Ask Bob: What is the best IT career route?

Dear Unsure:

I would pursue MIS and then come to a conclusion. A true MIS person is the architect pairing the right technology with a company's mission. It requires a complex skill set that is very much in demand. The ideal MIS person understands systems and IT. It's a key strategic role that requires both technical and business smarts. Real MIS people are techies who can communicate with both the system creators and the biz folks in charge of fattening the bottom line. Before considering schooling, decide whether MIS is your bent and see if you have the right aptitude for it. Hang out with some MIS people, ply them with questions, and then make your decision.

Dear Bob:

I've been pretty lucky over the past decade. I've had a couple of good jobs with small companies, and a new job opportunity that I heard about through a networking channel looks really interesting. (A friend of a friend recommended me.) The job specs are compatible, and the salary and accompanying package seems good too. The problem is that I'm having trouble dealing with all the bureaucracy in the hiring process. The company can't do anything without adhering to some procedure. I have never had to deal with any of this nonsense --- at my former job, a manager interviewed you and if you made a great impression, you were hired. Not here. Rather than deal directly with the manager I was referred to, I first had to go through human resources for a preliminary interview. Then I met with two assistants before I got to talk to the people with whom I'd actually be working. All this procedural stuff has me worried. Do you think my fears are justified?

									Justified

Dear Justified:

Granted, bureaucracy can be frustrating. But before throwing in the towel, get a precise reading of what your job will be, what the reporting relationships are, and most important, whether you like what you'll be doing and who you'll be working with. Don't think that all large companies are being strangled by organizational red tape; many still manage to get things done.

Dear Bob:

I've been promoted to a managerial job after working as a network engineer for 5 years. Somehow, management equated my technical prowess with managerial competence. I'm flattered, but I don't quite see the connection. Nevertheless, I suddenly find myself part of the middle-management ranks and I feel adrift at sea. I know how to do my job and what others should be doing, but I know nothing about motivating or directing others. I don't want to botch my new job and I certainly don't want management to know that I don't know what I'm doing. Any suggestions?

									Uptight

Dear Uptight:

Thousands of workers face the same dilemma of being handed the management baton and not having a clue what they're doing. Don't despair -- no one is born knowing how to be a boss. Like everything else, you have to learn it. The good news is that you can easily find training seminars and books on the subject. Start by researching management-training seminars. The American Management Association, for example, sponsors a raft of them. After you've done some research, inform management that you'd like to enroll in a seminar. I'd be surprised if they didn't embrace the undertaking. You can also consider online seminars and discussions, as well as courses at local entrepreneurial centers and colleges.