(转载) Computer World : The 8 Hottest Skills for '08

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觉得这编写得还不错,不过我的翻译不好,不敢乱乱翻,放上原文,大家08年一起加油.


版主如果认为不妥的请帮帮忙移一移去适合的地方.



December 21,2007(Computerworld) Today's IT professionals are an evolving breed. The job keepsmorphing as companies demand not just technical know-how, but more businessacumen, analytical skills and industry knowledge as well.
Kudos if you'vepulled that all together, but don't rest just yet. The evolution isn't over, asthe upcoming year promises more changes. If you want to stay in the driver'sseat of your own career, put these items on your to-do list:

1. Incorporate security into your responsibilities.
Security and related disciplines, such asbusiness continuity and disaster-recovery planning, are permeating all levelsof the organization. That means all IT workers, and not just the security folks,will have to contribute by understanding how business processes, technicalrequirements and security intersect.
"Everyonehas to understand security to a certain degree and apply it to theirresponsibilities," says Sam Helmich, vice president of technology at ADMInvestor Services Inc. in Chicago.The learning requirements vary by IT positions, but Helmich recommends that youseek out security classes and certification. Finding mentors from the securityteam is another good way to prepare



2.Re-engineer processes. IT has always been responsible for keeping everythingrunning and developing new systems, says Michael Cummins, CIO at the GeorgiaInstitute of Technology's College of Management and aclinical professor of management, but now he sees a new responsibility emerging: re-engineering business processes and workflow.
"We've seenmovement to business processes and workflow analysis as you try to show how systems can help re-engineer how you do the work and makeit more efficient," Cummins says. "That's where we see all these bigproductivity gains."
To deliver this,you must understand how your business-side colleagues actually do their jobs,he says. You can start by signing up as a project lead, finding a business-sidementor or working as a systems analyst.



3. Useanalytics to guide business decisions. "We're seeing more and morecompanies that are stellar examples of using data analysis to run theirbusiness," Cummins says. Casinos, for example, collectand analyze detailed data on individual players and then tailor their marketingbased on those findings. Other industries are following suit, which means you'llhave to set up the systems and understand what data to mine and analyze.
To brush up onanalytics get onto projects that expose youto the needs and goals driving non-IT departments, study vendor information onhow business intelligence applications can provide data to drive decisions, andget training in Six Sigma, a data-driven methodology for eliminating defects.


4. Bemore versatile. There will always be a need for deep technical skills , butyou'll be obsolete if all you can offer is one particular expertise, saysPamela Taylor, a solutions architect at a subsidiary of a Fortune 50 companyand vice president of SHARE, an IBM user group.
"Keepyourself open to new approaches," Taylorsays. "While there is some need for specialization and to demonstrate anexpertise for the particular role you're in now, you must keep yourself aware of and consistently educated in newthings that are emerging."



5. Workon multifunctional programs and multidisciplinary teams. Companies are puttingtogether more teams of workers from diverse departments to delivertechnology-related projects, says Diane Morello, an analyst at Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Conn.Getting assigned to those teams is a key to getting broad business knowledgeand becoming known outside IT.
"Individualsare going to work much more consistently around multidisciplinary teams, andthat means their competencies need to be understood and known by people outsidetheir skill sets," Morello says.
In short, you must be skilled in teamwork, effective communicationand change management.
Try to work for managers who operate across businessunits.Or, if you can, get assigned to a boundary-spanning role, and seek some relieffrom daily operational duties so you can focuson the big picture.


6. Beefup your business skills. The need to do this has been building for awhile, but 2008 will put an even greater emphasis on business acumen, says KateM. Kaiser, an associate professor of IT at Marquette University and coordinatorof the Society for Information Management study "The InformationTechnology Workforce: Trends and Implications 2005-2008."
The need for business knowledge is movingfarther down the IT workforce chain, she says. Even newly minted IT workerswill have to have business smarts. Moreover, companies are looking for ITworkers who have expertise in functional areas, such as marketing or finance, says David Foote, CEOand chief research officer of research firm Foote Partners LLC in New Canaan, Conn.
Getting a degree in business management -- anMBA if you have a tech-related bachelor's degree, or a bachelor's in business
if you have an associate's degree in technology -- can helpprepare you for this new reality, Kaiser says. But so can on-the-job managementexperience, such as leading projects.


7. Bemore accountable. The folks in finance, marketing, HR and other corporate departments already use data to evaluateperformance. IT workers will increasingly have to do the same, Cummins says.Granted, evaluating an IT shop can be hard, because of the lack of productivitymeasures and because of the difficulty of measuring certain, sometimesintangible, gains. But be prepared to showyour value.
Learn SixSigma-type tools and benchmarking, andlearn from businessmanagers who have reputations for running efficient departments.


8.Manage your own career. You can't rely on your manager, company or vendors todetermine a path for you, because those predetermined paths might be too narrowor even obsolete, Foote says. You yourself mustprepare for tomorrow by evaluating your skills and filling in what's missingthrough certification, education and on-the job experience.
"This isthe year you can no longer sleepwalk through your career," Morello adds."Each person has to take ownership of his or her career path."