Whether in a slow economy or recovery, or in a boom time, the IT job market has generally been far better than the labor market as a whole.  While it is important to recognize that IT unemployment (1 to 4%) is approximately half of the rate of general unemployment (5-8%+), it can be very helpful to your career and your market value to build the right IT skills to make you more productive and valuable to your company or a prospective employer. Typically, the demand for IT professionals also varies widely within the technology field as well. As usual, the bright spots are in rising new specialities such as mobile and web development, machine learning, big data (data analysis  and data architects) and advanced analytics, as well as robotics. And of course, information security continues to outpace most areas with high demand and healthy increases (4-6%).  Here, I have mapped out how technology professionals should both add key new skills as well as build the experience and capabilities that enable them to progress more quickly and further in their careers. These recommendations are time-tested from my years building high performing teams, and improving the engineering capability of multiple large organizations.

Before we dive in, it should be recognized that it has been more difficult to get additional skills and training in the past few years as training budgets and discretionary project funding have been reduced (or more aptly, slashed). Yet, the pace of technology introduction has continued from mobile devices to tablets to big data to appliances to advanced analytics and robotics (much less cloud and AI) — all have been introduced or deployment greatly accelerated in the past several years. While learning the new technologies is important, it is key to also understand to effectively solution in a business setting. An IT engineer or manager who can not only understand these new technologies but also deliver solutions in complex settings is far more valuable to the business than an expert singularly focused on one aspect of the technology portfolio.

So what are these important skills beyond just technical additions that you should acquire and how do you go about building a stronger suite of skills and experience? The journey depends of course on where you are and where you want to go. As for where you wish to go, I will assume two potential destinations: either the management target such as a senior IT manager including CIO/CTO or a senior technical contributor such as a principal engineer. Now, let’s look at the appropriate skills to add based on where you are currently.

If you are a junior staff member or just starting out, your focus should be on building your first core ‘expertise’. You should be leveraging your position to ‘get deep’ and understand best practice in your area. If you are a junior analyst, consider working towards a business analyst certification (such as a CCBA). If you are a software developer, then becoming certified in your language (e.g., if Java then getting an OCP or OCE) is the logical first step. If you are a server or network engineer, ensure you understand the configurations and architectures of your company’s infrastructure. Take the training and classes and work to achieve your certifications in the area of your expertise (for example, for network, a CISCO certification or for the desktop engineer, attain your MSTS). Augment your technical understanding by subscribing to industry publications. Read and become familiar with foundational elements of IT such as ITIL and CMMI.

As you practice your chosen area of expertise, try to also learn as much as possible about the specific business area related to your work. This may not always be possible, but it is very worthwhile to gain an understanding of how the business works. In essence, as a junior staff member you want to get deep in your area of expertise, gain your certifications and understand some portion of the business. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, it’s all about learning as much as you can And don’t forget to be a valuable team member: volunteer for assignments that will challenge you, learn as much as you can about the systems you are working on, and do your work with energy and quality (you are building your personal reputation).

For those with mid-level expertise, assuming you have gained necessary depth in at least one area, now is the time to branch out in adjacent technical areas as well as become an effective team leader.

Adding a second area of expertise is an important step as those experts who understand more of how the entire system works are much more valuable. And invariably many IT issues occur in between two layers of the stack (e.g., between the DBMS and the middleware) where this knowledge will assist in resolving issues and deliver better designs. I recommend learning an adjacent area of expertise (e.g. if you know networking then add server or information security, or if you understand middleware, then add DBMS, if application development, then DBMS or testing, etc). If your goal is a principal engineer, then you should also be pursuing master level certification in your areas of expertise (i.e., achieving a MCITP in Windows OS or CCIE (versus CCNA) in networking).

Importantly, if your goal is a CTO/CIO role then as a mid-level staff, you should learn to become a strong team leader. Thus you should consider:

• adding project management and communication skills
• growing influence and constructive conflict resolution skills
• learning how to formulate thorough and compelling business cases or solutions
• taking on leader roles with key projects or programs

And the mid-level professional should fully understand ITIL, CMMI, as well as become familiar with process improvement approaches (e.g. lean or CPI). In addition to the specific skills, you should approach your job with the energy and quality that reflects your workmanship and pride. This will often set you apart and improve your opportunities later. Make sure you take on some of the tough assignments as well as the drudge tasks in your area. And demonstrate stewardship of your team’s processes by taking the initiative to improve them (even if just documenting them).  Your initiative and positive approach will typically not go unnoticed and it will potentially open the door for more senior opportunities down the road. As you mature in your mid-level role, initiate finding a mentor to provide more personalized advice and a second perspective. If your goal is a principle engineer role, you should look for opportunities to contribute at the industry level. Join relevant organizations and contribute to forums advancing the practice.

If you are working at a senior level, you have already accomplished a great deal. But if you do not have a clear path to your goal as CIO or principal engineer then it is time for some reflection and self-awareness. As a senior leader you critically need honest feedback and must search regularly for it. Reach out to trusted colleagues as well as seek coaching and mentorship to help you identify those competencies you must work on. You can gain further understanding in this area by leveraging FYI (by Michael Lombardo and Eichinger), a seminal book on professional competencies and ways to improve.

In general, this is the time to develop an effective leadership style that matches you and drives high performance. Ensure you are being a good coach for your team and you are holding yourself and your team to high standards. Polish your communication skills, especially in front of large groups. Consider your PDI, ensure you increase approachability and constructive dialogue skills (e.g., ‘Crucial Conversations’). You should take advantage of opportunities to rotate through other areas of IT (here, infrastructure versus applications versus IT operations) as broad skills become more important as a CIO or CTO. Consider volunteering to lead key programs or initiatives that are important to your organization.

And if you are seeking the final steps up to principal engineer, you must focus in increasing your influence and contribution in your expertise area to both your company and the industry.

It is definitely a tough job and opportunity environment still almost two years into our ‘recovery’. But there are still opportunities for those with outstanding skills, experience and leadership. Today’s roadmap should give you further insight to enable you to improve your prospects.

What other skills or experience would you add or change to the roadmap?

Best, Jim Ditmore