jsync | Java Staffing Specialist

"New Year's Resolutions for Java Pros"

01/09/2008

by Dave Fecak

New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be all about diets and gym memberships. As a professional, you owe it to your career to always be thinking about your marketability and your future. Here’s a list of resolutions that all Java professionals should take to heart, regardless of how successful, accomplished, and busy you may be.

1. Find a mentor – No matter how much you know, someone knows more. Identify someone you respect, inside or even outside your company, and pick their brain on things that you may be able to do better. You can probably learn more from a person than a book.
2. Read (or better yet, write!) – Most managers will tell you that there most valued developers and architects are constantly keeping abreast of what is new and what others are doing. If you feel you have something interesting to say, why not write it and get published (even a blog)? Writing technical articles definitely is a great way to get noticed in the industry as someone in the know.
3. Interview – “But I’m not looking for a job!” Someday you probably will be, and you’ll want your interview skills to be sharp for when the time comes. Do you only go to the doctor when you are sick? Don’t overdo it, but interviewing at least once a year regardless of your job status is a good way to keep the saw sharp for the day you may need it.
4. Participate – Whether it be user groups, open source projects, or conferences and events, get out there and rub elbows with others that share a passion for what you do.
5. Present – There is probably no better way to find out how much you know (and how much you don’t know) than standing in front of a group and explaining it to them. Offer to do a lunch presentation for your peers on a topic of interest to them. Philly JUG is always looking for good presenters!
6. Side work – Sometimes it’s difficult to learn new skills if your employer is averse to changing technologies and tools. Take on a project on the side for a friend or build something at home on your own, and use tools that are less familiar to you. You’ll learn something new, create something useful, and perhaps even make a buck or two.
7. Talk shop – Get together for dinner with some former co-workers or old business contacts and see what life is like outside your cube. You may find out that you are underpaid, underappreciated, or stagnating in your job.

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