[lopsa-discuss] Career planning

[Stephen Potter]

<quote who="Brad Knowles">
> 	That said, I've heard very mixed opinions on recruiters.  I'd
> like to find a few good ones myself, but outside of the ones I knew
> at Pencom and CT (who are obviously restricted in terms of who they
> can refer), I have yet to find any.

Good recruiters are *generally* very localized.  I know some recruiters in
Columbus who are excellent; but they don't really do anything more than
twenty miles outside of Columbus.

>>                  Do I need a specialty?
>
> 	Not necessarily.  I think a good generalist can be much more
> widely useful than a good specialist, although it wouldn't hurt to be
> able to fit into both kinds of roles.

It really depends on what you want to be and where you want to go.  The
industry in general is pretty confused; there is a lot of specialization
(when I started as an SysAdmin that's all there was... I did networking,
databases, webs, security, storage, applications, whatever; now there are
specific NetAdmins, DBAs, WebAdmins, SecAdmins, StorAdmins, AppAdmins,
WhateverAdmins).  However, if you look at most job offerings they are
looking for people who can do Unix, Linux, Windows, Storage, Clustering,
Databases, AppDev, Security, and Telekinesis.

There are plenty of examples of people who have specialized and been very
successful.  There are also just as many examples of generalists who have
been very successful.  Defining how you want your career to look is a
conscious decision that you have to make.

> 	Subjectively, I think you should ask yourself what kinds of
> things do you find interesting?

I completely agree here.  Figure out what you like and what you think is
interesting and specialize on that.  In some respects it doesn't matter
what you choose, as long as you are passionate about it.  People have
sometimes questioned my choice to specialize in Solaris, but I've been
able to stay consistently employed even through the worse of the dot-bomb
era, and my income has consistently gone up every time I've changed jobs. 
Some of those same people who questioned me spent significant time out of
work and have had their incomes drop significantly.

>>                                            Certifications - training
>>  and studying for them, which are worthwhile?
>
> 	Very, very few.  Mostly so that you can get past the HR zombies
> which scan your resume to see if you mention the right buzzwords.

More and more places are looking for some way of assuring themselves that
you really have some level of knowledge.  For most of them just about any
certification will do.  If you decide to specialize, get certification in
your specialization.

>>                                               How do I keep myself
>>  competitive so that when the company that never has layoffs goes into
>>  a massive restructuring or downsizing, I can land on my feet?
>
> 	Good question.  Let me know the answer when you find out.

You've got a good start just by asking the question.  Always expect that
you will be laid off and that you will have to find a new job.  Keep
networking constantly, keep reading, volunteer to take on new
opportunities at work (to learn new skills).

-spp
--
Stephen Potter  <spp at unixsa.net>      <http://www.systemadministrators.org>
Director, LOPSA Executive Board                      <http://www.lopsa.org>

"I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a disgrace, two
useless men are a law firm, and three are a congress." - John Adams