Choose a Career by Software Specialty

Written by Bryan Glasson Jun 07, 2009 www.jobsarticle.com

I was recently asked for career advice by an unemployed design engineer. It actually caught me off guard because I always thought of engineers as among the most employable people out there. They usually are degreed individuals with great problem solving skills. I know engineers can major in different disciplines and often get specific degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical and also many other areas. Most that I have met seem to have the two traits I believe are desirable in any employee: organizational skills and problem solving abilities.

Here is where it gets a little tricky though. My client had 8 years using one particular simulation software. It was one of two or three most often used in his industry, so when he interviewed with a company using a different software application, he needed to sell himself as able to quickly become proficient in that program. Not an impossible task, but he was competing against others who could claim to "hit the ground running". My first reaction was why not learn all the top software? As he pointed out, because it can take hundreds and sometimes thousands of hours of training and actually using a powerful software to become proficient at it.

This issue prompted me to start thinking about the best way for people to prepare themselves for employment in an area where they might be using software to perform a large part of their job. would it be best to try and learn the basics of two or three of the most widely used programs, or better to become as proficient as possible in one? First, let's take a quick look at some of the larger employment sectors and see if we can't list a few of the competing software companies in each sector.

Engineering/Design. One type of program used is CAD, an acronym for computer aided design. Three of the larger ones in use are Catia, SolidWorks, and Unigraphics. Business/Enterprise. These are softwares used to run large companies or enterprises or even just certain aspects of enterprise. SAP, and Oracle are good examples. Accounting/Small business. Peachtree and Quickbooks come to mind.

I am going to go out on a limb here. Based on experience in recruiting and SAP training, I believe it is best to become an expert in one software program or even in one specialized area of a software. The old adage of "jack of all trades and master of none" is unlikely to land you a prime position in a competitive employment landscape. Your expertise in a given area may even carry over into associated areas in the eyes of a company.

Of course their are dozens of employment areas and dozens times dozens of softwares to go with them. I'll assume that you already have an idea of what type of work you want to be doing. Let's just say you are working in or looking for a job in small business accounting or bookkeeping. Do you intend to stay in your current geographic area? If the answer is yes, then do your research and try to find out what program is used most in your area. Learn that program if you want to increase your chances of finding a job. If you are looking to relocate, then your research should focus on discovering the most widely used in the whole nation or area where you hope to relocate to. You can also use other criteria when making a decision on what software program. Does one pay more than the other? Has one been around longer and is the company that makes it secure?
Is it only used by one mega company and no others?

For my engineering friend my advise to him was to take more training in the program he had used for so long. His value was in knowing that software and additional training only strengthened his value.