My Whirwind of a Year/Things I learned in 2016
Things I Learned in 2016
I've been in IT for over 12 years or rather IT has been in me, but I've never been in it. Personal computer ownership exploded while I was in High School and when it came time for me to go to college, I thought that my love of technology would translate into a steady paycheck for the rest of my working life. When I graduated from college, the job market for IT was in bad shape, and I did not receive my first tech job for close to a year. When I finally did get a job, it was low paying and entry level but was super convenient, so I developed a sense of apathy. A few years later, I got married, and that spurred me to get another job which was able to teach me more. After a while, the work situation there became convenient, and apathy struck yet again.
For many years, I used to have some BS idea that other people had the luck of progressing in their career while I kept trudging along with no upward movement all while not scheduling the time to upskill outside of my job function. Oddly enough, I thought I better than my job and boldly thought that I'd quit but never actually did. It turns out I wouldn't even get the chance because my company got rid of me exactly one year ago today.
On day 1 I was stunned and despondent. On day 2 I began applying elsewhere thinking I will be employed again in a matter of weeks. After two months and barely a response to my applications, I finally got the message that I needed to start taking my career seriously because if I didn't, no one else would. I laid out a track for myself to improve and after toiling day and night for four more months finally landed another job. What I did to get to this point will sound like common sense to a lot of you, but I'm listing what I have learned regardless.
1) Don't look back at the past
The mistakes you made in your career are in the past, focusing on what you didn't do will only be a waste of time and cause you unnecessary grief so concentrate on the future.
2) Tweak your resume/LinkedIn every day
Even its something as simple as punctuation or one word, at least you are looking at it and will remind you to add new skills and experiences as they are acquired.
3) If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Make a high-level outline of where you want to be in your career and then a detailed plan of how to get there. Once you do that, make sure to hold yourself accountable to it otherwise what would be the point.
4) Plan when your distractions will be
It sounds like a contradiction, but you should plan your pleasures. Life can't be all about upskilling so make sure to pick one guilty pleasure you can't be without and let that be your only distraction.
5) School? Sorry but you have to do it!
Hate to break it to you but you will NEED to go to grad school if you do not have a wealth of experience in your desired field. There is simply too much competition, and you need every last advantage to set your resume apart from the pack. You don't NEED to go to an ivy or elite school because a lot of the real world doesn't care much where you go just as long as you have a graduate degree (it helps, though).
6) If you want to find a job when you don't have one, pride goes out the window
When I was without a job, I laid low at first and didn't want to meet anyone for fear of them finding out about my shameful predicament. In this day in age, you will need to swallow your pride and let everyone you think can help know with the hopes that they may know someone who could refer you.
7) Be thankful for your support system
It will be uncomfortable for your loved ones when you are going through the unemployment process so be kind to those who prop you up even though you don't feel like you should be grateful for much.
8 ) There are no timetables of when you should do what anymore
In today's job market, you could be junior to someone who is younger than you. Don't use a dated metric about where you should be at a certain point of your life because things have radically changed in the last fifty years. Also, if you are a younger guy and happen to be in a Sr. position, don't needlessly be a jerk to people older than you because one day that could be you in that situation.
9) Talk to people, particularly those who are where you're at
I joined this site to speak with people with first-hand knowledge of the career I want to have so stop thinking you are the smartest guy in the room and come hat in hand to ask others questions and you could end up with some dynamite answers.
10) Don't count the days, make the days count
If you're like me and had a sudden awakening in realizing that you need to upgrade yourself, then you know that the process will be long and hard. Best to just keep your head down and get yourself into a routine to avoid feeling daunted about how big the mountain you have to climb is. Circle a date on your calendar and look back at that date a year from now to measure your progress
11) Don't get disheartened when there are setbacks
There will be setbacks on your journey but don't give up otherwise you could be right back in the situation that got you where you don't want to be.
12) Improving yourself in any way will NEVER hurt your chances in landing a job
Many people view certifications as a piece of paper with a diminishing return on investment. However, in this day in age, a minimal return is better to spend your $ on that than on something that would be of no value to a prospective employer.
I think I got that all out of my system. I certainly hope that it will be helpful to someone.
If anyone reads this and has any questions, feel free to let me know, and I'll be happy to help in any way I can.
Thanks
