Sharpen the Saw

When we were small, we were told "Study hard upto your 12th standard. Once you get into your college, you can start to relax". We completed 12th. But then, folks said "Study well for another 3 or 4 years. Once you complete your college and go to work, you can start to relax". But, here you are. You completed your studies and got into a job. Now, your manager gives you a bundle of project/product documentation to read. You are also asked to attend a set of training sessions. You have to continue to read about new technologies/tools for every new product/project that you start to work on. In IT industry, the need to continuously update your knowledge doesn't end. What happens to a wood cutter who continues to chop trees without sharpening the saw. Either the saw will break or the wood cutter will get tired soon. He'll soon reach a point where he cannot cut any more trees. The same thing will happen to you if you are not constantly updating your knowledge/skills. Technology evolves rapidly ... like a supersonic jet that vanishes in the blink of an eye. You need to keep pace with it. Otherwise, you'll get outdated.

You can also continue to update your knowledge by taking part-time courses. Many companies provide distant education programs by affiliating with colleges and universities. That is one good way of replenishing your skills.

Use every opportunity you get to learn something new. Don't ever forget to "Sharpen the saw".

Maintain a "Todo" list

Imagine that you have to move an apple from one place to another. You can carry it in your hand. If you have two apples, you can still carry them in your hand. If it is 4 or 5, you can still manage to stack them up in your hands & carry them. If there are 50 apples, then you need a BAG. This is true even for the tasks that you get at work. In an IT company, you may be bombarded with 100s of things to do. Some of them may be large enough to span over a week or a month and some of them can be done in just few hours or minutes. To effectively carry out the tasks, you have to first keep track of them. The best way to do it, is to maintain a "To do" list. Of course, you can keep track of certain things in memory. But, how do you make sure that you don't miss out something?

The "To do" list can be maintained in several forms. It can be as simple as pasting a 'stick-it' on your monitor (or) tracking things using software like Taskplus (or) using Google/Outlook calendars (or) writing things in a notebook. Make sure that you review the "To do" list periodically. It is better to get the "To do" list reviewed by your boss/manager also. Because, over a period of time, the priorities (or) relevance of some of the tasks may change. Also, it would help you to ensure that you have the right set of things in your "To do" list and haven't missed out something.

I have always found it useful to maintain a "To do" list - not only for my official tasks, but also for my personal tasks. Why don't you also give it a shot? You'll find it useful too.

Soft skills - A hard requirement

Any job interview would focus on technical skills (your expertise on the subject matters) & soft skills (your communication, interpersonal skills, motivation, commitment etc.,). It is mandatory to have a proper mix of both technical & softskills. There are folks who do exceptionally well in technical interviews - but they still do not get selected because of the lack of soft skills (& vice versa).

What are some of the soft skills that employers look for? Some of the soft skills that people look for, are - communication, commitment, self-motivation, eagerness to learn, willingness to perform, creative thinking, hard working nature, team player, listening, punctuality, confidence, leadership, putting up your best etc., Employers can easily judge many of these skills during the interviews - so don't try to cheat. You should be able to give specific examples for each of your 'soft-skill'. For example, the interviewer may ask "Tell me a situation where you have to learn things on your own & perform". You should be able to give a specific situation as example. That will improve your credibility.

If you are a college graduate, you may ask "How do I groom my soft skills in college?" College life provides you several opportunities to shape up your personality & to develop your skills. You can organize/involve in all sorts of college activities. For example, participating in debates & speech contests would help in improving your listening/communication skills. You can also become a member of a nearby Toastmasters club to improve your communication/listening/leadership skills. Conducting various symposiums & organizing functions would help to groom your leadership & team playing skills. Conducting mock interviews would boost your confidence. You can also pick up some of the soft skills effectively by reading good books.

If you are out of college, you can get acquainted with non-profit organizations to do service or any kind of social work. You would get enough opportunities to hone your organizational/leadership skills.

Developing your soft skills is more challenging than learning technical stuff. Some of your characteristics may be in-born (or engraved during childhood days). It would be hard to get rid of some bad behavior. However, if you try consciously you'll be able to overcome your limitations.

Soft skills are a hard requirement for hi-tech jobs. You better develop them, when it is not too late.

You have a choice...

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference"
-- Robert Frost

Life is wonderful. It offers lots of choices - right from your childhood ... all the way to your end. Remember the days when you were a little kid. Your parents took you to a toy shop. Your eyes grew wide & you were very excited to see the colorful toys in front of you. You wanted to have them all. But your parents told "Dear.. we cannot buy them all. Do you want the teddy or the car". You had to make a choice.

You grew up and there were abundant choices - for food, dress, TV programs, friends etc., After your higher secondary education, you had to choose your college & courses - do I want to be an engineer or doctor? do I want to go to a government college or a private college? Finally, you enrolled in a course. In the blink of an eye, you got your degree. Now, what do you want to be? Do you want to do your higher studies (or) Do you want to work?

Well, the choices are never ending. Life is all about making decisions. You've to either act or re-act. Inaction is not an option. Now, the big question is "HOW DO I MAKE THE BEST CHOICE?". There is no perfect answer to this question. I've seen people pondering over the 'choices' for weeks, months and years. By the time they make a choice, the options would've vanished. What I've learned is "MAKE A CHOICE. GIVE IT YOUR BEST. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE RESULTS". You would've often made the right choices.