Career advice: Sometimes you just have to get out of a bad situation

Computerworld - Scott Newman

Title: Chair, Information Technologies Division

Organization: Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

My boss has a fiery temper that seems to me and my peers completely inappropriate for a professional manager. He's a good pal of his boss, who doesn't seem inclined to address this real problem. What can we do? Unfortunately, there generally isn't much a person in your situation can do -- beyond reporting this as the reason for your departure during your exit interview. Your best option will probably be to update your résumé, fine-tune your skill sets (if necessary) and find another position under a manager you enjoy working with. If you stay in IT long enough, you'll most likely have an opportunity to lead others yourself someday. The silver lining of your current situation is the perspective you've gained on the kind of manager you don't want to be.

What are the top two or three technical skills that would help someone remain employed in the IT profession over the next few years? Obviously, the response to this question will vary depending upon the employers and workforce sectors unique to a particular area.

Scott Newman, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

Nevertheless, generally speaking, information assurance/digital forensics skills (e.g., system auditing and incident response) are and will be among the most in-demand for the foreseeable future. There is no question that mobile technology will play a major role in our industry's future -- and there are relatively few individuals with the skills necessary to meet current and emerging demands. Therefore, expertise in working with the tools and technologies relative to the mobile environment could prove invaluable to someone with interests in software development. The knowledge and skills necessary to design, implement and manage data centers vary from those required by more traditional infrastructure roles and are therefore in short supply. Just about every organization has at least one data center, and a number of major IT players have been moving into the market over the past several years, so opportunities for employment will almost assuredly continue to increase.

After years of working low-end jobs, I have just graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science. I have very little experience in the field. Where should I go to have the best chance at an entry-level IT job? An increasing number of academic programs in computing have implemented internship or co-op experiences to provide students with opportunities to gain practical experience and improve their chances of being gainfully employed by the time they complete their degrees. You may want to speak with your alma mater to see if such an opportunity might exist for you even though you've graduated. You may also want to consider volunteering to assist a nonprofit organization with real-world projects. The nonprofit will be delighted to benefit from your skill sets, and the experience will result in an additional line or two on your résumé and fodder for your portfolio.

Read more about careers in Computerworld's Careers Knowledge Center.