get either.

Really, when it comes to getting experience, the key is to stay flexible, creative or open minded because full-time jobs and internship programs are getting harder to come by.

How To Build Experience From Scratch By Keeping An Open Mind

  • Focus on Smaller Projects: don’t fixate on finding big projects because you are more unlikely to get big project exposure with little or no experience.

    Start with smaller projects first, because that is where your current background, skills or experience is likely to be needed or appreciated.

  • Build Up Experience Gradually: don’t expect to get a ton of experience in a short time. Instead, spread your efforts at building experience over a longer period of time.

    Overtime, the cumulative effect of all your project based work will begin to show and you will be rewarded for your hard work.

  • Don’t Fixate on Money: don’t be too picky about your income when you’re still building up your experience because the ticket to getting paid more money is more experience!

    Start by building your experience first and then work towards a better compensation afterwards!

  • Don’t Think Too Highly of Yourself: don’t be looking down on smaller projects because you’re thinking they’re beneath you and don’t be fretting over the size of your role, task or opportunity either!

    Always put your best foot forward and build up your experience at every turn. Because that is how to ensure that you qualify for bigger projects or even a full time job!

  • Stay Flexible, Creative and Open Minded: be on the lookout for experience building opportunities that don’t fall under traditional internship or full-time jobs.

    For example, you may signup for unpaid, volunteer work or start your own consulting business (yes, you can consult on almost any subject) or register for Hands On IT Career Training (click here for more information)

Expect that you will always be learning new skills or transitioning careers because of the constantly changing face of technology.

Understand that staying open minded will help you discover more ways to build handson experience without a job or an internship program.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/07/3-success-principle-when-it-comes-to-experience-beggars-cant-be-choosers/feed/ 1 #2 Success Principle: Learn How To Self Study Effectively http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/05/learn-how-to-self-study-effectively/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/05/learn-how-to-self-study-effectively/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:23:18 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2748

Jack Reacher Gone Tomorrow

Jack Reacher

This series is devoted to the principles required for success in Information Technology (IT) careers.

Technology is always changing so IT professionals have to stay ahead of the technology curve or risk losing their jobs or careers!
So you have to constantly update your skills through self study, coaching or training.

This post discusses how you can stay ahead of the technology curve using self study.

Contrary to what you may think, self study requires a considerable investment of time, money and effort.

If you are not aware of this, you may plan to upgrade your skills through self study and only come to a realization of this truth … say after a year or a longer passage of time.

Not to worry, because this post will help you prepare a more effective self study plan.

Why An Effective Study Plan Is Needed

In the IT Industry, approaching self study as if it’s an easy, inexpensive or a quick solution is a recipe for disaster!

Studying information technology books requires considerable personal effort or discipline because tech books are typically not easy to read, follow or understand.

Even when you have a lot of personal discipline, it is still hard to say that you have actually learnt a new skill … because you are accountable to no one else but yourself!

While in College, I discovered that self study is more challenging than it looks. Since I was interested in transitioning to a tech career, I started studying some recommended computer science textbooks .

Unfortunately, the books were written in a boring, tedious, technical style and after a while, I abandoned my self study plan out of frustration at my slow pace of progress!

The sad part is that today, many tech books are still written in the same boring, tedious, technical style, which makes is hard for beginners to follow.

Here is the problem; If you work in an office with other IT professionals like project managers or business analysts, you may look at how they use skills like UML in solving business problems and say to yourself: “I bet that I can learn UML easily by myself”.

Having decided that, you may then shop at Amazon.com or any bookstore for some text books on how to learn UML.

Six months later, you may have abandoned your self study plan because the UML text books were hard to read or understand. You will have lost the time, money and effort you invested in your self study plan or find yourself unable to use UML effectively on the job!

The point is; to succeed at updating your skills, you have to realize that self study is not cheap or easy!

Realizing that self study requires hard work, diligence or careful planning will help you succeed by preparing you for challenges.

Why Self Study Is Harder Than You Think

Reading a novel like the Jack Reacher series is one thing. Studying through a tech textbook on Cloud Computing or Heuristics Design or any tech topic is another!

Why is that you ask? Because Novels or works of fiction like; Jack Reacher – Gone Tomorrow are like the adrenaline packed Fox.com 24 TV show (starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer) on paperback … they are written to entertain, thrill and please you.

Tech text books on the other hand are written to inform, and the authors do not care if it comes across as dry, abstract or boring!

To succeed at self study plans, you have to plan for prepare ahead for the challenges. So, here is what you need to know about self study;

  1. Self Study can be boring: It is like having a conversation with yourself, which you can only do for so long.

    Self Study can become boring because tech textbooks are usually not written in a friendly, conversational or easy to follow style.

  2. Self Study is not an accountable process: You can skip the topics you don’t like or understand even when they are useful.

    The danger is with ignoring or skipping hard to understand but important subjects or focusing on easy to read but unimportant topics!

    That is why when you tell a manager or co-worker that you learnt a skill through self study, you may be asked to prove it.

  3. Self Study is not always goal oriented: because it is like driving a car in a foreign country without a roadmap.

    You may buy a good textbook, read it through and yet find yourself unable to retain, recall or reuse that learning at your workplace!

  4. Self Study is not always effective: you may think that you understand a topic, only to fail at answering questions based on the same topic at a job interview!

  5. Self Study is really not cheap: on the contrary, you lose time and money when you fail to qualify for job or employment opportunities because your self study plan is ineffective!

  6. Self Study is not easy: if you are reading a fiction book or a novel like the Jack Reacher Series by Lee Child, you will probably have a good time.

    On the other hand, if you are reading a technical, career or skill oriented book, you may not have a good time because it is written in an abstract, boring or technical style!

  7. Self Study costs more time: because you are not accountable to anyone, you may start studying because you need a job and then stop studying immediately you find one.

    Studying in fits and starts will hurt your career because of its lack of consistency!

Learn How To Study Effectively

Self Study is not the cheap, easy or quick path to upgrading your skills.

Knowing this, here is how to really improve your chances of success using self study plans.

  • Make Self Study Accountable: become accountable to someone other than yourself.

  • Make Self Study Effective: become effective by learning how to retain or recall new facts.

  • Make Self Study Goal Oriented: ensure that your learning results in new skills or the ability to perform new tasks.

  • Make Self Study Practical: incorporate hands-on assignments or exercises in your self study plans.

  • Make Self Study Objective: include some objective feedback using practice tests or quizzes. Click here to learn more about using practice tests or quizzes.

Assuming that self study is easy, cheap or effective is a recipe for disaster, because it is none of these.

To succeed, be accountabe to someone, be goal oriented and learn the secrets of effective study skills.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/05/learn-how-to-self-study-effectively/feed/ 7 Harvard Business Review: How To Get A Job Without Experience http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/02/harvard-business-review-how-to-get-a-job-without-experience/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/02/harvard-business-review-how-to-get-a-job-without-experience/#comments Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:31:24 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2746

Finding Jobs for College Graduates

Jobs for College Graduates

Whether you’re launching your career or trying to change its direction, you can get around the Catch-22 issue (“You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job.”) with humility.

The solution is to get some humility because today’s shifting job market requires everyone incuding young job seekers and older workers with years of experience to continously reinvent their careers in order to stay marketable in a competitive global economy.

The lesson is that careers, skills and workplace environments will continute to transition and there is nothing we can do about that because what is marketable and in-demand today may not be wanted tomorrow.

However, we can succeed if we learn how to transition our skills or careers with humility.

In an interesting post on Harvard Business Review, Larry Stybel (co-founder of the global career management firm Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire and Executive in Residence at the Sawyer School of Business at Suffolk University) writes on how staying humble helped him transition his career and become a business consultant.

In reading about Larry’s career transition, you will see that he did not just:

  1. Keep sending resumes out hoping that he will get lucky

  2. Ignore or hope to beat the requirement for experience

Larry, offered his skills for nothing in exchange for getting the required hands-on experience in his industry.

He humbly offered his skills for nothing by working two days a week for two months, in exchange for experience.

His advice: “You’re too proud to offer your services at no charge? Get over it. If you choose the right opportunity, you’ll gain industry or functional experience that has immeasurable value – and will ultimately lead to a real paycheck.”

Click here to read Larry’s Post: How To Overcome the Catch 22 Dilemna

After reading the post, here are some exercises that will help you overcome the Catch 22 Dilemna

  1. List companies that have good ideas in your industry and need help with executing them

  2. List how much personal time you can invest on helping others achieve their goals

  3. List the skills that you will offer to executives, companies or employers in excange for hands-on experience

  4. Take action by approaching the companies or executives that you listed and offering your time for paid or non-paid work in exchange for hands-on experience


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/02/harvard-business-review-how-to-get-a-job-without-experience/feed/ 0 How To Change your Career In 5 Easy Steps! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/05/how-to-change-your-career-in-5-easy-steps/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/05/how-to-change-your-career-in-5-easy-steps/#comments Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:18:00 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2731

How To Change Careers

How To Change Careers


You are brave, if you are considering leaving your career. Most people make themselves stay at jobs or careers they hate because they are afraid of the unknown.

However, knowing the difference between leaving a job and leaving a career can make your transition smooth and easy or painful to say the least.

You change careers when you are in the wrong profession or you are in a career that you’re not suited for. And, you do not change careers simply because you are unhappy at work!

Change your careers by first facing the reasons why you’re leaving, identifying the kind of work you are suited for and following through with a career transitioning plan.

The rest of this article presents 5 easy steps for changing your career:

  1. Do you like your job?Be honest about the reasons why you’re leaving your current employment.

    Is it because you have lost or never had passion for your work or is it because you are looking for a better pay?

    Are you changing careers because you hate your boss or employer or because you consistently get low performance appraisals at work?

  2. Change careers for the right reasons: Some of the issues you face at one job are likely to show up at other jobs.

    For example, if you are a business analyst who hates talking to senior management and you change to another business analyst job, you may find yourself facing the same issue again.

    However, if your issues are specific to your current boss or employer and you can’t resolve them … then changing jobs and not your entire career may help.

    For example, I once interviewed for a job and I asked the team lead the question: “how do you to communicate to a team member that, he or she is not doing a good job?“

    To which the team lead replied saying that he simply YELLS and SHOUTS at anyone who is not meeting his expectations.

    My reaction was simply to turn down their employment offer, since I could see that the team had management or personnel issues peculiar to them.

  3. Take an inventory of your skills, interests, abilities, educational background and experience: If you have worked for at least a year, you already know a lot about yourself.

    So, start by taking an inventory of your personal abilities, strengths and aptitudes.

    • Do you like putting together a lot of technical documentation?

    • Do you like make presentations to team members, stakeholders or management?

    • Are you accustomed to and do you use a lot of SQL queries at work?

    • Do you like working on customer support issues?

    • Do you like writing small code snippets to fix buggy software products?

    It is important that you itemize all the skills and abilities you’ve used over your working life so you can get a better picture of what you are wired do.

  4. Explore alternatives career paths before choosing: One of the issues facing IT professionals comes from having little to no knowledge of the career alternatives available to them.

    Simply said, there are a number of good IT career alternatives out there and there is no one career that is better for everyone.

    Some of the IT careers with good prospects include:

    • technical recruiting

    • pre-sales support

    • technical writing

    • software architecture

    • database development

    • software development

    • report writing

    • web analytics

    • customer relationship management

    • business analysis

    • project management

    • business intelligence

    Before deciding what career best suits you, first prepare the comprehensive skills evaluation mentioned in the last point.

  5. Get hands-on experience outside work; Don’t be expecting to get a job without strong hands-in experience because that is like gambling with your time.

    You need to first improve your skills and hands-on experience while working on your resume.

    Determine exactly, how you will get the training, skills and hands-on experience required for each career you are interested in.

    Don’t be a professional whose effort at getting a job consists only of rewriting resumes to match job descriptions.

Remember, the IT Job Market is a numbers game that plays in your favor like a rigged lottery if you have the right skills, experience and background and not just a souped up resume!

Okay, we are interested in answering questions on how to change careers … to get yours answered,, just post it below as a comment!


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/05/how-to-change-your-career-in-5-easy-steps/feed/ 10 #1 Success Principle: How Lack of Education Affects your Career http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/11/22/how-lack-of-education-affects-your-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/11/22/how-lack-of-education-affects-your-career/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:19:30 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2719

Is Education Affecting My Career?

Is Education A Problem?

This series is devoted to those who want to learn the principles required for success in Information Technology (IT) Careers.

While the IT Industry is a goldmine for those who have learnt to navigate it, it is a maze for others trapped by myths, half-truths, outright lies and misconceptions.

Not to worry, in this series, I will uncover the myths and presents the principles required for success in every situation.

Get a Job Regardless of your Educational Qualifications

So, one principle is this: don’t let your formal education or the lack of it, stop you from pursuing your dream IT career.

For some, the thought that they have already invested so much time or money in their current career, stops them from pursuing a better, more fulfilling, rewarding career.

For others, the fact that they don’t have formal educational qualifications makes them conclude that they are unattractive to employers and helpless about their situation.

Both positions are extreme. They come from a fundamental lack of understanding of the IT job market. Folks that think like that, have no clue that the IT Industry is driven by functional skills and hands-on experience rather than formal educational qualifications!

Don’t worry about the time or money invested in your current career because it’s a sunk cost.

And don’t obsess over your lack of formal educational qualifications because that’s not the reason why you can’t get an IT job!

Remember that while one employer may not hire you for lack of formal educational qualifications, many more employers will hire you for having the right skillsets or hands-on experience!


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/11/22/how-lack-of-education-affects-your-career/feed/ 6 Discover Your Inner Hero http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/24/discover-your-inner-hero/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/24/discover-your-inner-hero/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:20:09 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2634

Become your Hero

Become your Hero

Randall Jones, founder of Worth Magazine and author of The Richest Man in Town, says that in regard to Personal Branding, “the most successful, wealthy people had very successfully branded themselves in relation their industry”.

In an interview by Dan Schwabel, Randall says that all RMITs (Richest Man In Town) have found their “perfect pitch”- the thing that they are most personally gifted at doing and secondarily they have found a way to monetize their perfect pitches“; Click here to read the rest of the interview

The key is to find, what Jones calls, your “perfect pitch” … what you are best thing at doing in relation to what you love doing.

An example of those who found what they are good at doing is Hartley Peavey of Peavey electronics who loved music, but lacked the talent to play, so he ‘wired’ himself to create the equipment musicians depend on the most (amplifiers, microphones, etc).

Another example is that of the famous investor Warren Buffet, who said; “I was wired to allocate capital.”

The lesson here is: once you’ve found what you love to do and what you’re great at doing, run with it!

Personal Branding is all about projecting to the world; who you are, what you’re capable of doing, and making sure others within your industry are responsive to your efforts.

While it is okay to brag about yourself considering you are your Personal Brand, it is far better to be known or recognized by others as a hero in your industry.

Start evaluating what you’re really good at doing by answering these questions:

  1. What truly motivates or inspires you?

  2. What do you love doing?

  3. What are you good or exceptional at doing?

  4. What do you do efficiently or what do you produce easily?

  5. What do you like to read, research or study on your own time?

  6. What are your hobbies and what do you do with your spare time?

  7. What work will you do if money wasn’t an issue?

  8. What work will you do if you weren’t trying to please anyone in you life?

  9. What do you get paid to do?

Take a moment to discover the hero in you. Don’t spend your entire life working just to pay bills. Be smart and start taking stock of what you’re really good at doing!

Consider this: a world of bystanders, villains, and heroes, who would you rather be?

Limited Time 2 for 1 Discount

If you’re interested in our training program, ask about our 2 for 1 discount


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/24/discover-your-inner-hero/feed/ 0 Let Your Personal Creativity Run Wild! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/19/let-your-personal-creativity-run-wild/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/19/let-your-personal-creativity-run-wild/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:13:56 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2615

starving artist wolfgang amadeus mozart

starving artist wolfgang amadeus mozart


This article is one in a series on creating or establishing your personal brand and becoming a leader in your industry.

While creating your personal brand is not easy, the benefits speak for themselves; other professionals begin to seek you out, ask for your assistance or offer you compensation in exchange for your help, services or advice.

Creativity is sometimes frowned upon in the workplace because you are expected to follow orders!

Perhaps you’ve neglected using your creative forces in the past because it forces others to think or so that you can keep your head down and stop others from following you!

Becoming a leader or creating your personal brand is not about following others but about using your originality and creativity!

Don’t repress your imagination in hopes that it will get you ahead in the business world because it will actually do the opposite … ensure that you have a mediocre career.

So, get those creative juices flowing, throw away the stiff, boring, compliant, plan persona you adopt for the workplace and let the funny, considerate, original, witty, unabashed, unrestricted, simple, effective, direct, unafraid you come to life!

Here are some tips, tricks and techniques that can help your personal creativity efforts:

  1. To become an expert or a leader, publish or produce useful information in an appealing way using content that is worth your audiences’ time.

  2. Start creating a layout for website to get your creative juices flowing. Think of a funny or interesting blogging topic for your industry. Introduce your topics using witty content titles and don’t be afraid of your creative side.

  3. If you’re insecure about how your ideas come across, get a proofreader or test-audience but don’t stop writing

  4. Involve your friends and family as critics, as long as they remain honest in their response and you don’t react to their opinions?

  5. Getting in touch with your personal creativity is as a fun and exciting project, so don’t stress out if it doesn’t blossom overnight

Establishing a reputation as a leader in your industry helps you get better job offers, consulting engagements or career assignments.

Remember that on the road to becoming a leader, you will have to stand out by letting your personal creativity show through.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/19/let-your-personal-creativity-run-wild/feed/ 0 How The Starving Artist Achieves Career Success Using Social Media http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/24/how-the-starving-artist-achieves-career-success-using-social-media/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/24/how-the-starving-artist-achieves-career-success-using-social-media/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:24:30 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2543

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756 – 1791

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756 – 1791


Have you ever heard of “The Starving Artist”? It’s an often used cliché that describes talented, skilled or creative folks like writers, painters, musicians or others who starve while doing what they love.

The idea behind the Starving Artist is “an individual who works for pennies and then dies broke doing what he or she loves”.

Some of history’s renowned or talented artists like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi and Van Gogh lived in poverty, misery or debt because their society didn’t care for or reward them.

But wait a moment, do skilled, talented, creative folks like you and me, have to work for pennies all our lives … just because we want to do what we love or is that just another myth?

Long Live the Media Age

On the contrary, talented, skilled or educated folks run the world because the media age, the internet and social media has changed the way we do business forever.

In the media age, anyone who’s skilled can making a living by leveraging the full power of Social Media Networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

In the era of the Starving Artists, the creative or common folk couldn’t afford to show, present or air their works to mass markets because that investment required the purse strings of a King, Queen or Financial Baron.

However, in the Media Age, you can communicate your resume, your profile or your brand with the push of a button called “Publish”.

Many professionals including those in academia use the “Publish or Perish” strategy in furthering their careers and now you can too!

Publish or Perish, Which Do You Choose?

Your career is bigger than your job, employment or paycheck because your career is the problem you’re solving or the value you’re creating at an intrinsic personal level.

Don’t make the mistake of always looking for the next job or the next employer or the next hot career.

Look inside of you and identify the core problems you’re willing to solve or values (goods, services, solutions) you’re willing to create for society on a long-term basis.

Then use Social Media to communicate your new mission to the mass market.

That is how to achieve career success using PULL techniques as introduced in the post “Become a Leader“.

Here is how to get the job you want or stay employed using PULL rather than PUSH techniques:

  1. Become a Leader in your Industry: Identify with your Industry outside your 8AM to 5PM work day. Start solving a thorny business problem or creating a valuable idea, good or service that benefits others.

  2. Build your Brand: Create a message around the value you’re creating for everyone. Let your message transcend your day job. Build your identity around your core message and include that in your resume.

  3. Market your Brand: Distribute your brand using the full power of social media networks. Don’t wait till you need a job before you start marketing because you need to build your social network before you need it.

Becoming a Leader is a powerful PULL technique that advances your career for the following reasons:

  1. Industry Recognition: Being constantly visible in your industry sends subtle reminders to hiring managers that you’re the best person for current or future employment needs.

  2. Better Positioning: Staying in constant contact with colleagues or decision managers using Social Media puts you in a better position compared to an unknown professional whose only contact is an application for a job.

  3. Power Networking: You own or belong to a social network, the members of the network are your friends and you care about their business or solve their problems. Your social networks are in your debt and are willing to return favors by getting you hired.

Learning how to become a leader is important because it actively protects you from layoffs or downsizes and does more by actively promoting or advancing your career behind your back.

Don’t be a “Starving Artist” … a professional whose only communication with hiring managers is when a job is posted.

You can do better that a “starving artist” by building your own brand and your own network of potential employers using the power of Social Media.

Leveraging the full power of social media protects you from becoming a starving artist, an un-employed professional whose career is at the mercy of the job market!

So, what are you waiting for? Click here to get more information on How To Become a Leader” or learn how to get the recognition or type of employment (coaching, consulting or full-time) you deserve!


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/24/how-the-starving-artist-achieves-career-success-using-social-media/feed/ 0 Free E-Book On How To Stay Ahead of the Technology Curve http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/21/free-e-book-on-how-to-stay-ahead-of-the-technology-curve/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/21/free-e-book-on-how-to-stay-ahead-of-the-technology-curve/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:03:59 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2517

Stay Ahead of the Curve!

Stay Ahead of the Curve!

Have you ever wondered how some people stay ahead of rapidly changing technologies while others seem to let their skills become extinct like the Dodo?

Well, apparently, someone in Dubai, U.A.E. wants to know the answer so badly that he sent in his question by postal mail!

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!

NOTE: There is an e-book at the bottom of this post on “How To Stay Ahead of The Technology Curve”. Be sure to download and read it, ok?

Here is The Question on How To Stay Ahead of the Technology Learning Curve

Dear Kingsley,

Having come to be known about you as a pioneer IT Coach, I need some information from you if you can help me.

At present, I am reading a book Microsoft Office 2003 bible which includes all the basic and in depth functionalities of excel, word, powepoint, access, outlook, frontpage, etc.

It’s a huge book with 1200 pages. I’d like to know how I can memorize this book quickly and efficiently.

There are other books on programming to be memorized. in this age of information overload, everyday we are presented with lots of paperwork, reports and books to remember.

As an IT coach, could you please show me the techniques to remember this amount of information so as to get the job done on time and move along with the rapidly changing technologies.

Fahim, Dubai, U.A.E.

Don’t Underestimate The Effort Required To Keep Up With Information Technology Careers!

Years, ago, while considering a career transition, I was advised not to pursue Information Technology careers because of the rapidly changing technologies, literature, techniques and tools.

At that point in time, many IT professionals had shipwrecked their careers because they couldn’t transition from legacy skills in Cobol or Fortran or Mainframes to the smaller, more modern computers running windows.

My adviser pointed out to me that succeeding in an information technology career would be a tough challenge because many IT professionals with graduate computer science degrees from good schools had failed!

Some of the reasons why IT professionals fail in their career include:

  1. The Challenge of Rapidly Changing Technologies: keeping up with rapidly changing tools, processes and technologies is a hard job. Some vendors release multiple versions of their products within a year forcing users to upgrade their skills or become obsolete.

  2. The Challenge of Poorly Written Textbooks: many IT books are written by geeks for geeks. They’re difficult to understand, slow to read and intimidating in size. Many tech workers still find challenging, the effort required to keep up with technology by studying IT books.

  3. The Challenge of Information Overload: There are various skills, technologies, tools and processes that need to be mastered for every unique employer or job situation. IT workers end up buying and studying lots of reference books in a bid to stay ahead of all the problems they aim to solve!

I Transitioned My Career By Overcoming The Information Overload!

I transitioned my career by learning the skills required for my new career in six weeks! and by acing my first technical job interview

In six weeks, I navigated an amazing amount of technical literature and reference books … to discover the hidden path that leads to IT career success.

The lessons I learned in those six weeks have become some of the hallmarks of my career including:

  1. How to study new IT skills quickly, comprehensively and competently (I studied mine in under six weeks)

  2. How to ace IT job interviews (I scored above 90% in my first interview test)

  3. How to get hands-on experience without a job (I got the required hands-on experience before my first job)

A Free E-Book To Help You Stay Ahead Of Rapidly Changing Technologies!

Fahim, I understand where you’re coming from and the challenges you’re facing.

The challenges of succeeding in Information Technology (IT) Careers as pointed out in this blog post are real. However, I’ve solved them and I don’t see any reasons why you can’t after I share my success strategies with you!

I’m going to e-mail you a free e-book that details “how you can solve the same problem in your career” and in addition, you will also get any future updates to the e-book free!

I will also be giving away a free copy of the same e-book to the biggest users of my “Tell a Friend” Button or Link on any of my blog posts!

How To Get a Free Copy of My E-Book!

This post answers a question posted by Fahim on “how to study or keep ahead of rapidly changing technologies.“

if you have a question about your career, be sure to post it as a question on this discussion page and I will answer it for you!

If you’ll like to get a free copy of the e-book on how to stay ahead of the technology curve, go ahead and download it now


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/21/free-e-book-on-how-to-stay-ahead-of-the-technology-curve/feed/ 3 How To Solve Chicken or Egg Career Problems http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/10/how-to-solve-chicken-or-egg-career-problems/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/10/how-to-solve-chicken-or-egg-career-problems/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:37:59 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2416

Ask IT Career Coach

Ask IT Career Coach

Here’s a question on “how to get the experience neccessary for career advancement opportunities!” from a professional who has an MBA in Information Security.

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!

Please, send this post to your friends using the “Tell a Friend” Button button below. You earn points or cash each time you refer an article to your friends using the Tell a Friend Button.

The question … How Do I Advance My Career?

I have been in IT for a number of years.

I have a BS in Electroncs Management and two years ago recieved my MBA in Information Seecurity with a 3.85 GPA.

I also have several Microsoft and CompTIA certifications.

Despite my background and education, I am unable to advance or gain additional experience.

I am currently employed and there are no advancement opportunitoes available. Any suggestions?

The Answer … How Do I Get Experience?

Scott, this’s the classic “chicken vs. egg, which comes first” situation facing many professionals.

You want to advance to the next level in your career but you can’t find employment or career advancement opportunities because you lack the required experience!

Yes, you can’t get the required experience because no-one wants to hire you without it … what a dilemna!

How to Overcome the Classic Chicken or Egg Which Comes First Problem!

  1. Set clear and specific goals:

    First you must be clear on the goals you want to achieve in your career.

    What type of jobs or careers represent career advancement opportunities for you?

    Do you want to be a consultant, a freelancer, or a manager?

    What sort of industry or skill do you want to specialize in?

  2. Don’t be vague … specialize in an Industry:

    Clarity is critical for career advancement.

    Clarify your goals or vision by choosing specific industries to learn or master.

    Do you want to specialize in the Information Security industry or do you want to specialize in the Information Technology industry? These are two different considerations.

  3. Become a leader by solving problems:

    You’ve chosen a specific industry and now you have to choose the problems within the industry which you are interested in solving!

    That’s how you start building up your experience. You don’t really need a job to get experience and advance your career. You just need to be pro-active enough and you’ll get what you want!

Don’t Limit Yourself By Thinking In A Box

There are career advancement opportunities in every profession! If you can’t see them, then you’re probably thinking within a box!

Educational Qualifications Are Not Enough:

You’re expecting too much from your educational qualifications because your MBA, BS and IT Certifications are just enough to get you a job.

To advance in your career, you have to use your education by identifying and solving problems in your industry or profession.

That’s how you get better career advancement opportunities.

For example, if you want to become a CEO, you need to solve problems facing CEOs. You aren’t likely to get a CEO job through a certification or an MBA. You’re more likely to get a CEO job by working in roles that require CEO skills!

If you want to be an Information Security consultant, then you need to identify the sorts of problems facing Information Security professionals and start solving them. It’s really that simple!

Market your Competencies Better:

Assuming that you understand what I’ve been saying about identifying and solving industry problems proactively, the next thing you need is to tell people about them!

You need to look into using PULL vs. PUSH techniques for marketing your competencies, skills and expertise.

Work on your branding and positioning so others will recognize your value and seek you out!

I recommend that you read my post titled “Become a Leader And Get The Job You Want” for more information on solving industry problems and positioning your career using PULL vs. PUSH techniques.

Scott, I hope I answered your questions. Please let me know if you need additional clarification and I will be glad to provide it for you.


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/10/how-to-solve-chicken-or-egg-career-problems/feed/ 1 Discover Answers to Your Career’s Toughest Questions! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/10/discover-answers-to-your-careers-toughest-questions/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/10/discover-answers-to-your-careers-toughest-questions/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:10:39 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2386

IT Career Coach

Get Career Help

Hi,

If you need help on a pressing or challenging issue, you’ve come to the right place!

You may get my help by posting the toughest questions facing your career at the moment!

I will answer your questions and help you just as I’ve answered and helped others.

  1. Your questions may be about how to get a job in a tough and competitive job market!

  2. Perhaps your question is about how to earn some income or pay bills without a regular, full-time or nine-to-five job!

  3. Or you would like to find out how to become better, more competitive or skilled at your job.

Post your challenging issues as a comment on this post and I would be glad to answer it for you.

I may answer it by writing a new article addressing your situation or by posting a comprehensive reply to your comments just below your question!

Ask your Toughest Questions

Take advantage of this opportunity to deal with persistent, challenging or important issues facing your career at the moment … you can find out:

  • How to change careers or get a better, more fulfilling job … even when you’re over 40!

  • How to get a job without experience – “The Classic Chicken or Egg Which Came First” problem!

  • How to discover your strengths, passion or interests, so you can love what you do!

  • How to protect your career by becoming an expert, top performing worker

  • How to market your career to the hidden job market using PULL rather than PUSH techniques.

  • How to become the best at what you do.

  • How to learn the hottest, latest in-demand skills and technologies.

  • How to choose the right career track based on your skills, background or interests

  • How to become a leader and get the jobs you want!

Post your questions on this page and get creative, practical solutions to challenges facing your career now.

Enjoy Your Your Career – Get The Help You Deserve!


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/10/discover-answers-to-your-careers-toughest-questions/feed/ 31 Develop Your Personal Brand And Become a Leader! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/11/develop-your-personal-brand-become-a-leader/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/11/develop-your-personal-brand-become-a-leader/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:03:38 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2244

Develop Your Personal Brand - Become A Leader

Develop Your Personal Brand - Become A Leader

Develop Your Personal Brand And Become a Leader

This course teaches you how to develop and use your competitive advantages in the workplace, job market and industry using the PULL method.

You will learn how to become a leader in your industry by developing and taking advantage of your personal brand using PULL techniques.

By the end of this course, you will have learnt how to select the best leadership projects for your industry based on your background, skills, education, training, job history and interests.

It’s Time To Stand Up and Be Noticed. Here is the course outline;

Coaching: Develop your Competitive Advantage

  • Introduce yourself, discuss your background, skills, interests and aspirations and submit your resume for review
  • Understand the PUSH vs. PULL method
  • Learn how to identify, develop and maximize your competitive advantage
  • Identify your career objective and discuss why it’s important to you
  • Workshop
    • Discuss your resume, career objective, challenges, skills, background, education, training, job history and career interests

Coaching: SWOT Analysis

  • Learn how to use SWOT Analysis to identify your competitive advantage and determine your unique offering in the workplace
  • Workshop
    • Prepare a SWOT Analysis document for your career objective

Coaching: OGSM

  • Consider alternative strategies for achieving your career objective
  • Determine the appropriate SMART goals based on your SWOT Analysis
  • Workshop
    • Develop an initial OGSM plan for achieving your career objective

Coaching: Personal Branding

  • Discover your personal brand based on your skills, backgrounds, interests, career objectives and SWOT Analysis
  • Develop your personal brand based on your unique, differentiating values
  • Workshop
    • Choose your personal brand based on your skills, backgrounds, interests and career objectives
    • Develop an action plan that supports your personal brand offline and online

Coaching: The PULL METHOD – Strategy

  • Learn how to use PULL techniques
  • Identify the relevant PULL methods for achieving your career objective
  • Discuss the implementation each PULL method
  • Workshop
    • Document the appropriate set of PULL techniques for your industry

Coaching: The PULL METHOD – Implementation

  • Identify the appropriate tools for implementing each PULL method
  • Workshop
    • Discuss the implementation and use of tools and platforms for the PULL method

Coaching: Become a Leader

  • Enhance your Personal Brand
    • Learn how to become an expert in your industry
    • Analyze the needs, problems, issues specific to your niche, domain or industry
    • Learn how to promote your brand, image and positioning
  • Identify and implement relevant tracking or monitoring tools including;
    • Time management plans
    • Project management plans
    • Personal branding plans
    • Business plans
    • Marketing plans
    • Job Search plans
  • Identify the relevant Leadership Projects for your Industry
  • Review and discuss cost and benefits of each leadership project
  • Workshop
    • Choose and implement your leadership projects

Coaching: Benefit From Your Brand Or Get The Job Your Want!

  • Understand how to profit from your personal branding activities
    • Learn how to be productive with or without a job
    • Learn how to earn an income from consulting, contracting, full-time or freelancing opportunities
  • Workshop
    • Take advantage of opportunities from your personal branding or leadership projects

Interested?

Contact Us or Apply Online …  

   

|   


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/11/develop-your-personal-brand-become-a-leader/feed/ 0 Did I Mess Up My Career? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/did-i-mess-up-my-career-part-2/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/did-i-mess-up-my-career-part-2/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:39:02 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2185

Ask IT Career Coach

Ask IT Career Coach

Po Bronson, author of “What Should I Do with My Life?” listened to more than 900 people who dared to be honest with themselves about their line of work or careers!

In the end, he discovered that it comes down to a simple gut check: “You either love what you do or you don’t.“

With that in mind, here’s question posted by a reader who needs advice on “what to do about making wrong career choices”.

What To Do About making Wrong Career Choices

I think I did myself well careerwise by reading for a degree that bears no inclination to what I am trying to aspire to in life.

The programme entitled: Degree in Computing with Management Studies is embeded with C++, COBOL and Report Programme Generator (RPG) courses.

The final year I underwent a gruelling course in Artificial Intelligence that I haven’t started to utilise in anyway in my career path.

What I strongly desire is a competence in database management and its integration with records management and design.

Regards

Career Transitions Are A Fact Of Life

Hello,

I feel your pain because I have been in your shoes – in a similar situation.

I’ve had to transition career several times from Chemical Engineering to IT Sales to IT Consulting to IT Career Coaching!

I’m reasonably sure that my last transition is permanent … but that doesn’t mean much because I expect my IT Career Coaching skills to change so much that I would literally be re-inventing myself every year!

Think about it for a moment. The world around us is constantly changing and we have to remain flexible and adaptable or we become as dead as the DoDo!

Fact is … “career transitions are a part of life“!

What I’ve learnt that I would like to share with you is this: “march boldly in the direction of your dreams!“

Start by forgiving yourself thoroughly.

Forgiving yourself is really not as easy as it sounds … put some effort into giving yourself a break because you did the best that you could based on the information you had.

Don’t be too hard on yourself; make sure you take out some time to love on yourself before you do the next big thing.

Now, having done that, “follow your call wherever it leads without any hesitation“!

Since your heart is saying that you need to become a database professional, do exactly that!

“Jump into the water with both feet and don’t be afraid of getting your feet wet”.

What I mean is: “pursue your dreams fearlessly, follow your heart wherever it leads and don’t be afraid of making mistakes”.

You owe yourself the pursuit of “life, liberty and love”.

What Should I Do with My Life?

Po Bronson, author of “What Should I Do with My Life?” listened to more than 900 people who dared to be honest with themselves about their line of work or careers!

In the end, he discovered that it comes down to a simple gut check: “You either love what you do or you don’t!”

So, if you find yourself doubting or regretting the choices you’ve made for your career or work, do these:

  1. Do What You Love; Start building your career around what you love or enjoy doing. Be honest with yourself by finding out what type of work fulfills you and doing it.

  2. Discover Your Strengths; Don’t spend your entire career or life building on weaknesses by doing what you don’t love.

    Discover what you excel at doing and then pursue opportunities that align with them.

    Use a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis to reposition your career.

  3. Follow Your Dreams; It’s never too late to discover or follow your dreams, aspirations or happiness.

    Don’t deny yourself the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness because everyone including your dear self, deserves better!

  4. Develop A Positive Mental Attitude; Don’t let past mistakes or career choices hinder you from making better decisions going forward!

    Believe that “you can do better and you will” because “if you think that you can, you can!“

  5. Learn From Past Mistakes; Don’t be reacting to past failures, learn from them!

    We all do the best that we can, based on the information we have. Now, re-invent your career by making better, informed decisions based on your past failures!

  6. Plan to Succeed; Now prepare a step by step plan for transitioning to a your new career!

    Start with a SWOT Analysis that addresses specific issues like “how you will learn new skills” and “how you will gain hands-on experience“.

    You need to plan your career transition because “failing to plan is the same as planning to fail!”

  7. Now, Do What You Love; You’ve learnt from past mistakes and planned a better career transition, now start doing what you love.

    Stick to doing what you love even when it’s tough on your purse or ego.

    Because a day will come when you’ll start reaping the financial and emotional rewards of “Career Nirvana!”

How To Achieve Career Nirvana

You’re not alone in making wrong career choices. But you must overcome the past by learning from it and by making better, informed decisions going forward!

This post answers a question posted by a reader who needs advice on “what to do about making wrong career choices”!

If you have a question about your career or are facing a challenge, be sure to post it as a comment on this page and I will answer it for you!


What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Visit the Shopping Cart, Click Here




ABOUT TRAINING & COACHING COURSES


Visit our Shopping Cart

]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/did-i-mess-up-my-career-part-2/feed/ 5