Business

What Holds People Back in Their Tech Careers That They Are Not Thinking About

Published

7 months ago

October 5, 2023

If you want to advance in your technology career, it makes sense to grow your technology skills. Achieving a new certification, attending a bootcamp, or earning an advanced degree are all steps that tech professionals take as they seek to move ahead in their careers. However, focusing on tech skills alone will not be enough for many tech professions.

“I have a warning to cloud engineers, software engineers, network engineers, and all hands-on technology professionals,” says Michael Gibbs, CEO of Go Cloud Careers. “If you limit your learning to tech skills, you will have a more difficult time succeeding in today’s modern world. Even worse, you run the risk of being replaced or outsourced within the next five years.”

Michael has over two decades of experience training students for high-paying positions in the field of networking and cloud computing. The unique programs offered through Go Cloud Careers provide students with unparalleled technical competency as well as proficiency in the soft skills needed to succeed as elite technology professionals. Go Cloud’s training gives its students an exceptionally high success rate at securing six-figure jobs.

“The good news is that there are things that any tech professional can do to increase their income, get promoted, and thrive in their career,” Michael says. “The key is focusing on the skills that will never become obsolete.”

Developments that are transforming the tech world

To thrive in today’s tech space, tech workers need to pay close attention to three ongoing developments, each of which is contributing to a major shift in tech opportunities. The first involves the quality of technology, which has increased dramatically in recent years. Keeping tech up and running is not as much of a challenge as it once was.

“When I started working in technology over 25 years ago, the tech didn’t always work,” Michael explains. “Qualified technology people were in high demand and the better your tech skills, the more you earned. But things have changed. In today’s world, tech works much better. Those who support it aren’t as busy as they once were.”

Globalization is another development that is challenging the security of certain tech jobs. The Covid-19 pandemic proved that geography is irrelevant when it comes to staffing. As a result, the pool for tech employees is much larger than it was just a few years ago.

“Do you think a business would prefer to pay $200,000 to an engineer in the US or $56,000 to an engineer in India?” Michael asks. “In either case, the person is receiving equivalent compensation when adjusted for cost of living and will be performing the same quality of work. This means a company can get four capable people overseas for the price of a single person in the US. If you were the CEO, who would you hire?”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the third development that is reshaping the tech space. AI tools like ChatGPT have already proven they can code. To compete, developers will need to develop new skills that AI cannot offer.

Skills that can boost your tech career

To stay competitive, tech workers need to add business skills to their tech talents. Many applicants know how to configure technology, but few know how technology can transform the business where it is being deployed.

“Developing your business acumen allows you to understand the value that technology brings to organizations,” Michael says. “When you add business acumen to your tech skills, you are better equipped to help a business increase its revenue, its employee productivity, and its profits.”

Leadership skills will also help tech workers to have successful careers. Technology can’t replace leadership. Good companies will always look to hire and promote those who can lead others.

“Early in my life, I heard an African proverb that changed the trajectory of my career,” Michael says. “It states that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. That’s the secret of success in tech or any field. Build a great team and be able to lead that great team and you will advance in your career.”

Being able to sell is another business skill that can help tech professionals. To be effective and advance, tech pros must be able to sell customers on solutions, sell management on the need for resources, and sell their teams on the importance of contributing to projects. Success in any elite technology role requires being able to sell.

Shifting from engineering to architecture

As engineers and other hands-on professionals add business acumen, leadership skills, and soft skills to their capabilities, they become a more critical part of the organization. Another step they can take to increase their value is to shift their focus from engineering to architecture.

“Engineers that are hands-on only without great communication skills, leadership skills, or sales skills will struggle as the tech field continues to evolve,” Michael warns. “Architects are not as vulnerable, as they focus on designing systems that improve business performance. In fact, architects are the key to digital transformation.”

Technology architects, like cloud architects, enterprise architects, and network architects, assist businesses in leveraging technology to improve business performance. They provide a unique and valuable mix of technology expertise and business acumen.

“Architects understand the customer’s business problem and the ways in which technology can solve the problem,” Michael says. “They bring the human touch to the digital transformation process, which is why they cannot be replaced by technology.”

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”