Learning the industry > technology

I see a lot of post about learning a specific technology and I agree that it makes sense a lot of times. However doesn't it make sense to learn the industry you are working in as well?

How many of you make it a point to learn the organization / industry.

I've been spending a lot more time understanding the business and less on the technology side. This may come back to burn me, but from where I stand now I don't believe that to be the case.

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Comments

NetworkNewb

That would definitely be a good idea for anyone who wants to be successful. To be the most beneficial to an organization you need to understand what exactly their needs are and what can you do to contribute to them and benefit them the greatest. To do that you have to have a deep understanding of the business/industry.

The thing is, is that most people on here are looking for the next best thing. They usually aren't planning to sit at one company for long time because to grow the fastest, in most cases, requires one to look for opportunities outside their organization. But to anyone who works at company they see themselves being with for awhile, that strategy you mentioned will definitely work out well.

You can be an expert in a certain technology but if you can't apply that expertise to your organization it won't help much.

kohr-ah

I have learned that troubleshooting is the side of the technology I have needed to learn. If I was doing consulting I am sure I needed to know builds a lot better.

Learning the businesses side has helped me as well at my current job and will for future jobs as I know how to relay and relate to the departments whose needs are wanting to be met.

I don't think it will burn you at all.

N2IT

Coming up on 40 sooner than later and my wife and I (mainly her) is tired of the boom / bust type employment with consulting and MSP's

Make good money for 9 months, then back to the drawing board. I've had one stretch where I was out of work for 2 months. I had ~15,000 saved just in my checking and my wife works so it wasn't horrible. But.....

If I can ramp up in my particular area from the business side, I think I can move up and lock into the organization. The good thing is there are several other organizations like this in my area so if I were to get hit by the proverbial bus, I could land on my feet.

shodown

I think you have to master something and really understand it. Then knowing your expertise and how it affects business is a way to thrive. Picking that expertise is the challenging part as things are always changing. For example I do mainly VoIP. I can walk into a business and look at the operations of phones and speak with first level managers and within a day I know if they are using there phones to make or loose money due to the technology they are employing. For example. I was working with a manufacturing client of mine. I was doing some site upgrades and one of them happen to be in the customer service center. After about 1 hour with them I figured they needed a ACD system to get all of there calls answered in a good order, to keep track of calls, and to use the information we would gain from Caller ID and shipping info to send to the BI folks to make better marketing decisions.

I'm on my phone typing this excuse my grammar.

N2IT

Good input appreciate the follow ups.

I think the biggest aspect is to remain patient and let things coming to you. I am trying to be semi aggressive, but you can ruffle the feathers of others, so...... I am trying to align with the culture while remaining somewhat aggressive.

philz1982

Who cares if you ruffle feathers, you only live once. You could literally get hit by a car tomorrow. Now, I'm not saying be an ass to people but if your intensity and focus bother folks that's their problem.

As to the question at hand, learning an industry and organization are two totally different things.

At each role I was in I made a list of my co-workers and their styles, who do I need to influence and how. If I wanted to get to point B how would I do it, who would I need to work with, influence, or neutralize.

As for industry, well, what do you want out of that? Do you want to be an renowned SME in your industry? Do you just want to know where to go to get answers? Do you want to be able to forecast where the industry is going and position yourself for that?

N2IT

Stakeholder matrix check!

I'm referring to more of a business SME, that you mentioned in your post. I find knowing the business is the best asset you can hold, at least this has been my experience. Technology is easily learned, but learning the business takes a little longer from my experiences. This is why I really want to turn my focus on the industry and organization, both of which are deeply intertwined.

shodown

I'm not sure what you are looking for. You comment that technology is easily learned and I can agree to a point, but you yourself have never worked in a Sr Engineer/Architect role where knowing the business is a part of your job. I would suggest that you find something that you are interested in and really push to be on the bleeding edge of that area. This is mainly a IT forum where people can help with TECH and some business ideas. Since we are on a IT board more people will point you in the direction of what you can do with tech, I would suggest posting this question on a business board and then I think you will have a full range of answers.

doobu

N2IT wrote: »

Coming up on 40 sooner than later and my wife and I (mainly her) is tired of the boom / bust type employment with consulting and MSP's

Make good money for 9 months, then back to the drawing board. I've had one stretch where I was out of work for 2 months. I had ~15,000 saved just in my checking and my wife works so it wasn't horrible. But.....

If I can ramp up in my particular area from the business side, I think I can move up and lock into the organization. The good thing is there are several other organizations like this in my area so if I were to get hit by the proverbial bus, I could land on my feet.

You should work for yourself one day.

N2IT

@ Doobu I like your style.

That's in the works already, but gentle pushes are always appreciated.

Thanks

@Shodown I agree there are limits to every board and this clearly goes beyond the scope of a certification website. Just thought I would throw it out there.

@ Philz - I agree about ruffling feathers to a certain degree, but my approach is a little different.

210mike

I think it depends on the type of environment you are in. For example:

If you're in the consulting/VAR/engagement type business you're supposed to be a SME in your field and you should really specialize in what you're being hired to do. You don't really need to understand the business as your job is to come in, complete X,Y,Z tasks, and hand off to someone else.

I personally am a Sr. level admin for a mid size global company. I can't possibly specialize in everything I touch. I have a couple really strong points, and then I know enough about other things to know what I can do, and what we need to hire consultants or Professional Services for. I do have a strong understanding of the business though. The business is my customer, I don't RAM IT solutions down their throat, we work with the business together and IT helps facilitates their goals. If they need X, we figure out together how to get them X, but within budget and having the solution comply with corporate standards for support etc.

I know consulting and MSP work can be rewarding, but I can't stand it. I have a wonderful comfy job with a great company and am well taken care of. I enjoy a nice cushy corporate environment. Others don't though, we just lost a guy to a VAR who wanted more of a challenge. He's going to be working in the pre/post sale and implementation part of a business.

N2IT

@ Mike

I am currently in a corporate position at the moment. I agree I am riding this ship out for a while, I am tired of hitting consulting gigs, eventually I'll get back there. For now it's corporate all the way.

networker050184

I don't think they are mutually exclusive. If you don't understand the business needs it's hard to deliver a technical product that meets them. It's more of something someone grows into over the course of their career though rather than an entry level technical skill that get's your foot in the door. But as shodown pointed out, probably not the best crowd to get a straight answer out of as most people here are strictly on the technical side of the house. If you asked a bunch of people that are more on the business side I'm sure they'd think it's more important than technical skills.

N2IT

Networker you make a solid point.

The role I am in is very business driven, but requires a lot of technical aptitude and knowledge. Not only building new BI environments but also help troubleshooting connectivity issues and latency problems through our database, web and application servers. I know Shodown mention earlier I've never held a senior positions as an Engineer, but I haven't had too, I natrually pick up those responsibilities along with my other skill sets I have and continue to learn.

Honestly, learning MS server is not very hard.

I guess in all actuality I am caught in no mans land.

doobu

N2IT wrote: »

@ Mike

I am currently in a corporate position at the moment. I agree I am riding this ship out for a while, I am tired of hitting consulting gigs, eventually I'll get back there. For now it's corporate all the way.

When you're ready to make your own firm, let's go. ;P

I always envision seeing myself working for myself or in a partnership. I've had the joy of learning business first hand with my own two hands helping shape it, but now I would love to do that for a living for others. To help them, considering my opportunities here are dried up.