10 things you can do to ensure career survival in 2009

By John McKee
With unemployment rates climbing into the stratosphere and job prospects becoming increasingly tenuous, IT pros need to think strategically and act effectively to keep their heads above water. Here are some recommendations to help you safeguard your career during the months to come.

1. Make a specific plan
I’m not talking about making a wish list which, like New Year’s resolutions, will be forgotten by the third week of January. You want a plan that has specific goals for your job (what’s the best role for you next?) and your income (exactly how much would you like to be making by the end of 2009?). Writing down your plans makes them concrete, and it's more likely you will attain them.

2. SWOT yourself
Be honest with yourself. Review your strengths -- like what you’ve got that can move you ahead; weaknesses -- like those things you have or do that are holding you back; opportunities -- things you can pursue at the company or in the industry; and threats -- things that can derail you or sabotage your efforts to move ahead.

3. Update your resume
Smart careerists are always ready for the next opportunity. Taking time to review and modify your resume before you want to send it to someone makes it a better product. This is often your first introduction to a new employer or boss -- so make sure it’s topnotch.

4. Invest in your career
Most people forget they really have two jobs. The first is to do what you get paid for and do it better than others. The second is to do what’s required to ensure that your career isn’t left to someone’s wrong opinions that were made in your absence. Be in the office when your boss is. It gives you additional opportunity to let him or her get to know you for things other then the job you're currently filling.

5. Get financially smart
Get involved with managing your financial affairs. Paying attention to money matters is one of the smartest and easiest ways to improve your personal balance sheet. There are many books and online courses on the subject of money management basics. Looking after your financial health doesn’t take a lot of time; but it could save your life.

6. Develop a sense of urgency
Many people think that working hard, being busy, and burning a lot of energy is equal to managing their career and life. It’s not. Developing a sense of urgency means knowing how to pick through all those “to-do’s” and focusing your time and energy on just the ones that count.

7. Look up, not down
When downsizing is the operative word, developing your team is no longer the smartest way to ensure success. Spend less time with your staff members and more time looking after your boss' needs. When you show that you're working hard to make him or her look good, you'll stand out from the crowd. And your boss will be more likely to provide you with the resources that you and your team need to do the job better.

8. Update your skill set
It commonly pays to demonstrate that you are interested in “upgrading” yourself -- and in 2009, your ability to grow may be more important than ever. With unemployment now at record highs, demand for jobs greatly exceeds supply. Not staying on par with colleagues and those vying for your job will be a death knell. Take seminars, do coursework, or leverage other vehicles to get on the leading edge and thus, maximize your personal value to the organization.

9. Self promote
Face it: Often, decisions are made affecting who gets moved upward and who gets downsized without your involvement. It’s important that the decision makers know you and what you are doing. Have regular meetings with your boss or send regular e-mails to update those in charge about your contributions.

10. Look after your loved ones
One way or another, when 2009 is done and over, you’ll still be here and you're going to want those you care about to still be with you. While it’s important to look after your job and career, don’t neglect those who make life most worthwhile. Tell them you care and spend time with them "just for fun."

Something nice i learnt today.....

无喜必有祸,一喜挡三灾





:)

Every visit to punggol is a new experience

i din know there is a beach in punggol......

Fengshui Master

Shortlisting of Fengshui Master

1. Master Ng Khoon Seng - Hong Seng Geomancy Centre

2. Master Vincent Koh - 92211154

3. Lynette 's Master Fong

4. Master Zhang's number is 8182 5090. He charges $488 for 4-room, and $588 for 5-room.

5. Master Sunday Gan - Call him at 90086661. [Charge is base on room size, location and service that you wanted.]

6. Master Rayden Sim - SGD $599

Five reasons to kill IT projects

copied from ZDNET

Five reasons to kill IT projects

By Michael Krigsman, ZDNet

A recent study highlighted the top five reasons IT experts who killed a project gave for terminating projects prior to completion. Here's some insight on the five.

A survey of IT experts revealed 43 percent of their organizations had recently killed an IT project.

The study, conducted by ISACA, an independent IT governance group, highlighted the top five reasons these organizations named for terminating projects prior to completion.

Here's the list, with my commentary on each issue:

1. Business needs changed: 30 percent
There are many conditions and situations where a business legitimately changes its requirements after starting a project. If the project no longer provides meaningful value, then it's best to stop throwing good money after bad.

On the other hand, some organizations deliberately obscure a flawed project requirements process by claiming business needs evolved. Obviously, that's unhealthy and a true sign of failure.

2. Did not deliver as promised: 23 percent
This is a typical expectation-setting problem: promise anything to get funding and worry about the consequences later. Shortsighted managers don't realize that funding is less important than delivering substantive value. Failure is inevitable when managers don't clearly identify and deliver business value.

In some cases, the project really did provide value, which the organization did not recognize due to communication problems. I have blogged about one CIO seeking a publicist, presumably to address this issue:

Many organizations take a CIO for granted when his IT department consistently delivers the goods without fanfare and attention; sadly, this human failing is all too common. In that case, PR might be a great idea, especially if the CIO isn't a great communicator. Of course, the CIO should improve his communication skills, but that's another story.

3. Project was no longer a priority: 14 percent
If the organization shifted direction without good reason, thus making the project superfluous, then flawed strategic planning was the culprit. However, if business requirements changed for a good reason, as suggested in point one, there's not necessarily a problem.

In general, and this is an obvious point, canceling projects without a darn good reason is a definite sign of failure.

4. Project exceeded the budget: 13 percent
On the surface, over-budget projects are the basic metric for failure. I'm actually surprised this number isn't higher, because unanticipated cost is always such a clear red flag.

At the same time, some projects run over-budget due to intelligent scope increases that provide additional value. For example, while automating two departments, the project team realizes it can add a third department for only marginal increases in cost. In such cases, going forward is probably the right decision despite the higher spend.

Although tempting to use budget performance as simple metric of success or failure, that approach can be overly simplistic and ignore important nuances related to business value. Nonetheless, anytime a project goes over-budget the team must offer a detailed explanation.

5. Project did not support the business strategy: 7 percent
This classic indicator of failure often suggests a project rooted in poor requirements analysis. However, as with previous points, it's also possible changing business needs made the original project goals obsolete.

Michael Krigsman is CEO of Asuret, a software and consulting company dedicated to reducing software implementation failures. He also serves as CEO of Cambridge Publications, which specializes in developing tools and processes for software implementations and related business practice automation projects. Michael contributes to the IT Project Failures blog at ZDNet Asia's sister site, ZDNet.

Kena Gum Ulcer....

shit man...must be having too much NUTELLA...now kena this painful gum ulcer...last night i rub it with salt...and the sensation was "STEAMING...."

just now read an article abt rubbing it with garlic....and tried it., describing it as sensational was an understatement. but its extremely useful. its not so painful now.

GARLIC is an super herb.

EdgeDale Green

My Floor Plan

This is my house-to-be lift lobby.....view from 15th floor

My Service yard.....

15th Floor..................

Sibei Funny Youtube......

Yes! Yes! Yes!!

After waiting for 2 years...finally we got a decent number to choose a flat. Number 121 in the queue. Finally, i am able to buy a HDB flat. Now came the stress part...choosing a house. Jurong West or BuangKok? Dunno, it should be quite a hard decision to make. but after today visit to BuangKok, i think it should be quite clear that i will choose BuangKok. It so damn near to the MRT...wats more can u ask for?? Jurong West has alot of bangala...see liao quite sian...and its so near to industrial area. The only good thing is that it will be developed into something like AMK HUB where u have everything...The house value will go up...and it will be easier to rent it.

See....Life realli sux. You stress when u can't get a queue number, now u have a queue number, u stress dunno where to buy....SIANZ!!

Home

today, i was told that if i offered 370K + 20K cash, i will get the house...both my wife and I like the house so much as its just opposite the mrt....and near to NTU....so should be easy to rent out in future. buying a 5room at 390K is a big gamble. is the price going to rise somemore?? or it will drop??

sianz....when will i finally get a place i call my home??