Continuing education: A raft of career resources: Jobs - Resources

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Continuing education: A raft of career resources

By Grant Gross, Special to ZDNet
April 22, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/jobs/resources/soa/Continuing-education-A-raft-of-career-resources/0,130056675,120107721,00.htm

Networking with people in your field can point you toward good information.

Finding resources to stay on top of your technology career can be difficult, but not because of a lack of resources.

The problem is just the opposite: It's a wide, wide world out there. A recent visit to one Internet search engine found 5.3 million pages with the words "technology career" on them, and that's not counting many resources in the real world, such as seminars and conventions.

Anne Wolfinger, author of The Quick Internet Guide to Career and Education Information, obviously believes in the power of the Internet to help with careers. But she also believes in the power of the people around you. Sometimes the guy in the next cube can be a wealth of information about email discussion lists, Web sites, or seminars focusing on your job.

Learn to network with people
For finding skill-specific resources, "I would use the people network first," says Wolfinger, a personal and business coach from Helena, Mont. "Find out what other people in your field are reading and looking at. Community is people helping each other."

Community often builds on community, as well. You join an email discussion list or start attending monthly user group meetings, and suddenly you have more and more resources to call upon. You strike up a conversation at a convention, and now you have an email friend who can answer questions about the new version of software you're using.

Wolfinger recommends that tech workers be aggressive about the human side of networking. "Support your professional community by joining a professional association," she says. "Make a conscious effort to meet people and collect business cards."

At work, don't be shy about sharing your expertise with others. They will then be happy to reciprocate.

Getting started
In addition to networking, Wolfinger's advice on staying informed about your career: Read everything you can - books on technology trends, books on software and hardware, books on the job market.

Other good starting points for technology career resources:

Your local newspaper. It tells you what's going on in the local job market, and many have a weekly technology section.

Magazines aimed at managers. Magazines such as Fast Company, Fortune, and Inc. tell you how the other half lives, and help prepare you to step into management, if you're so inclined.

Professional associations and user groups are a great way to meet people with similar interests, and to find out about conventions, seminars, and other resources.

Email discussion lists and online message boards can be great resources for chatting with people who do the same work you do. Where to find them? Places such as topica.com and deja.com host dozens of email discussion lists, and ezboard (pub2.ezboard.com/bezboard.html) hosts several message boards.

Wolfinger's book contains dozens of links to Internet career resources, from a site where you can ask career questions to job market statistics to continuing education programs.

Getting unstuck
Wolfinger, a former software publisher, also suggests that people who need a career jumpstart find a career coach. Many coaches, after the initial counseling and career development exercises, keep in touch with clients through email or telephone calls a couple of times a month. That regular checkup keeps clients on track with their career goals, Wolfinger says.

"Coaching really does help people get farther faster," she adds. "It helps people get unstuck."