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How Blogging, Podcasting Can Help Your Company--And Your Career

Olzak's outreach crusade, in turn, puts him in touch with others in his field who share their insights on IT security. "One of the most valuable things I get is those interactions I have with people who respond to something I've written," Olzak says. "Maybe I didn't think of something, or maybe I didn't see it the same way they did. That helps to enrich my knowledge about whatever I wrote about."

Olzak is taking charge of his own career in a changing business environment. As described in our lead feature coming up on Monday, IT management positions are replacing staff jobs. IT managers are spending more time managing projects and other people, and less time managing technology. IT management jobs in the U.S. have jumped 44% since 2001, while programming and support jobs have declined 19%.

Sharing information with others is a key technique to advance an IT managerial career, says Gerry Crispin, principal of career management firm CareerXroads. It's a sign of a leader.

Crispin also encourages career-assertive IT pros to contact authors of books and articles they read to further develop their understanding of their writings; otherwise, the reader is a mere passive participant. "You need to study them with the same intensity that you attacked some of your school work," Crispin says. "You will be questioned, either by your subordinates or your superiors, on some aspects [of the writings], and unless you're digging into that content, you'll have problems down the road. The No. 1 critical issue is getting yourself involved with the body of knowledge you're dealing with."

Olzak, in deciding what to blog or write about, often picks a topic he needs to address at work. Conducting research to prepare for writing a blog or a technical paper is a great approach to educate oneself. "The easiest way I learn something is to write about it," he says. HCR Manor Care is exploring the possibility of using keystroke dynamics technology as a security tool. Olzak researched and then wrote a blog for ITtoolbox.com and a technical paper, "Keystroke Dynamics: Low Impact Biometric Verification," about the technology, posting it on his Web site. "It helps me get more rounded in a topic that I will need to understand better," Olzak says, "so when the company goes in a specific direction, I'm not left behind."

Olzak needn't be worried about being left behind. He's leading the way on how the new IT managers must perform.

What are you doing to manage your career? Leave a message on the InformationWeek Weblog and let us know.

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