There are a ton of career-improvement and
life-improvement books in the marketplace.
An early mentor of mine used the word pivot a lot,
though, and it’s stuck with me over the years.
As a basketball fan and referee, I’ve always liked the term for more
than one reason.
Everyone is in a different place – out of work, having
a job but wanting to change their career or career trajectory, enjoying what
they do but wanting to make more of a difference.
A new book called “Pivot” by Adam Markel
describes the small changes one must make in their thinking and behavior that can
lead to a big change in both personal and professional outcomes. I highly recommend the book to anyone looking
to make small, but real changes in their lives.
Now for some specific recommendations for the Capacity
Manager, looking at how you can make some changes – some small, some bigger.
Education
There are two career-based reasons to seek out
education – to perform your current job better and to position yourself better
for future opportunities. The best
choices can be used for both reasons.
Your organization uses certain technologies – becoming
expert in those will make you a better Capacity Manager.
•
Technical
training / certifications
•
ITIL
training / certifications
•
Project
Manager training / certifications
For example, if you are responsible for performance
and capacity of VMware systems, becoming VCP certified will make you much more
valuable to the organization and someday that certification might be a door
opener if you decide to move onto something else. In a commoditized world, it’s important for
the Capacity Manager to understand why those technologies are really more than
just commodities to buy, use, and throw away.
ITIL (or some other best practice) training and
certification is especially useful in those organizations that have adopted /
aligned to those standards. Becoming
Manager (v2) certified and Expert (v3) certified opened the doors in my career
and even as a Capacity Manager would give me a well-rounded understanding of
the other ITSM processes and the terminology used in them.
I’ve seen many people in technical roles take project
manager training and seek out certifications and then segue into those kinds of
positions in organizations. Good project
managers can never be underestimated and the skills will serve anyone who manages
projects in IT well, even if it isn’t a career path.
Companies have all kinds of specialized training –
about the business, about specific technologies they use. If your company has an education department
with courses that can be taken to teach new skills and those courses are made
available to you, they’re a great option.
•
Company
specific training / certifications
•
Groups
/ Events like CMG, Toastmasters, etc.
•
Tuition
reimbursement plans
Being able to speak in public is a skill many of us
take for granted, but many more find absolutely terrifying. And yet the ability to give a good
presentation can be one of the things that can launch a career or change an
existing one in a positive way. Writing
papers for CMG is a way to network with fellow Capacity Managers and establish
credibility in the industry – there are many people who have improved their
careers by making contacts at CMG or other technical events.
Finally, if your organization offers a tuition
reimbursement plan where you can take college courses or pursue a degree on the
company dime and/or time, consider it.
It’s how I started my MBA – and while it took me 4 years to complete, it
was one of the best decisions I could’ve made for my career. I'll conclude my series on Wednesday, in the meantime make sure to check out our Resources section where you'll find a great collection of Capacity Management related white papers and on-demand webinars https://www.metron-athene.com/resources/index.asp
Rich Fronheiser
Chief Marketing Officer
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