I'm an IT professional working in a boring role. I nearly lost my job at the start of the year. This encouraged me to get qualified and be the best I can be. I admit I've been lazy and been happy to do enough to get paid !! I know of some people who have been made redundant and have got their mcse in 2 months !!

Are you content in your job (Are you learning or are you stuck in a rut) ?

Do you plan to be an expert in your field (possibily opening businesses etc)?

Are you happy just to get paid (Do you think it hard to move jobs or better the devil you know) ?

My experience made me realise I'm just a number and I can have a better career if I apply myself.

Well I always need more money, so I am happy to keeping learning, which is what I have been doing. I also hate doing the same thing over and over, which can be boring. I try to move and also try different things, use different tools, the more you know the better it becomes. I don't want to stay with the same company for more than 3 years, I rather go somewhere else and try something new.

What I have learned is that when you have the oppurnity to learn news things, do it as you may need itin the future. Eg. I don't know how to use MAC, but I had an oppurtunity to learn it at my work, but Ithought I probably not apply for a job where they want someone with mac experience, but after I left the place and I was looking for a Job, I saw a brilliant job where they want a competent mac user, that obvously ruled me out, I have learned my lessons, if I have the chance I would learn anything even if I don't really like it.

At my work place, they like people who are keen to learn, want to learn new things. We have those types that knows one thing and they are quite content with that, doing the same thing over and over, but they probably don'tmove tohigher positions, they are just happy. Me, I don't want that, I have friends contracting and are getting good money, I look forward to doing that in the near future, but you have to know lots of things so that you are quite flexible. That invovles you knowing lotsof things, ie Testing, development, configuration, database............. things like that will help.

The last project I worked on was developed using C# .net, I don't know .net, but I have shown great interest and I am learning it at the moment. Now, I have moved to another project which is Oracle developement environment. I will be using TOAD, Winrunner and some other tools. That is what I want, learning differnent things, not just one thing which I know well. I mean it is good to have an area where you are an expert, but try to learn some other things.

If you know a lot of things, or you try to do more things, even if you are made redundant, it would be easy to get another job. The more I know, the more money I would get in the future. That simple logic keeps me motivated

@Mos- Just out of interest, what exactly do you do?

@Saint...... Hmmmmm so you use C aswell... is it C++ or the raw C itself.... I am currently using C++... so much to do.... but I want to focus more on writing dlls.... what aspect areof Care youspecialised in.

@Mo.... as for me I can actually say I pretty much enjoy my work... I am doing software developing.... pays well and ppl there are cool.... been doing it for 2 years and still don't feel the need to change as of yet.... although I do other things on the side... like buildingwebsites and learning other things....probably more like a back-up

@MOS wrote: I notice you're a developer - Have you skills outside that area like networking skills?

I knew that from the way I talked in my last post, I talked as if Iwas a developer, not quite there yet, I have been a web developer in past, but I am a tester. At the momemt, I do more technical things, not just testing............but doing some database work.

Well I have some networking skills, I did a lot of configuration work in my last job, Idid theconfiguration and administrationof users so as to have access toall the files needed to do the testing.Things like adding a domain, setting user right etc. Of course not into details like a properhelpdesk support. I do home networking as well, although with the aid of opensource software, it has become easier, but can still be difficult atimes eg networking Linux and a window machine.

Abissinia is another person that is doing a similar thing to what you are doing.

@Blackthought wrote: @Saint...... Hmmmmm so you use C aswell... is it C++ or the raw C itself.... I am currently using C++... so much to do.... but I want to focus more on writing dlls.... what aspect areof Care youspecialised in.

Hi Blackthought, my bad............. I don't use C. Hmm didn't like all the pointer stuff, c is not bad, but I don't know c++. I know Java, I haven't done it in a while, I am working as a Tester. I am hoping to move into development later this year, I am learning .net though, I think .net is what every will be using in the years to come, so that is why I have left Java and I am learning .net. C# is very similar to java.

I know people will still be using all these languages, but a lot of companies will migrate to .net. People still program using Fortran, but the companies that do this are very few.

Testing is not bad, but can be quite repetitive and boring at times, development has always been the area where I aim to get to, but when I start it, I wouldn't want to do it for too many years, I would like to move to bigger things like TA or BA or even Project Management.

@Saint I hear you on that bro.... thats my plan too.... however I still wouldn't mind sticking around developement side of things........ so hopefully managing a team of programmers......... or just senior programmer is what I am aiming for.

And who knows maybe one day..... run my own company banana.gif

@BT wrote : And who knows maybe one day..... run my own company banana.gif

Ditto hereclp)clp)

How is my IT career? Hmmm... will let you know when it actuallystarts. That's the shit thing about leaving uni... trying to get that foot in the door.

I'm currently working on a project and need an expert programmer of Visual basic 6 to help. My project is due in for 20th May 2005 please contact me on danielalpha@hotmail.co.uk ASAP. If i dont finish it NO university this year somebody plz help me .

I work as a UNIX admin. It is okay work, and I have learned a lot since I have had this job. I've had several different sysadmin jobs over the past several years, and of course I learned a lot in each of those jobs as well. The main thing about being in IT is that to advance in your field, you will have to learn things on your own time. Otherwise you will miss out on many new advances in programming languages/techniques, software applications, operating systems, and technology in general. I have done this by building a home network of machines (it is a mix of Linux and FreeBSD) to handle various tasks (firewall, fileserver, workstation, dev box, etc.). Most home users don't need this complex of a network, but being a computer geek blktype I am obligated to do things the hard way. I also get a lot of experience by running my own web/mail/etc. server. (FreeBSD is cool. )

Study season again, meaning 9-5 in the day, 7-10 food/tv, 10-12:30 sleep, 1 - 4 studying, 4-7 sleep - still only for a few months a time of your life but it sure gets monotonous. Strange though how when you know you should be studying everything else seems interesting...even Eastenders much more the village.

Man these IT exams never stop, I could seriously pack it all in and try a ting selling mango's in the caribbean or something. Work for me was always a means to an end, that end was the family so it kind of had no purpose once I wasn't living with the boys...it was like I was forced to actually see merit in the job I do an actually take it serious because it was the new endgame where climbing the 9-5 ladder was the new symbol of status and respect - still the extra quali's are priceless for getting work overseas.

Always hated working, the mere concept of having to work for a living has always had the psychological edge over me but if I have to work then it's a question more of what I am not willing to do, IT is the lesser to many other evils...I'd rather be in this trade screwing than being a mini cab driver screwing same way.

As for business, never really wanted it that much, work for me is really a bread on table thing, never had the energy or the drive or desire to take it further though I always wanted some kind of business for my children to inherit or get involved in just in case they couldn't make it the conventional academic way. Other than that, the least time I dedicate to making money the better, glad I can earn from just one thing and live relatively comfortable..couldn't be doing the 9-5 then min cabbing at night just to make ends meet - man must be free!

Does this study schedule work for you? It seems quite intense.
I'm finding it hard to get the motivation for study.

Anyone have any methods they use?