What's the Worst Thing People in IT Do to Negatively Impact Their Careers?

eMeS

Some work that I've been doing recently made me think about something. What are some of the worst behaviors that people in IT commonly do that negatively impact their careers?

I've encountered many negative behaviors over the years in people of all ages and from all walks of life. I'll clearly state that I don't see myself as "perfect" in any way, and in fact, I'm my own toughest critic. None of us are perfect, and I know that there is not a total absence of potentially career impacting behaviors in my own life. However, a huge part of being successful is understanding your limitations and knowing how to minimize their impact.

IMO, and based on something that I've seen repeatedly in people over the last 20 years, one of the worst behaviors that people in IT commonly have that negatively affects their careers is what I think is fundamentally an attachment problem.

A number of times I've observed people that develop strong affinities or attachments to specific technology, software or techniques. I've seen many times where these affinities become so strong that people's judgment becomes severely impaired. I've also seen many cases where individuals who exhibit such behavior quickly become obsolete.

It's one of those situations where if your only tool is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail. Also, whenever I've worked with people like this their arguments tend to be very similar to conspiracy theory type arguments...primarily in that their arguments cannot be refuted. If you've ever had the (dis)pleasure of this type of debate, then you will understand what I mean.

I think we all have a slight tendency to develop specific affinities, after all, we do invest significant time and money to develop our skills. However, there are definitely some out there who really go overboard.

I'm curious to hear what you guys and gals think. What is the worst, career-impacting behavior that you see in people in your industry?

MS

Aldur

Turgon wrote: »

We can relate. I don't know if you have kids but our first has just turned two years old and I certainly make sure we are not spread too thin on family time with the CCIE efforts. Disappearing into labs all night almost every night after work just hasn't been an option since he arrived.

Enough theory study for me for one night. It's Saturday night here. Time to down tools and enjoy a film with my wife. We had a great family afternoon out in the countryside. No practice labs for me today.

No kids yet, if I did have some I know my study time would seriously be cut down. I grew up with a workaholic father who was never home and it ended up that he was more of a stranger then anything else. Now he feels like he's really missed something and is trying to reconnect but it's hard on both sides to put the past behind us.

Your career is important since it supports your family but nobody should ever use that as an excuse to neglect their family.

It's turning into Saturday night here too. Soon I'll relax and take it easy for the rest of the night too