Beyond Blinking Lights and Acronyms: Debugging Your Information Technology Career

Update 8/23/07: The author has notified me of the following:

"Last we communicated, I told you that my Under Construction site had an expected "go live" date of August 24th. Because of a problem with my developer, I have chosen a new developer to finish the site. Although I'm optimistic that my site will be functional next week, I've changed the "go live" date to September 7th to give me some leeway in case there are unforeseen issues. As soon as the site is operational, I will let you know."

Update 8/6/07: The author has notified me that the site to purchase the book is currently under construction but should be available by August 24th if not sooner. My apologies for any confusion. --- Mike

Janice Weinberg recently sent me a copy of her new book "Debugging Your Information Technology Career" (293 pages, available at www.elegantfixpress.com ). The book's subtitle "A Compass to New and Rewarding Fields That Value Computer Knowledge" is your first clue that this isn't the run of the mill career / job search book.

The premise of the book is that you may want to leave the IT field and try a new career but don't want to start from scratch. You've spent all this time making a career in IT why let that experience go to waste? As Weinberg demonstrates you really can make the switch to fields where your previous experience in IT is an asset.

But IT is so much fun why would you ever want to leave? As Weinberg points out, outsourcing and off-shoring are the new realities in IT. As such there is the very real possibility that at some point in your career you may be affected by this. I'd like to suggest another reason - to broaden your experience and get some real business experience. Experience outside of IT is becoming a more valuable asset that hiring managers look for in Business Analysts and IT managers. You may not always get the opportunity for career changes with your existing company and this book and help you make it on your own.

Weinberg gives 20 examples of careers where you can leverage your IT experience. As part of each example she includes information on:

End-user organizational departments
Overview of the function
Position titles (typical titles you may see in this function)
Job Description Highlights
Typical Workday
Job-hunting strategies (alternate strategies if in a corporate position vs. consulting position)
Recession resistance
Offshore outsourcing situation and outlook
Information sources

The purpose of most of these sections is obvious so I won't go into detail on them. However, the "Typical Workday" is especially interesting. This is an excellent way to give you some real insight in to what this job is, what it is about and what you might experience when you get it. It also gives you an opportunity to see how you can parlay your IT experience and apply it to this position. This is especially critical when trying to sell yourself to the hiring manager.

If you are thinking of making a switch due to an economic downturn or you have been affected by outsourcing you may obviously be concerned about this happening again in your new career. Thankfully, Weinberg also provides some information about these issues with each example.

So if you're thinking about making a switch out of IT but don't want to walk away from all that experience I'd recommend that you take a look at Weinberg's book, "Debugging Your Information Technology Career" . This book can give you the needed information to make that career switch while leveraging your IT experience to your advantage.

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