Actually, that's not what I meant. But let me start from the start. Lifehacker is a productivity blog. They recently published an article titled "Prepare for a Layoff". What they're basically saying is that in times of possible recession it pays to have your Plan B ready, know the market, update your resume and maybe have some test interviews, you never know. They only got one thing wrong: This isn't just for recession. Even if you're employed in the same job since twenty years and plan to stay for another twenty, you need to stay in the market. Think of yourself as a company. That company has one CEO (you), an HR Manager (you), looking after one employee (you). Your "real" employer is your customer, and they're buying your service, day after day. In fact, they're pretty much a monopoly customer, at least short term. Wouldn't the HR Manager You want to ensure that the Employee You is ahead of the market? Wouldn't CEO You want to ensure that Company You gets unstuck from the monopoly who might dictate terms and prices? Wouldn't Key Account Manager You want to ensure the best possible negotiation position by knowing Employee You's skills' market value? So, there. We know the IT Security market is going strong, and there's maybe no need to change jobs any time soon. Even in times of plenty you want to make sure you're getting what you're worth. This is it. Update your resume at least monthly, read the job ads on a regular basis, keep your networking humming and get a bearing on your market value from job ads, by calling prospective employers, by interviewing or from sites like IT Jobs Watch. Learn the skills that are in demand and that you may be missing, and learn the skills that will be in demand a year or two from now. Oh, and don't forget to do your job. Next up: How to stay motivated by reading the Trizle blog. :-)
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