Coming out of college to a first job involves problems that primarily have to do with making a shift from the academic world to the reality of nine-to-five (DPers will laugh at my use of those hours to indicate a normal workday in the field).
For someone coming out of a long period of unemployment, having a job to go to will be a relief, a welcome haven from the confusing and discouraging days of not working.
People changing jobs within data processing bring with them two valuable assets to make the transition easier: hands-on experience with the tools of the trade and prior exposure to the functioning of the business world, at least within the confines of a data processing department.
If you have received new job offers you have to check whether the offers firm? The scenario is an old one and, unfortunately, repeats itself with regularity. So many people - particularly if they have been looking for a while-read more into an employer's words than is intended. For instance, after going through a few interviews you're told, "You're the person we're really interested in. It looks good for you."
That's not a firm offer, but people take it as such and drop out of the job search market. Some even quit their current job and go on vacation, only to return to be told that someone else has come along with better qualifications and has been hired.
A firm offer means a direct and specific commitment, including a starting date, definite salary agreement, and dealing with the personnel department about the details of hiring.
But while the hardware and software might be identical to those in your previous job, you can count on significant differences in the way your new department and company are run. There are many factors at play here, and one of the most important is what is termed "corporate culture."
Every family has differences within it that set it apart from its neighbors and the same holds true for companies, large and small, service and manufacturing, established and start-up alike. Understanding the corporate culture that surrounds your new job will play a large role in how well you succeed in it, and will help determine your future success.
For men and women beginning a career in data processing, politics often doesn't seem important, but as a person grows in a career (assuming you're someone who wishes to grow and not simply stagnate at one level), understanding and becoming an effective user of politics is a necessity.
For example, let's say you have been doing a good job in programming and programming analysis, a typical steppingstone level in data processing. Your inter-mediate goals are to move up to positions in systems analysis and project leadership, with your eyes set on the eventual position of manager of information services. If those are your aspirations, being comfortable with the use of politics as earlier defined not only can't be avoided, but must play a continuous role in your thinking.
At lower levels of data processing, technical knowledge looms larger than it does as you proceed up through the various layers of responsibility. For instance, DP managers have to be concerned not only with the technical operations of their department, but with how their department contributes to the company's overall goals. A typical situation would be when the managers of a large and important warehouse needs a workable data system to keep track of inventory. At the same time, a skilled analyst working under the manager has no interest in something so mundane as keeping track of spare parts, and would much rather be working on the development of a more esoteric system. The manager must come up with a way to satisfy the needs of the warehouse and at the same time keep his or her best analyst motivated. How do managers do that? They practice politics, in its purest form.
