Tips for Keeping Skills Current

This blog entry was written by Bruce Guezkow, who's been an IT professional for more than 25 years, mostly with Power Systems on IBM i and its predecessors. He uses RPGLE, CLLE, SQL (in many flavors), REXX, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP when developing applications. He is currently webmaster for the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association (WMCPA), an advisor for the Programmer/Analyst Track at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wis., and an independent consultant for GmanTech Consulting in Delavan, Wis.

Keeping your skills current is an ongoing struggle. Besides the issue of who's paying for it, there’s also the question of where to find educational opportunities. We've all received mailings and emails with offers for training (many worthwhile). Plenty of information is out there just waiting for you to make use of it.

Many of the top people in our industry write blogs with professional insights, tips, even code that you can download--all for free. Websites offer free code examples describing techniques or programs and commands ready for you to download, compile and use as-is or with your own custom modifications.

You can check out the IBM Academic Initiative website for schools near you offering IBM i-related classes. IBM needs to review these listings to ensure accuracy and that the schools are teaching current subjects, but it is an excellent resource.

User groups are another great place to learn skills and meet colleagues with whom you can share expertise. To find out if there is a user group near you, visit the eServer User Groups site. If one is located near you, join, and actively work with them to get the kind of education you want. You'll find groups open to suggestions from members. If none is located nearby, look into forming one.

Two of the strongest groups are found in the Midwest--WMCPA in Milwaukee, Wis., and OMNI in Chicago. They will be jointly hosting a Golf Outing on July 21. This event is a great opportunity for directors and CIOs to get together to learn more about the direction the platform is headed in. Registration is available online.

You can also find links to some of the aforementioned resources on the WMCPA website, as well as sites for most other user groups. Attend a meeting, join a group, or form your own. You might just learn something!