3 Ways to Boost Your Tech Career in 2020
The New Year is a great time to take stock of your technology career. Are you on the right path to earning additional responsibility and the salary boost that comes with it? Is your arsenal of skills up to date and in line with what tech employers need?
What follows are a few tips to help keep your career path on an upward trend. Leverage these ideas to ensure you continue to grow as an IT professional. Perhaps the corner office is in your future?
Always Learn New Technical Skills
In the IT world, learning only stops on the day of your retirement. You always need to be adding the latest tech skills to your arsenal, especially those compatible with your career path. This becomes easier when your employer emphasizes employee development with a robust training program.
Some of the hottest tech skills currently in demand for developers include AI and machine learning, cybersecurity, and mobile application development. For network engineers, SD-WAN is quickly expanding, and the Cloud remains popular with many employers.
Grow Your Professional Network
A large professional network pays dividends throughout your IT career. If you are stuck with a difficult technical problem at work, reach out to your network colleagues to see if anyone has any insights or advice. A strong network is also a great source for job opportunities, especially from companies looking for passive candidates.
Of course, LinkedIn is a great platform for connecting with like-minded IT professionals. Join a few LinkedIn Groups related to your technical discipline. Also, attend local technology mixers and volunteer on IT projects for non-profits. The latter also lets you use one of your new tech skills to gain some practical experience.
Display Your Leadership Potential Around the Office
If you hope to move into technology management someday, it helps to show off some leadership skills at your company. Make it a point to mentor new hires and those new to the profession. This helps them feel more comfortable as they begin their stint with the organization. Your bosses will definitely notice your efforts.
Volunteer for any special projects at work. For example, if your company buys a new programming tool, take the lead in learning everything about it. Hosting a training session illustrating the functionality of the tool to your coworkers is the perfect next step.
If you need advice on taking your career to another level, speak with the experts at Digital Prospectors. As one of the top IT staffing agencies in Boston, we also know the companies looking for talented professionals. Connect with us soon!