Why True IT Success Depends on Continuing Education
At a year-end marketing class, I served on a panel to critique the work of the students and the ways in which they presented their findings for a local company or organization. Several were slated to graduate and very excited at the prospect. The assumption was that learning would no longer be a requirement and they could get on with their real work in the real world. Whether your focus is marketing, healthcare or transforming network infrastructure, the learning truly begins when you enter the workforce.
What these students have yet to learn is that college doesn’t give you everything you need to know to be able to do a particular job. That learning comes later. Instead, college teaches you how to learn so you can absorb information once you’ve landed a job. If the focus is in virtualization, the constant education is a must as the technology continues to evolve and change. Those unwilling or unable to continue to learn aren’t a good fit.
A TechTarget post recently focused on this concept, highlighting that virtualization software rendered hardware a commodity. Software is now taking the data center to a commodity as it’s no longer a rare or unique concept. It is interchangeable whether it is in-house or in the cloud. The technology continues to rapidly change, forcing those in IT to stay abreast of the latest innovations or quickly be left behind.
The key demand in industries focused on transforming network infrastructure include specialized skills like VMware Orchestrator and Microsoft PowerShell. When combined with automation, the delivery to the corporate environment is significant. It allows the IT department to be more responsive while conserving resources as it demands less manual effort. At the same time, platforms and technologies have to be seamlessly integrated, a process that demands an enhanced and educated skill set.
One often overlooked skill or education set is the IT professional who also possess business knowledge. The projects that stall out in the business environment generally do so because there is a gap in the system. Those with the technical skills to bring the project to fruition don’t understand the business implications, so the project either stalls or fails altogether. If the IT professional doesn’t come on the job with this skillset it at the very least needs to be taught.
The point is regardless of the industry in which you operate, make education an ongoing focus. The learning should never stop to allow for process improvements, new innovations and better experiences overall.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
