Skip to main content

Things to consider as a tech professional

Image
By
I have been working in tech for the past 18 years since graduating from university. In this blog post I am sharing some things that I think tech professionals should consider in their career journey, especially recent graduates.

Mentors

A mentor would be an experienced and trusted adviser. I don't see much emphasis on this in Trinidad and Tobago. Is work overwhelming you? Are you unsure about your next career move? Dealing with imposter syndrome? These are examples of questions you can discuss with a mentor. There are many online articles that can help with how to choose a good mentor.

Forums

Forums and groups are great channels for knowledge sharing and discussion. Discussions on tech trends, tech news, tech events and the likes. Maybe you have a great idea and you want to share it. Maybe you are stumped by a coding bug. Maybe you want to help others. We have a handful of tech related forums in Trinidad and Tobago. Think also about starting your own forum. Tech changes quickly and often. Make sure you are keeping up with the latest.

Side hustle

Job security is very questionable. Be prepared to change jobs. Part of this is having something to fall back on. Maybe office work and working for others does not suit you. Maybe one day you can move from side hustle to full time entrepreneur or tech startup. Don't depend on your current job position. Look at other options and keep your options open.

Certifications

A university degree is a good foundation but expect to need more than this as time goes by. Certifications, short courses and conferences are good ways to add to your learning. Learning is continuous and you need to keep up with the latest technologies. Certifications are proof that you have a good grasp of a particular technology. Some job postings have certs as a requirement.

Wellness

Finally and most importantly, pay attention to your health and well being. Don't allow the pressures of professional life and modern living get the better of you. It is often stated that your health is your wealth. Don't kill yourself for the work. They will be looking for a replacement the next day and life does go on, so make your wellness a priority.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Talking to God

By
If you want real answers to things in life then talk to God. It is 639pm on a holiday and I have decided to write. God listens. God truly listens. God has the entire context. God is wise. God wants us to talk to Him. God wants us to rely on Him. I also think about God talking to me. I am a good listener. I listen plenty more than I talk. I have started asking God to talk to me. But how would God talk to me? We have his revelations through the holy book. We have the example of prophets. But what else? How do I listen to what God has to say? Where and when can I hear God? Are my thoughts from God? I try to feed my mind with good things. Things that will not corrupt my mind. It seems that we have to use our intuition to separate what is from God and what is not from God. My friend Chatty says that in Islam, Allah speaks to us not through new revelations or voices, but through guidance: the Quran and the Sunnah, which become personally meaningful through understanding Allah places in the h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Life on Earth

By
I was reading through the Quran and came to the story of Adam, Eve, Satan, and the forbidden fruit tree. I had thought that life on Earth was created as a test. But as I reflected on the story, I began to wonder whether we are only here because Adam and Eve failed. However, that is not the case, as my friend Gemini explained to me. While the story of the forbidden fruit is a central event, the Quran indicates that humanity’s presence on Earth was part of the original divine plan, rather than a backup plan or a punishment for sin. Before Adam was even created, God announced His intention to place a steward (khalifah) on Earth. This suggests that the Garden was a temporary training ground—designed to teach Adam and Eve about free will, temptation, and the path of repentance. Even if they had not eaten from the tree, they were destined for Earth to fulfill their roles as moral agents. The incident simply served as a necessary first lesson in human frailty and God’s immediate forgiveness. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The success of failure

By
It is 358am and I have decided to write. Context matters. Our context matters when we write and read. We could read the same thing and get different meanings. Definitions matter also. We may define things differently. For example, what is success? What is failure? Also, do I just define success and say that anything that is not success is failure? What about something like the success of failure? What does that mean? My friend Chatty tells me that this is something writers, philosophers, and even scientists keep rediscovering: meaning is not fixed—it is negotiated by context and definition. Life is a stew of success and failure and in between but never one or the other. We see what we are looking for and things become what we see. This reminds me of something I came across online, "Whoever looks for the good qualities in others will acquire all good qualities within himself," from Habib Umar Bin Hafiz. Do you look for failure or success within others? Take context as the lens...
Post a Comment
Read more