“A new broom sweeps clean,” goes the old saying. The most likely scenario when your company is sold is that the new owners will sweep you out. In my 39 years in IT, I have been a sweeper and a sweepee, and as a programming consultant, I’ve seen, close-up, the fallout from many mergers and acquisitions.
After nearly four decades observing and reflecting on this problem, I have this advice for potential sweepees: You have no control over the personal agenda of corporate raiders and CEOs, but you do control your skill as a programmer. Are you a powerhouse producer? In your current job, are you working on an advanced application with a fast computer? If not, you should be worried. Working smart now is the only way to be relatively secure in your present job and prepare for the sometimes-terrifying tomorrow.
For me, the fatal words were, “The company is changing direction.” That top- management decision swept me out of IBM after 21 years as a senior systems engineer. And only a fool would be complacent after hearing, “The company is buying back $300 million of stock with operating cash flow” or “The company announces the outsourcing of its entire IT function” or “The company announces the resignation of [any level of IT manager].” And if, during your review, your manager says earnestly, “We like your work but cannot give you a raise or give you more challenging work,” you have plenty of reason for anxiety.
When corporate raids or inept top-management decisions are at work, it matters little how good a programmer you are or think you are. These overwhelming forces will put you on the street, even though the people behind them are sorry to do so.
Ask yourself, “Could I quickly get a good job or even a much better job if I lost my job today?” Start today to make yourself as valuable as you can be, not only to your current employer but also to potential employers. Steal an hour a day to hone your skills, to learn something new that will make you more productive.
A smart way to become more productive is to emulate the techniques, work ethic, demeanor, and professionalism of programming consultants. Programming consultants command two to four times the compensation of company programmers, primarily because they have learned how to make themselves worth it. They show their commitment to success every day as if it were their last day at that client’s office. They have learned how to protect themselves from being swept out, how to prosper, and how to be in demand with
many potential clients. They never depend on uncontrolled events at a single company for their livelihood, and they have acquired the skills in demand now.
A skill currently in demand is expertise in huge, widely installed software packages such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), and customer relationship management (CRM). Make sure you’re working on such current applications and learn as many of the key business functions as possible. It’s crucial that you not be shunted into working on systems that are company-specific and written in house. Outside your company, there is little demand for programmers who work on such applications or have spent years modifying old versions of vendor software and are “experts” in keeping those outdated systems running.
Summarize the major projects you completed in the last year. Critically review this summary and match its value against your total cost to the company for the year. Then, imagine a new manager or prospective employer doing the same analysis of your accomplishments. You may be unpleasantly shocked.
If you tune your career as well as you tune your company’s code, then, when and if the day comes that your company is sold and turmoil hits the MIS department, either you will be one they keep or you will be free to get a better job somewhere else. Either way, you win.
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now! Request Now.
Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online