As we started 2025, how many of you included resolutions as a tradition? Did any of you include advancing your career as a New Year’s resolution? I hope you are always thinking about your career; not just at the beginning of each year.
If you are like me, you may be wondering what 2025 will look like for job opportunities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and IT jobs are expected to grow much faster than average from 2023 to 2033, with a projected 356,700 job openings annually.
So, how do you advance your IT career? First, you need to make sure you know what you want. One of the worst things I see happen in our industry is people taking a job just because there was an opening in one of the teams at their company. Not all job opportunities are for you.
I had an employee that worked for me as an analyst on our Service Desk. Everyone liked this guy. One day, he was offered a position as an Analyst on our Security team. When he turned down the position my boss called me and asked if this guy was crazy. “No one should ever turn down an opportunity to advance their career.”
Truth is, I knew this employee was going to turn down the position even before I told him he was being considered. I meet with my team for one-on-one meetings regularly and one of the things I always talk about with them is their career path. I knew he wasn’t interested in IT Security. He had his sights on another path.
I have also seen people take those positions they really didn’t want, but took it for the money or the advancement just to hate it only a few months later. I encourage you to consider where you want your career path to go and then, map out a plan.
Mapping out Your Career
Mapping out your career is planning your career journey; not just your next step along that path. One of the executives I work with said, “You are the CEO of your career,” so it is up to you to plan it, execute it and accomplish it. No one cares more about your career than you.
So where do you start?
- Start by taking inventory of your current skillsets. What are you good at? What are your weaknesses?
- Narrow down what area of IT you’re most interested in.
- Once you have one or two options, look into what those jobs entail. In other words, “look before you leap.”
- If you plan to stay within your current organization, you have the opportunity to ask people questions: “Do you like the job?”, “What exactly do you do?”, “Is there room for growth?”
- If you are looking to move to another organization, you can still do research on your desired position. Look at job descriptions online.
- Next, you need to find out what skills and qualifications are needed for that position and compare them to your current skillset. Find out where your gaps are. Make a plan to bridge that gap to your desired position.