The IT Career Builder's Toolkit

Rating:
Summary: Shows you how to be a valuable IT commodity
Review: The days of easy job hunting in the IT field are gone, and it will be years before they return, if they ever do. The increase in automation, an economic downturn and the movement of jobs to other countries has led to a major contraction in the number of IT jobs in the United States. However, a reduced number of jobs does not mean there are none, and as always the opportunities are there for someone with the skills and drive to take advantage of them. This book is designed to help you be one of those who are successful.
As the authors point out very quickly, one job is not a career, but should be considered an opportunity for advancement. That advancement can either be vertically within your current company or a combination of horizontally and vertically to another organization. The book is split into five parts:

*) An Introduction to Career Building.
*) Filling Your Toolkit.
*) Putting Your Toolkit to Use.
*) More Options to Build Your Career.
*) The Value-Added Technologist.

Building a career always starts with a self-assessment, where you determine what it is you want to do and if you currently have the skills to do it. That is where the book begins. All of the standard components, such as the resume, cover letter, contact list and so forth are covered. The authors reinforce one point very strongly; namely that communication skills transcend all areas. In the past, talented IT personnel could be lacking in communication skills, as many people were awed by the technology and the people who understood it. Furthermore, in general, those who understood the technology were the ones who used it. Now, with major dangers lurking almost everywhere and the technology approaching the level of a commodity, those who manage it must be able to communicate effectively with those who use it.
Books like this, which show you how to become a valuable IT commodity even in the worst of times, are a necessity if you are to compete in the modern job market. Being highly skilled in IT is no longer enough; people with your skills are available in other countries for a fraction of your price. Now, you also need to be skilled in communication, best business practices and other ways to make yourself indispensable. Your efforts to acquire those skills will be improved by this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good for anyone wanting to enhance or further their career
Review: This book would make a good addition to anyone looking to better their career knowledge and career. It starts off with the author talking about past experiences that helped shape the book. I think this information is decent to include so you have a better understanding of his skills. Next he defines the differences in a job and a career. It's important to be on the same sheet of music. The next chapter starts to get into the IT field. A brief insight to the past, present and future history of IT is discussed. Matthew then starts to get your mindset into the real world of IT. My favorite section of this chapter is when he explains that you can't expect certifications to be your "magic carpet" in IT. He then touches on the job market and talks a little on Outsourcing. I know people will learn tons about the dynamics of Outsourcing and who is really affected in these few short paragraphs.

The 4th chapter is one of the best chapters in the book. I feel they should be mandatory reading for everyone entering this field. He makes you realize there is more to think about then how much money you are making. You are presented with other benefits a job has to offer besides just pay. I will admit that I have made the mistake of leaving a company and my only concern was about how much money I was making or not making. The major points that are pointed out in this chapter alone are well worth the price of the book and the time to read it.

The next 3 chapters will help the user with self improvement. This is done with a few self assessment questions and a make a list at the end of a chapter. The next chapter deals with your attitude and how you act and interact with people. This is a vital section to anyone that works with others. "That would be ALL of us". The last part is on communication skills.
This is another reason to buy this book. Matthew teaches you what it takes to have good communication skills. One thing he points out is how many people treat email as a non important communication skill. We soon realize differently. The area of communication is they key to any successful career. Does the President of the United States write his own speeches? Ah no he doesn't.

The next couple of chapters of the book is what in my opinion makes the book worth while. The author talks about how important a cover letter, and resumes are. The resume chapter provides good ideas on what to add or what leave off your resume. The Interview chapter is very good. Here you are given ways to present yourself during the interview and the type of interviewer you are meeting with. I learned some really good tips in this chapter alone. Then you are helped with how to adequately perform a good job search. I think this will be a serious wake up call to many people that do the wrong type of job search. Matthew then devotes 2 chapters on working from home and consulting. In the consulting chapter there is some GOOD advice that I was glad I was reading. The rest of the book is also very good, I will let you buy the book and read the rest of this beneficial information.

In conclusion anyone reading this book will find some very good information. The author provides years of professional experience and knowledge to help you better yourself and your career. He gives you enough information to make a game plan. In order to succeed at anything you need a plan. My only fault with the book is that more information would have been helpful, but that is a dilemma faced by many authors.


Rating:
Summary: Enhancing an IT Career from the Beginning to the End
Review: While the bookstores are filled with books about getting a job, I don't remember reading a book before that looks squarely at how one should approach an IT career that also includes so many practical tools as this one does. Each chapter has questions and exercises and the enclosed CD has a number of tools, forms, spreadsheets and examples to help you apply the lessons of the book.

The book starts with the perspective of the "bust" after the Internet "boom" of the late 1990s. IT jobs are harder to find, harder to keep and pay less. New graduates with certifications can no longer expect to launch into high-profile career jobs. In fact, the first job may be an apparent step backward. Mr. Moran argues that the new graduate should look upon such situations as an opportunity to learn . . . especially about the organization, rather than just about IT.

That philosophy echoes throughout the book as he argues for IT professionals emphasizing their learning about how to make profits for the company by adding value . . . rather than just being technically up-to-date. The advice will seem counter-intuitive so some . . . know less about more . . . rather than more about less.

I'm not an IT professional, but I often work with these talented people and I teach many IT professionals about business. From my perspective, the great value of the book is to round out the world view of an IT professional for the purpose of making the person more effective . . . rather than more efficient. Nice!

At the same time, any book that aims to cover every subject from managing your attitude to networking with other professionals to telecommuting to negotiating a salary to mentoring others to managing your personal finances is bound to be many leagues wide and about an inch deep. As a result, many of the chapters will not be very useful except to those with no experience and no one to talk to. In the whole cover letter to on-the-job promotion section (chapters 9-16), I found myself wishing he had simply provided a list of great books on these subject and added one or two pages about what's different for IT professionals.

I liked chapters 5 (Self-Assessment), 6 (Attitude), 19 (The Move to Management), and 21 (Concept over Process) best. The rest didn't seem to add much value compared to more focused books on those topics I have read. Of the four strong chapters, I found 21 a trifle confusing and weighed down with a bit too much jargon for my taste.

Overall, I think this book will be of most benefit to soon-to-be-graduates and those who are stalled in their careers and aren't quite sure what to do about overcoming the stalls.

Good luck!