Ady Purnama

Question:
During SAP upgrade from ECC6 R3 to ECC6 EHP5, there is a question: "What is the difference between update vs upgrade?"

Answer:
Updating SAP products is for applying support packs, patches or hotfixes. Upgrade term is used exclusively when product release is changed.

Source

 Thousand ways to Rome

That proverb applicable also to work in IT field. Higher pay salary, flexible time hours (for some position), get extra facilities (especially in techno), high demand jobs, and other things become magnets to work in IT.

But, some (or most) IT professional trapped on their job! They just realized after 30s or 40s, which is harden to move freely as before. Or some create wrong step, that blocked their future opportunity. Here are 4 things you shouldn't do as an IT.

1. Work for Money

Not just in IT, but also other field. If you work for money, in certain step it will get boredom to the max. Work for passion/strength that you good at!

If you really love IT, give all you got to this job seriously. Serve the customer 110%, respond all problems ASAP, read IT articles more frequent, update your skill with seminars, etc.

2. Become Generalist

This is a debatable topic for fresh graduate, "should I become specialist or generalist?"

Most seniors will say be specialist! Some people say that CIO won't handle technical things, it's true! But if they know one or two specific areas, they can communicate better with the subordinate (and earn respect easier).

• If you're still in colleagues, start take specific topic that you like most, and stick with it.
• If you just employed, see what specific area you can take in current office. If you can't find any, move to other company as soon as possible!
• If you're 30s now, find a credible course for specific subject. Don't wait, time flies! You might be start your career from bottom, recalculate with the acceleration and job security
• If you're 40s above, take your future step carefully. If there's a good opportunity to become specialist, take it. But if you can't, create strategy for higher position directly as manager, IT GM, or CIO.

Here's a short interview between CIO/IT Manager (A) and technology consultant (Q) during their dinner.

Q: Which skill needed by IT Managers, technical or soft skill?
A: Of course both of them needed by IT Managers.

Q: But, which one is more important?
A: This answer can be various from one IT Manager to another. Sometimes its depend on company industry, company culture or customers he should handle for. But in my own experience, soft skill can eat larger portion instead of technical one.

Q: Interesting, can you elaborate more why Soft skill is more important, since non-IT will think twice to take your position?
A: I didn't say that technical things not important, but soft skill is more important one. Why soft skill is important, because IT serve human/people, not computer. To communicate with other people, you will need to have soft skill, to ensure that message between you can delivered perfectly.

Q: Give me an example?
A: For an example, when the computer system is down, IT team responsible to solve the problem ASAP. Soft skill to explain to user re the condition take an important role. During black out period, user should be informed about what is the problem, how long, impact of the problem, etc. If manager fail to do so, the network problem can become personal problem.

Q: I see, and technical skill use to solve the problem?
A: Exactly! Without technical skill, the manager will be difficult to find the root cause of the problem and solution. So again, technical and soft skill needed by IT Manager.

Q: So, can you wrapped up, what is the role of IT Manager?
A: IT should serve customer through technology. Don't ever say that IT work with technology, period.

IT should serve customer through technology