Flexible and Relevant

Posted on August 27, 2008

I must be a glutten for punishment. I’ve always said that most techies are closet masochists. In truth though, I love the chase, the challenge of the learning curve. It seems that every six months or so I climb yet another hill with every project requiring skills that I don’t presently posses.

Four months into an intranet implementation with Microsoft SharePoint it’s nice to be moving up the hill a bit further. Fairly new to .Net, I’ve been configuring the site and leading the team project. Next month we start the launch in phases over the course of the Fall. The requirements are steep and development will be ongoing. I’m sure, just about the time I get comfortable and accomplished in SharePoint development another major initiative will come along, just to keep me on my toes.

Sometimes I wish for more ruts in my life, but honestly if I got my wish I’d go mad. Being a glutton for punishment and constantly in learning mode has certainly been an asset. As a successful professional techie I see some key traits that have served me well. I also recognize these traits in others that I’ve worked with over the years:

Stay flexible and don’t personalize technology. I know Apple has made a mint by personalizing technology. That’s all fine and good when it comes to your iPod or Mac book, but getting personal with technology, expressing a strong bias will limit the possibilities. In truth, the major development platforms, languages, methodologies all have their merits or they wouldn’t have stuck around.
Stay on the learning curve to keep relevant. Technology is in a constant state of change, well no duh. Staying technically relevant therefore dictates maintaining a constant state of learning. If "research or die" is the mantra of the college professor, "learn or die" would be for the techie. Speaking of technologies state of change, watch "Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the web" on Ted.com. It will blow your mind or make you wanna crawl-up into the fetal position.
Say yes as much as possible, but follow-through. Being known as a go-for-it guy can be quite dangerous, but it also presents opportunities. Being honest and not over committing is essential. When beginning this intranet implementation project, I was asked what it would take to effectively launch the site. I said six months to get a good start. The higher-ups said, "let’s do it in three." That’s all fine and good, but as I indicated it will take six months to fully launch the project, and so it will.
Know your limits and then push past them. The curve always posses challenges that are beyond my existing skill set. Honesty enables one to assess the required learning curve to climb the next hill. There is such a thing as getting-in so far over ones head that the project implodes. Not a good thing.
Don’t under-rate yourself. If you have been working aggressively in technology for any length of time you are probably worth more than you are getting paid. Being on a constant learning curve helps to keep ones feet on the ground, but it can also strike at your ego. You are likely more gifted and bring to the table more resources than you realize.
Serve people not technology. What’s the point if it doesn’t positively affect people. Keeping your eye on the end-user will also drive your relevancy as their needs constantly change. It’s easy to get caught-up in pet projects and lose sight of pressing needs.
Win as many hits as possible. In a large project, sometimes I hit barriers in the curve that are more difficult than I anticipated. So, keep moving and knocking-out items while I keep hammering at the biggies along the way.
Be a life-long learner. Taking classes, attending conferences, joining user groups, building your network, reading industry sites and magazines should be a given.
Just when you got it figured-out, the rules will change. Comforting I know, but such is life.