When it comes to getting ahead at work, there are lots of ways to improve your station in life.  Most people want the brass ring, but few are willing to do what it takes to get it.

As the old saying goes, “Some People Dream of Success, While Others Wake up and Work Hard at It”.  It really holds true, and work ethic is what separates the winners from losers.  No matter what the endeavor, be it work, sports, relationships, etc., nothing was ever attained without the consistent application of hard work.

Keeping this in mind, 10 things you can do to get ahead at work, are:

1. Be willing to do the things others wont.  That sounds like common sense, but it’s typically harder than it sounds.  Most people have their ‘”job description” and are resistant do extra work.  The immediate response from most people is “That’s not my job” or “am I getting paid extra for that”?  Be the one who does extra without being told, helps out a co-worker or picks up the slack when the rubber hits the road.
2. Be a team player.  No one likes the person who’s out only for themselves and if you have that mentality it will shine through in everything you do.  Most people have the WIIFM mentality (What’s In It for Me).  Again, separate yourself from the majority of people out there by being willing to help others without expecting anything back.  These things get noticed, even if it’s not an immediate return.
3. Do the job before you Get It.  What this means is that you have to function, as much as possible, in the role you want to get promoted into.  Showing your superiors you can do the job already goes a long way to getting you the gig.  After awhile, everyone already thinks of you in that role and your chances for promotion go up greatly.  Conversely, if you become the best “worker bee” ever, the company will see the value of keeping you in that role.  That seems to be in direct conflict with the first two suggestions, but it’s really not.  You can apply to first two, while taking on management or other roles (depending on where you want to go) and do things with the team in mind.
4. Always be Early.  The old adage “Get in Early and Work Late” holds true even in today’s virtual world.  Employers want to know your committed and being there when they need you goes a long way to that end.  Additionally, it shows co-workers and others that you are a go-to person.  Conversely, not being there or getting in late and leaving early builds resentment among others and brings the whole team down.  Being a leader, means leading by example and the more you do, the more encouraged your co-workers will be to do the same.
5. Model Success.  If you want to achieve a certain level of success, whatever that means to you, the quickest way to achieve that goal is to find someone else who already has achieved that goal, and do what they did.  That sounds incredibly overly-simplistic, and it is.  If you listen to any of the NLP practitioners, perhaps the most famous being Anthony Robbins, they talk in great detail about modeling.  “Success Leaves Clues”, and that really holds true.  Modeling is much more than just wearing the same suit or watch as someone successful.  It means learning what drives them, what beliefs they have, how they approach situations, how they make decisions, etc., and applying those same drivers to your own life. Easier said than done, but you don’t necessarily have to personally meet someone to get an insight into their mind and motivations.  Many successful people have written books and given interviews talking about their lives and what drives them.
6. Set Goals and Be Specific.  Very few things are more frustrating than working hard and getting nowhere.  Without specific, written goals, it’s very difficult to achieve success.  Your goals are your roadmap and will help you get to where you want to go by keeping you focused and on track.  Your goals (i.e. map) need to be specific and focused.  Just as it wouldn’t do you much good to be driving in Chicago with a map of Delaware, you must have a clear vision of what you want and how to get there.
7. Know Your Outcome.  In keeping with setting goals, knowing your outcome helps get you through any situation.  When you enter into a business meeting, interview, etc., know ahead of time what you want to achieve.  By knowing what you want and working backward from there, you can see at any point in time if you are on track, or if things need to be readjusted.  This can be applied to anything, even with things like meeting a new person, going to gym, time spent with family, etc.
8. Be Personable.  People like to feel good about themselves, and are attracted to people who make that happen.  Being upbeat, funny and engaging makes people feel good about themselves.  If people feel better when they’re around you than when they’re not, you’ll attract a great many people.  Some can help you achieve your goals directly, while others will help indirectly.
9. Understand Personality Types.  Almost everyone likes the same basic things (i.e. being liked, feeling appreciated and valued, laughing, feeling secure, etc).  Not everyone fills those things the same way though; and to be successful you need to figure out what connects with each person.  Some people like to discuss family or friends (be social) before getting down to business, while others couldn’t be bothered and just want the facts.  Some like specific details while others just want the bullet points.  Being able to adjust your approach for the different personality types increases your chance for connection and for success.
10. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously.  Being motivated and success driven is great and can provide an amazing life.  However, you must learn to balance that with rest, relaxation, good friends, family, etc.  Work, not to mention life, can be very stressful, and if you to be able to actually enjoy the fruits of your labor you need to learn how to pull back occasionally, put things on hold and recharge the batteries.  Be able to laugh at yourself and understand nothing is as important as your health.  Others pick up on that as well, and it helps give a sense of true genuineness to all the other traits mentioned here.

It looks like Microsoft is forging ahead diligently with their release schedule for Windows 7. 

At the recent Gartner Symposium 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that Windows 7 is not just Vista SP2, but rather a major OS release.  In fact, Ballmer states “It’s Windows Vista, a lot better”

According to the Microsoft MSDN Developer Conference (MDC), attendees will receive a beta of Windows 7.  The Microsoft MDC is taking place at various locations and dates/times throughout the country, so check their website for locations.

Note:  It also says if the beta isn’t available at the time of the conference, attendees will receive a copy when it becomes available.

So, take it for what it’s worth, but Windows 7 is on the way for sure.  We’re interested to hear from people who have been using the pre-beta releases.  From the early releases, do you see a massive difference from Windows Vista, or are they putting the finishing touches on Vista?

Let us know what you think, what you like and what you don’t!

Thanks to everyone on YouTube, for making our Cisco CCNA Training videos the most watched IT Certification training videos on YouTube! 

Our Cisco videos have received over 180,000 views, and all of our IT Certification and Training videos on our YouTube channel have received over 250,000 views, with thousands of new viewers each week!

Our expert Cisco CCNA trainer, Jason Emerson, makes getting Cisco CCNA certified fun and engaging, and will quickly get you the skills you need to succeed.  Our CompTIA expert trainer, Christopher Rees, has created CompTIA A+ training that has helped thousands of people around the world get CompTIA A+ certified.

The YouTube community quickly lets you know if you have a video, product or service worth watching and we’ve gotten a tremendous response from the moment we post each video.

Our videos are extremely affordably priced, and make world-class training available to everyone.  Quickly get the skills necessary to compete in today’s ever-shrinking job market, and have fun in the process!

Check out our YouTube channel today, and find out for yourself what over a quarter-million others already know… Our IT Certification Training Videos rock!

December 1st, 2008 – Today through Wednesday, December 3rd, all of our Video Training series and Training Bundles are 30% off!

If you’re looking for great savings on Cisco Certification Training Videos, Microsoft Certification Training Videos or CompTIA Certification Training Videos, now is your opportunity to save big!  When checking out, use the promo code CYBER08 to have 30% instantly taken off your order.

This promotion only lasts until Wednesday, December 3rd.

Palaestra Training creates high quality IT Certification training for Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA certifications and is the best, and most cost-effective way to quickly get up to speed, learn a new skill, or get the new job or promotion.

For more information about our training, or to view full-length free demos of our most popular training titles, visit us online at www.PalaestraTraining.com

Windows Vista has been with us for awhile now, and SP1 was released a few months ago to address a number of issues. 

Overall, sales have been less than predicted and reviews throughout the PC world have been less than stellar.  All of this may make you ask, as an IT professional “Should I skip Vista all together and just wait for Windows 7”?

Definitely a valid question, but in all honesty, even though I’m not a massive fan of Vista (I love some things and hate others) there are a number of reasons to deploy now and not wait until Windows 7.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not often that I get excited about the launch of a new community site, but this one really caught my eye.

The site is www.tipd.com and it is a brand new site that provides the social and community aspects of sites like Digg that center around the financial sector.  With the global economy facing some extreme challenges www.tipd.com is perfectly positioned to provide a source of news and information, in real time, for financial, business and investment minded people.

After going through the site for awhile, I really think this is a great idea and a service that is sure to be useful to a lot of people.  Even though there are a lot of Digg like sites out there, this one comes along at a perfect time and is aimed at tapping into the crowdsourcing philosophy or providing useful financial tips.

In addition, Tipd.com has the backing of Muhammed Saleem, one of the top Diggers on the planet.  He definitely knows what makes a social site work and what is required for a successful implementation.

Read the rest of this entry »

As a follow up to our post on 25 Reasons Why it’s Great to be an IT Guy (or Girl), I thought I’d contrast that a bit, and list out some reasons why it’s not so good to be an IT Guy. 

Fair is fair, and no matter how thinly you slice it, there are always two sides to every situation. 

If you’ve been around the IT game for any length of time, many, if not most, of these will make sense to you.  So let’s take a look at some of the reasons why it sucks to be the "IT Guy".

Read the rest of this entry »

As we all know, the US is currently in the middle of an economic crisis.  The true extent of that crisis depends on who you listen to. 

One thing is for sure however, and that is that we are currently in a major economic slowdown. 

Some major financial institutions have recently failed completely or had their assets seized including AIG, Bear Stearns, Wachovia and Washington Mutual along with some not as well known institutions such as IndyMac Bancorp Inc., First National Bank of Nevada and First Heritage Bank NA of California.

What this means is that our economy is most definitely in trouble.  The housing market, sub-prime mortgage debacle and the impending credit crunch have all lead to plummeting consumer confidence. 

As I finish writing this the US government is stepping in and passing a $700 billion dollar bailout package.  Will this have a positive, long-term effect on the economy remains to be seen.

Read the rest of this entry »

Years ago, being “into” computers meant long, lonely walks home from school, eating lunch at tables far, far away from the “cool kids” and lengthy discussions about the relative impact of photon torpedoes and how Dr. Spock actually could be transported down to the surface of that mysterious planet.

These days, thankfully, Geek is the new Chic and being in the Information Technology (IT) industry offers a lot of opportunities and many benefits that we’ll list below.  When you finish reading our top 25, leave a comment and let us know your top few favorite reasons for being a IT pro.

If you’re in the IT industry, many of these will be common knowledge to you.  If you’re not in the industry yet, or thinking about making a change, you really need to consider these 25 Reasons why it’s Great to be an IT Guy (or Girl).

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re like me, you like many of the things Microsoft Vista has built-in, like the ubiquitous search, some of the visual elements, an actual calendar when you click on the clock (it’s the little things in life) and the list goes on (not really, but play along).

There are however, a number of things that really annoy me about Vista, and as I come across them I’ll post to the blog so you can benefit from my frustration.

The annoyance, and solution, for today is the fact that when I have multiple users logged on to Windows Vista, I can’t open task manager, click on the users tab, select the user I want to log off and kick them to the curb.

Instead, I get an annoying message saying [sessionID=X] could not be logged off, access is denied.  Denied!  I’m an administrator on the machine!  The other user is just a user (to make matters even more belittling to my “pretend admin” powers).

Well, after doing a little research I found that you can in fact boot users via task manager, but you must run task manager with elevated privileges (administrator isn’t enough). 

Read the rest of this entry »