Technology changes at a fast rate. It might even seem like that speed is increasing every year. This speed of change can be daunting to those that want to “stay current.” It requires us to spend hours every week consuming content and working on new skills or with new tools. While this situation can often be viewed as a negative, there are many positives we can find in these challenges.
Steady Improvement
The most impactful positive of technology changes and advances is in the area of productivity. Not every new version or tool is a step forward. However, most of them are. These enhancements build over time and have made life in the IT world much better than it was a few years ago. Yes, advances in computing speed and memory have helped a lot.
Nevertheless, we have also gotten vast improvements from software and processes as well. At a high level, the time required to get a product to market has dropped dramatically. Goals that used to take months or years can now be achieved in days or weeks.
A Reset
Every time technology changes, it opens up new opportunities. Those that are new to the field can have as much experience as those that are deep into their careers. When this happens, you have an opportunity to become an “expert” almost literally overnight. Someone that is new to IT can advance quickly past the typically “grunt” work and become a leader in that technology. Thus, your career has many opportunities for rapid advancement.
Technology Changes Are Not Mandatory
We have to choose our fights. However, we do have the option not to participate in an advance or new version. While we risk reducing our value to employers, there are always new technology changes of which to take advantage. Nothing is stopping us from sitting back for a while to wait for winners rather than jump into every new tool or feature. That allows us to set a pace that is comfortable for us and our season of life.
Episode Challenge: What are some opportunities currently for you to benefit from recent technology changes?
