PoultryChamp
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- Posted: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 22:10:24 +0000
This may be the most important thing you ever learn.
Learn to use Google effectively.
It sounds like a cop out and not very tech-y, but just stay with me for a moment. If you're going into a general IT career there are going to be many situations where you simply don't know what to do. There are tens of thousands of models of systems out there and at least a few hundred different operating systems. Each system is going to have multiple individual components that could fail for any number of reasons. Then take into consideration that there are millions of software applications for these systems, with billions of versions. You're not ever going to be an expert in all of these, but as IT you are going to be expected to be able to fix the problems that arise.
You might land a good job at a good company where the management has just purchased new computers of the same model with the same OS for every employee. You get on the job, learn the basic ins and outs of Dell Model XE505 with Windows 8, and you're the go-to girl when Gina in Accounting has a glitch with her Microsoft Outlook. If you're extremely lucky, six months goes by without a major fix-it-or-lose-your-job issue. Then, a computer fails, then another one. No big deal, you'll just get management to approve a small expense and replace the failed computers with another one. Oops, it looks like Dell has stopped manufacturing Model XE505 and Windows 9: Clippy's Return OS has come out and it's standard on all new computers. Now you need to be quick and learn another new operating system. Sigh. All the while Gina in Accounting can't do any work because the replacement computer that was sitting in the back room is so old and decrepit that it crashes every half hour. Gina - and management - doesn't want your bullshit excuses on why you can't get the new computer deployed without removing all the bloatware Dell installed. If you don't know Windows 9 and how to get Clippy to do that cute little dance thing on startup, they will find out who does know, and they will hire him. The company will probably keep you around for their legacy systems, but congratulations, you're outdated.
This is why you need to learn how to effectively and efficiently know how to use Google. Please, if you are serious about your career you will regularly pick up heavy books and learn new technology, but that takes an awful lot of time. For the times you can't cram a 900-page manual in two days, any issues can simply be found and fixed with the right search string on Google.
Google. Use it and don't be ashamed.
Learn to use Google effectively.
It sounds like a cop out and not very tech-y, but just stay with me for a moment. If you're going into a general IT career there are going to be many situations where you simply don't know what to do. There are tens of thousands of models of systems out there and at least a few hundred different operating systems. Each system is going to have multiple individual components that could fail for any number of reasons. Then take into consideration that there are millions of software applications for these systems, with billions of versions. You're not ever going to be an expert in all of these, but as IT you are going to be expected to be able to fix the problems that arise.
You might land a good job at a good company where the management has just purchased new computers of the same model with the same OS for every employee. You get on the job, learn the basic ins and outs of Dell Model XE505 with Windows 8, and you're the go-to girl when Gina in Accounting has a glitch with her Microsoft Outlook. If you're extremely lucky, six months goes by without a major fix-it-or-lose-your-job issue. Then, a computer fails, then another one. No big deal, you'll just get management to approve a small expense and replace the failed computers with another one. Oops, it looks like Dell has stopped manufacturing Model XE505 and Windows 9: Clippy's Return OS has come out and it's standard on all new computers. Now you need to be quick and learn another new operating system. Sigh. All the while Gina in Accounting can't do any work because the replacement computer that was sitting in the back room is so old and decrepit that it crashes every half hour. Gina - and management - doesn't want your bullshit excuses on why you can't get the new computer deployed without removing all the bloatware Dell installed. If you don't know Windows 9 and how to get Clippy to do that cute little dance thing on startup, they will find out who does know, and they will hire him. The company will probably keep you around for their legacy systems, but congratulations, you're outdated.
This is why you need to learn how to effectively and efficiently know how to use Google. Please, if you are serious about your career you will regularly pick up heavy books and learn new technology, but that takes an awful lot of time. For the times you can't cram a 900-page manual in two days, any issues can simply be found and fixed with the right search string on Google.
Google. Use it and don't be ashamed.
