How many of you think continuing education is important in IT? I'm sure most of you do, especially as it seems that technology is always changing, and many of us are constantly learning new techniques. At the same time, it seems that I find that so many people don't bother to spend time learning more about their craft.
It's not the people I see at PASS, or at SQL Saturday, or other events. Those people are definitely trying to learn more, but that's a small percentage of those working in IT. Is there some way to motivate the others? Or require growth?
Many professions require continuing education for their members. I ran across this quote from NYU: "
Accounting and law are among the most challenging disciplines, and professionals in both fields require ongoing education—by competitive necessity and state-mandated standards. " I know we typically don't have mandates on IT, which is good in my opinion since the state of technology changes go quickly that even vendors have trouble building certification exams or putting out their own standards.
But is IT any less challenging than those other fields? I think not, and I do think that as IT professionals, we ought to be regularly trying to learn more about the field in which we work, or the field in which we'd like to work. I found a great blog from Buck Woody that might help you get started, and is worth passing along. It's Learning One New Thing Today.
Steve Jones
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