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How can an information technology (IT) technician improve skills? Two words: training and communication.

Training

An IT technician's job requires experience with both software tools and hardware. Become an expert in what the company you work for uses. Don't settle for just being competent: find out everything you can about how it works, and how to troubleshoot and solve problems.

Then, pursue training in other tools as well. There are certification programs for Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Apple, IBM, and networking, to name just a few. Cross-train yourself. You never know when a new skill will come in handy, either when your company adopts a new program or you move to a new company.

Look for classes and programs at local community colleges, state colleges, universities, and university extension programs. There are many courses being offered completely online, which can be more convenient if you have a heavy work schedule and family obligations. Taking one class at a time while working is doable, and helps you avoid the situation of unforeseen layoffs and not having up-to-date skills.

Find the best professional organizations and join. Often they have their own training programs or other educational resources. They also provide opportunities for networking, which could lead you to a mentor, or contacts useful for information-sharing or job opportunities. There are ones with a national orientation and others that have a more focused audience (e.g., women in computing). Find one or more that interest you, read their newsletters and attend conferences.

Check out job posting websites. The site dice.com is considered by many to be the place to go for technology jobs. But they also provide a wealth of other resources, such as discussion boards, market reports, newsletters, free tech magazines, and links to training programs.

Stay ahead. Hook into technology blogs to keep up with new developments. With this information you can propose the use of new tools that may help your company. And, if someone comes to you wanting to get information about something new, and you already know about it, they will see you as smart and competent.

I use bloglines.com to subscribe to, read, and manage blogs. There are dozen of technology blogs (check out slashdot, Wired, PC World, BBC News, Gizmodo for fun). With Bloglines I only have to go to one place to view all of them, and I can find new ones easily. It seems like a daunting amount of information, but if you read them every day you can stay

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