Be the Leader of Your Career: A Self-Centered Approach to Strategic Career Management

The role of the Information Technology (IT) professional has changed drastically in the last ten (10) years. Emerging technologies, organizational restructuring, and reduction in IT spending; has not only lead to uncertainty, but opportunity. To maintain relevance in a fast paced evolving field and achieve a high level of career satisfaction; IT professionals must employ the same tactical approach used to implement high-quality IT solutions-- to managing their own careers. While organizations provide a wealth of tools to support career development, key individual elements to ensure career success are: strategy, ownership, and action. A strategic framework for managing one's career, increases the probability for a satisfying and viable career in IT. Professionals should develop a career strategy that merges their career goals with organizational resources to achieve a high-quality optimal career. This paper presents a framework for a person centered approach to career development that leverages organizational resources and individual actions to build a strategic plan for optimal career satisfaction.