IBM: Perpetual Motion, Perpetual Growth
If the wheels in your head aren't spinning, then your career is probably standing still. That, in a nutshell, is the message of a new post to the IBM Training and Skills Blog. IBM has a vast certification jungle, so there's always some new skill to untangle, or some new pocket of knowledge to explore, for those in the IBM education ecosystem. Broadly speaking, of course, it's beneficial to any IT professional, whatever IT discipline or proprietary tech sector their career is attuned to, to stay engaged in learning. Technology changes and evolves constantly, and it's the nature of being an expert to keep pace with those transformations. Consistent learning also keeps you nimble and responsive, and opens various career doors, including some that may lead to promotions or different positions altogether. If you've been needing a pep talk to encourage your forward motion, then it's worth checking out blogger Natalie Brooks Powell's full post.
CompTIA Has Suggestions for Your Next At-Home IT Gig
Just like Sandra Bullock in the cautionary 1995 thriller The Net, in 2023 you don't have to leave the house to have a thriving IT career. (One of the creepier aspects of The Net, was its implication that Sandra Bullock would soon no longer need to leave the house for anything, and thank heaven that we haven't quite gotten to that level of letting Amazon run our lives and meet our needs.) The point is that you can have a job you love and do it in a place that you hopefully also love: your home office. A recent and fascinating post to the official blog of tech industry association CompTIA illustrates just how diverse the work-from-home palette of employment options has become. Blogger Angei Chan flags 11 jobs that you can do from the comfort of your own home, ranging from cloud architect to data scientist to cybersecurity analyst to database administrator. Basically, if you have an internet connection and a (employer-provided, hopefully) workstation, then you're set. What's next, we all sleep in goo-filled tanks and become human battery cells to power the machines? (Well, if you ask The Matrix ...)
Don't Get Sidetracked by Impostor Syndrome
Everyone has feelings of inadequacy from time to time. It's when those moments of self-doubt threaten to overwhelm your ability to function that you've progressed to what professionals describe as "impostor syndrome," which can lead to minor setback, major breakdowns, and everything in between. If you've worked at any job, then you've probably found yourself hindered by impostor syndrome from time to time. Even if it never rises to the level where you need to seek professional counseling or medication, it can definitely hold you back. There's a worthwhile new post to the ISACA Now Blog of cybersecurity and IT governance association ISACA that provides a deep personal perspective on IS from IT auditor Gaelle Koanda. If you've had struggles, then it's probably worth a read.
What to Expect in 2023 Across the Cybersecurity Industry
The latest place to set forth a Nostradamus-like foretelling of likely developments that await us in 2023 is the official (ISC)² Blog of cybersecurity professional association (ISC)². If you work in cybersecurity then you yourself can probably predict some of what lies ahead, but it's always nice to compare notes. Blogger Dianna-Lynn Contesti breaks her precap of the year ahead into four key areas: staffing shortages, OT infrastructure, ransomware, and fake ransomware (aka wiperware). Wiperware in particular has an ominous profile. Stay safe, everybody, and don't click on that attachment!
That's all for this edition of Certification Watch. Please keep your certification news and tips coming to the GoCertify News Editor.
