{"id":1386,"date":"2020-12-10T10:19:15","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T10:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/?p=1386"},"modified":"2022-10-10T16:21:29","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T15:21:29","slug":"it-pros-how-to-get-ready-for-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/?p=1386","title":{"rendered":"IT Pros: How to Get Ready for 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

If one thing can be said about 2020 is that it caught most of us completely by surprise. Sure, epidemiologists had\u00a0been warning\u00a0us\u00a0for ages\u00a0of\u00a0an imminent virus\u00a0outbreak that would put us\u00a0all\u00a0up against the ropes. But, as it\u2019s usually the case with visionary doomsayers, they were ignored.\u00a0Get ready for 2021.<\/p>\n

Well, now we have no excuse. As 2020\u00a0draws to an end,\u00a0all of us should take\u00a0a deep breath and evaluate where we are\u00a0in\u00a0relation to\u00a0where we\u2019d like to get\u00a0in the upcoming year.\u00a0It\u2019s time to do some soul-searching and make\u00a0some\u00a0plans.\u00a0And that involves accounting for both the expected and the unexpected.\u00a0Especially if you are an IT professional.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0pandemic has made\u00a0even more\u00a0evident something that people in the industry had known all along:\u00a0technology is\u00a0vital to the success of the modern enterprise<\/a>.\u00a0Yet, if something\u00a0is true about technology, that is that it is constantly changing. Whether you are a\u00a0front-line support engineer or a CIO whose role is evolving faster than it has\u00a0over the last\u00a010 years, you will want to\u00a0make some contingencies to ensure you emerge on top of the wave once the storm is over.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are a few steps that will help you\u00a0get there.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Get ready for 2021 – Step 1: Know your tech\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You probably noticed the\u00a0recent\u00a0spike\u00a0in\u00a02021\u00a0tech prediction articles\u00a0cluttering your feeds and inboxes.\u00a0Yes,\u00a0it\u2019s that time of the year, and everyone is getting on board.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0that doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t pay attention to\u00a0these proverbial revelations.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0definitely\u00a0more\u00a0truth\u00a0than hype\u00a0in\u2014well\u2014most of\u00a0them.\u00a0But we get it:\u00a0you\u2019re busy and don\u2019t necessarily have the time to comb through\u00a0lists of\u00a0similar-sounding\u00a0headlines\u00a0during your\u00a0coffee breaks. Well, we did it for you. And here\u2019s our winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When it comes to technology, few institutions can be as trusted\u00a0as the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). The\u00a0world\u2019s largest tech association,\u00a0IEEE\u2019s sole goal is to literally\u00a0dedicate themselves to\u00a0\u201cadvancing technology for the benefit of humanity”.\u00a0They recently conducted a\u00a0survey\u00a0of CIOs and CTOs\u00a0at major companies around the world and put numbers to what we already suspected:\u00a0<\/p>\n

AI and machine learning\u00a0lead the way as the\u00a0technologies\u00a0set\u00a0to\u00a0shape the\u00a0year ahead, with 5G solutions and\u00a0IoT\u00a0in second and third position. The main\u00a0organisational\u00a0tech challenge, of course,\u00a0will be\u00a0coping\u00a0with the effects of Covid-19.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Step 2:\u00a0Conduct an\u00a0honest\u00a0self-assessment<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Now that\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0all caught up with the news about the\u00a0future\u00a0in general, it\u2019s probably a good time to\u00a0start thinking\u00a0about your own future.\u00a0How\u00a0are\u00a0your professional and personal\u00a0lives\u00a0compared to what you thought they\u2019d be a year ago? Is what you thought a year ago even applicable anymore?\u00a0A thorough and\u00a0honest self-assessment is due.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Such review\u00a0includes everything from\u00a0career development<\/a>\u00a0goals\u00a0to\u00a0how you manage your\u00a0time. Is perhaps 2021 the year to\u00a0go freelance\u00a0as an It pro<\/a>?\u00a0Or perhaps the year to get a prem job?\u00a0Are you already\u00a0your own boss\u00a0and\u00a0should\u00a0conduct an audit of your freelance business<\/a>?\u00a0How about exploring a career change? There are\u00a0tons\u00a0of\u00a0rewarding\u00a0opportunities in\u00a0booming\u00a0areas like\u00a0SAP S\/4HANA<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Microsoft technologies<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speculation is key, as sometimes it\u2019s more about the question than the answer.\u00a0A chat with colleagues and other members of the tech community can also be\u00a0very beneficial. Helping you broaden\u00a0your horizons and\u00a0giving you some food for thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Step 3:\u00a0Skill up<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Once you\u00a0have a clearer picture of your current situation, it\u2019s time to work towards\u00a0your desired one. Holiday downtime\u00a0is the perfect excuse to do some upskilling. Yes, Netflix and chill sounds more like\u00a0the\u00a0holidays, but\u00a0no one ever got anywhere without a bit of extra effort. The investment will pay in time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Take a look\u00a0at your goals and see what skills you are lacking to achieve them. If you\u2019d like to future-proof your CV or get into a rising career field, you might want to try a\u00a0crash course to get up-to-speed with AI<\/a>.\u00a0Or maybe it\u2019s about time you got\u00a0certified as a Microsoft professional<\/a>.\u00a0How about\u00a0the top tech skills every IT pro should\u00a0have<\/a>?\u00a0How many of them can you check off your list?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget your\u00a0soft skills<\/a>.\u00a0From\u00a0working more effectively<\/a>\u00a0to strengthening your\u00a0business\u00a0skills<\/a>,\u00a0it\u2019s these nuances that will give you a competitive edge over other tech professionals.\u00a0In\u00a0the\u00a0fast-moving, ever-changing world\u00a0of\u00a0today, knowing your tech is simply not enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Get ready for 2021<\/strong> – Step 4: Set your targets and go get them<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Last but not least to get ready for 2021,\u00a0it\u2019s time to polish your image and\u00a0go after\u00a0the jobs and missions that will get you to where you want to be<\/a>. Even if you are currently happy with your job,\u00a0things like\u00a0improving your online visibility<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0optimising\u00a0your LinkedIn profile<\/a>\u00a0can help you a great deal from a professional perspective.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It might also be a good idea to work on your interview skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If one thing can be said about 2020 is that it caught most of us completely by surprise. Sure, epidemiologists had been warning us for ages of an imminent virus outbreak that would put us all up against the ropes. But, as it\u2019s usually the case with visionary doomsayers, they were ignored. Get ready for 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[759,751],"tags":[425,415,364,58,312,677,141],"class_list":["post-1386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dsi-challenges","category-it-decision-makers","tag-425","tag-2021-predictions-tech-skills","tag-career-development","tag-it-careers","tag-online-courses","tag-ready-for-2021","tag-soft-skills"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1386"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6661,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions\/6661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}