Tech Guys Kinda Suck At Promoting Themselves, Maybe Thats Why MBAs Excel

Ok I want to make a public confession- I miss the show 24 -badly. TV sucks currently and Jack Bauer would be the only person that could save it. (I know a bad pun.) So to relieve my withdrawal symptoms, I am watching past seasons of 24. I know its pathetic, so what? Give me something to look at! Anyway this show gives us more than a guy who can kill 50-60 bad buys in a day. Moreover, looking back I realize that this show gives us some real life lessons, specifically in dealing with IT or tech professionals. So lets take a look.

Some of my favorite characters on the show are Chloe and Edgar. Chloe and Edgar are some of the tech geeks that provide some subtle comic relief to a very serious drama. They help find the bad guys or keep the villains from blowing everything up or releasing some horrible chemical that will make your flesh jump off your bones. Chloe and Edgar also display stereotypical idiosyncrasies of IT professionals. Both characters lack social skills, they engage with others awkwardly, have little patience, are sometimes blunt, and even rude at times. Many people looking at this show as well as the IT profession and believe that most tech guys act this way, but why?

An informal, non-scientific study shows that managers at companies find their IT guys do not do a good job of positioning and promoting themselves, unlike MBA or business guys who excel at it. Maybe thats why most businesses are run by MBAs and the IT guy is stuck in a basement cubicle, often creating the very infrastructure or product that generates the company's revenue.

Nicole Cooper, a manager with over 10 years of experience says "IT professionals spend extensive time gaining knowledge and honing their skills. Since this takes significant time, energy, and resources they often neglect polishing themselves and their image."

Top IT professionals must acquire many different skills. An individual can be skilled in Java, asp.net, CSS, and C++. It takes considerable time, usually after college graduation, to gain those skills. Tech guys spend more time actually learning how to do their jobs than other professions. And for that we salute you.

"I barely have time to update my resume." says Steven Lomax, a networking pro.  "I need to learn how to do my job better and how to tell you I can do my job. My skills should speak for itself. I think a lot of business types are more style than substance."

True, being competent in skills is very important. But to quote a Sprite campaign "Image is everything." It is equally important for IT pros to present themselves with technical skills as well as people skills and the ability to work in a team environments in business.. This is not only important in obtaining the position, but also in advancing one's career. Tech professionals that are promoted understand how to work with others and they get the bigger picture. They have learned much and they let you know they can do their jobs well.

So how can busy IT professionals promote themselves in order to stand out and achieve success? We recommend at least 3 key steps: First, tech professions should brand their career. Software programmer, IT security, an niche specialist- what should the professional be known as? Second , IT pros need job market knowledge in order to react to trends and make moves according to job demand and salary. Finally, personal publicity is crucial. If you can create a software program in 4 hours, then the public needs to know you are the man (or woman!) Being able to do something and others knowing you can do it are two different issues. Tech pros can get more information on actually executing these steps at odinjobs.com.

So I have to wait until 2009 for new episodes of 24 so I will have to cope for now, but tech guys do not have to be the anti-social, awkward geniuses that the media has portrayed them to be. Tech professionals improve your image and you will save (and improve) your career. You have 24 hours to get in done. Alright maybe more.

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