Posted by HiTech Recruiter on December 19, 1998 at 12:43:28:
In Reply to: What skills would you recommend for 40+ to keep sharp posted by Steve Aughinbaugh on December 16, 1998 at 10:38:23:
Steve,
The BIG 40... been there, done that!
A bit of a qualification at first: Recruiters recruit, career counselors counsel. I'm a recruiter and I can share with you what's current and HOT in today's marketplace. A career counselor, on the other hand, looks at your current skills and helps you transition into the future. That being said, I actually work with quite a few 40+year old candidates and help them negotiate some very lucrative jobs.
At the risk of oversimplifying IT careers, IT professionals generally fall into 3 very broad categories: individual contributors (ie. programmers, DBA's, etc), managers (ie. project managers, department managers, etc), and marketers (ie. direct revenue generators, BIG idea people, entrepreneurs, etc).
These 3 broad categories can be looked at from a variety of angles: technical skill requirements, annual income, job security, travel demands, etc.
Being an individual contributor at 40+ with 15 years of experience is an extremely tough road to go. There will always be a 23 yr old that can do a technical job better and cheaper than you. Most employers would rather hire 2 or even 3 20-something IT professionals than 1 super-seasoned high-priced veteran.
Based on the 40+ year old technical professionals I've helped land good positions, NONE of them were individual contributors. They were all either managers or marketers WITH a solid background of technical experience.
If you go the management route, some of the skills our clients are looking for are:
1. the ability to complete projects on-time and within budget
2. the agility to literally steer a project in a different direction based on changing business conditions
3. the flexibility to learn and add new technologies to a project or infrastructure with minimal time and analysis
If you go the marketing route, some of the skills our clients are looking for are:
1. the ability to generate revenue based on the direct sales of technology products and services
2. the skills to "sell" technical concepts and ideas to business people who have minimal technical
And with either route, management or marketing, today's employer expects your "people skills" to rank right up there with Mother Teresa!
Being 40something in the ever-changing IT field is tough. However, keeping your technical skills as current as a 20something is probably impossible!
HiTech Recruiter
: John, what skills should a 40-something person with 15+ years of software development and management experience ensure that they have to remain sharp and marketable?
: Steve