Like most people in IT, I deal with a lot of people in this industry on a day to day basis. I see people that are really good at this, and people that are really bad. What interests me is that of those that are bad at this, the reasons for being so are often vastly different. I’ll use this example in the context of two people performing at similar admin/support levels in an IT department, with the assumption that they are both amply smart and capable of learning.
In this corner we have Jody, with a good handle on the fundamentals and a history of poor logical thinking. In that corner we have Dianne, with a good sense of logic and troubleshooting skills but very little knowledge of the fundamentals. Jody: Poor logic, in my opinion, is a career-limiting characteristic to have if you work in IT. I don’t think you can effectively teach logic, you’re either good at it or you’re not. Dianne: Lacking fundamental knowledge is relatively easy to overcome. With the internet and all the training programs available, there’s almost no limit to what Dianne can learn.
At this point it might be safe to assume that Dianne is the better candidate for advancement in her career, right? What if Dianne lacked the motivation to get her learn on and really shine? Here she is with the brain and natural ability to think logically, but she’s just showing up and doing what she has to do today. Can she really be the better candidate for advancement if she doesn’t show a thirst for knowledge? Is it possible to make the best decisions today, without at least having an idea of what tomorrow will bring? I say no, but surely this story can’t be over!? It’s not, and yes I promise I’m coming back around to the title. Even being a new manager I’ve already had to face this situation, and my biggest challenge was to figure out how to 1. tell Dianne that she wasn’t cutting it the way she should be cutting it (she’s got great potential!) and 2. to motivate her. Issue 1 turned out to be easy, we just sat down and talked about it. Issue 2 is up in the air. I did my part, I think, and now it’s up to her to step up and be great.
This scenario leaves me wondering, how does one come to be in IT without that thirst for knowledge? Don’t you want to know what’s coming out next week, and to consider how that will affect what you do this week? Don’t you want to learn everything you possibly can about what you do, so that you can do your job effectively? Aren’t you aware of the fact that with how fast technology is changing, without some effort to keep up you’re going to get left behind? This isn’t a trade, you can’t just learn it and be done. Your education will never stop, or you will become obsolete. Quickly.
There is a fine line between being consumed by your career and being diligent, but if you’re doing it right you’re still damned close to that line. Where are you?
I’m on the consumed side of the fence. 
