Nearly everyone you meet in IT has had someone teach them a bunch of what they know or at least give them some sage advice on how to surpass their peers. Very few of us learn everything on our own (though you will learn some hard lessons by screwing things up – it’s just part […]
Category: General
“You should be so lucky!”
“You should be lucky to have a job at a time like this!” You’ve probably heard that line at least once in your life from a parent or relative. It’s the conversation-ender any time you complain about your job or benefits being cut or something else that you don’t feel like you should have to […]
The best time to look for a job…
… is when you have one you love. Or at least when you have one you can tolerate. When you have a job that you are not dying to leave, you can be incredibly picky with the job you potentially accept. I’ve had job offers from top tier Silicon Valley startups that I’ve comfortably told, […]
How to Graduate from Helpdesk
I read a lot of posts these days about folks who are celebrating their graduation from helpdesk roles into more technical positions. I’ve noticed a lot of common traits in the folks I’ve personally seen make the jump from helpdesk to other roles. Some of these traits have to be learned; others, practiced. Some of […]
Résumé boost – when you have a lot to say
I recently added a few pages at the end of my résumé to detail some big wins or forays into areas that are important to an employer. Why? Sometimes there just isn’t enough room on the to describe the full breadth of your accomplishments for a particular role (presumably your current one). Instead of completely […]
The road to a better job – getting out of helpdesk
How to get out of a dead-end helpdesk position: Solve problems, not (just) tickets Yes, tickets matter to many orgs, but reductions in actual problems represented by tickets are far more valuable. Would you rather close five tickets for a single problem or solve the problem once? Be the person who is willing to dig […]