top 3 mistakes to avoid in your it career
DESCRIPTION
Presented by Ms Heng Teng Teng, Career & Leadership Coach, GROW at NUS-ISS Open Day & Career Fair 2014 on 16 Aug 2014.TRANSCRIPT
Career Talk
Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in your IT Career
Ms Heng Teng Teng
Career & Leadership Coach
0
Case Study 1
John started his IT career as a programmer at the age of 24. He did that for 3 years and was promoted to System Analyst. He worked well and was again promoted to a Senior Analyst at 30 years old. What will be his potential career path in the next 5 years? • Regional Analyst • Team Manager • Project Manager • Senior IT Manager
What skills do you need?
DATA Ability to deal
with data: recording,
researching, analyzing
PEOPLE Ability to deal
with interpersonal processes: teaching,
presentation, leading,
motivating
THINGS Ability to deal
with non personal
processes: operate, repair
& assemble equipment
IDEAS Ability to deal intrapersonal processes: creating,
synthesizing, discovering
Pyramid of Skills
DATA PEOPLE THINGS IDEAS
Synthesizing Mentoring Setting Up Inventing
Innovating Negotiating Precision Working
Improvising
Analyzing Influencing Controlling Diagnosing
Researching Persuading Repairing Editing
Consolidating Supervising Manipulating Organizing
Comparing Taking instruction
Handling Compare
Etc… Etc.. Etc.. Etc …
Incr
easi
ngly
Pre
scri
bed
Incr
easi
ngly
Dis
cret
iona
ry
Mistake #1: Overused of Skills
Possible Strategies
• Build up your learning agility • Have more than 1 mentor (besides your boss) in the company • Think like a business partner
Case Study 2
Patrick has been working in the same bank as a Regional Analyst for the past 10 years. He lost his job as a result of restructuring. Prior to that, he was working as System Analyst in 2 different companies for 5 years. What will be the potential challenges you think he will face in his job search?
Mistake #2: Specialized in only one domain/industry
Possible Strategies
• Within the same industry, understand the upcoming trends & challenges in the industry
• Do not restrict yourself with only one domain/industry knowledge • Be connected with other professionals in other industry
Mistake #3: Over emphasis on jobs and not career
• Career development is promotions driven
Are you timing your next move? “Idiot’s Guide to Career Moves”: 1) Have I enhanced the value of the role to the company? 2) Have I created greater currency for this kind of skill in the company? 3) Have I developed the overall capability of the team I lead? 4) Have I created a lasting contribution or legacy I can be proud of? 5) Have I put in place a competent successor? 6) Have I developed the experiences that I will need for my future needs?
When to move on?
Planning for your “descend”
But …
• career satisfaction is values, interests and life stage driven
Career & Our Life Stage
Possible Strategies
Possible Strategies
• Have a plan; what is your “landing job”?
• Start giving back (more): e.g. Volunteer, Mentoring
Be a Bridge and build Bridges around you