Training, Coaching and Mentoring-I - The Basics

"Practice makes a man perfect"...But before practice comes - getting knowledge (or trained) in your area of choice....
To achieve excellence in any field you need to start with Training and Guidance,...followed by your Hardwork, dedication and gradual experience.
In today's competitive world, nothing comes easy....To gain an entry and make your mark in the favorite field, it has becoming increasingly difficult.

This article is for all those who are trying to enter the IT field or are looking to gain experience in their favorite area of work.

In one of my projects, I had a colleague who was an excellent integration developer and a solutions architect, but somehow he felt his calling was being a business analyst.
Then there were those who were Insurance business domain experts and want to try their hand at Project Management, based on their leadership qualities.

One of my colleagues from India recently got married. His wife was from the IT background back home, but had stopped working for past few years. Now she wanted to restart her career. I sat with them to see where her skillsets and background would fit, so she could contribute her knowledge and grow professionally and personally as well.

I gave them my two cents and that somehow led me thinking to this blog article and maybe a few subsequent few to follow. Bear in mind, i can only write about areas that i am know of.

So coming back, here are the steps i advise to my friends who are planning a change in their area of expertise or planning to gain more exposure to their favorite area of work
Analyze your interests - strengths and weakness
  - Helps you gain insight on what you can do and need to work on. Builds your  focus areas
 
Plan for the area of work
  - Systematically find mentors or someone who can coach you, guide you and point you in the right direction
 
Gain systematic knowledge and exposure
  - Gain knowledge, experience and real time exposure which is key.
 
Confidently march towards your dreams
  - Last but not the least...go get'em tiger....

All the above steps are very important because once you have the requisite knowleldge and exposure, it helps boost your morale and confidence when you go for an interview.
If you are new to the IT Industry or going to enter a specialized Industry like IT for Insurance, it is always to your advantage to have some project background.
In the next few posts i will try to give some guidelines on some specific areas of work like Project Management, Business Analysis, Insurance basics, Packaged solutions for Insurance etc..so keep reading..

Also, please let me know your comments and feedback