iamacp.com – I Am A Computer Programmer
All about the daily work issues of a Java/J2EE Computer Programmer

There are many ways that you can invest in your career as a technology professional. Here are some tips on how you can invest in your career.

• Buy Better Tools – Do you spend long hours on your computer? There are certain tools that help increase your productivity such as a extra monitor. I have had multiple jobs where my employer saw the need and productivity gain of this. It comes in very handy to be able to develop software on 1 screen and see the results on the 2^nd screen. I saw a need to find a better and more convenient way to read so I got Kindle awhile back. It’s very easy to read and better on my bad eyesight. It’s also very handy to be able to carry tons of technical references me in a small gadget.

• Further Your Education – Investing in your education but going back to school and getting certifications are always excellent ways of furthering your education. These 2 things prove to employers that you are willing to go the extra mile and grow as a professional.

• Read - There’s really no better way than to learn something new then by reading. However you choose to learn about something new either by a book or web site knowledge is power. There is also no excuse for not investing in books which can and do pay for themselves many times over. Is a $30-50 a book worth it even if it makes you a few thousand more per year, year after year? The costs are minimal compared to the potential gain.

• Practice – The best way to get better and develop your skills are to actually practice. Practicing goes hand in hand with reinforcing what you’ve learned in books. You can read a ton of books but sometimes concepts will not be learned and understood completely until you actually practice and apply with what you’ve read.

• Network – Networking is one of the best ways of investing in your career.  It’s really important to develop and maintain a professional network. Doing this will help you maintain and keep yourself employed in case you need to find work again. I have had great success over the past few years of building a large network.  Just over one year ago I did not have a LinkedIn account. At that time I had a long term contract in a great location and suddenly my contract ended. Now if I had a LinkedIn network in place (much easier to maintain contacts) I would have been better able to localize my job hunt.

• Develop Soft Skills – Developing soft skills should always go hand in hand with developing your technical skills. What good will all the technical skills do in the world if you lack the skills to be able to deal with people? A technology professional should be able to deal with people of all types. This includes recruiters, business analysts, qa, management just to name a few.  Developing your soft skills like your technical skills is not something that will be learned overnight. It takes time and you will learn as you go.
  

These are just some of the ways you can invest in your career as a technology professional.