In this blog series so far, I’ve talked a lot about transitioning from studying education to IT and some of the challenges and difficulties that have arisen. Much of what I’ve spoken about has been the hard work it has taken to learn new skills and acclimatize to a new way of doing things.
However, there was something I encountered recently on Twitter that gave me pause as to how I approach challenges in my life such as my studies.
https://twitter.com/chenoehart/status/1175777183224217600
Chenoe makes a valid and important point in her tweet. While hard work is important to achieving goals, it is not always the most important factor in achievement and getting ahead. In fact, it can be counter-productive after a point. At several points this year, I have worked to the point of feeling burnt out and being completely unproductive for days at a time as a result of ‘doubling down’ and trying to work beyond a reasonable point. As a person who derives a lot of my self-esteem from professional and intellectual success, coming to terms with this fact of life has been very tough and is an ongoing process.
Networking, especially in white-collar professions is increasingly critical to career success. We’ve all heard the adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. With tertiary degrees becoming more commonplace in the workforce, it takes something extra to stand out. This is particularly difficult for a shy and introverted person such as myself to come to terms with. In an ideal world, the hours and hours I put into my studies, my blogging, extra-curricular work on online courses such as DataCamp polishing my coding skills would be sufficient. However, while this is entirely necessary to do, it’s not quite enough.
On the other hand, it’s also a liberating thing to hear, in a way. With more emphasis being placed on networking and socializing, it’s not always necessary to know every little thing about a topic before applying for a job, an internship or other professional opportunities. Hearing stories of other peoples’ professional struggles and triumphs and realizing domain knowledge is not the be-all-end-all is relieving to know.
Perhaps the greatest challenge I’ve faced this year has been to put myself in uncomfortable situations related to professional networking and mentorship. Entering a room of strangers and striking up a conversation on topics related to information technology, as a newcomer surrounded by experienced professionals, has been a nerve-wracking experience on the occasions I’ve had to do so. However, it’s also been a massively beneficial exercise. Additionally, spending an evening here and there at these events have resulted in a huge gain in terms of experience, confidence and knowledge of the industry. Compared to the many nights spent on assignments, tests and exams of varying relevance and interest, these networking experiences in retrospect look far more favourable and enticing to attend.
All of this is not to dismiss the importance of study and of consistent, mindful and applied effort toward learning. Even the most charismatic and engaging person, without knowledge and ability to back themselves up, will quickly falter in a professional setting. What I am arguing, however, is that being smart and strategic with my time, not just spending every waking hour on IT-related work frantically trying to learn everything as quickly as possible has been the route to my successes thus far this year.
Scott Davies 