Sunday, March 25, 2007
Advice I give to those I mentor...
If you are seeking a job, choose the one that will prepare you for the job after this one...
The job that looks best in terms of salary and benefits right now may not be the best one for your career in the long term. You may get paid more today for using a mature technology that you're experienced in, but if as that technology reaches the end of its lifecycle, you may find your career options limited. It might make sense to take a more junior position in order to work on a buzzword compliant technology that you expect to be in high demand in the future. For example, Java, Ruby on Rails, Identity Management, ITIL, ERP4IT and so on.
Always think in terms of your long-term career goals. If you someday you make up your mind to abandon the corporate world and all of the Your Call is Important to Us, repeat after me monotone phrases and hope to be CTO of a hot startup, what skills do you need to add to your resume today to further that goal?
Thinking two jobs ahead is not the same as committing to two jobs ahead. If you're thinking about all the variability that exists two whole jobs ahead, you're already following the advice. The alternative is to believe that this is the last job you'll ever have or simple oblivion about future jobs which is what many folks have done who have gotten outsourced...
| | View blog reactionsThe job that looks best in terms of salary and benefits right now may not be the best one for your career in the long term. You may get paid more today for using a mature technology that you're experienced in, but if as that technology reaches the end of its lifecycle, you may find your career options limited. It might make sense to take a more junior position in order to work on a buzzword compliant technology that you expect to be in high demand in the future. For example, Java, Ruby on Rails, Identity Management, ITIL, ERP4IT and so on.
Always think in terms of your long-term career goals. If you someday you make up your mind to abandon the corporate world and all of the Your Call is Important to Us, repeat after me monotone phrases and hope to be CTO of a hot startup, what skills do you need to add to your resume today to further that goal?
Thinking two jobs ahead is not the same as committing to two jobs ahead. If you're thinking about all the variability that exists two whole jobs ahead, you're already following the advice. The alternative is to believe that this is the last job you'll ever have or simple oblivion about future jobs which is what many folks have done who have gotten outsourced...
