All over the world we're seeing an ever growing dependency on IT systems and the services we expect from them. As a society, we're becoming more and more familiar with IT terminology and functions, but are we actually becoming more proficient with the systems? We should ask ourselves the question, "Is my knowledge growing at the same rate as the developments within the industry?" If it isn't, then surely I'm falling behind.
I appreciate the fact that no-one can know everything about everything and therefore the above question needs to be placed into context, such as Dreamweaver or Networking if that's my specialist subject or chosen industry.The critical factors must surely be not necessarily the breadth of knowledge, but the pertinence of the knowledge as the driving force.
An old story, about the owner of a large tanker who had consistent issues with the engines of his ship, illustrates this well. He often had to bring in "specialist" engineers to sort out the problems every time they berthed at ports around the world. The owner of the tanker was becoming more and more frustrated whilst trying different methods to resolve the challenge.
Finally when they berthed at a port in South America he remembered an old friend of his who, being a fully qualified engineer, had an exceptional talent for fixing and maintaining marine engines, so he asked if he could help. His friend arrived and proceeded down to the engine bays. After a period of time listening to the engines he walked around and tapped a few pipes with his spanner, finally moving to a valve which he adjusted 25 degrees clockwise. Immediately the engines settled down and the problem was resolved.
The owner's friend returned the next day with a bill for $10,000. The size of the bill dismayed the owner, especially as all the engineer had to do was to turn a valve and so he asked for a breakdown, with the hope of reducing the bill. The following day the old friend came back with the breakdown - For time spent on the tanker to fix the problem - as a special rate to a friend, $1. For the knowledge of which valve to turn and where to tap, $9,999.
This surely reminds us that all knowledge has to be fit for purpose and as such the techniques and methodology of training must fit the same criteria. Within a fast-paced industry like IT, dependence upon traditional training techniques such as classroom environments and staid teaching skills surely conflicts with the vitality of the industry itself.
I'm not disparaging IT teachers. However there remains a concern where it's left to the tutors themselves to keep their knowledge pertinent and cutting-edge - I have considerable sympathy for the difficulties in maintaining this. A person who isn't exposed to the latest industrial developments is not in the same position as those who are working within Microsoft directly, as an example.
Students are the reverse and are voracious in seeking access to the latest terms, thoughts and techniques wherever possible, and any system that can provide 24x7 direct or indirect access to the knowledge and thoughts of the leaders in the industry would be pertinent to both teacher and student alike.
Moving on to the working environment, owners of IT systems often expect their IT support teams to do more than maintain and manage the integrity of the systems to protect the business interests. They also expect them to give strategic support and advice to make sure that decisions regarding IT procedures, hardware and operating system procurement provide a business edge and keep the company ahead of its competitors within their particular field.
One of the key factors has been the increasing attraction of the professional qualifications for those considering the options for development within IT (either as a career change, start of career or furthering ones future within the industry). IT enjoys the same overall factors as the Aviation industry, in that a common format and language is fairly dominant throughout.
Students looking for long-term employability would do well to adopt the approaches and methods of the industry heavyweights. This makes them attractive (both in the short term and the long term) to a wider range of employers. Industry leaders recognise qualifications such as the MCSE or MCSA that have legitimacy across geographical boundaries and industry sectors. They remain a prudent choice in today's economic climate.
I appreciate the fact that no-one can know everything about everything and therefore the above question needs to be placed into context, such as Dreamweaver or Networking if that's my specialist subject or chosen industry.The critical factors must surely be not necessarily the breadth of knowledge, but the pertinence of the knowledge as the driving force.
An old story, about the owner of a large tanker who had consistent issues with the engines of his ship, illustrates this well. He often had to bring in "specialist" engineers to sort out the problems every time they berthed at ports around the world. The owner of the tanker was becoming more and more frustrated whilst trying different methods to resolve the challenge.
Finally when they berthed at a port in South America he remembered an old friend of his who, being a fully qualified engineer, had an exceptional talent for fixing and maintaining marine engines, so he asked if he could help. His friend arrived and proceeded down to the engine bays. After a period of time listening to the engines he walked around and tapped a few pipes with his spanner, finally moving to a valve which he adjusted 25 degrees clockwise. Immediately the engines settled down and the problem was resolved.
The owner's friend returned the next day with a bill for $10,000. The size of the bill dismayed the owner, especially as all the engineer had to do was to turn a valve and so he asked for a breakdown, with the hope of reducing the bill. The following day the old friend came back with the breakdown - For time spent on the tanker to fix the problem - as a special rate to a friend, $1. For the knowledge of which valve to turn and where to tap, $9,999.
This surely reminds us that all knowledge has to be fit for purpose and as such the techniques and methodology of training must fit the same criteria. Within a fast-paced industry like IT, dependence upon traditional training techniques such as classroom environments and staid teaching skills surely conflicts with the vitality of the industry itself.
I'm not disparaging IT teachers. However there remains a concern where it's left to the tutors themselves to keep their knowledge pertinent and cutting-edge - I have considerable sympathy for the difficulties in maintaining this. A person who isn't exposed to the latest industrial developments is not in the same position as those who are working within Microsoft directly, as an example.
Students are the reverse and are voracious in seeking access to the latest terms, thoughts and techniques wherever possible, and any system that can provide 24x7 direct or indirect access to the knowledge and thoughts of the leaders in the industry would be pertinent to both teacher and student alike.
Moving on to the working environment, owners of IT systems often expect their IT support teams to do more than maintain and manage the integrity of the systems to protect the business interests. They also expect them to give strategic support and advice to make sure that decisions regarding IT procedures, hardware and operating system procurement provide a business edge and keep the company ahead of its competitors within their particular field.
One of the key factors has been the increasing attraction of the professional qualifications for those considering the options for development within IT (either as a career change, start of career or furthering ones future within the industry). IT enjoys the same overall factors as the Aviation industry, in that a common format and language is fairly dominant throughout.
Students looking for long-term employability would do well to adopt the approaches and methods of the industry heavyweights. This makes them attractive (both in the short term and the long term) to a wider range of employers. Industry leaders recognise qualifications such as the MCSE or MCSA that have legitimacy across geographical boundaries and industry sectors. They remain a prudent choice in today's economic climate.
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