They say* that the best time to get into IT was in 1999. The world wide web was exploding, and people were needed like crazy to enter the rapidly growing IT industry. Well, it’s 2017. You missed that. The second best time to get into IT is right now. As long as you’re still sucking wind, […]
A user messaged me on SpiceWorks about a job the other day. Overwhelmed here has a super-common problem. He’s working and wants to move up, but he’s having problems getting the next gig. This is usually due to an all online job search, which according to research, nets you a job about 5% of the time. Here was […]
It’s ok to be underqualified. We all have to get used to the idea that we are not going to walk into any IT opportunity and be 100% qualified. Pretty much ever. This applies (of course) from junior-level people all the way to very experienced folks. Even senior IT workers don’t know all of the platforms […]
Being in a toxic physical environment, such as a damaged nuclear reactor, can prove fatal. Likewise, a toxic IT organization can also be lethal- to your career, or at least your sanity. See if you see these eight signs, and if you can do something about it. As IT workers, we always have to have our eyes on the […]
Getting a raise, especially in IT, where you are an expense, can be challenging- even hard. It doesn’t have to be complicated, however, and I’m going to show you how I make a case for more money and let my bosses know where I want to go in my career. I’ve divided this post into 2 sections […]
Be bold. This is the one thing I wish I’d taken to heart earlier in my IT career. Bold is not a personality style. It’s not. It’s a way that we take an action. People don’t say, “He’s bold.” They say, “Bold move.” “That was bold” and “…to boldly go…” Being bold is not reserved for […]
Every SysAdmin has their own style of managing an environment. No matter how hard you try, you’re doing to need to work with other IT folks with whom you disagree. This post will help you both make sense of it, and give you strategies on how to work well together with weirdos those who disagree. […]
Not realizing that you, me, and every other IT pro is a free agent can dramatically slow down your career progression. Here’s why and what you can do about it. free a·gent noun 1. a person who does not have any commitments that restrict their actions. We all need to rid ourselves of the notion […]
Sometimes you have to quit your job to grow your IT career (and your earnings). Having just experienced this, I’m going give you 13 tips (OOooo, spooky) that will allow you to make a graceful exit. First, the basics. There are some principles that you must follow if you want to keep from burning bridges […]