Tech Survival 101

Tom Henricksen

Tech Survival 101

Copyright © 2024 by Tom Henricksen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

First edition

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Contents

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE TECHNOLOGY FIELD

1. How Does Technology Work in an Organization?

2. IT Titles, Departments, and More

3. Finding the Right Fit for You

4. More than a Paycheck: Salary and Benefits

II. OPERATION AND ENGINEERING ISSUES

5. Understanding Business Stakeholders

6. Common Engineer Issues

7. Operations and Security Pitfalls

8. Programmers Be Crazy!

III. ASSETS AND BRANDING

9. It Is Great to Be Here!

10. Building Your Personal Brand

11. It Is All in the Performance

12. Your Online Brand with LinkedIn

13. Branding Through the Community

IV. MINDSET AND CULTURE

14. Participate and Share

15. Permission to Succeed

16. Don’t Be Bashful, Just Ask!

17. Evolving Your Mindset

18. Developing Your Own Tech Radar

19. Defining Your Core Values

20. What Do I Look for in Culture?

21. Are You Looking for Abundance or Scarcity?

22. Are You Real or an Impostor?

23. Staying Above the Line: Drama or Presence

V. LEADERSHIP

24. Stepping to the Front

25. Leader Performance = Team Performance

26. Building a Great Tech Team

About the Author

I

Introduction to the Technology Field

1

How Does Technology Work in an Organization?

As you start your career in technology, you might wonder about the big picture. How do all the pieces work together? What does the chief information officer (CIO) do? How does the chief technology officer (CTO) fit into the picture? Depending on which level you enter into the technology organization, you may have different vantage points. My first role was as a programmer/analyst at a small consulting firm. Each organization does things a little differently. Overall though, they have some similarities.

C-Suite

The leaders of an organization are commonly referred to as the C-suite or executives. This includes the chief executive officer or CEO, the person in charge of everything and who answers to ownership or the board. The chief information officer is responsible for the technology team or Information Services and sets the tone on policies and procedures and helps drive major initiatives. Some organizations have a chief technology officer. Executives in this role set high-level technology operations. The CIO and CTO often work together on overall technology strategy. The chief operating officer or COO is responsible for day to day operations of the company. Depending on the business field the organization is in, they may also have a chief security officer. This person is responsible for enforcing policies and procedures that ensure security breaches do not occur.

VPs and Directors

The next level below is for the vice president. Some companies will include executive and senior vice presidents, too. This is usually the case for larger organizations. Further down the leadership hierarchy, decisions transition from more strategic to more tactical, day-to-day operations. Some leaders, as they move up the ladder, still appear to keep their heads ‘in the weeds’ of the day to day, i.e., immersed or preoccupied with the details. Directors are at the next level down and usually have multiple managers reporting to them. The technology team may have a director of software development, director of infrastructure, and directory of security. The responsibilities can vary quite a bit for each organization.

Architects and Engineers

Architects in the technology sector generally lay down high-level plans similar to their distant occupational relatives who create plans for buildings. Architects can be found in software design, infrastructure, networks, and a few other areas. Engineers work alongside the architects to put the plans into practice. For example, the software architect creates the design and the software engineers write the code. There is usually a lot of collaboration between these two areas.

Managers

Managers are at the lowest management rung. They work in the day-to-day operations exclusively. Team sizes may vary but often the number of employees who report directly to a manager is five to ten. As a former manager of software development, up to ten people reported to me an any given time. If you enjoy developing people, this is a great level to be at. Expect to have ample opportunity to lead a team and help people.

Analysts

When I first started out of college, I was a programmer/analyst. I thought my title was odd since I mostly developed or programmed software. Although, I got the chance to do more analysis at various points during my first job. For my next job, I worked with a larger organization. They had people who only did the analysis.