Non-Traditional Ways to Advance Your Career

From Anita Borg Institute Wiki

Robin Jeffries (Google) introduced panelists who addressed a full house.

General overview of non-traditional ways to advance you career:

• Publish (articles, books)
• Teach a class
• Volunteer for a committee
• Present @ conferences
• Blog (though one panelist said she couldn't do this - even if it was just her opinion, would seem like the company's)
• Consult (if allowed)
• Networking groups
• Be open to opportunities that come up
• Do what you love
• "Things happen - but they don't just happen"

Catherine Courage - Salesforce - Once you figure out your goals, make them known. Good managers want to help you achieve your goals. Go find a role model/mentor - tell them you admire them and take them to lunch every month or so. If you're doing great work, it makes your boss look good - it makes your company look good - it can make your organization look good within your company - make it visible and let it be known. Take advantage of your company's resources and smart people.

Susan Landau - Sun - "I have a great job - it happened by accident; it didn't happen by accident" - because of tiny choices you make along the way that have gathered up. Check your monetary decisions so that you aren't tethered into something you don't like. Live well within your income. Determination and stubbornness. Is gender automatically "non-traditional"?

"Demands of having kids are a whole lot harder to deal with than juggling the demands of a day job" - she talked about the demands of when she had 2 and 4 year olds, juggling doctor's appointments, schedules, being sick, kids crying hard when you leave daycare, etc. She works from home and this is important. How important is face time? She suggested a future panel should be on working from home. Sun is incredibly supportive to working from home in both creating technology to facilitate and encouraging it.

Jill Strawbridge - Shopzilla - You can't predict - you need to be open to opportunities that come your way. Take opportunity to differentiate as expert - even in narrow areas.

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Heather D. Pfeiffer took these notes:

"traditional career"?

"Real" employer

 Primary job

Non-traditional approaches

 publish - articles, even a book
 teach a class
 volunteer 
 etc.

Panelist

 How are your career non-traditional? 

Catherine Courage

 If not being recognized - so need change
   "know your goals"
   "know your values"
   Make these known to management or other people

   Learn about someone that can be a mentor

   Self promotion - tell people what you are doing
                    people outside of your small group

   Step out and propose a solution; don't just complain

   Take advantage of all that is available to you

Dr. Susan Landau

  Personal story:  Theorical Computer Science - married to CS Professor
                   Did writing that was not classified as research
                   NSF grant, but not tenure position; continued to write
                   Then wrote book
                   Now work for Sun (security and privacy)

   Look carefully on what you can afford; give intelliance freedom
   Work well with spouse; continue to your dreams

Dr. Jill Strawbridge

  Open to opportunies as they become available
  Do things outside of "day job"
  Teach if you like to teach; win - win situation
  Lecture or present at conferences or workshops

Questions?

How to find mentors

  Find conferences that is in your area
  Professional organizations

How to know which to choose between opporitunity

  Go with Gut
  Choose what is interesting
  Choose what is fun
  Create options

Can you go as far as you can go?

  OK to be somewhere else
  Added to marketability
  Writing can help you

How can you stay focus on day job with outside stuff?

  Children were outside of day job
  Get your employer interested in your outside activities
  Be real organized

If you are going to work from home how are you seen in the company

  Get company involved
  Make sure everyone knows where you are
  Travel at times
  Make time available

How do you decide which projects are within the scope of your "day job"

  Know your manager and employer
  Presentation of how to help

If you want to work from home - how find company

 Ask; be flexible on your part
 Look for commany with alot of offices

If your company is not interesting in what you are

 Move

What if you have multiple interest

 Look at the university
 look at possibly a teaching instuition

How to you get through the days in which you are not on a clear path

 remind yourself of what you want
 look at creating a new role
 try going other ways

Closing remarks

 Don't get locked into a track
 Things you do - make things happen
 Do hard work