Notes

Skills Required for Career Advancement
The basic set of skills and knowledge related to your field of study and industry are necessary in any career that you choose. Most professionals require competencies in two categories, technical skills and soft skills.

Technical skills refer to the knowledge and ability to perform specific tasks. For example, software architects design the structure of IT systems. This task requires knowledge of various technological architectures, such as J2EE, JMS, and .NET.

Possessing common technical skills allows a professional to demonstrate competence in any IT environment. Some common IT skills include:

knowledge of software and hardware tools and of the latest technologies, particularly in an area of specialization
understanding of Internet technologies and ability to use them efficiently
basic knowledge of hardware and system architecture
understanding of common hardware and software issues and ability to troubleshoot them
knowledge of networking

Soft skills relate to an individual’s personality, communication skills, mannerisms, and other personal characteristics. Soft skills help an individual obtain a desired job, cultivate relationships, and be effective in the workplace. Let’s discuss some important soft skills.

Let’s learn about some important soft skills.

Communication: Effective communication is crucial for job applicants, employees, and employers at any organization. Employees who aspire to leadership roles should possess good communication skills that allow them to showcase their vision, goals, and achievements to subordinates and stakeholders at the organization. This is the most important skill required for career advancement.

Time management: This soft skill relates to self-management and delivering assigned tasks on time. It involves creating a work schedule and setting task priorities. Good time management not only helps employees gain recognition, but also boosts their self-confidence and commitment toward work.


Strategic thinking: To reach positions of authority at the middle or senior management levels, you need the ability to develop innovative ideas in response to any situation. Strategic thinking involves applying your knowledge and finding the best solution to a problem.

Creative problem solving: This skill is essential for making decisions in day-to-day business activities. The ability to solve problems when they arise is especially important in managerial positions.

Presentation skills: Office meetings are an indispensable part of today’s work environment and they typically involve presenting data or ideas to an audience. You need the ability to present information in a quick and effective manner to your audience.

Flexibility: Employees must be able to adapt to change, new ideas, and different work environments. They should have a positive attitude and be ready to work under varying conditions. Being flexible and open to challenges is a plus in the workplace. It improves your chances of receiving recognition and promotions.



Teamwork: Teamwork is essential for the success of any project. If team members are unable to work together, it leads to conflict and a stressful work environment. The ability to work harmoniously and productively as part of a team is a vital soft skill. The success of a team depends upon responsible team members. Effective teams promote harmony. Sharing the responsibilities and using your individual skills and talents to achieve goals collectively will ensure effective teamwork. Effective communication is also crucial in teams.

Conflict resolution: In an organization of several people and teams, there are often differences of opinion. Disagreements or misunderstandings between team members lead to conflicts. The capacity to resolve conflicts is an important soft skill. Here, the focus should be on finding a win-win solution.

Critical thinking and problem solving skills: Employers prefer employees who have critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities. With such skills, employees can come up with better ways to complete tasks. They can also suggest positive changes in the work processes. Employees require critical-thinking skills to understand, evaluate, analyze, and solve unexpected problems in the workplace

Reasoning skills: Reasoning is an important skill, especially when dealing with other individuals or within a team. Good reasoning skills allow you to analyze other's thought and actions and make judgments based on your reasoning. It also helps you make informed and logical decisions. Together with critical thinking and decision making, reasoning forms an important set of skills.

Decision-making skills: Good reasoning and critical thinking will often lead you to make good decisions. Decision making can also form an important part of time management and problem solving. You may sometimes find yourself in situations where it is difficult to make a decision. The best way to solve this problem would be to analyze the situation and find which solution will ensure the maximum gain with least expenditure. Sometimes decision making may involve brainstorming in which a team collectively makes decisions on certain situations.

Confidence: Confidence means having the courage to make the right move or the right decision in any given situation. Good leaders are confident and make quick decisions in difficult times. Their confidence helps keep the other teammates at ease in chaotic or tense situations.

A well-formulated career strategy can help you to achieve long-term goals in any job situation. Reaching the top positions in any industry requires a good mix of technical and soft skills. Let’s explore some of the top-ranking positions in the IT industry to review the necessary qualifications for these advanced careers.

CIO (chief information officer): This position refers to the head of the information technology department in an organization. CIOs are responsible for understanding and fulfilling the organization’s IT needs, managing the implementation of new technologies, and making the best use of the organization’s knowledge resources. To become a CIO, the basic requirements are a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer or information science and at least five years of relevant work experience.

Software architect: A software architect designs, directs, and works on technical matters such as an organization’s coding standards, tools, and software or hardware platforms. To become a software architect, you must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or a related field and at least five years of relevant work experience.

Network administrator: A network administrator manages the day-to-day maintenance of an organization’s computer network, server deployment, and security. This IT professional needs a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field. Work experience can be zero or more years.

System administrator: This job involves managing the computer systems and servers in an organization, including the installation, maintenance, and upgrading of these systems. A system administrator needs a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field. Work experience can be zero or more years.

Database administrator: A database administrator uses database software to store and manage data. This type of administrator needs a bachelor’s degree in an information or computer-related subject. Work experience can be zero to five years.


Electronic commerce or e-commerce refers to the practice of buying, selling, and performing other commercial transactions using the Internet. It includes processes such as electronic funds transfers, supply chain management, Internet marketing, and online transaction processing. Let’s examine a few e-commerce careers.

Web designer: A web designer position involves the design, layout, and creation of websites. Web designers manage the technical and graphical features of a website. The designer needs an associate’s degree in web design or a related field. Work experience required may be zero or more years.

Business analyst: An e-commerce business analyst analyzes the various factors that influence customer decision-making with respect to the products and services provided by an organization. The analyst also writes reports and monitors e-commerce data such as unique visitors, customer relationship management, and customer self-service. An e-commerce business analyst needs a bachelor’s degree in a computer or information science field. Some companies hire analysts who have a mix of business or liberal arts degrees and IT skills. Work experience needed may be zero or more years.

Additional Certifications
Apart from a university degree, a number of certification courses can boost your IT career and increase your earning capacity in this field. Typically offered by hardware or software vendors, these certifications deal with specific tools or technologies. Many IT professionals take the certification courses to enhance their skills and improve their job prospects. Individuals with additional certifications usually command higher salaries as compared to those without any certifications. Let’s learn about some of the common IT certification courses.

Project Management Professional (PMP): PMP is a recognized certification course from the Project Management Institute (PMI) for individuals who wish to work as project managers. The certification is proof of your education, experience, and ability to lead and direct projects. A PMP certification is a great way to improve your management skills and increase your earning potential. A bachelor’s degree or a secondary degree (high school diploma or associate’s degree) combined with three to five years of work experience in project management is necessary for this certification.


PRojects IN Controlled Environments, version 2 (PRINCE2): PRINCE2 from APMG-International is a project management certification. It involves only high-level management, control, and organization of a project. It does not incorporate lower-level management tasks. PRINCE2 has various levels with different requisite examinations, including PRINCE2 Foundation, PRINCE2 Practitioner, PRINCE2 Professional, and so on.

Certified Software Project Manager (CSPM): This certification is provided by the Quality Assurance Institute (QAI). It provides improved and reliable software project management skills. The certification is mostly helpful for professionals who deal in the following domains: Quality, Testing, Business Analysis, Project Management and Process Engineering.


Oracle Database Administrator (Oracle DBA): Most organizations use databases to store and manage their data. Oracle database software is among the most widely used database software, and this certification qualifies you to administer Oracle databases. Oracle database certification courses train you in database management skills, including database design and creation, backups, recovery, performance tuning, user management, and security.

Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): This Microsoft certification equips IT professionals with the skills needed to develop IT infrastructure. The MCITP certification indicates an individual’s suitability for careers such as a database administrator, enterprise messaging administrator, and so on.

Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE): This certification provides specialization in two categories, MCSE messaging and MCSE security. It trains IT professionals to design and implement business solutions on Windows-based platforms.

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE): Cisco certifications are similar to Microsoft certifications, and they help set industry standards. The CCIE certification equips individuals with the expert-level skills needed to plan, operate, and troubleshoot network infrastructure. This certification is suitable for network engineers.