5 Sins of the Career Web Professional
March 22nd, 2006
You know it’s great getting to know new people because they can 1) Make you remember something that you should never have forgotten 2) Get you to think about things in a new way. Yesterday Bryan Veloso posted his latest Live from the 101 podcast that focused on the urge many people feel to try new things and making the decision to go for it without burning bridges. Bryan said that his podcast was outside of the web arena. I disagree slightly because the topic is one that many people in the web business face every day. Here is my list of the things that Web professionals.
- Sin #1: Burning Bridges
- Sin #2: Staying somewhere too long
- Sin #3: Not remembering that a great job is a partnership
- Sin #4: Not viewing your job and a career
- Sin #5: Losing your passion and creativity
Burning Bridges
Bryan stated it well. Don’t burn bridges, for a couple of reasons. 1) Despite the number of companies out there, the technology and web community is small. To this day it still amazes me how many people I run into over and over again. You will run into people again, and God forbid they are in a position to make you pay for what may have a decision made in the while you were angry or burned out. 2) You never know how people will react to you leaving them with short notice. In some cases they may take it in stride, and in other cases you may work for the most vindictive people on the face of the planet. It sucks that an employer can lay you off with no notice but they expect two weeks from you, but hey those are the break kid. Fortunately for Bryan this has worked out well, but maybe the next sin applies a little?
Staying Somewhere to Long
Haven’t we all been guilty of this one? You go into a situation with high hopes and guns blazing. Then after a year, maybe two you start to get that sinking feeling that maybe you are not in the right place. You try to make it work, only to become bitter, resentful toward your employer or boss. It is at this point where many people make the shift from career to job. Doing this for too long will kill your growth, creativity and passion for what you do. Don’t take the stay and quit option. Be fair to yourself and your employer, if its time to go its time to go…but may be that’s not your problem, which leads me to the next sin.
Not remembering that a great job is a partnership
Remember the last time you worked really well with someone? It probably required a lot of communication and cooperation. If you have a problem you owe it to yourself to address it before sin #2 takes hold. A lot of times simply communicating a problem or feeling that you are having can make a world of difference. If you don’t address it sometimes it will lead you down a path that you otherwise would have avoided. There are also some distinct responsibilities that you have must honor as a manager and a leader if you want your employees to honor this partnership.
Not viewing your job as a career
I am dumbfounded by the number of people who are Web professionals that 1) Don’t keep their resumes up to date and more importantly 2) Don’t have an online portfolio or web site of some type. Holy career negligence batman! It’s like a doctor who doesn’t get a physical or a mechanic who can’t change his own oil. I have said before that techies are notoriously bad at selling themselves and managing their careers. Can you communicate what you have to offer outside of three letter acronyms and the latest technology? Here is something that a sales rep can tell you but most techies don’t get “know your benefits, ignore your features�. Isn’t it better to show someone you know Illustrator, Photoshop, PHP, ASP.NET or Ruby on Rails? Brand yourself and make sure that you aren’t just going through the motions when you are working. Have a plan for yourself.
Addendum: The argument that you aren’t going to be doing what you are doing forever is a cop out. If you don’t manage the career you have, how will you manage the career you want?
Losing Your Creativity and Passion
This topic is near and dear to me, because I believe that creativity and passion drives most web professionals – at least in the beginning. Like every other skill you have to take time to exercise it, and you can’t be so burned out that you don’t have the energy to be creative. Do not allow anything to zap your creativity or passion. It you feel it slipping away do everything you can to get it back.
So there you have it. I’d love to hear your comments on this one.
Chris Stelmak
March 22nd, 2006
I agree with you. I’m thinking you could even take “Web” out of the title of this article. I think it applies to most careers.
Justin Perkins
March 22nd, 2006
Good companion to the Avalonstar podcast, especially since this one is readable ;)
Ron Madriz
March 22nd, 2006
You are absolutely right about a lot of things in this article. The one sin I fear most is #5. Once passion is lost, then it will reflect in your work. I try to involve myself in a few activities to sharpen skills and learn new things. It seems that when I learn new things, I gain a new found love for what I do.
If this happens to you I suggest that you do something to re-kindle the flame between you and your job. Enter a competition, study a different part of what you do (regardless of the industry you are in, I am sure it can be divided), otherwise begin finding a new love.
Bryan Veloso
March 22nd, 2006
You make it sound so much better than I did. ;)
Miles
March 22nd, 2006
Good stuff Kelsey.
A lot of it is just your personal work ethic and professionalism but it never hurts to review where you are at and make sure its the right place.
Robert S. Robbins
April 28th, 2006
I am aggressively marketing my web development skills. I think my blog writing may be too technical but I try to mention what I can accomplish with my work rather than just give the technical details. My most effective tactic has been to post messages to newsgroups devoted to e-commerce software that I can customize. I describe the various improvements I can make and I get a few odd jobs that way.
Ann Jenkins
June 21st, 2006
Great article, Kelsey. I can relate to all of these sins - each strikes a different nerve. As difficult as it is to leave what you “thought” would be the perfect job (sin #2), I agree with you that is better for both you and your employer for you to move on rather than to shut down and “kill your growth, creativity and passion for what you do.” Life is too short for us to not love what we do.
Like Ron Madriz, I find that continually learning new things (and there is SO much to learn about web stuff) keeps me inspired and passionate about my work.
Jake Rutter
June 30th, 2006
Great Article. I also cant believe the number of web professionals who don’t have an online portfolio. I have had an online presence for about 3 years now, and most employers are amazed that I even have a website. I also keep it updated, not only for myself, but also when it comes time to look for a new gig. There it is!
Bryan Veloso
July 7th, 2006
[…] Update: Kelsey Ruger wrote a great companion article. Obviously he makes the subject sound so much better than my try at it. Podcasts | […]
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