It’s that time of year again where we start planning out our goals that we would like to accomplish for 2020-2021. This includes our IT career goals. I notice sometimes that people will set a career goal like “Get Security+ Certification.” But there often is not much context around that goal. Do you just want that certification? Will the certification get you to your ultimate career goal? In this post I’m going to show you my full template for how I strategically set and plan out my IT career goals. This is the template I used to move me from being a preschool teacher to working in IT management.
Finances
Select a salary range that you believe you can achieve in a year’s worth of work. For example maybe you are starting 2020 at $65k/year but would like to start the year 2021 making $70k-$80k a year. Also, do not be afraid to aim for a salary range that is significantly higher than where you are.
Define Career Goal
Now that you have a salary range picked start to define your career goal. What is a career goal that you are passionate about that would land you in your preferred salary range? In a year what would you like to be doing that would put you at your salary goal? This may require some research.
Certifications
Now that you have your career goal, do some research to find out what certifications you will need. For example, if you are working at the help desk and you would like to be a network administrator you may need to obtain a CCNA or Network+. So, perhaps that will be your certification goal for 2020.
School
Maybe your career goal does not require a certification. You might need to go to a coding bootcamp or perhaps get a graduate degree in Information Technology. Then this could be a 2020 goal; to start school.
Work Experience
In addition to certifications and school you might need to also obtain more work experience to achieve your 2020 goals. This might mean you need to set a goal to lab more if you are going for your CCNA or you might consider getting a job that would expose you to networking. Maybe you already are a network engineer but you would like to be in a leadership role. Your 2020 goal might be to take lead on more projects to gain more experience in leadership.
Conferences
I have learned over the years that what leads to success is a huge combination of what you know and who you know. So, it’s important to attend conferences to network with people in your industry. If you are in networking maybe you might set a goal to go to the CiscoLive conference. There are also lot’s of free conferences, events and meet ups that you can go to.
Mentors
As an IT career goal, find at least one person who is where you want to be in IT. Develop a relationship with them so that you can ask them questions along your journey to your goals. When you get stuck or lose motivation this will be the person you will most likely turn to. Most of my IT mentors I have met online through the #labeveryday community.
Recommendations
Start to make a list of the people that you would call if you needed a recommendation. Make sure you have their current contact information. Also, make it a goal to reach out to them this year (especially if you don’t see them regularly,) just to say hi! You can do this via Linkedin too. You want to make sure you are maintaining your relationship with people who provide you with recommendations. Mainly because you want them to have up-to-date information about you and because it’s just courteous to maintain relationships with people who take the time to give you a kind recommendation.
Edit You Inner Circle
Especially if you have big goals for 2020, it may be time to set a goal to edit the people in your inner circle. Your close friends and family should be people who you love and have fun with but who also respect your goals and cheer you on. IT is a challenging industry and you might lose motivation sometimes or get frustrated. You need to make sure the people around you will help you get back on the horse if you ever fall off.
Books, Blogs/Youtube, Social Media
I believe it helps to be a well rounded person in order to be a strong IT professional. Make it a goal to read books, blogs and to follow more IT professionals on social media. Of course, I have learned a lot at work and from studying for my CCNA but I also learn a ton from reading self-help books and interacting with other IT people across the world. Aim to read at least three non-tech related books in the self-help genre. Find at least three blogs/YouTube channels that will help with upgrading your lifestyle and mind. Also, find at least three IT professionals to follow on social media. My recommendations are listed below.
Book Recommendations
- Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
Blog/Youtube Channel Recommendations
- Blog: Ceray Fanta
- Youtube: NetworkChuck
- Youtube: Du’An Lightfoot
IT Professionals on Social Media
- Twitter: Ceray Fanta Instagram: Ceray Fanta
- Twitter: CCIEby30
- Instagram: Marynguyenco