I'm always surprises me whenever I'm told I've done a good job on something. Part of this is because I am my own toughest critic. I have not found an application where this trait has served me well, but it's who I am.
The other day, I was asked to take on a new responsibility at work. The task would require learning a new code library, but I jumped at the opportunity. My enthusiasm and willingness to take on new roles has really impressed the management at my company, but from my point of view, I've done nothing special.
Learning to me is second nature. I've been gifted with an insatiable appetite for knowledge in many fields. My many interests include computers, electrical engineering, history, writing, politics, astronomy, model railroading, geology, geography, photography, and gardening. There are so many sub-topics of computers that I'm fascinated with that I won't even try to list them all.
Part of my thirst for knowledge comes from two sayings my father told me while growing up. The first, which came from his grandparents, was that the day you did not learn anything new is the day you die. While morbid, it makes a good point. With this in mind, my family would go around the table at dinner and discuss one thing that we learned during the day.
The other saying my father shared with me when I was a teenager is that the one thing no one can take away from you is what you know. It is this saying in particular that really drives me to learn new things, and in a field that is constantly changing, like Software Development, if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind.
My father-in-law has also shared a couple tidbits of wisdom with me that are a bit more practical in nature. The first is to always have an updated resume. Unfortunately, we don't live in the 50s, when it would be possible for someone to work for one company their entire adult life. Nowadays, most workers will switch careers a couple times in their lives. Having a resume that is up-to-date will eliminate one necessary step for finding that next job.
I would even go so far as to suggest having a supplemental document to your resume that lists EVERYTHING under the sun that you can thing of that you know. I try to tailor my resume to the job I am applying for. While I'm not adding skills I don't have, I do emphasize skills highlighted in the job posting and removing skills that do not seem important.
An alternative to a supplemental document would be a CV. The Stack Overflow Careers site has a CV that you can fill out for free. So long as you remember to keep this document updated as well, I see no harm in using this instead of a supplemental document.
The final piece of wisdom comes from my father-in-law, who told me to dress as if I had been promoted to the next level up in the management chain. Thus, if you are not a manager, you should dress like one. If you are a manager, you should dress like an executive.
My work is very relaxed on dress code. In the summer, it is common to see people in khaki shorts, T-Shirts, and sandals. In the winter, Jeans, T-Shirt, and tennis shoes is the norm. So, when I started wearing Khaki pants, dress shoes, a button up shirt, and a sports coat, I certainly got a few remarks. I've dressed down a bit since the first day, opting for a T-Shirt under the sports coat. Since switching to this level of dress, I have felt a bit more confident and professional and that can never be a bad thing.
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