How to Make Time for Continuing Education and Career Development

CIO — Demanding full-time jobs, often coupled with hectic family responsibilities, prevent many IT professionals from pursuing the continuing education and professional development programs they need to remain relevant in the mercurial IT industry and competitive job market. But IT professionals who don't make time to take classes, study on their own, earn certifications or pursue advanced degrees risk becoming obsolete.

"If you want to advance in your career and do well professionally, education is second to none," says John Hally, a senior network/security engineer with EBSCO Publishing, a provider of research databases and ebooks for libraries, medical and government institutions. Hally, 42, has been taking classes on information security for 12 years. He's currently pursuing a Master's degree in security engineering from the SANS Technology Institute, a for-profit educational institution offering advanced degrees is security management and engineering.

"It's an investment in yourself," adds Hally, who's worked for EBSCO for 19 years. "I'd rather invest in myself than drop that money into a mutual fundespecially with the way the economy has been the last six years."

Continuing education is such an important component of IT professionals' career plans because it exposes them to new ideas, new technologies, new processes and methodologies. And it does help them stand out to recruiters and employers.

"When a manager or recruiter is looking at your resume and they see you've taken classes, earned certifications and pursued advanced degrees, it shows them that you have dedicated time to advancing your career and knowledge," says Bonnie Diehl, the SANS Technology Institute's chief academic officer. "It shows a willingness to learn and improve, and it's a real positive thing to see."

Here, Hally and other working IT professionals offer seven tips to help you fit continuing education into your busy work and family life.

CIO — Early in his IT career, Gerry Halmagyi was lucky to have a manager who genuinely cared about him and took the time to give him some sobering advice about the importance of continuing education.

"Don't ever think that any company is going to be concerned about your overall career development," Halmagyi recalls his manager saying. "You are ultimately responsible for your career. You have to keep your education current."

Halmagyi, a 20-year veteran of the IT industry, says he took this advice to heart, and for years he pursued certifications and professional development on his own dime and his own time. Eventually, while he was working as an IT director and business relationship manager with ConocoPhillips, the daily grind caught up with him, and he stopped his continuing education pursuits.

In 2007, concerned about a possible layoff at ConocoPhillips, Halmagyi took stock of his career. He asked himself what skills would he be marketing and what value he would bring to an employer in the event he lost his job and needed to hunt for a new one.

"I realized I probably was at risk if a layoff were to occur," says Halmagyi. "I had become complacent in my career and in my personal career development. I allowed myself to get caught up in the inertia of day-to-day work. I hadn't been thinking about where I ultimately want to go in my career and how I get there. I decided I needed to take more active responsibility for my own career."

Balancing Life and IT Career Development

Demanding full-time jobs, often coupled with hectic family responsibilities, prevent many IT professionals from pursuing the continuing education and professional development programs they need to remain relevant in the mercurial IT industry and competitive job market. But IT professionals who don't make time to take classes, study on their own, earn certifications or pursue advanced degrees risk becoming obsolete.

"If you want to advance in your career and do well professionally, education is second to none," says John Hally, a senior network/security engineer with EBSCO Publishing, a provider of research databases and ebooks for libraries, medical and government institutions. Hally has been taking classes on information security for 12 years. He's currently pursuing a Master's degree in security engineering from the SANS Technology Institute, a for-profit educational institution offering advanced degrees is security management and engineering.

"It's an investment in yourself," adds Hally, who's worked for EBSCO for 19 years. "I'd rather invest in myself than drop that money into a mutual fund—especially with the way the economy has been the last six years."

Continuing education is such an important component of IT professionals' career plans because it exposes them to new ideas, new technologies, new processes and methodologies. And it does help them stand out to recruiters and employers.

"When a manager or recruiter is looking at your resume and they see you've taken classes, earned certifications and pursued advanced degrees, it shows them that you have dedicated time to advancing your career and knowledge," says Bonnie Diehl, the SANS Technology Institute's chief academic officer. "It shows a willingness to learn and improve, and it's a real positive thing to see."

Here, Halmagyi, Hally and project management consultant Andy Maxymillian offer seven tips to help you fit continuing education into your busy work and family life.