Prospects for 2010

With heavy snow now in the UK, and some time to ponder on what could be happening this year, I have ventured to add to my previous post regarding some prospects for 2010. Hopefully these will be useful to those looking to work in making IT successful in organisations.

Time to decide. Many companies are now going to decide how much IT they keep and invest on. Those who have acquired previous commitments on big projects will either go ahead with them or will shed proposals or plans for the next year. In theory, the most sensible thing to do would be to wait and see. However, some opportunities could be lost. It is like going to explore a new market, in which there were positive signs but the wind of recession has frozen them. One could say that we need to wait until the frost has gone, others would say that we should be go into the new market anyway. If recession is everywhere, shall we let it freeze us too?

New and old knowledge need to be used. Of course new technology products will come into place, but they will need to be connected to old systems. So IT professionals will have to either reutilise their old knowledge to help plug in new technologies, or will venture in exploiting the new. Iphone applications are a good example. They should allow connection to transactional systems (e.g. banks), whilst at the same time whoever wants to design a new iphone application will have to learn how to do it with a different operating system, browsers, security, etc. In both cases there are opportunities. What we do not want to see is IT professionals 'waiting' to have a clearer idea of where to go. Someone has to take the lead.

Location is going to be important again. Previous years economy led us to think we could be working anywhere as IT professionals. My view now is that location matters for several reasons. First, with companies cutting on graduate posts, training opportunities or research and development, they are now 'downsizing' and choosing cheaper locations to operate. They are also hiring new professionals where they are based. So either you stay in the location where you can be hired, or you go to a new location but make sure that you place yourself strategically so that companies see you. I met someone recently who is a SAP consultant coming from abroad to the UK. Fantastic no? I suggested this person to be in the right place. In the UK I have heard of the IT corridor that runs west from London to Reading. Alternatively with this skills you could offer your services in locations where the competition is less strong.

Network even if this means changing your habits. Many of us meet other people in specific circumstances: colleagues from degrees, from the neighbourhood, from church, old employers. It is time to give them a ring if you want to ask them how they are doing, if they know who needs and IT professional or to develop new ideas. Why not propose new things, at least to have a coffee and catch up? Many ideas do not need lots of money. Doing a business plan, going to a chamber of commerce to ask for funding opportunities, getting yourself a trainer certificate in some IT equipment and then setting up your own business from home with a partner, these are ideas I have come across by talking to my former students, some of which are still in the look for jobs. Another of my students is now writing a research paper with me, and we began looking for a PhD studentship for him, all of this whilst he and I do our jobs. Of course, working through networks and with them takes time, but this is also a change of our habits if we're used to 'normal' working times.

Substitute the perfect job for a good one. Have you considered that maybe you are not ready yet for the job you're looking for, that such a job has been frozen or that it does not exist yet? If you have done so, congratulations, this is an honest account of reality. Look for a job that allows you to keep active, to pay the bills, and meet people. Yes, you could have the best qualifications in the world, but they are yours, not owned by anyone else. Companies are on the look for talent and skills, not qualifications. Maybe qualifications gave you awareness on talents you have and skills you need to develop, so think about what else you need to do. And you could do it whilst keeping a good job. Even volunteering jobs give you the chance to learn new things and meet people. Do not underestimate what comes your way unless you are someone like a good old friend who decided to wait for over eight (8) months (and there was no recession) for the perfect job to come. Ejem, he was also sponsored by his wife...

Finally, do not think you're wasting time by trying. Trying means you are on the look, that the glass is half full and not half empty (my friend kept trying). Despair, desperation, anxiety and other feelings can negatively affect us. But there could be worse things, one of them being 'dead' while alive. I remember hearing a former military expert who lost his leg and part of one arm. He told us his vivid account of how it happened, and how in the midst of the ordeal he mentally decided that it was better to fight for life than to lose it. He survived and began a different life, not easy but with full of challenges ("One damn thing after another!"). He keeps positive because being negative can lead him to lose life. So it is a question of losing life by still being alive if we think we're wasting it. If you feel desperate, phone a friend, go for a walk, tell off relatives who want to feel pity for you and join others like you who are on the look.

Good luck to us all! I am now on the look for funding!