How can you tailor your IT service career development to meet industry-specific needs?

IT professionals should avoid chasing trends in their career development. Instead, focus on developing your core competencies in areas such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication or tactically in Data Engineering, DevOps, DataOps, etc. These skills are transferable across industries, technologies, and trends making you more adaptable and marketable in the long run.

Tailoring my IT service career to meet industry-specific needs involves continuous learning and adapting skills to align with evolving technology trends, industry regulations, and business demands. This includes staying updated on industry-specific software, security protocols, and compliance standards while leveraging my expertise in IT service management and digital transformation to address sector-specific challenges effectively.

In my view, for a professional with a long career in IT services, need to evaluate the following first instead of skill and experience level. ask few questions to themselves: 1. What are the 3 things that gives maximum interest out of 1. Architecture 2. Consulting 3. Technology Operations 4. Business Development Assign some scores the 3 selected areas based on which one you relate the most. Then come to assess the level you are in technology skills or delivery skills or design skills or sales skills. Your career is prime function of your alignment/ interest to the roles that you love to play and then followed by the technology skills you want or have acquired.

Engage with your customers, listen to their stories and where they see the future of their businesses, talk to your peers around what they are experiencing in the market and do your research, industries are developing and transforming at a rate of knots and keeping your finger on the pulse of where the end goal of this transformation is will guide your learning towards the opportunities.

For me it always comes back to Data Engineering ... because everything involves DATA! It doesn't matter if you're developing an app, building a data product, deploying a CRM system, or creating a POC for generativeAI, everything involves data engineering !

I find many people want to make an impact but have no coal-face experiences. Seek these experiences out. Spend a day shadowing a plant engineer. Visit a retail store and follow the manager and sales staff around, etc. Understanding the guts of the industry allows for much needed empathy and insight required for any level of transformation that will make a real impact.

Be comfortable with FAILING! Yes, the big 'F' word. You can read books, articles, hear webinars and podcasts, but nothing replaces actually doing the work and learning from it; and of course you won't be successful on your first try, but each time you learn something new. So get comfortable with trying and failing.

Learning and development is a journey, not a destination. It is important to be patient and persistent. With effort and dedication, you can achieve your learning and development goals and reach your full potential.

I think when referring to learning plan setting SMART objective is not enough. Objective must be SMART of course if a task is repetitive or well defined, but when comes to learning there are also inner aspiration that comes in. Peoples wants to be empowered and a strict learn plan often became only a certification that it may or may not applied really to the job. In my opinion the learning plan must be focused not on one individual but to group of people based on their affinity of interests; in that way during the learning and also later people that followed the same plan has also voice to speak up in the company to promote the change they see after the learning.

Definitivamente una retroalimentación es importante para conocer mediante una evaluación objetiva el avance y las oportunidades de mejora. Una evaluación 360 es deseable por salud empresarial y bienestar colectivo. La evaluación trimestral o semestral puede ir amarrada a una ruta de crecimiento, metas objetivo, reconocimientos y premios

Yes, I agree that you should always be on the lookout for mentors that have developed competence and skill in the career path you are developing. It will shorten the curve for you.

Feedback and support are essential for career development. By seeking feedback and support from your managers, peers, mentors, or coaches, you can identify your strengths and weaknesses, overcome your challenges, and achieve your goals.

In my opinion, sharing success stories are important but they are merely the pointers. every business in an industry works somehow in a different way and not necessarily story can be played in the same way any other place. but the key is simplification, if you found a better and more simpler way to do anything you must impart to others. hence a collective learning.

Early in my career, I learned the importance of showcasing value when a major client hired me after I presented a detailed portfolio highlighting my successful IT transformation projects. Now, I share my expertise through webinars, blogs, and speaking events, and find it generates new opportunities. In our digital world, professionals must go beyond a resume to demonstrate their differentiated skills and knowledge. Looking ahead, I envision even greater use of rich media, analytics and platforms to quantify and communicate impact. The ability to compellingly showcase your value will only grow in importance.

In my career progression, I ensure that the value I bring is visible to collaborators and potential partners. I curate a portfolio that not only showcases my completed projects but also includes case studies and testimonials that attest to my expertise and impact. Recognitions and awards further corroborate my contributions to the field. Additionally, I embrace digital platforms such as social media, blogs, and webinars to disseminate my insights, fostering a thought leadership presence that resonates within the IT strategy community.

Continuous career development is definitely a way to go. Be a life long learner and you will always shine through irrespective of the career path you have chosen…

The IT landscape is perpetually evolving, and staying relevant means continually updating your skills and knowledge base. This ongoing learning journey should not be seen as a burden but an opportunity to remain at the cutting edge of your industry. Regularly revisit and revise your career development plans to align with the latest technological advancements and industry shifts. This proactive approach ensures that you are not just keeping pace with industry developments but are positioned to lead and innovate within your sector.

IT only exists to solve a business problem. If you really want to stand out from an IT/technical standpoint, then you need to immerse yourself in how that industry operates. Align your technology experience to solving real problems that industry faces. Understand the metrics and KPIs that drive that industry forward and have a point of view of how technology can make a positive impact on those revenue drivers.

Industry Associations: Join industry-specific associations or groups. These organizations often provide resources, networking opportunities, and access to industry events. Industry Research: Start by thoroughly researching the specific industry you want to work in. Understand its key technologies, trends, challenges, and regulatory requirements. Identify In-Demand Skills: Identify the skills and certifications that are highly valued in your target industry. This might include industry-specific software, programming languages, security protocols, or compliance knowledge. Industry Associations: Join industry-specific associations or groups. These organizations often provide resources, networking opportunities, & access to industry events.

IT is backbone of every industry. But how many organisation's are there who are fully using the available informations to understand the trend for root cause. In maximum cases it has been identified that people are working on fractured information and actual problem was not addressed. People are running behind multiple tools to get the best result but not utilizing the available software/ tools in the desired way to get the best result.