Emulating the astronomical success enjoyed by some of the biggest names in business isn’t important only for those who wish to strike out on their own, launch companies and shape companies or industries. In fact, it's a rewarding strategy for anyone who wants to get more out of his career.
You can really boost your IT career by adhering to these core principles: having an ongoing commitment for acquiring knowledge, a deep desire to improve your interpersonal and entrepreneur skills, and making an effort to establish your authority as a leader.
Never stop learning
IT is such a dynamic field that one can never afford to stop learning. Continuously educating oneself is absolutely vital if you want your skills to be forever in demand. Those who don’t do this are at a risk of confining themselves to narrowly defined careers and becoming redundant after a few years.
Though it is pretty much obvious that while it's essential to continuously upgrade your skills to stay afloat, those who wish to become leaders in their profession should make sure that they broaden and not just deepen, their areas of expertise. You can do this by attending special seminars and conferences that may or may not be directly linked to your specialization. Seminars are really a great way to stimulate your thinking. In addition to going to these traditional forums, seek out other innovative ways to learn, like finding a special mentor or taking on projects that stretch your abilities.
The net is a great way of peeping into the future of not just IT but technology as a whole. So keep track of blogs and Web sites, participate in online forums, and do this with a critical eye on your future. Always keep a sharp lookout on the technologies that are most likely to shape the industry. This will allow you to keep up with the changes in technology, which, in turn, will provide you with the insight to steer your career toward growing specialties (wireless security, to use a current example) and away from less marketable ones.
Soft skills set you apart
Keeping your technical skills and knowledge up to date is important, but if you want to help bring about a change rather than just respond to it, you'll also need to take a look at how you work with others.
It would be a good idea to periodically assess your soft skills to determine where improvements should be made. Ask your colleagues and department heads — whom you trust — for feedback on your strengths and weaknesses. When you are able to identify a shortcoming, make a plan of action to address it. For example, if someone tells you that you need to work on your presentation skills, you might consider taking a few tips from those who have been seen giving great presentations in your organization.
Being business savvy is another important attribute that requires a lot of deliberate effort. When you feel uncertain about the all important "why" of an IT project, understand the priorities and goals of your company by talking to your manager. A big-picture perspective is definitely a must in order to contribute to your firm.
Also, getting the bigger picture will enable you to expertly anticipate the requirements of your company and the industry as a whole before these needs become apparent to everyone in the field - a major distinguishing characteristic of IT innovators.
Establish your leadership potential
For an exceptionally good IT professional, his job specialization is actually just the starting point. So when you take an initiative to expand your role in your organization, people will automatically start to think of you as a leader. Serving your organization as a leader also means demonstrating integrity and selflessness. For example, the willingness to own up to a project that failed does more to establish your credibility than the effort you may make in making sure you get your share of the credit when a project succeeds.
Your role as a leader should extend far beyond the four walls of your company. If you feel that you are representing your company, then it would be great idea to join a professional association, attend conferences and also offer to speak or present your ideas and vision at industry events. This would build your reputation and become an active part of the exchange of ideas. Many successful IT careers often get stuck on plateaus not because they lacked ingenuity or persistence, but just because their careers grew and evolved largely in a creative vacuum of company (often with fixed agendas) rather than in constant, creative interaction with others.
The best-laid plans
Even though IT professionals believe in planning their career meticulously– very few people, who have been successful in IT, end up where they expected to be. In fact, many technology standouts owe their success to their ability to change course, based on developments in their companies and fields. By being willing to explore unexpected paths, you may run the risk of reaching a dead end or two, but you also open yourself up to a much broader range of professional possibilities.
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