Cloud computing, big data, user engagement, consumerization—every few months, there’s a new trend in information technology. Every year, there are new innovative technologies and products coming out on the market.
IT is constantly evolving—and fast. It’s important to keep up with the latest technologies in order to stay relevant in the world of IT. If you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, been too busy to keep up with new developments, or are worried that your information technology knowledge might be outdated for any other reason, it’s time to get up to speed.
Get back ahead of the curve with these five tips. They’ll get you up to date in no time so you can feel more confident in your IT knowledge and skills.
Subscribe to Technical Magazines
Tech magazines are great printed resources. Although books are also an effective learning outlet, they can get outdated quickly, which isn’t too useful in the tech world. Since new magazine editions come out quarterly or monthly, you’ll always be up to date on the current happenings in the tech world so you can keep your knowledge as current as possible. PC Magazine, GizMag, ComputerWorld, and T3 are great options to check out.
You can also check online to see if the magazines you want to subscribe to are offered in a digital format. Often, the online version will provide you with the same information but may be offered at a lower price or even for free.
Take Some Online Training
The web is an awesome place. You can find training on a wide variety of different information technology topics through online tutorials, web casts, demos, and online courses offered through colleges. Web-based training is often free, always up to date, and readily accessible, making it easy for you to increase your knowledge across various technology disciplines when you have free time. You’ll be knee-deep in the latest tech in no time. All you have to do is start with a simple Google search.
Read Tech Blogs
Although often less thorough and perhaps lacking clarity, blogs are updated regularly, sometimes even once or twice a day. You won’t be reading articles that are old and outdated. If you follow some of the most popular tech blogs, like Engadget, ReadWriteWeb, and TechCrunch, you’ll be sure to know about the latest news, statistics, and trends as soon as they become available. From shopping gadgets to collaboration tools and the latest information technology for business and personal use, you’ll be up to speed in no time. You’ll even be able to read comments or provide your own if you have questions or feedback. Information technology podcasts and forums are also great avenues to check out in your quest for IT knowledge.
Keep up on Social Media
Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook—all of these social media sites can keep you in the loop on the latest information technology news. Follow some influential thought leaders in the industry and you’ll be able to stay up to date on a daily basis, all while you catch up with your friends and family. You won’t have to go out of your way to increase your knowledge—everything will just pop up in your newsfeed for you to check out.
Try to Be Open to New Experiences
When you’re at work or at play, many people choose to jump on projects that they already understand and are familiar with. But you won’t learn anything new this way. You need to challenge yourself by being open to new tech experiences. Work with programs you’re not well versed in or try to fix complex problems you’ve never tackled before. You should be proactive in your search for new information technology knowledge, skills, and experience, if you want to not only stay up to speed but also stay ahead of the curve.
John Brandwagt
John is a Practice Leader at Inteqna. He’s been working in IT Search in Calgary since 1997. He works best with selective job seekers—those who excel at what they do and enjoy their current jobs. Since they don’t have time to look for themselves, he helps them find their dream jobs. From a client perspective, he helps organizations find the talent that will propel their business. John is involved in several of Calgary’s technical user groups and has held board roles in non-profit groups. He is a single dad of four boys who try to beat him at every physical activity from hiking to rugby.
