For the period of your volunteership, especially if it is just a few weeks, you should get to the office as early as you are allowed and leave at the last possible moment. Every minute you spend at work, no matter how mundane the task you are doing, is a minute well spent. While we are on the subject of mundane tasks, let's address another issue. As a volunteer, there is a chance that you will be given routine tasks to complete, in part because they do not require a great deal of supervision, but mainly because the regular IT staff do not want to do these types of tasks. Whichever way, for you at this stage, there is no such thing as a waste of time. If you have to do mundane tasks for six hours, but then get to spend half an hour in a program project meeting or with a network technician while he upgrades a file server, your six hour investment is cheap at twice the price. Plus, if the tasks you are given are completed correctly, the more likely it is that you will be given a more interesting task next time. This advice may seem obvious, but it is easily forgotten as you start yet another morning of filing and photocopying.
While you are volunteering, take notes, ask questions, and generally soak up the atmospehere of your environment. Watch other people and how they act. Offices have a very unique working environment, as do many other situations. Again, experience is about learning the things that cannot be taught in a classroom, and not all of these things are IT related. Sometimes it is just about understanding the role that your chosen profession plays in a business. Do try to impress others. More often than not a volounteer who impresses co-workers is the first candidate to be considered when a future work opportunity comes up. If you are interested in working for the company you are volunteering at, make sure that the company knows. You will not do yourself any harm by saying at an appropriate moment, "I really enjoy working here. If a position comes up, I would welcome the opportunity to be considered for it."
Sooner or later your work experience period will be over, and it will be time to go back to your studies or to your job search. You still have the opportunity to get maxium benefit from your work experience. Before you leave, get some valuable feedback on your performance. Find a quiet and convenient moment, and then ask the person you reported to for feedback on your performance. Listen carefully to what the person says.You do not necessarily have to agree or dissagree with any of the comments; just listen. After all, it was you who asked for input. After the sesson has finished, thank your supervisor for providing honest feedback, and think about what was said.
The way that last paragraph sounds, it may seem as if all the feedback will be bad, which is probably not the case at all. There may well be more good than bad, but remember that most people find it just as hard to give praise as they do criticism.
Evidence of Efforts
Last, but certainly not least, make sure that you get some evidence of your work. If the organization is unwilling to give a written reference, ask if it would be okay to include a phone number of someone who can give a verbal reference if needed. Failing that, ask if one of the more senior workers in the IT department would be willing to provide a personal reference, which is not necessarily any less effective than one from the company. Remember that although you may feel a little discouraged by a company's reluctance to give a reference, some companies or organizations have a policy of not giving them at all.
Most importantly, remember that as a volounteer, you are the one who is getting something out of the situation. It is up to you to make sure that the organization you work for gets something out of the arrangement too.
All About Training
The furtherment of knowledge is one of the most overriding features of a career in IT. Workers who elect not to learn new technologies and products will find themselves in diminishing demand. To keep up to date with technology, you must continually augment your current knowledge with new information. The process of training can take many forms. In this section, we discuss the various methods of formalized training and pros and cons of each. At some point, almost everyone will need to attend or participate in some kind of course or study.
If you are currently employed, your company will most likely choose the method of study and even the topic of study. For private individuals, however, the range of training options and the bewildering choice of training organizations can make it seem hard to pick the right situation. To help you make a decision, let's look at the various types of training and the features of each. Always remember that you need to view the relative merits of each type from a personal perspective. Self-study may be the most practical option from a price and convenience perspective. If you have self motivation issues, however, it is unlikely to be the best choice. Most of all, rememeber that training should be fun.You are not only learning an interesting subject, but also a subject that can help you build or further a lucrative and re-warding career.
Training Options
Numerous training options are available for those seeking a career in IT. The training method you choose is very important because it must prepare you with the knowledge and skills to do the job. Training options for IT range from complete self-study to instructor-led classrooms and every possible combination in between.The following sections explain each category to help you understand the characteristics of each. In some cases, course curriculum may use a combination of methods. Even the most focused instructor-led classroom courses require that you supplement the information learned in the classroom with that learned outside the classroom.
