| I've seen it happen time
and again to programmers, network engineers
and administrators, and other IT personnel.
They get a solid IT position, a good-paying
job, and they get comfortable. They stop
keeping up with the latest technologies,
they stop studying, they no longer keep
their CCNA, MCSE, and other industry certifications
up-to-date.... and then one day, their comfortable
job is gone. Maybe they get laid off, maybe
the company moves and they don't want to
move with it... but for one reason or another,
they're in the worst position possible.
They have no job, and they have allowed
their IT skills to deteriorate to the point
where they are no longer employable.
If you're in IT, you must be constantly
learning. You must continually take the
long view, and ask yourself three important
questions. First, where do you want to be
in three years? Second, what are you doing
now in order to reach this goal? And finally,
if you were laid off today, are your current
skills sharp enough to quickly get another
job?
That third question can be the hardest
of all to answer honestly. I'm reminded
of Microsoft announcing years ago that they
would no longer be recognizing the MSCE
4.0 certification, since the network operating
systems that certification was based upon
would no longer be supported by MS. (Keep
in mind that this change was announced months
in advance, giving those holding the MCSE
4.0 plenty of time to earn the latest MS
certification.)
Some MCSE 4.0s just went nuts. Microsoft's
certification magazine printed letter after
letter from angry MCSEs saying that their
company would always run NT 4.0, and that
there was no reason for them to ever upgrade
their certification.
This wasn't just denial. This was career
suicide. Let's say that their network never
moved from NT 4.0. Let's also say that they
got laid off yesterday. Would you want to
go out into the current IT workplace and
have your most recent network operating
system experience be on NT 4.0 ? I sure
wouldn't.
The fact is that you've got to continue
studying, continue growing, and continue
learning new things if you want to have
a successful long-term IT career. If you
plan on studying only one topic, getting
into IT, and then never cracking a book
again, you're entering the wrong field.
And for those of us who have been in it
for a while - again, ask yourself this question:
"Am I prepared for what would happen
if I were laid off today?" And if you're
not, do something about it!
About the Author
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner
of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com),
home of free CCNA
and CCNP
tutorials! For my FREE "How To Pass
The CCNA" or "CCNP" ebook,
visit the website and download your copies! |
