Technology Thoughts

The Importance of Being A Well Rounded Technologist

Everyone working in IT has heard it before: “You’re in the right field.” or “You’re in the right place at the right time, IT is booming.”  There’s no doubt that IT is in fact the place to be in today’s world. School of Information Studies Professor Anthony Rotolo recently tweeted: #NewRule: It is no longer acceptable to say, “I’m not a technology person.”

The truth is, you’re a technologist if you know how to use your iPhone, if you can’t live without your laptop, and if you check social media more than you’d like to admit, you’re a technology person.

While it’s important to find your niche in the vast field of IT, it’s also important to be well-rounded. Not only do well-rounded technologists stand out in a pile of resumes, but you’ll be able to do, make, code, and organize projects that weren’t even thought of five years ago. Part of IT is always thinking of the next best thing. Being knowledgeable about code, design, organization, development, and testing are all key parts of being a knockout in the tech world.

Talk The Talk

IT is filled with protocols and acronyms that are constantly thrown around. “Did you set up the FTP client? Make sure there’s an SSL certificate on the site and don’t let the DNS server fail under any circumstances.” For people outside of IT, these letters are alphabet soup among other mind-boggling concepts. For an average person, going on the Internet is just opening a web browser. But for technologists, it’s about using DCHP to retrieve an IP address, connecting to an AP, etc., etc. Even if you don’t know how to set up an FTP client or a DNS server, it’s important to talk the talk and to actually know what you’re talking about. Nothing is more frustrating than someone who thinks they know what’s going on and ends up creating a technological mess. As a technologist, it’s important to know what’s going on and articulate it in a way that’s easy to understand, but also accurate.

Know The Code

Knowing how to code is one thing, but knowing about code is something completely different. Learning different programming languages and utilizing them is an undoubtedly great asset to have as a technologist. However, it’s not for everyone. Personally, I know a bit of a few coding languages. I can make a basic website and database and can recognize differences between languages. I know which languages serve which purposes but I don’t know enough (yet) to build my own product or service. The beauty of IT is that I don’t need to know this. While it’d be a great help if I did, I know enough to talk to developers about their style, the way they code, why they chose the languages they did, and how to read through code and understand it. Understanding can allow me to work more closely with developers than the average person but also understand the processes behind building a product. That in itself is incredibly valuable.

Know Project Management

You may know how about IT acronyms and how to code, but it may not go anywhere if you don’t know how to manage it all. Information is all around us, and it’s quite overwhelming to think of the information you can get with a few clicks and a couple of keystrokes. People are building all the time, and it requires a lot of managing and cycles before something is done right. Managing technological projects can be tough; it requires working with technologists and business folk alike to get something done. It’s important to know how to work with both parties and talk to them in a language each of them understands. Knowing both sides and connecting them can be difficult, but it pays off if it’s done correctly.

IT’s cross between management and technology, which used to be two completely different worlds, is now more ubiquitous than ever. Enthusiasts are bridging the gap between these two fields and creating innovative products and services that were previously unheard of. Even though some people gravitate towards the more technological side while others are interested in project management, knowing what’s on the other side and how to manage these two types of people can make you an incredibly valuable asset to any project team or company. It doesn’t hurt to have a strong area of interest or talent, but make sure you can back it up on the other side of IT too.

Internships Aren’t Everything: Alternative Ways To Spend Your Summer

For college students, summer is simply a break from lecture halls and overpriced textbooks. It’s not a break from working hard, adding sections to your resume, and building on skills learned in the classroom. However, deciding on the best way to spend your summer can be overwhelming and challenging. The location, skill set, dates of a job, and pay rate all contribute to a decision that can take months. Students often worry about getting a reputable internship that’ll make them stand out on in a pile of job applications in the future. However, there are several other ways to have a productive summer besides nailing that elusive internship.

Job In Your Hometown 

Whether it’s a local coffee shop, Barnes & Noble, or your Mom’s office, a job in your hometown is always a viable option. You’ll make some pocket cash along the way and most certainly pick up soft skills. Often overlooked, soft skills are the foundation to being successful everywhere, not just on the job. The things you learn by just having a job will translate into your personal life, academic projects, and personal relationships. These skills will undeniably look great on a resume and serve as a solid foundation for more (and better!) opportunities in the future. Company websites as well as personal relationships with people at home are great ways to start looking for these local opportunities.

Stay In School

School isn’t always out for the summer. Your college, university, or local community college will offer summer classes that may count towards your degree. Students will often take summer classes to either graduate early or save money on their tuition bill. But don’t just take classes, look into research opportunities with a professor or on campus organization. Many organizations use the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year and do so in a more relaxed atmosphere due to the absence of (most) students. Syracuse University has a site specifically for job opportunities. To connect with a professor, look at a staff/faculty directory and contact them based  upon your interests and skill set. At the very least, you’ll make a professional connection that can only benefit you in the longrun.

Teach Yourself Something

Use the time off from school to learn things that aren’t taught in a classroom. Whether it’s learning a new coding language or playing around with your computer settings to learn about functionality, go for it. There are online learning resources that can guide you as you learn new things. Recruiters love someone who shows initiative by teaching themselves outside of the classroom. That motivation will not only teach you, but will show others your drive. Nothing is more valuable than someone who can create their own learning path and stick to it.

Work On Your Own Project

Who says you need a boss? It’s acceptable to set your own goals for the summer and work towards them. Summer is the perfect time to polish up your resume, rewrite your cover letter, make a website, and create your own personal brand. Perhaps you’ve always had a cool idea but have never had the time to flesh it out. The summer is a great opportunity to work on the idea without the distraction of classes and extracurriculars. The summer months are also a great time to try new things, advance current skills, and experiment with the combination of the two. With you as your own boss, you’re in control of your work load and schedule. Take advantage of the control and work at your own pace to develop something worth showing off to friends.

Although internships are a great way to spend the summer, there are certainly other opportunities that can help you along your career path. Whether it’s a local job, taking more classes, or being your own project manager, there are several ways to propel the work and learning ethic of the school year into the summer months.

My Digital New Years Resolutions

1. Get off Facebook. And get people to do it with me.
Let’s face it, Facebook is fading fast. Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Path, and Pinterest have all becoming very popular social networking sites (especially towards the end of 2011). The only thing that’s keeping me on Facebook is my friends that are still on. Once they stop posting content that’s relevant to mr, I’ll leave too.

2. Get people to actually use Google +.
I’ll admit that I don’t use Google + often. I don’t because unlike Facebook, not enough people are using it. Google + is cleaner and much more organized than Facebook will every be. Plus, doesn’t the +1 button seem much more appealing than a “like” button?

3. Ditch the BlackBerry.
I am one of the only people that still admits to bbming. I’m sick of not having a touch screen keyboard and going through several unnecessary menus to complete simple tasks. Apps are taking over the mobile word and BlackBerry’s App World couldn’t be more frustrating.

4. Learn to code.
I’ve had very negative experiences coding. I took a class to learn Java but had a terrible professor that made me hate coding. That summer, I had an internship gone wrong and yet again, I had to code. The more internships I apply to and the more I explore technology, the more I realize I really need to know how to code. A friend of mine told me about codeyear.com, a website that sends you weekly interactive coding lessons. Check it out, it can’t hurt.

5. Stop using technology as much.
Yes. Take digital timeouts. Take a walk, go outside, just do something without worrying about texting, Twitter, and checking in on Foursquare. It’ll be there when you get back, I promise.