Staying relevant

[Ozfarmboy]

I recently stumbled across an article that hit home with me, and I wanted to share it: http://readwrite.com/2013/05/06/how-to-thrive-in-the-tech-industry-for-decades.  This got me thinking about how important staying relevant is in our industry.

I lost my job of ten years in 2013 - something that was a shock and a relief at the same time.  But what became clear is that whilst I had some good experience under my belt, there was so much out there that I didn't know.  And what is hard is trying to figure out what it is I should know, to stay relevant, employable and of any use!

In the end, I started my own business.  And now I need to learn - a lot.  Not only from a technical aspect, and not only from running a business aspect, but also learn about what makes me tick, and what motivates me to get work done efficiently, without a manager or leader directing me.  This has been my challenge.

But for most of us, we are directed to get our work done, efficiently, on time and on budget, and quickly move onto the next task. But how many of us set aside a genuine amount of time to learn about what else is going on.  And I don't mean just reading what's in the news, or keeping up to date with the occasional technical publication every now and then.  But learning enough about something to call it a skill.  It is particularly challenging unless you really force yourself to sit down and go through it systematically.

So this is one good reason why the Melbourne LabVIEW User Group has been restarted.  To open ourselves up to new ideas and technologies.  And in good time, we will plan some activities (ie. community project) that will actually help us improve as LabVIEW developers by learning and applying new skills.

LabVIEW and its environment is also changing a lot - it is our own duty as developers to stay up to date.  As John says in the article:

"Do not trust your career and professional development to your employer. You absolutely must take charge of this yourself." - John Sloan

Not all of us can make it to NI Week every year, but many of us can make it to a local user group every 3-4 months.

Chris Farmer