{"id":61134,"date":"2022-05-12T22:23:28","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T21:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/?p=61134"},"modified":"2022-06-13T15:34:56","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T14:34:56","slug":"how-to-pivot-as-an-it-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/technetuk\/2022\/05\/12\/how-to-pivot-as-an-it-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"How to pivot as an IT Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"An<\/p>\n

There have been many times in my career when I felt it necessary to pivot. I can\u2019t give you evidence of a strong indicator of why I felt that way, just that things needed to change. Sometimes it was a wholesale change; sometimes it was just a slight modification. But with each adaptation I\u2019ve learned and grown, and I guess it worked because I\u2019m still here, still in love with technology.<\/p>\n

With all my accumulated years as a technology worker, it could have been a sort of technology awareness, knowing that I\u2019d spent too many cycles in a focus area and that the area was almost spent. Maybe I was just in tune with the technological cosmos, but those times \u2013 when I\u2019ve accepted them and reacted \u2013 have been some of the most monumental and rewarding.<\/p>\n

Talking with others through my interactions at conferences, events and in communities, I know that many have also felt this tug throughout their career, but many even more recently. I believe we are at another one of these junction points. I\u2019ve personally been trying to expand my scope of knowledge in areas where I\u2019m uncomfortable and I know that my efforts will help me to grow again and stay a resilient technological citizen for even more years to come.<\/p>\n

One of the best ways to approach this potential lane change is to delve into areas you\u2019re not immediately comfortable with and locate available resources for learning. In doing so, you are much better able to identify the new lane you want to be in, and you\u2019ll start to find new areas of interest. Pivoting doesn\u2019t have to be torturous. Adding new expertise shouldn\u2019t feel like a punishment. You\u2019ll quickly identify a new area where you feel a new cosmic harmony. Find it and stick with it.<\/p>\n

As a security person at Microsoft, I can tell you that security threads throughout everything you work with each day. If there were one single area I would propose you focus on, it would be security \u2013 particularly how the Microsoft Security platform integrates and interacts with your hybrid environment. This is a very good place to be right now and an awesome career path. And, while you may feel comfortable with the overall security for devices, applications, services and users you manage, building deeper knowledge in these areas is important and can help ease that hunger for change.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s some recommended areas that might be slightly out of your comfort zone that you can use to test the waters:<\/p>\n