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Key career development strategies: 09/30/03; As of Oct. 1, the Network World Career Advisor will assume a different name and focus. A new newsletter, Network World on IT Leadership, will replace both the Career Advisor and Network World on Management Strategies newsletters. The newsletter will cover your career issues and challenges as an IT leader, such as advancing the IT agenda within your company, budgeting, ROI, project management, and getting the most from your staff and assets.
Mailbag: IT user groups: 09/25/03; In a recent newsletter, I asked you to let me know if you’re involved with any IT professional associations. While some groups have had trouble attracting members in recent years, it’s clear that there are still many active groups.
IT security staffing: 09/23/03; Despite the number of people looking for IT work, a new survey from the Information Technology Association of America shows that employers are having trouble finding information security pros.
Workplace satisfaction: 09/18/03; Only 25% of workers surveyed by CareerBuilder say they hold their dream jobs, while the rest are dissatisfied with the pay, workload, stress level or career advancement potential of their current positions.
Virtual router labs: 09/16/03; One of the challenges some people pursuing Cisco certification face is getting their hands on equipment to practice with. Buying used gear is one option, though this is expensive and you might have trouble finding the latest models. And messing around with a production network at work might not be the career boost you’re seeking.
Job growth in Southeast, Mid-Atlantic: 09/11/03; Robert Half Technology’s latest research shows a slight decline in IT hiring activity for next quarter, but the news is better for those who live in certain parts of the country.
IT user groups: 09/09/03; Several IT professional associations that were once industry stalwarts have folded. The formerly influential Communication Managers Association called it quits last month, while the International Communications Association disbanded last year. And the Network Professional Association and other IT groups suffer from declining membership.
Mailbag: IT unions: 09/04/03; As noted in a previous newsletter, some IT unions are trying to prevent U.S. jobs from being outsourced. I asked readers if they belong to a union or think it could help. Judging from the many responses I received, most said union membership is now something they would consider.
Overall cert pay down, but certain specialties are growing: 09/02/03; Increased interest in offshore outsourcing has eroded premium pay for IT skills and certifications, according to Foote Partners’ Quarterly Hot Technical Skills and Certification Pay Index report.
Mailbag: IT workload is getting bigger: 08/28/03; I always enjoy getting feedback from readers, good or bad, and would like to share some comments I received regarding reasons IT departments have bigger workloads.
Labor hard after Labor Day: 08/26/03; As employers finalize 2004 budgets, they’re more likely to make job cuts in September through December as they are in the preceding eight months, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
IT union activity: 08/21/03; American IT workers threatened by the trend of offshore outsourcing of IT jobs overseas are taking action to persuade government and industry to keep jobs here at home.
IT workload is getting bigger: 08/19/03; More than half of CIOs say their IT staff has taken on bigger workloads this year, but not necessarily for the reason most would expect. Only 9% of CIOs surveyed by recruitment firm Robert Half Technology attributed the extra work to reduced staffs because of layoffs. New initiatives are the biggest culprit contributing to rising workloads, according to 46% of those surveyed.
Mailbag: Grooming future leaders: 08/14/03; I recently wrote about a survey on preparing younger workers for senior leadership roles. The results showed that companies aren’t doing enough in that area, and survey sponsor DBM offered some tips for changing that (see editorial link below).
IT training outlook: 08/12/03; A U.S. Department of Commerce report on IT shows that jobs in the field are varied, complex and specialized, as are the knowledge, skills and experience required to perform them. But one thing all these positions have in common is that employers seek candidates with the exact skill set who require no additional training.
Business travel down: 08/07/03; Been on a business trip lately? Travel expenses are one of the first things companies cut in a downturn, and as bad economic conditions persist companies find ways to trim even more. Business travel spending is down in 2003, according to the results of a survey from the National Business Travel Association.
Skills distribution across the country: 08/05/03; A report from online skills testing site Brainbench shows that the Western and Southern portions of the country have the highest concentrations of knowledge workers. Based on Brainbench’s worldwide skills and certification database, the report compares states and regions in numbers of certifications and average scores in IT and other skills categories.
Grooming future leaders: 07/31/03; Research from human resources consulting firm DBM shows that companies should do more to groom younger workers for senior leadership roles.
Mailbag: Enlivening a job hunt: 07/29/03; A recent newsletter offered tips for kicking a job hunt up a notch when you aren’t finding success. I expected that some of you who have been searching for months in this lousy market might write to say that these are things you’ve already done, but what was surprising was that I only received two letters from folks who took exception to some of the advice. (Go to http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/careers/2003/0707car2.html for “Enlivening a job hunt”)
Online job hunting hurdles: 07/24/03; Have you ever suspected that the online job application you spent so much time completing disappeared into cyberspace never to be seen again?
2003 Network World Salary Survey: 07/22/03; Many companies have trimmed the number of people on the payroll this year, but network pros who remain on staff are bringing home bigger salaries and bonuses. That’s just one piece of the good news you’ll find in the 2003 Network World Salary Survey. (Go to http://www.nwfusion.com/you/2003/0721salary.html).
Nortel cert targets design experts: 07/17/03; Nortel recently announced the first of its Design Expert Certifications for IP telephony pros specializing in the IP Convergence Meridian 1 IP Enabled 25.40.
Look in unlikely places: 07/15/03; When you read about a big corporate layoff, that company is probably one you scratch off your list of target employers. Sounds sensible, but that would be a mistake, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Enlivening a job hunt: 07/10/03; A job search in this downtrodden economy can be so frustrating that some people are throwing in the towel. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, nearly half of a million of the roughly 9 million unemployed people in the U.S. became so discouraged that they stopped looking for work over the past year.
Modest raises in store for the year: 07/08/03; Salaries are only expected to edge up a meager 3.5% in 2003, according to WorldatWork, an association of compensation and benefits professionals. This average increase is the lowest in the 30-year history of the organization’s Salary Budget Survey, and is short of last year’s projection of 4.1% for this year.

Amy Schurr is an editor for Network World's Management Strategies and Features sections. If you have any career topics you'd like her to cover or want to comment on this newsletter, you can e-mail her.