Should you re-skill? How?

Do you really need to re-skill to keep up with the rapidly changing hardware, software, and technologies? Won’t your current knowledge keep you well-fed for the rest of your life? Unfortunately, the answer is, yes, you do need to re-skill.

Let’s take a fictitious example, even though the story will reflect the situations of many of you or your friends. Our friend, call him Amit Gupta, took a course from one of the leading computer institutes in his city. After a year or two of the course, where he learnt a little of the buzzwords of the time–C/C++, Java, Internet, VB, HTML–he easily got a job in a good dotcom company, where he created Web pages and Java applets for the site. Things were fine, till the dotcom bust began. The company started by cutting costs, salaries were no longer raised, and a few months later, the layoffs began. Needless to say, if Amit were more experienced in more technologies, programming languages, or work areas, he would’ve either retained his job or found another one just as good, if not better.

So, the secret behind being invaluable to your company, is to make yourself an asset that can be used and re-used in many areas. But, re-skilling your knowledge or work area takes time. Warning bells from the environment around you will tell you when this time comes. In fact, the current environment suggests that you take a close look at what you are doing and see whether 1) anyone else in your company can handle what you are doing, and 2) can you do something for the company that no one else can. If someone can replace you easily then it’s time you start re-skilling yourself. If you are confident that no one else can pick up what you are working on then you could put off re-skilling for now. But remember that this is an ongoing cycle. You will need to keep your eyes and ears open for any hint of danger and re-evaluate your position in the company at all times. It might be better to move out today on your own terms than be forced to leave in the future.

If evaluation leads you to decide that you need to re-skill, how should you do it? For one, do not be stuck to any one or two technologies, languages, or platforms. Do not be only a Windows weenie, a Linux loony or a Java jerk. Be all of them, if possible! If you are working on a specific language and platform, say Java (one of the languages hyped two years back to produce a workforce of Java programmers), look at other technologies, both in and out of your work area. So, if you are working on Java on the server side, look at server-side technologies on other platforms–ASP, PHP, .Net–and maybe even other technologies, like VB, C/C++ for application or system programming.

Also, gain experience in new fields, either by doing small, non-commercial projects, or by participating in discussions, giving tech support, or publishing open-source code. Of course, be careful not to step on anyone’s, particularly your company’s, toes. Companies rarely let go of people with multiple skills especially if they are experienced. Also, if your company gets into trouble, you will stand a good chance of moving.

At the risk of sounding immodest, I’ll say that I, too, have continuously re-skilled myself; and it is not easy. My profile of an entrepreneur and technology consultant requires that I be well-versed in many technologies. Most of what I know has been through experience in other similar technologies and self-learning. I have set a target of learning at least two technologies every week; not in full depth, but enough to be able to relate them with other stuff I know and to advice a client on them.



The secret behind learning languages is that once you learn the first few, learning new ones is not difficult–you begin to think in logical terms, the only difference being the syntax of the new language. The same goes for most technologies. However, you alone have to decide the need and method for re-skilling. The hardest thing in computers is to run like mad just to stay put in the same place. It can be a fun or frustrating ride, depending on how you look at it.

Vinod Unny