For instance - and this is oversimplified - if you are committed to staying in a certain geographical area, there's no sense applying to corporations that will ask you to relocate. The same sort of narrowing down (and again, it's a matter of having taken the time and trouble to know who you are) applies if you want to stick with the purely technical end of data processing and are not interested in playing the "corporate game." If this is you, a smaller, high-tech company might offer you the most satisfaction in the long run. (On the other hand, working in smaller firms sometimes requires you to wear more than one hat, which can plop you smack dab in the middle of more management activity than in a larger corporation, where you can hide.)
If you wish to use your computer knowledge as a steppingstone to broader aspects of business, a large corporation with multiple divisions may offer more opportunity.
One strategy followed by thousands of young people entering a profession is to look for a first, and second and perhaps even third, job with a "springboard company." Every industry has them; some obvious ones are Xerox, Marriott, Procter & Gamble, R. H. Macy, and, of course, IBM. The springboard companies know that your eventual goal is to use their training and reputation to get you a top spot with a smaller firm. The result is that they offer impressive and generous incentives to keep the good ones, which, of course, is to your benefit even if you don't find that dream job outside IBM or Xerox.
Are there drawbacks to approaching your DP career this way? There are, if you're the sort of individual who has trouble functioning in a large corporate environment. If that's the case, your talents just won't shine. Also, opportunities at the top are highly limited, a problem if you decide to stay and seek higher positions within a large company. Again, it comes down to taking stock of your personality, abilities, and goals. If they match up with the springboard approach, consider it.
It might seem axiomatic that since you're trained in data processing, data processing is your occupation. That's too simple. The field has grown so that it encompasses a wide variety of occupations. The young man or woman seeking a first job in the field might be excused for viewing it as just that - one large occupation in which to get started - and might actually find that view more productive. Being open to a wide variety of first - job opportunities makes sense. You might have your goals set on a particular specialty in data processing, but exposure to different areas will open up broader vistas.
For the experienced DPer, chances are you have had exposure to various subspecialties in data processing and are looking to advance in the one that makes the best use of your background and, simultaneously, will give you the greatest psychic and monetary rewards.
It has been my experience, and the experience of many data processing specialists, that too many DPers, especially first-time job seekers, adopt a narrow view of what jobs to pursue. Being open, especially at the start of a career, gives you greater latitude and increases your potential. Naturally, the specific training you have received will help determine which jobs are available to you, but it doesn't stop there. Good companies look for qualities in people that transcend specific education and technical skills. Willingness to explore a variety of challenges within the broad field of data processing is appealing to a prospective employer.
I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't set your sights on some specific goal, especially in the future. Everyone benefits from looking ahead and determining where they would like to be in their careers ten and twenty years later. The trick is to be not so rigidly bound to that goal that opportunities aren't recognized and acted upon along the way.
The same principle holds true, of course, for the experienced DPer looking for a new job within the field. Immersing yourself in a narrow specialty, and concentrating on, for instance, only one programming language or utilizing only a single hardware system, certainly makes you an "expert" in those things. It might also limit your overall career growth. If you are one of those people I mentioned earlier who are content to remain within a technical specialty and have no aspirations to broaden their base, you have reached your goal and should prosper in it. That's the sort of decision only you can make, after you "know thyself."
