Be S.M.A.R.T. Have a Goal.

I was recently speaking with a co-worker when she mentioned not having a goal for the first time in her life.  All throughout high school she told herself she'd buy a home, get a career, get a Masters etc. all before 25.  She accomplished these goals (and a lot more!), but now that she is past her target, she isn't feeling the same drive she did before.

I went through almost the opposite of this.  While I was working part time I had no goal.  I was content (or thought I was) to float around a bit.  Once this changed, however, things started picking up.  I earned Network+, then A+, then Security+ and Project+.  I enrolled in Community College and began picking up new skills.  While that was going on, I got a full time job and earned more responsibilities.  I believe all of this happened for a reason, and the reason is I finally had a target.

Stay on target!

 I am still not 100% sure what my target is.  My family will ask me what my 5 year plan is and I'll tell them something along the lines of running a Project team or managing a group, but beyond that I am not specific.  This is likely a weakness, as having a set goal has been amazingly beneficial.  In addition to this lack of 100%, iron-clad defined goal, one of the least-smart things I've ever done is answer "I don't know" when the Director of my department asked me what I wanted to learn and what my goals were.  I simply hadn't taken time to sit down and think about it.  My first goal was get back into IT, which helped me in getting certifications and my first part time IT job.  Past that, however, I lacked a true target.  I have since developed one, and that has allowed me to expand my skills, and my opportunities greatly.

Benefits of goal setting can be seen in many disciplines, from Business, to Fitness, to personal development.  Personally goals have helped me focus my energy and provide a more tangible reward for doing things.  This, in turns, helps to motivate me to set more goals and to strive to achieve them.  If there is one simple thing you can do to help your career in IT (or anything, really) take some time to think about your goals.  What do you want to be able to do?  Where do you want to be?  These don't have to be things that happen overnight, my goals are still in progress and I set them ~2 years back (and I'm sure I'll have more longer term goals, like buying a home).

Smart?

A great place to start is by being S.M.A.R.T.  This is a tool to help set goals.  This is just a guideline, but it will help to further focus your goal and help define how you may attain it.

Specific - You need to have a specific target, i.e. get a B+ or higher in C++.  Just saying learn C++ is too vague.

Measurable - You need to be able to measure your progress.  Not only will this help you track how you're doing, it will let you tweak what you're doing to do better.

Attainable - It has to be something you are actually able to accomplish.  Going from newbie to chess grandmaster in a year likely isn't attainable.

Relevant - It must relate in some what to your life and what you're doing.  If it doesn't, you may find it challenging to stay on target.

Trackable - It has to be something you can track.  If you don't know how well you're doing, how do you know when you got there?

Keep in mind this is just one place to start.  You may find other tools work better, or maybe not.  Take time to examine them, and then take time to develop a goal.  It will help you feel better about where you're at, and, more importantly, help you improve.

Do you know what YOUR goals are?

Please leave any questions in the comments and I'll be happy to reply.  Also, take time to go over your goals with your boss, friends, etc.  Their perspective can be incredibly valuable.

For assistance in setting a goal, check out Mind Tools, they have a good overview of the process.

IT Fundamentals : Never Stop Improving

It is better to move forward an inch then to stop.

~Chinese Proverb

Go little guy go!

Ever since I made the leap from office assisting to IT I have been in a constant state of improvement and development.  Whether I am learning how to build a computer in my bedroom (please PLEASE use anti-static pads if you do this!  The last thing you need is your cat zapping your motherboard... and keep your cat out of your work space.) or taking classes at a community college I have been developing skill sets.

Warning : Does NOT Mix Well With Computers

This has been both an intrinsic desire to learn how things operate and spurred by new job responsibilities (I have no clue how Microsoft Project works, but there's a class for that!).  I have found that by building time for the into my daily routine I am able to blend it into my life.  I know that after I get home I just need to spend half an hour doing homework, then I get to do other stuff (of course, this kind of back fires since if I'm not studying I feel antsy...).  I am fortunate that my current position highly encourages this. 

Now where is that note...

The biggest hurdle I had when I began doing this was where to get information.  The internet, as you may be aware, is a vast wilderness.  Part dumping ground, part hallowed shrine, part Mad Max, it can be hard to find what you're looking for.  Searching for "A+ Study" returns several million hits (fortunately some good ones pop up), the vast majority of which are rather useless.  The most success I had was with word of mouth.  A friend recommended Professor Messer (check him out.  Seriously, he rocks), which really got me started.  Taking time to examine information sources was also valuable.  Think of it like studying to study.

Once I got started, I was hooked.  I have borrowed books from co-workers, watched countless Youtube videos, taken classes, written papers, browsed hardware, tinkered with computers, fried circuits, dreamt about systems analysis (that was a weird night), and made hundreds, if not thousands, of note cards.  All of this drives towards the singular purpose of improving my skill set.
The trick is to choose activities which complement each other.  Taking a cooking class, then going to welding school may be interesting, but don't exactly support each other (unless you're cooking with a blow torch...)

This has several advantages, the biggest is I increase my value to my employer.  I have been able to take on increasing responsibility at work, mostly due to my new-found skills.  Simply learning how to learn has also helped at work since I am able to learn from my co-workers and take on new tasks.  Another big advantage is I feel better about myself.  I consistently find myself in new and interesting situations (not all are enjoyable, but they're all interesting...).  This keeps me out of a rut, which is a very dangerous place to be in.

To quote Dori, from finding Nemo:

Just Keep Swimming