Internal IT, Don’t Get Complacent

Are you out of date? Photo: Dottie Mae on Flickr

Every now and then I do some troubleshooting support for applications that use SQL Server. The other day I had a client that had connection issues, and I called up their IT person and asked him where the SQL Server was located. His response was “We have Qwest.” At this point, I knew that I had absolutely no help from this fellow and that I was on my own.

Computers can be a scary world, especially since they are constantly changing.

My advice: keep up.

Since the economy is tanking at the moment, you better thank your lucky stars if you have a job right now. If you have a job in IT or any computer industry and want to provide value to your company, might I suggest following these simple rules:

1. Read about current technology.
   Find news feeds, websites, blogs, and even Twitter feeds that you like and set up some quick RSS feeds in your mailbox. You don’t really need to read every detail on every article, but you can see headlines and from there you can pick your favorites.
2. Try new technology.
   Too often I run into religious followings of technology and too often people knock what they don’t understand. Cultists aside (that’s for another ridiculous story), try it out before you decide it’s not for you.
3. Get passionate about what you’re doing.
   The best advice I ever received from my father was “Don’t do anything you don’t love.” If you’re becoming complacent or bored with what you’re doing, find something else to do. Even if you’ve got a cushy job, someone will be able to tell that you either know nothing about what you’re doing, or that you hate it. Either way, it will only impede your career and that will make you even more frustrated.

At the end of the day, whatever you decide to do, become an expert at it. You’ll not only help yourself and your career, but you’ll be able to help me out if I have to call up your company and have to ask technical questions.