Darwin's Lesson: Evolve or Die

I wake up in the morning thinking about career change. I spend my days talking with people who want to change their careers, who are training for new careers or who have changed their careers. I am a career change specialist.

Since I changed my own career nearly five years ago I can understand the problems and feelings that career changers experience. Sometimes I am able to give advice or warnings that can smooth the way to career change.

These days my attention is focused on Information Technology (I.T.) careers, especially careers in Network Administration. I thought I would take a few minutes to share some resources that I rely on for information on opportunities in I.T. and the training that is required to get employed, or stay employed in I.T.

Certification Magazine is often a great source of information about these careers. The latest issue arrived at my desk today and it contained several articles that were worth reading. One in particular was very relevant: Sunny or Stormy? The Forecast for I.T. Employment in 2007.

This brief article by Katherine Spencer Lee of Robert Half Technology , another favorite source of information, predicts good opportunities in Network Administration and Network Security. Lee also predicts improving opportunities in Web Development and Software Development, two areas of I.T. that have been seeing diminishing opportunities in the recent past.

This encouraging news will come as a relief to anyone who has been following the I.T. job market over the last few years. It is important to remember that the qualifications for these opportunities have changed considerably though.

If you’ve been in an I.T. career already, the changes can be shocking and even a bit discouraging. The old route to an I.T. career was to find opportunities based on your aptitude and willingness to learn and then to work your way up through the ranks. This path worked for years and we have a whole generation of I.T. professionals who are experienced and self-taught.
If you are one of these pioneer I.T. professionals who has experienced a lay-off recently you will have noticed that your experience is not enough to get a job any more. The shake-out in I.T. over the last few years has forced employers to look at other credentials besides experience to decide who to hire. Most experienced I.T. professionals who are in need of a new position are finding that they need some kind of industry certification to even be considered for a position doing the work they have done for years.

Any I.T. professional with her eyes open, already knows that education is a key to keeping your skills up to date and sharp. Many are even eager to finally get the formal training they have missed and add credentials, and value to their resumes. The I.T. professionals who think they already know everything and don’t need a certification to get a job are in the position of dinosaurs. I hate to say it, but they will probably be gone soon.

I.T. is a constantly evolving sector of the economy. Those I.T. professionals who keep their skills current and their level of training high will continue to have great opportunities for employment and advancement. Those who don’t will retire or drop out into other industries, or they will become consultants with dwindling opportunities.