Going Corporate: A Geek's Guide

by Shailendra Kadre

Released June 2011

Publisher(s): Apress

ISBN: 9781430237013

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Book description

Going Corporate: A Geek's Guide shows technology workers how to gain the understanding and skills they need to become effective, promotable managers or sought-after consultants or freelancers.

Technology professionals typically dive deeply into small pieces of technology–like lines of code or the design of a circuit. As a result, they may have trouble seeing the bigger picture and how their work supports an organization's goals. But ignoring or dismissing the business or operational aspects of projects and products can lead to career stagnation. In fact, understanding the larger business environment is essential for those who want a management job, a consulting gig, or to one day start a business. It's also essential for those who have been promoted and find themselves flailing for lack of a business education.

Going Corporate: A Geek's Guide to the rescue! This book is designed to help readers gain management skills, insight, and practical understanding of essential business and operational topics. Readers will learn to develop project and program management skills, deliver service efficiently and improve processes, implement governance, analyze financial statements, and much more. After reading this book, technology professionals will understand such things as enterprise architecture, IT operations management, strategic and financial management—and how each relates to the others. Detailed case studies help cement the understanding of how an IT organization and its workers succeed in the 21st century. This book:

Illustrates how pieces of the business puzzle fit together to form a robust enterprise
Prepares readers to get promoted into management
Explains the key management skills and knowledge required for a successful IT career

What you'll learn

The skills and knowledge it takes to be an effective project, program, or mid–level manager, in–demand consultant–or even a C–level executive
How your current job fits into the bigger picture
What your organization must do to create customers and make a profit
How good governance turns strategy into effective action
How understanding finances–corporate or departmental–can help unlock business potential
The tools necessary for making sound operational decisions

Who this book is for

Workers in the technology trenches wondering how to improve career potential
Technology professionals aiming for management positions
Fresh graduates starting a career in the corporate world
Recently promoted managers with little or no business education
Students in technical or business programs

This book will also be useful for practicing engineers and managers as a refresher course on operational challenges encountered in the day-to-day life of technology executives.