13 answers
Rene
Student
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
1
Question
Asked
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What skills benefited you most in the I.T field?
#IT #skills
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13 answers
Michael Toland
Project Manager and Operations Strategist
10
Answers
Columbus, Ohio
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Communication.
Coding and development are obviously important, but having a creative approach with the ability to communicate what you want is incredibly important, particularly when you're working with business counterparts on highly complex projects where some folks may have a lack of technical aptitude or expertise to grasp the details. Being able to communicate high-level designs in a clear and concise way is an extremely powerful skillset that has benefited me incredibly.
Honestly, one of the best resources is the "Explain Like I'm Five" Reddit (ELI5) - where people really do a good job at this.
Coding and development are obviously important, but having a creative approach with the ability to communicate what you want is incredibly important, particularly when you're working with business counterparts on highly complex projects where some folks may have a lack of technical aptitude or expertise to grasp the details. Being able to communicate high-level designs in a clear and concise way is an extremely powerful skillset that has benefited me incredibly.
Honestly, one of the best resources is the "Explain Like I'm Five" Reddit (ELI5) - where people really do a good job at this.
Thank you very much.
Rene
Theresa (Tisa) Fortin
Senior Technology Program Manager
5
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Theresa (Tisa)’s Answer
Hello Rene
Your question is a really good one. Most people think they just need to know "computers" or how to code. Those skills are great but there are a few others that I think are more valuable no matter the type of IT job you have.
I have been in technology for over 20 years in a variety of roles. From Help desk, data analyst, Software configuration mgmt, database manager, etc. In every job i had, i went into not having that specific experience. But what got me in the door and helped me be successful was the ability to be adaptable. IT has a lot of fluctuations and tends to be fluid. Being flexible or adaptable to the fast changes that happen will make you very valuable.
Another skill is the ability to see the big picture and zoom into the fine details and be comfortable. Most people can only do one well. Problem solving and building relationship are other important skills. If you work in a very large company, you will usually have to work with people in a variety of organizations and roles. Building those relationships will make it easier when you need to corral people to do what you need them to do or provide answers that you need.
Example. I am currently a Technical program manager. I need to oversee and manage efforts that span across a company of over 200,000 people. Which means lots of different personalities, people with different priorities and in different locations. Building strong relationships and trust helps me keep them all moving the same direction.
I hope this helps some.
Good Luck
Your question is a really good one. Most people think they just need to know "computers" or how to code. Those skills are great but there are a few others that I think are more valuable no matter the type of IT job you have.
I have been in technology for over 20 years in a variety of roles. From Help desk, data analyst, Software configuration mgmt, database manager, etc. In every job i had, i went into not having that specific experience. But what got me in the door and helped me be successful was the ability to be adaptable. IT has a lot of fluctuations and tends to be fluid. Being flexible or adaptable to the fast changes that happen will make you very valuable.
Another skill is the ability to see the big picture and zoom into the fine details and be comfortable. Most people can only do one well. Problem solving and building relationship are other important skills. If you work in a very large company, you will usually have to work with people in a variety of organizations and roles. Building those relationships will make it easier when you need to corral people to do what you need them to do or provide answers that you need.
Example. I am currently a Technical program manager. I need to oversee and manage efforts that span across a company of over 200,000 people. Which means lots of different personalities, people with different priorities and in different locations. Building strong relationships and trust helps me keep them all moving the same direction.
I hope this helps some.
Good Luck
Yana B
Senior Support Engineer
10
Answers
Concord, California
Updated
Yana’s Answer
Hi Rene,
What helped me is:
attention to details, logical thinking, never giving up and pushing for answers - even the hard ones :)
Empathy - ability to put yourself into person's shoes and understand what they are experiencing, why they are upset and what you can do to help them.
What helped me is:
attention to details, logical thinking, never giving up and pushing for answers - even the hard ones :)
Empathy - ability to put yourself into person's shoes and understand what they are experiencing, why they are upset and what you can do to help them.
Brendon Szabada
Software Tester
50
Answers
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Updated
Brendon’s Answer
A good work environment is super important when working in an office.
AJAY NANDA
6
Answers
Updated
AJAY’s Answer
Would be best for you to narrow down area(s). A basic list is
1) IT - Infrastructure (Network, Hardware and Security)
2) IT - Applications (Across functions like HR, Sales. e.g Salesforce, Workday)
3) IT - Data (E.g Hadoop, Tableau)
4) ITSM - IT Service Management
5) IT Operations - like Support
6) IT - Architecture
You can then narrow down the skills
1) IT - Infrastructure (Network, Hardware and Security)
2) IT - Applications (Across functions like HR, Sales. e.g Salesforce, Workday)
3) IT - Data (E.g Hadoop, Tableau)
4) ITSM - IT Service Management
5) IT Operations - like Support
6) IT - Architecture
You can then narrow down the skills
Kevin Rezek
Sr. Technology Solutions Manager
3
Answers
St. Louis, MO
Updated
Kevin’s Answer
Two words: Constant Learning.
The IT field is full of opportunity if you keep your skills fresh...I have certifications from may industry sources, from vendors like Cisco or Microsoft to think tanks to professional associations like ISACA.
Current skills=currently employable.
The ability to communicate technical information to non-technical management folks is also important if you want to lead technical people and organizations. There is still (regrettably) no way to make infrastructure sound attractive unless you can put it into business terms like how many more transactions per hour/minute, how many more orders processed, etc. Senior managers are impressed by potential dollars saved or made, not by how fast a signal gets from point A to point B.
-KR
The IT field is full of opportunity if you keep your skills fresh...I have certifications from may industry sources, from vendors like Cisco or Microsoft to think tanks to professional associations like ISACA.
Current skills=currently employable.
The ability to communicate technical information to non-technical management folks is also important if you want to lead technical people and organizations. There is still (regrettably) no way to make infrastructure sound attractive unless you can put it into business terms like how many more transactions per hour/minute, how many more orders processed, etc. Senior managers are impressed by potential dollars saved or made, not by how fast a signal gets from point A to point B.
-KR
i hear DevOps is what all the cool kids do these days ;)
Dhairya Dalal
DevSecOps is the current buzzword they throw around. The bottom line is program intelligently and quickly, good secure code is better than outstanding code with a bunch of security holes in it.
Kevin Rezek
Bingxin Li
project management
3
Answers
Beijing, China
Updated
Bingxin’s Answer
Hey Rene,
I am doing project management work in IT team. For me, both technical skill and soft skill are important for a career in IT.
I need technical skill so that I know how hard the technical part is in a certain project. I would be able to estimate the workload for my co-workers and request them to fix the problem within a reasonable time. Thus push forward the project.
I need soft skill so that I could maintain a good relationship with my team. I'd be able to get work down faster with the help of others.
I am doing project management work in IT team. For me, both technical skill and soft skill are important for a career in IT.
I need technical skill so that I know how hard the technical part is in a certain project. I would be able to estimate the workload for my co-workers and request them to fix the problem within a reasonable time. Thus push forward the project.
I need soft skill so that I could maintain a good relationship with my team. I'd be able to get work down faster with the help of others.
Manaswini Swamy
Software Engineer
3
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Manaswini’s Answer
Being an IT Engineer, you might have to multitask and prioritise the set of tasks that have to be accomplished. Understanding your strengths play a very important role in choosing the work you intend to do (you have got to love the work you do!). Learning and implementing helps you identify your strengths. So, a good learning curve will help you choose a perfect place. Good communication skills catalyses the process of becoming a versatile IT Engineer (projecting the work you do is as important as doing it :) ).
As I earlier mentioned, Multitasking, understanding dependencies, selecting the best way of doing it and finally doing it, says it all in a nutshell. In this world of emerging technologies, it is important for one to be updated with the current technology skillsets. Continuous learning thus has a very high importance to get going at any point of time.
As I earlier mentioned, Multitasking, understanding dependencies, selecting the best way of doing it and finally doing it, says it all in a nutshell. In this world of emerging technologies, it is important for one to be updated with the current technology skillsets. Continuous learning thus has a very high importance to get going at any point of time.
Jakkrawarn Diff Sawasdiwittayayong
IT Client Experience Specialist
3
Answers
Bangkok, Thailand
Updated
Jakkrawarn Diff’s Answer
Depends on what function and environment you are in, but for me is interpersonal skill.
I have been working in IT support function, so my daily interactions are not just with the machines but also with the users - humans.
Without interpersonal skill, you might not be able to gather as much information as you need in order to investigate the issues in front of you.
The way you ask, talk back, including facial expression and body language are very crucial to calm down people that facing issue and be cooperative so you can do your work.
I am not English native speaker but this is what I can suggest.
I have been working in IT support function, so my daily interactions are not just with the machines but also with the users - humans.
Without interpersonal skill, you might not be able to gather as much information as you need in order to investigate the issues in front of you.
The way you ask, talk back, including facial expression and body language are very crucial to calm down people that facing issue and be cooperative so you can do your work.
I am not English native speaker but this is what I can suggest.
Victor Hirakawa
Project Manager
8
Answers
Japan
Updated
Victor’s Answer
soft skills are really important, technical skills will help you solve issues but without good communications skills you will not get very far. If you are really have exceptional technical skills you will get recognized but for the majority of people it will be hard, specially if you are in a strong team, communication and soft skills will help you in the long run more than just pure technical skills.
Stuart Williams
Engineer
6
Answers
Annandale, Virginia
Updated
Stuart’s Answer
Grit is the best skill to hone. The IT field requires many hours of study, learning, and making mistakes. To navigate through the challenges, strong IT professionals are not the ones that know everything, but the individuals who are willing to learn and do the work to master concepts and technology.
Sri Shanthakumar
Tech Dev.
5
Answers
San Diego, California
Updated
Sri’s Answer
Rene,
Here is my honest mantra that will help in all venues of life; Though leadership, Building Trust, Most of all GRIT. The time you spend on reading this book GRIT by Angela Duckworth is well worth your investment in all facets of life. Good Luck.
Here is my honest mantra that will help in all venues of life; Though leadership, Building Trust, Most of all GRIT. The time you spend on reading this book GRIT by Angela Duckworth is well worth your investment in all facets of life. Good Luck.
Jayesh Singh
Network Consulting Engineer
1
Answer
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Updated
Jayesh’s Answer
Network Programming! Python is a good coding language to start with as it has really vast libraries and apt for writing automation scripts.
Also note that IT is a fast paced industry and technologies transform rapidly, one universal skillset that keeps us going is creativity. Creativity for me is nothing but constantly improving.
Also note that IT is a fast paced industry and technologies transform rapidly, one universal skillset that keeps us going is creativity. Creativity for me is nothing but constantly improving.