By Akram Mondal
In the IT industry, “keeping your skills up to date” is a core component of being successful, but how do you keep those skills fresh without spending hours on end reading articles and watching tutorials?
That’s where this post comes in!
Check out the below list of tips for keeping your IT skills up to date!
6 Ways For Keeping IT Skills Up To Date
💻Overview:
- Conduct a skills audit
- Take classes/training courses
- Familiarize yourself with JavaScript
- Research trends in your industry
- Work on projects with your colleagues
- Participate in tech-related forums
Ok, then…
Let’s dive!
1) Conduct a skills audit
First things first, you must know what you’re good at and what you need to brush up on. The absolute best way to do this is to query your manager or department head about all the IT-related tasks that need to be done daily.
For example, if no one has bothered asking in the last six months, then it’s probably time for the software group to update their antivirus definitions.
Once you’ve identified the key tasks you do daily and which ones will help to keep your skills within the realm of relevancy, then it’s time to start taking action!
2) Take classes/training courses
Depending on your workplace and your employer’s willingness to support certification efforts, it might make sense to take some training courses.
If your company is a little tight on cash or doesn’t want you leaving for the day, try taking some online classes! With online video-based training (VBT), you can learn just about anything from how to create an Excel spreadsheet from scratch all the way up to C++ programming or access React training.
3) Familiarize yourself with JavaScript
JavaScript has become a core requirement for the modern web user. It’s in all of the latest browsers, and it is one of the core components that make up HTML5.
It might be a tiny bit intimidating at first, but if you’re looking to make yourself invaluable to your employer, brushing up on JavaScript could be what you need!
4) Research trends in your industry
This tip is very simple. Learn about your industry’s major players and keep an eye on what they do next. If Microsoft releases any new software, check out how it differs from its older products.
If you’re working for a company on the smaller side and have heard of a new social network called “Twitter”, then go find out more about it in the next few days so that you can show interest when the time comes to pick up a new social networking tool.
5) Work on projects with your colleagues
This tip might seem obvious, but when you work in isolation, it can be hard to keep your skills up to date. It’s important to interact with your colleagues and other dedicated IT professionals to learn how they feel about current trends.
This will allow you to better understand where your company is in terms of technology and how businesses are adopting new technology.
6) Participate in tech-related forums
If there’s anything that will help your IT skills stay current, it’s joining a tech forum and interacting with other people who also use the internet daily.
The forums often share significant information about the latest trends in IT and can provide you with valuable insight into all of the buzzwords that are being thrown around at work.
To keep your IT skills current, you have to get out of the office and interact with the rest of IT. This will help you to better understand what people are doing with technology to develop a better idea of which projects need to be completed in the next few weeks, months, and years!
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