Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Some tips on getting the career that you want (Part 1)
There isn't a really good formula in trying to get the career you really want. Sure, there are degrees offered by colleges/universities that is specifically aligned in certain career, but does not necessarily mean you're going to claim the job you saw from the job board. Unfortunately, more and more companies now are requiring candidates to have experience in the field of their choice before they can get a job. That means, you may start from the bottom of the IT field that isn't really what you want but can definitely get your foot in the door. I decided to give you some tips that may or may not work for you to get the IT job that you really want.
Look for a volunteer gig if you can afford to do it. If you're currently working in a non-IT or IT department that is not in the network pyramid then ask for more responsibilities from the bottom level of the network pyramid. There are companies out there that has a need of an extra body but do not have the resources to hire someone. Also, just because you work in a different department does not mean you're stuck doing what your duties and responsibilities are. If, for whatever reason, you are not allowed to take more responsibilities during your work week, then ask if you can volunteer your time outside your work week. Do not be afraid to ask questions. This is especially true if you're trying to add value to yourself in the company you work for and not just a headcount. Remember, everybody is expendable in every company. Adding value to yourself will make it less likely that you'll be let go by your employer.
Sometimes, it pays to be loyal to the company you work for. I've been working in this particular company, which I am not comfortable to mention the name but will give you a clue it is in the top 50 of Fortune 500, for several years. Held three positions (first position wasn't IT and the very bottom position in pyramid of the company's organization chart) and I am currently in the fourth one temporarily but can turn into a permanent position after the company is done restructuring, which basically means laying people off. Though, I am pretty sure that I am doing a great job because I've been in this department since January but I was working part time and was asked to become full time. I wouldn't be asked to become full time if I wasn't doing a good job right? Besides, I've already had a talk with my immediate manager and was told that he wants to keep me and the other guys that came after me that came from the same department that I was in. Though, out of the three that came after me, they've been in the industry for more than five years so I still feel pretty good. c",)
That goes back to my first point. I asked for a volunteer gig and they gave it to me. I could have asked them a lot sooner but I was in school and studying for more certs. I think it turned out to be a good thing because every week that I am with my teammate running around the campus for the project that we were doing, he was able to find things I am capable of, my potential, and had a lot of good things to say about me compared to some of my old and new teammates. He also gave a lot of good press to my new manager but I am pretty sure that he heard some good press from other people as well since I try to be known as much as possible in the company I work for. Obviously, I like the positive thing to get to his ears and not the bad thing. But, you know what they say though, bad news travels fast. I've made mistakes (only human) and it is possible that he had heard about it. But, one thing I have never done in our network and hopefully never is to cause an unexpected outage. That is a big NO-NO.
I like what Randy Pausch in his video The Last Lecture - definitely worth watching and probably reading the book. Once I finish all the Cisco certs that I want to get, I'll probably read the book.) said: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." While, I haven't watched the video when I was thinking about my decision to volunteer my time, I guess I did pretty good because Randy Pausch was giving this lecture to people and I was able to come up with a solution to my "problem".
I've said this several times but I'll say it again. Expand your human network - sounds like a Cisco advertisement, right? I've seen it and heard stories that sometimes it is not what you know, but who you know that matters. Keep in touch to the people you know. They may have a position open in the company that they work for that may have an opening for a job that you may be qualified for. Even if you are not qualified sometimes a referral is always a preferrable way of many companies to hire someone. Why? Because a lot of times employees won't refer someone that he/she knows that will screw up his/her reputation. Will you refer someone that won't be effective for the job? I do not know about you, but I won't refer someone that will eventually ruin my name.
"The day you stop learning is the day you start becoming obsolete." - Unknown
Look for a volunteer gig if you can afford to do it. If you're currently working in a non-IT or IT department that is not in the network pyramid then ask for more responsibilities from the bottom level of the network pyramid. There are companies out there that has a need of an extra body but do not have the resources to hire someone. Also, just because you work in a different department does not mean you're stuck doing what your duties and responsibilities are. If, for whatever reason, you are not allowed to take more responsibilities during your work week, then ask if you can volunteer your time outside your work week. Do not be afraid to ask questions. This is especially true if you're trying to add value to yourself in the company you work for and not just a headcount. Remember, everybody is expendable in every company. Adding value to yourself will make it less likely that you'll be let go by your employer.
Sometimes, it pays to be loyal to the company you work for. I've been working in this particular company, which I am not comfortable to mention the name but will give you a clue it is in the top 50 of Fortune 500, for several years. Held three positions (first position wasn't IT and the very bottom position in pyramid of the company's organization chart) and I am currently in the fourth one temporarily but can turn into a permanent position after the company is done restructuring, which basically means laying people off. Though, I am pretty sure that I am doing a great job because I've been in this department since January but I was working part time and was asked to become full time. I wouldn't be asked to become full time if I wasn't doing a good job right? Besides, I've already had a talk with my immediate manager and was told that he wants to keep me and the other guys that came after me that came from the same department that I was in. Though, out of the three that came after me, they've been in the industry for more than five years so I still feel pretty good. c",)
That goes back to my first point. I asked for a volunteer gig and they gave it to me. I could have asked them a lot sooner but I was in school and studying for more certs. I think it turned out to be a good thing because every week that I am with my teammate running around the campus for the project that we were doing, he was able to find things I am capable of, my potential, and had a lot of good things to say about me compared to some of my old and new teammates. He also gave a lot of good press to my new manager but I am pretty sure that he heard some good press from other people as well since I try to be known as much as possible in the company I work for. Obviously, I like the positive thing to get to his ears and not the bad thing. But, you know what they say though, bad news travels fast. I've made mistakes (only human) and it is possible that he had heard about it. But, one thing I have never done in our network and hopefully never is to cause an unexpected outage. That is a big NO-NO.
I like what Randy Pausch in his video The Last Lecture - definitely worth watching and probably reading the book. Once I finish all the Cisco certs that I want to get, I'll probably read the book.) said: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." While, I haven't watched the video when I was thinking about my decision to volunteer my time, I guess I did pretty good because Randy Pausch was giving this lecture to people and I was able to come up with a solution to my "problem".
I've said this several times but I'll say it again. Expand your human network - sounds like a Cisco advertisement, right? I've seen it and heard stories that sometimes it is not what you know, but who you know that matters. Keep in touch to the people you know. They may have a position open in the company that they work for that may have an opening for a job that you may be qualified for. Even if you are not qualified sometimes a referral is always a preferrable way of many companies to hire someone. Why? Because a lot of times employees won't refer someone that he/she knows that will screw up his/her reputation. Will you refer someone that won't be effective for the job? I do not know about you, but I won't refer someone that will eventually ruin my name.
I hope that this post will help you to land a job that you really want in the future. I'll leave you guys with more quotes today.
"The day you stop learning is the day you start becoming obsolete." - Unknown
"Don't complain. Just work harder." - Randy Pausch
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