Career growth is a matter of concern even among those who are massively experienced. Contemporary education system has been so moulded that deciding on the right career is almost halfway done in the high school premises. It is not your high school grade cards, but your choice of subjects that pave your career path. Not always you need to pursue a career loaded with academics. Career prospects in the fields of art, acting, fashion and hospitality management are bright enough for a respectable living. If you are gifted with the talent, you are done to flourish in these fields.
Not everyone gets the opportunity to chase their dream career. Due to responsibilities or peer pressure, mostly people end up in some other career path. Talking if which, we come to the most popular hideout of today’s youth – the IT industry. Considering the luring ways, the contemporary IT jobs are advertised, initially people get glued to the IT hubs seeking a better lifestyle. But without the right professional skills, you can never make way through the web of hierarchy in this industry. Here’s a short list of the key skills you need to remind yourself when you are in an IT company.
Start evaluating your strengths and weakness
The foremost thing for any job role is SWOT- strength, weakness, opportunities and threats- a common evaluation used at various phases of one’s career. While it is a much wider perspective at the early stage, once you are already pursuing a particular career, it gets more streamlined. You might be good at coding but lack a point when it comes to presentations or your eloquence steals the limelight at every team meetings. Working on the weaknesses along with scoring higher with your strength is the key to success.
Grip on the newer technologies
While performing for your team, do not miss out on performing for yourself. Upgrading your own software, that is, your skill set with the newer technologies is the ultimate key to a steep-rising career graph. Knowing a particular tool or technology in and out hikes up your chances of getting awards of ‘the best performer’ but a skill set relevant to the latest of technologies can ensure your versatility and grip in the industry. So, while you make the efforts for the project assigned to you take out some time for an improved skill set as well.
Team Work
Any successful project requires a good team work. Being a proactive member of your team is one way you can steal the limelight. Not everyone is a born pro at coding or scripting. Make your presence in the team count with your coordination skills. After all a proper and effective teamwork is the key to the company’s success. Try and maintain a good communication with all the team members so that you can keep learning from each. Arrange for short discussion sessions, where individual doubts and mistakes can be anonymously solved.
Manoeuvre the heated-up discussions with your manager
The last but definitely not the least thing on your checklist should be a prudent way of dealing managers. Yes, there will a long list of grievances as everyone is not blessed with the perfect manager, but manoeuvring the debates with a diplomatic mail. Bargaining for leaves, salary hikes or promotions is another common thing in such cases, yet clearly stating your constraints has no other alternative. Also, be the wise one while convincing your manager for an onsite opportunity, may be as wise as a minister and never ever give in to the heated-up discussions, as it would not fetch any credits.
So, while you go after the luring IT job roles, do make a checklist of the corporate dealings. The cut-throat competition casts a threat in your way climbing up the corporate ladder- utilizing every opportunity aptly is the only way up through the ladder.
