InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
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November
25, 1997
I work at a company in the technical support department and have a B.A. in psychology. I am
interested in network administration, and I wanted to know what the best route would be to
obtain
this goal. Should I get another degree in computer science or should I get a certification
in Novell or Microsoft?
Certification today is the best approach. I personally think Microsoft is the best, but Novell
would be fine. You already have some technical understanding from your support job and your
degree is not a hindrance. The certification will easily provide you an entry-level role; if later
your goals change beyond just the network-administration side, I would encourage you to pursue
further education in your related field.
I am in my first year of business school and I am thinking of obtaining a concentration in MIS. I
am an attorney as well and I think that there might be some opportunities in IT if I combine my
law degree with my MBA. Do I have the wrong background for a career in IT? I do not know of
anyone else who has a similar ba
ckground. If I do get a concentration in MIS, I feel as if I would
be traveling in uncharted waters and that is a little unsettling. I would appreciate your input on
this matter.
It is those uncharted waters that create vision, opportunity and exponential growth. There are so
many opportunities for a background like yours with a concentration in IT. Software companies
alone would kill for that kind of experience to have an attorney that could really understand the
complexities around legal and technology issues. Consulting firms have many profiles like yours
that provide tremendous value added for complex RFPs (Requests For Proposals) for outsourced
agreements. Imagine the impact on advising a corporation on building applications to support
their legal division? We are closing in on 1998, and I am convinced that the next generation of
CEOs will be led by IT executives or those professionals that have been heavily entrenched in the
IT arena.
I am going to be graduating with a B.A. in information systems and am working for a company as
a network specialist. I have received information from IT placement agencies for different
positions. My question is: What do you think of these agencies, and what are the pros and cons of
working for such companies. I have heard different positions on this and an article stating that
many large companies are rehiring IT positions in-house. What would you say to someone just
starting in this fast and ever-changing field.
First, you need to understand that if an agency or recruiter is calling you, then a company has
agreed to pay them a fee to find someone to fill the opening. So the answer is: absolutely talk to
these people. They represent opportunity for you in more ways than one. The first is that you
need these people to help you find jobs
that you otherwise would never be aware of. The second
is that it gives you an opportunity today to build a relationship now that you may use in the
future. You can only benefit from talking to these people. It will provide interviewing
experience, insight to opportunities, relationship building and ultimately a job.
I am a U.S. Naval Officer who's approaching retirement and am very interested in the computer
information management field. I have a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a M.S. in national
security strategies. The service trained me in nuclear power production. In my last few
assignments, I have rekindled an interest I had in college 20 years ago in computing. I have been
experimenting with intranets at work to enhance the availability of information to my staff. Now
I am in pursuit of a M.S. in MIS. What advice could you give someone like me starting out in this
field so late? I have significant management exper
ience. What would you say is the best
approach to this field to capitalize on my talents and make the most of my experience while
building experience in the field?
I have had many recent inquiries about military personnel to private sector transition. You
showed great judgment on the pursuit of the M.S., as it will only help you. Today, a great deal of
the searches that I'm conducting are driven around requirements of prior government experience.
My clients are receptive to the government profile because they see great value in the
complexities that are dealt with the government sector. The searches I am running cut across
several different industry lines; Financial Services, Consumer Products and Professional
Services.
I'm a systems engineer with 12 years' experience with the same employer. I have an M.B.A in
general management that I acquired
in 1992. Even though I've been with the same employer, I've
been able to move around and acquire a wide variety of technical skills. My current assignment
includes data warehousing technologies. I'm currently looking at two possible moves. One would
be to leave the company and I'm seriously thinking about consulting. The other possibility would
be to accept a move into a financial analyst position within my current company. How do I know
what's the best move for the long-term health of my career?
It depends where you want to take your career. If your aspirations are to move closer to the
business and ultimately be on the business operational side, then I think the move to the
Financial Analysis side would be outstanding. Even though I feel you have been with your current
employer to long, that employer is probably the only one that would ever afford you the move to
the business side. It's highly unlikely that anyone in the outs
ide market would ever hire you on
the finance side if your background has been strictly IT. On the other hand, if your goals are to
stay in IT, learn new technologies, and continue your IT career into the managerial ranks, the
financial move would be a poor decision. If this is the case, move and grow. Your data
warehousing experience would be welcomed in many companies. The move would show you not
averse to risk and will give you the opportunity to see other cultures and open you to far greater
experiences.
I'm in a situation where employees generate a quarterly objective list and bonuses are paid
based on percentage of completion (along with some additional, less-tangible considerations).
However, I find that people are often called on to work on other "hot" projects and face a
dilemma: Do they feather their own nests, or ignore their stated objectives for the quarter and
work on the immediate need for the good of the depa
rtment and the company? In either case,
there's an inherent unfairness to all concerned. I'm looking for information on how incentive
plans are structured in our industry. What works, and what doesn't?
Most of the hard data you're looking for is either inaccurate or outdated. What you need is data
regarding what progressive companies are doing to structure incentive compensation today. If
you have any strong relationships in the search community (recruiters), they are almost always
plugged into strong relationships in human resources, which will be able to provide structures
around incentive compensation plans. The other approach is to use your affiliation skills and
network with people from other companies regarding their approaches to this common dilemma.
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