* Those looking to begin a career in IT management might need to re-assess their studies and certified skills
The IT management industry is evolving, and those looking to begin a career in network and systems management might need to re-assess their studies and certified skills to be able to tackle the next-generation networks being put in place today.
Newcomers to IT management will find themselves in a bit of a conundrum. There is a lot of talk of a skills shortage by hiring companies, yet several IT workers report it is difficult to even get in for an interview, never mind get hired even with a raft of skills at their disposal. Not only do companies hiring high-tech professionals want to see specific skill sets on the resume, they also want to know the potential candidate is well-rounded with a fair share of soft skills at the ready. One job seeker with a degree in computer science and currently working to finish a graduate degree in the same studies says what he is told employers want isn’t accurate or the skills being taught are outdated.
“There is a severe skills disconnect,” the job seeker who wishes to remain anonymous said. “What the college courses offer and career services say employers are looking for is completely off. I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science and I’m [also pursuing that in] grad school, but universities are not training us in the skills employers really want so I’m not sure my graduate work will help me find a job.”
Recently in honor of Mother’s Day, I asked several IT managers what advice their mothers gave them that helps them succeed in IT. And while women in technology say their moms told them never to fear taking on a man’s world, the majority of IT managers polled said being respectful, keeping an open mind and working hard topped the tips from mom. But when asked what advice these IT managers would give to newcomers in the high-tech industry, the responses touched on the challenges job seekers are facing today.
James Kritcher, vice president of IT at White Electronic Designs in Phoenix, says IT newbies shouldn’t “become overly focused on tech skills at the expense of relationship-building skills.” He also advises young IT workers to “see end-user problems as an opportunity to build relationships that can advance your career. The higher up you progress, the more important it is to build and maintain relationships with your business peers and superiors.”
Debbie Joy, lead solution architect for CSC in Phoenix, says she would tell up-and-coming workers to “always look for opportunities to learn new things, become a sponge and don’t ignore anything because you think it doesn’t apply to your job.” While subject-area expertise is still a requirement among many hiring managers, candidates are also expected to have a good sense of technology outside of their IT domain. For instance, network administrators need to understand how server and application traffic consume bandwidth. And server administrators must stay on top of storage resources. Nothing in IT is an island anymore.
“I have found that my success has been because of my breadth of experience and the ability to take seemingly unrelated pieces of information or knowledge and use them to solve some sort of business problem,” Joy says.
Arun DeSouza, a director of strategic planning and security at Inergy Automotive Systems in Troy, Mich., says business acumen has to become as important as technical know how. He says novice IT professionals need to “acquire business and management fundamentals early in their career. These will stand you in good stead in today’s work environment. Communication and relationships should be a key focus as ‘pure IT’ transmutes into a set of business technology milieu.”
