Words of wisdom to new IT pros

Here is a list of things that I've learned through my employment at UW Oshkosh:


A computer is not a Religion


Many young and old IT professionals become invisible warriors on this holly war between computers OSes, phone brands and software.  People argue: "My iphone is better than its bastard cousin Droid"  or "My Mac is better than your Windows 7 PC", or "the enterprise MS SQL is better than Oracle or MySQL".  They all provide value and enhance the experience of those that use them.  Waste no time dealing with inconsequential religious wars.

As a young professional, you should always try to learn and use new and old tools to enhance your ability to solve problems.  The goal is to provide a balance set of tools that can provide value to you and your employer.  If your only tool is a hammer, everything will look like a good opportunity to pound nails.
Never stop learning.

• Diversify your expertise. The shelf life of a computer skill is 3 years. People and other general business skills are forever.
• Learn a skills that has nothing to do with technology. A well rounded individual is capable to engage multifunctional challenges.

Become Self Aware (weaknesses and strengths) then move to Self Management.
Self awareness is an important part of your evolution as an adult... Knowing your weaknesses and strengths. Self Management is doing something with the information provided by your self- awareness... If you have known weaknesses, what actions can you take to make yourself a better person.


Get organized, disciplined, become reliable.
Employers are looking for reliable people that do the right thing at the right time. There are incorrect perceptions of the current generation entering the workforce.


Learn to deal with conflict:
Don’t avoid it, don't’ pursuit it, deal with it. Engage the issues from a logical point... Extract the emotion and the personal bias when dealing with conflict. Know when to speak and when to be quite (pick your battles).


Learn to deal with people you dislike:
There is always someone that will challenge your opinion and perception of value. That may not want to play by your rules and expectation. They are you best opportunity and challenge. Identify why you dislike the person... Identify your personal bias. Engage...


Develop People Skills:
Public speaking, presentations, etc. We tend to gravitate towards electronic communication. Dealing with a multi-generational work force is an important element of your professional development... The way you speak to the opposite gender and those with more experience than you is truly important. The two previous generations fear the stereotypes of the current generation.

Find opportunities in the raw
Identify opportunities in the raw. Opportunities never come in nice folders or in gold plated lettering. Opportunities are little dirty things that people pick up from the floor. Be capable of creating your own future by identifying opportunities where no one else sees them.


Get some experience
Always find opportunities to help others to learn from your experience... Experience is a tough teacher that gives tests before the lessons are provided. Experience comes in the form of internships, summer jobs, on your own testing, etc.


Develop Routines of Success
A routine of success is one that helps you identify corrective measures through action planning. Action planning is the process of setting metrics and time lines for accomplishments. As you identify bad habits; new routines can create new pathways of behavior. It is difficult to change old bad habits, however the brain is more capable of creating new pathways for new habits. Those new habits set the tone for who you need to be.


More later...