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Switching Careers and Job Hopping

The modern landscape in almost every line of business makes it less likely than ever that we will stay in one job throughout our career.  Switching careers has even become more common as the Internet has opened up new avenues and lowered barriers to entry.  That being said, in this episode, we look at the pros and cons for ourselves and our employees of moving around. Switching Careers Can Be A Small Step Technology ties together a lot of businesses and pursuits.  It has even become a sort of common denominator.  For example, Microsoft Office skills can be useful in almost every industry and every job.  Email is equally as pervasive.  When you add to this how the Internet has reduced the... Read more

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Improving Your Odds of Crushing It

We get into a line of business to crush it.  At least, I assume that is our goal.  I cannot think of anyone that launched a business with the goal of barely getting by or outright failure.  Crushing it requires a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.  However, there are things we can do to make success more likely. Do What You Love The most important part of crushing it is having a desire to see your goals accomplished.  When you focus on success rather than the steps along the way, you are almost guaranteed to fail.  This may seem a little confusing, but when your goal is the end (money, sales, fane, etc.) you will not have the energy to... Read more

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The Product Launch – A Todo List

The journey to a product launch can seem incredibly long.  However, the final steps in polishing a product for commercial availability cannot be ignored.  Doing so risks sinking the product or at least slowing its adoption. Commercial Products are Different A key point of this episode is that commercial software carries higher expectations than other types.  Whether it feels that way or not, there is far less selling required for other applications.  Bugs are part of any application, but workarounds and delays to fixes are easier to forgive for personal and internal applications.  A customer that paid money for your product is not going to be happy to hear that they need to “outsmart” a bug rather than it being... Read more

it career
Posted on Become a Better Developer

The Pros and Cons of an IT Career

The path of becoming a better developer must be intentional.  This is not a goal that one achieves without effort and planning.  Advancing an IT career is not different from any other.  You need a plan, and then you need to execute it.  Before embarking on our quest to be better developers let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the path we have chosen.   The Downside of IT I want to end on a positive note, so that leaves us to start with the negatives.  An IT career has some down-sides.  I think that this is not a career for the faint of heart.  The most significant challenge is the speed at which it moves. ... Read more

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A Team Victory Brings Great Joy

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is the joy of a team victory.  We can celebrate and be proud of individual accomplishments.  However, it is better when you can share the joy with others that were part of the struggle.  We can do a lot to improve our lives, but the way to make the most impact is to find others to share your journey. A Team Victory Can Come At Any Time In sports a team is well-defined.  There are players, coaches, managers, etc. that contribute in various ways.  We also see this in business.  If you have a paycheck signed by the same person, then you are on the same team.  Of course, politics and self-interest can... Read more

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Business Networking For Introverts

A challenge for many IT workers is business networking.  We chose out career often as a desire to avoid dealing with people more than we have to.  We are often introverts and not very comfortable in a crowd.  That makes it even harder for us to find our way to a useful discussion in a networking environment. Business Networking Is Critical The problem is, of course, that we have to network to build a customer list and become successful.  The good news is that we do not have to suffer through these situations.  A good script and routine can help us avoid the uncomfortable “winging it” situation.  Instead of having to grope for words, we can recite a message we... Read more