Hello Old Dogs to the New World!
Welcome to The Old Dog New Tech Blog.
I am starting this blog to chronicle and inform other “crusty old dog” IT professionals like myself on the process of updating their skill set to the latest technologies. When I started in computer technology back in the late 70′s… I was programming in Fortran on a mainframe using punch cards. They actually had a classes in college that taught “card punch operators” as a vocation. I have been through the many waves or shifts in technology over the past 30 years. Fortran using punch cards to green screen terminals to MS DOS on PC’s. UNIX Workstations like SUN, DEC and Data General which introduced new concepts like networking and graphical user interfaces. Then back to Microsoft Windows 3.1 to Windows for Workgroups to Windows NT, switching from 16 to 32 bit. Then changing languages from C to C++ to Visual Basic. Using different tools an each platform to perform programming and administration tasks.
Then in the 80′s… the Internet was introduced and I remember trying to find a local provider that I could dial into. I installed a program called Chameleon.. a TCP/IP stack for Windows 3.1 along with the very first version of Mosaic and was opened up to a whole new world of web development. In the late 90′s… I became a MCSE, upgrading my skill set yet again to the latest Microsoft enterprise technologies such as SQL Server and Exchange.
You’ve all heard of the seven year itch and Moore’s Law… Well for IT professionals, I think the shift occurs about every 5 years. Maybe this should be called “Moore’s Twitch“. The other day I was updating my resume and I noticed I had changed jobs about every 5 years. I would make these changes because I knew I had to change or be left behind. I am now faced with the same problem many of you are. I missed the last shift. Many of you may have skipped more than one shift and stayed where you were comfortable. Now comes the hard part.. making a leap that is longer and harder than any you may have had in the past.
Also as an entrepreneur over the years, I have been involved with many startups either as an employee or founder. I have learned to wear many hats and know what works and what doesn’t. I have had to mange personnel, sales, marketing, customer support, the raising of capital and most importantly risk. As I said earlier, the market is constantly changing and we need to balance staying current with the latest technology and being productive.
In the coming weeks and months… I will be sharing my knowledge and experience as I jump head long into the latest technologies. The game has changed drastically in the past 12 months. Apple, Google, Microsoft and social media are the major players in the latest shift.
- Apple introduced iPhone and then the App Store and once again software developers can easily become entrepreneurial.
- Google introduced the App Engine and now “open source” web developers can become entrepreneurial with an easy entry into the market without having to invest in and build data centers.
- Microsoft is trying to play catch up on both the mobile and cloud technologies. Microsoft has the bulk of software devs and admins locked into their technology so you can’t count them out during this round.
I am one of those who fall into this last group. I have researched the latest offerings on Microsoft, Google and Apple and will be comparing them in the near future in this blog and discussing what impact that has on us “old dogs”.
The last major technology we all need to understand is “Social Media” and how it has changed the way we communicate and market ourselves. If you are not taking advantage of blogs, twitter, facebook etc., you need to start!! Customers or future employers all know how to use Google and having a blog is one the most important marketing tools available to you.
I will also be sharing my social media experiences through my blog and twitter as I embrace this technology.
Follow me at http://twitter.com/olddognewtech
