After a software engineer what NEXT?

I believe work is an integral part of content and confident living and as often as I get questions from you, I shall make an attempt to answer questions on work and career in the software, media and consulting industry. This week I take a question from Arati who asked:

I'm an engineering student in the final year. I will be entering the IT industry very soon. Can you help me with the basics I need to know about this Industry. I would be starting as a software engineer.So what are the levels that I should aspire to reach there after?

This an important question to ask. But first things first. Complete your studies. Join the company that gave you placement. Go in with an attitude to learn. The job in front of you is in many ways new to you - one can see it as a turning point in life - its your entry into work life (which is different from the student world), you begin to earn for the first time (if you haven't during your summers) and you will be held accountable for the work for the first time (which is very different from passing exams) and for the first time you will have a boss who is keen to see you succeed and deliver. In other dimensions, you will be working with people who are as good as you are. Some with several years of experience and have seen it and done it.


Therefore go with the attitude of learning - to learn the job, learn about peer/team relationships, life skills (building relationships, gaining trust, learning to communicate a conviction, negotiation skills, balancing motivation and capability, result orientedness, goal setting, time management, discipline, integrity, and accountability) understanding the company you work for, learning to work with managers. Most freshmen in companies start to deliver only in about 6 - 12 months upon induction and so the company is making an investment into you hoping for a return for that investment. And so here are some tips that might help you and others like you:

1) Avoid worrying too much about what you will become after software engineer - you havent become one yet. You will begin to become one only after beginning to deliver something that your clients are willing to pay for. Till such time, its training and learning time.

2) You may have been told/taught to ask yourselves the question "what do you want to be in 5 years". This is an industry where no one plans for more than 18 months. You are lucky if you can handle 6 months without change in the things you do. So be realistic about planning. Take baby steps. Keep an open mind and look for opportunities and take it whenever they appear.

3) Use your first job to pick up skills you will need in high pressure environments, working on results as opposed to tasks - most of your training in university might have been towards fulfilling tasks. The industry measures and usually rewards results only.

4) In the industry no opportunity is usually given, it is usually taken. Dont worry about this now, you will need this ability in about 3-4 years.

5) Avoid focusing on the pay check in the first 2-3 years or going overseas. I have seen many young people jump jobs for the sake of money or overseas opportunities alone. Too frequent jumps in the job is a negative on your resume in the early years. Your life goal cannot be money or living/working overseas. Peer pressure is high in this industry - be yourself.

6) Its hard work - rewards dont come easy. You begin to earn respect of people around you only after you bring in results. You pedigree, qualifications dont matter beyond a point - they might fetch you an entry into corporations but thereafter its what you deliver at the end of the day. No free lunch on the job. You got to earn it. The software industry in India is a pamperred industry - pamperred for too long. Dont expect a lot of pamperring and things might change anytime.

7) This one is probably closest to the question you asked. At the end of one year if you can identify what you are good at and what you are not it would suffice for you to take the next steps. As you grow in the company/career, you will realise that there is something called "transferable skills" - skills that you can take from one job to another. As generic these are one can take up any job but it will have the risk of being commodity skills. At the same time one can have a niche set of skills that may be needed for a set of highly rewarding and unique roles. These are areas that you may want to focus on as you get into the 2nd and 3rd year of your career. Not a worry at this point for you.

8) Finally, you may have noticed that I havent touched on the technology (j2ee, .net etc.) discussion at all. I have consciously avoided that because thats where most people unfortunately focus on, most universities focus on these. These are not just enough to succeed in a career as a software engineer. Just as an example, a software engineer who writes good code is less useful when he/she cannot articulate the problem or communicate the solution to his peers and customers. Hence the need for all round development. Knowledge of a technology is only a fraction of what is needed. Mere knowledge too doesnt suffice the ability to apply it does. Besides, with average intelligence one can pick up any new technology if one has the apptitude.