New Year's Resolutions for IT Pros in a Down Economy
- by Scott Whigham on January 9, 2009 12:59 PM
Recently I sat down and reviewed my 2008 New Year's Resolutions and planned my 2009 New Year's Resolutions. I am a very goal-oriented person and I find that the New Year is a great time to plan for success. I firmly believe the adage, "He who fails to plan, plans to fail" and, although I don't see a New Year's Resolution as a plan, per se, it is an opportunity to keep myself on the right track both professionally and in my personal life.
As I began to think about what 2009 would bring, I could not ignore the worsening economic conditions and the all too often announcements of job cuts (keep track via TechCrunch's Layoff Tracker). I started thinking hard about how 2009 would be very different from 2007 and 2008 and I thought that an article about New Year's resolutions for displaced or potentially-displaced IT workers would be a help to anyone in the IT industry.
Prepare for Success
Let's talk about finding work in a down economy. How can you prepare for success in today's job market? The key thing is that you have to find some tangible "thing" that sets you apart from someone else. Imagine this scenario: your resume is being pored over by a Human Resources representative for a very desirable position. This person doesn't know anything except that (a) the ideal candidate should have 2+ years of experience with SQL Server 2005, (b) they should have a stable work history, and (c) their job history should be in a similar vein as the job being applied for.
Now our HR person (let's call him "Johnny") has a quota: Johnny must send over 5 names to the IT department manager by noon. So Johnny - he has to sift through a whole bunch of resumes and pick five that are not going to embarrass him when the IT department manager talks to these people by phone.
Did you get that? Johnny isn't concerned that this person's skills are the skills for the job; Johnny cares that the IT department is getting what they think are qualified candidates. If the IT department starts complaining too loudly about the candidates that Johnny is sending them, Johnny might lose his job. So he's looking for S-A-F-E. Johnny wants candidates that won't embarrass him.
How can you stand out?
Let me be clear: I advocate that you do indeed want to stand out from the crowd. No, I don't mean wearing crazy shirts or dyeing your hair pink. I'm talking about how you can stand out on paper - if your resume is in a pile with 100 other resumes, how can you stand out? Let's cover a few resolutions that will help!
Resolution #1: Earn a New Certification in 2009
A lot of people whine about how certifications don't matter, others think that certifications are a great idea (like my friend Brad McGehee says in his blog post, "Professional Certification for DBAs"):
And don't forget: some companies require certifications (particularly in contract work).When it comes time for an internal promotion, or when you are competing for a new job, being certified will help to distinguish you from other candidates. It demonstrates that you keep up with new technology and have mastered the basic skills needed to be a successful DBA.
However, while certification can distinguish you from others, it is not a substitute for experience. In many cases, the more experienced DBA (even without certification) will get the promotion or job over a less experienced DBA with certification.
So add a few initials next to your name in '09.
Resolution #2: Learn a technology with a long tail
If you had "mastered" the concepts of XML way back in 2005, how much work would it require to keep up to date with it in 2009? Very, very little. How about SQL, CSS, HTML, or one of the other standardized languages? If you had really gotten into the nitty gritty of each language three or four years ago, it takes only a modicum of effort on an annual basis to keep those chops up to date.
So go master one of the following: Javascript, XML, SQL, HTML, CSS, XSL, XML Schemas. It will pay off - and I bet you'll have fun along the way. Just do us all a favor: if you choose to learn HTML, don't do a lot of blink tags, k
Outside of the standards-based languages, how about learning SharePoint? We are just in the infancy of SharePoint now...
Resolution #3: Learn a bleeding edge technology with a long tail
Imagine if, in the year 2000, you had decided to master SQL Server 2000 DBA. How long would that have served you? Years and years, my friend. SQL Server 2000 is still very popular even in 2009. So look around - what technologies/products are around today that you could master yet still get a long tail out of? I have a few suggestions:
- SQL Server 2008 - probably has a lifecycle of 8-10 years
- Windows Server 2008 - probably a lifecycle of 7-9 years
- Silverlight
- SQL Server Integration Services
- Mobile app development - hmmmm... Android or iPhone?
- Exchange 2007 - not quite as "new" as others but still has a 6-8 year lifecycle left
- MySQL 6.x - public preview came on December, 2008 (http://www.mysql.com/mysql60/)
- PowerShell
Resolution #4: Decide: Generalist, Deep Generalist, or Specialist
In software and systems administration, you are a Generalist, a Deep Generalist, or a Specialist. If all you care about is money, Specialists likely top the scale. These are the Cisco routing experts who bill at $300+ an hour, the SQL Server Analysis Services performance tuning experts, the software architects who don't really code as much as they design, and more.
If you are at the beginning of your career, you need to be a Generalist - no doubt. You need to be a Generalist so that you can have experience with lots of different technologies as well as gain exposure to things that you might later wish to become a Specialist or Deep Generalist in.
After you've been in the job market a while, then you can move into Deep Generalist or Specialist - and it is possible to waffle between the two through the years. For example, you might become a Specialist in SQL Server 2008 performance tuning. A few years go by and you've become the manager of a few people... Your hands aren't so "dirty" anymore - after all, your team is the one who is performing the work. You then lose a bit of those skills and you are now a Deep Generalist. Nothing wrong with that at all.
The reason this is all here is that you should plan for this; you shouldn't just fall into it. And your plan must take into account where you live. If you live in an area without a lot of highly technical jobs, you will be more attractive to prospective employers if you are a Generalist or Deep Generalist. In those environments, a Specialist can be out of work for a year or more just waiting for the right job to come along. If you are in Silicon Valley, however, then Deep Generalists and Specialists are treated like royalty.
Resolution #5: Cross Train More
Gone are the days of a Specialist being able to just get by without having a general understanding of systems. I can remember when I first started in the database world (back in the 1990s) and there were lots of people who were Data Modelers. I particularly remember working a contract with a woman who was a great data modeler but she did not know anything about working with databases, and she didn't really know how to use Microsoft Office well. She was great at data modeling but lousy at anything else. When it was time for budget cutbacks, she was the first to go.
You need more knowledge of different systems today than at any point in history. It's not enough to just know SQL Server DBA; you must also understand how C# and Visual Basic will interact with your databases, as well as how Windows Server works to ensure that your databases are being backed up properly and that the appropriate permissions are set. And what about SharePoint - it uses SQL Server. And Reporting Services, Integration Services, and Analysis Services - those all ship on the same DVD as SQL Server . And wait - don't forget that you need to know data modeling too! And DOS - gotta be a master of DOS. And that new thing: PowerShell...
Summary
I think the key thing I see in the list of five things is that you need to spend some time learning. Yes, it's true - I work for an IT video training company so I'm a bit biased but here's the thing: I got to this position because I did a few of these five things myself each and every year for the past decade . It's worked for me and I promise these tips will help you find more success in 2009.
What tips do you have? Please post in the comments!
Here is my tip:
Be proactive about networking. In the unfortunate event that you are laid off, having a solid network to reach out to is vital in a poor economy. With fewer jobs available - the most connected individual will most certainly find a job easier.
Specifically, keep your LinkedIn profile (and other professional online networks) up to date, attend local user group meetings & make a special effort to connect with respected individuals in your industry.
Great Post Scott!!
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