{"id":31694,"date":"2018-08-27T18:22:43","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T22:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=31694"},"modified":"2018-08-27T18:22:43","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T22:22:43","slug":"6-ways-professionals-can-keep-skills-current","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2018\/6-ways-professionals-can-keep-skills-current\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways IT Professionals Can Keep Their Skills Current"},"content":{"rendered":"

In some careers, there\u2019s little need for additional learning after one completes their college degree. Just one or two short courses can do. That\u2019s not the case in the IT space though. Technology that was relevant 5 years ago may be teetering on the verge of obsolescence today.<\/p>\n

IT professionals must therefore be on a constant quest to ensure their skills are up-to-date if they want to remain competitive in the job market. The following tips can help make sure your skill set is always relevant.<\/p>\n

Schedule Learning Time<\/h3>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nRevealed: Educating Yourself Can Actually Save Your Business Lots Of Money!<\/em><\/p>\n

Set aside some time each day or each week during which you learn something new. Whether it\u2019s an operating system, new framework, new dev tool or a new application, new learning keeps your knowledge fresh, skills sharp and ensures you are always on the cutting edge of the tech industry. Experiment with new technologies and examine the logs to see how you are doing (you could use log management with Loggly<\/a> for instance).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the rat race. Work never really ends and you\u2019ll always have something in your in-tray that demands your attention. Making time for learning is however what will ensure you\u2019ll continue to have meaningful and better paying work over the long-term.<\/p>\n

Learn from Leaders<\/h3>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nWhen And How To Outsource Microtasks (For Freelancers)<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow subject matter experts, industry leaders, bloggers and newsletters that regularly dispense new industry knowledge. That could be by subscribing to their email newsletter or following their social media accounts.<\/p>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nGet A Flying Start In Your Tech Career<\/em><\/p>\n

There are potentially countless people you could follow and this can be a little overwhelming. For tips on where to start, talk to a work colleague, current or former instructor, or your mentor. You\u2019ll learn new trends and technologies that will allow you to better plan your future career path.<\/p>\n

Attend Trade Shows and Tech Conferences<\/h3>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nTapping Into The Tech Industry: How To Find The Job Of Your Dreams<\/em><\/p>\n

Before the internet became ubiquitous<\/a>, conferences, exhibitions and trade shows were indisputably the principal forum where major developments in any industry would be revealed to stakeholders. While plenty of breaking news is now shared on the worldwide web, conferences are still relevant today.<\/p>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nHow to Prepare for Exhibiting at Your Next Conference<\/em><\/p>\n

In fact, events are often the most significant source of learning and insights for techies. There\u2019s a depth and detail that isn\u2019t as readily available or accessible via an online news article. You have more opportunity to interact with the experts and ask questions on things that aren\u2019t immediately clear.<\/p>\n

Enroll for Online Courses<\/h3>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nCan You Be Successful With Online Learning?<\/em><\/p>\n

Tech is a demanding line of work and you probably won\u2019t have much time to attend an actual class after work. Fortunately, the tech industry is perhaps the biggest beneficiary of online courses. These can not only sharpen your knowledge on current technical topics but provide a path to industry and technical certifications.<\/p>\n

\"6<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s online courses are quite sophisticated with some using virtualized environments that enable more hands-on learning.<\/p>\n

Join Professional Organizations<\/h3>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nDo You Dream of Working With Google? Here\u2019s How You Can!<\/em><\/p>\n

Professional organizations such as ISSA and ISACA regularly organize training weeks or incorporate fresh knowledge in their newsletters. As a member, you\u2019ll have access to a broad range of reading and training material at little to no cost.<\/p>\n

Since the membership is so diverse and influential, many corporations, seasoned practitioners and industry experts will be keen on sharing new learning with these organizations where their ideas can be thoroughly interrogated.<\/p>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nJamming The Traffic \u2013 Increasing Your Corporate Customers<\/em><\/p>\n

International professional organizations usually have national and local chapters where members will occasionally meet to network and exchange ideas. You\u2019ll be a better techie for it.<\/p>\n

Learn from Workmates<\/h3>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nTop Tips on Running an Efficient Business<\/em><\/p>\n

You are always around them and have probably grown to consider some of them as friends outside of work. And perhaps for this reason as well as the fact that your work in the same environment, it\u2019s not always easy to see workmates as a source of new knowledge. Yet they can be.<\/p>\n

\"6<\/a>
\nFinding Your Tribe in the Tech Age<\/em><\/p>\n

So before you spend time and money looking outside your organization for sources of new industry information, do not ignore the people that you work with for hours each day.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no end to learning for anyone who has chosen a career<\/a> in tech. These tips can help your quest to acquire new knowledge easier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In some careers, there\u2019s little need for additional learning after one completes their college degree. Just one or two short courses can do. That\u2019s not the case in the IT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5989,7232,1,5633],"tags":[987,276,2068,6161,5898,1011,5895,686,20,730,2452,118,280,1149,1514,898,5901,6796,7911,5879,21,115,222],"yoast_head":"\n6 Ways IT Professionals Can Keep Their Skills Current<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In some careers, there\u2019s little need for additional learning after one completes their college degree. 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