Adopt an attitude of lifelong learning
“Develop a passion for learning. If
you do, you will never cease to grow.”
— Anthony J. D’Angelo
If you love learning, then you will
love working in IT. IT is all about
constant change, new ideas, building,
growing, evolving, expanding. The
technology that is new and innovative
today may well be obsolete or on its
way out the door five years from now.
To stay at the top of your game in IT,
you need to be willing to embrace new
challenges, new opportunities, and
new technologies. Successful IT pro-
fessionals realize that learning does
not end with college. In IT, constant
learning is a way of life.
Boldly go where no man has
gone before — be curious
“To boldly go where no man has
gone before” was part of the opening
narration that used to introducing
each week’s new episode of Star Trek.
(If you’re not familiar with Star Trek,
then you should be. Google it!) Star
Trek was all about exploring new plac-
es, new ideas, and new concepts.
The original television series was
short-lived — it has since been res-
urrected or rebooted many times,
most recently in the guise the CBS All
Access series Star Trek: Discovery — it
ushered in an atmosphere of curiosity,
imagination, and innovation. Frankly,
it made science geeks the “cool” guys
on the block. What a great forerunner
to the explosive dawn of the IT age.
A career in IT encourages you to be
curious and ask “what if” questions.
There is success in failure
Success comes in many different
forms, including failure. While each of
us needs to know what the criteria for
success looks like in our organization,
sometimes the greatest innovations
are born not in our successes but in
our failures. Viewed correctly, fail-
ure leads to growth, innovation, and
increased creativity.Communication is key
to success (or failure)The single most important soft skill
that, in my opinion, is required for
project success is clear, concise com-
munication. This includes both written
and verbal communication. Say it
with me: Communication is key to the
success or failure of any project.
I’ve watched projects which should
have come in on time and under bud-
get implode because of poor commu-
nication practices. If strong commu-
nication skills aren’t your forte, then
take the time to develop them. Good
communication skills will serve you
well and you’ll never regret the time
spent developing the ability to be an
effective communicator.OPINION
Successful IT
professionals realize
that learning does not
end with college. In IT,
constant learning is a
way of life.