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Looking forward, we know that the Baby Boomers will be leaving the workforce (some have already left). We know that most of the IT experience is in the heads of those Boomers. So what is the outlook for companies which depend on their experienced workforce to prosper. Well, I think that they are going to be scrambling madly for IT practitioners to fill the void left by the exiting Boomers.

What should this mean for job seekers in the IT industry? It means that you will have more leverage in your job search. It will be a seller’s market. Some of our bretheren are already jumping ship to take more lucrative positions in companies that are feeling the early loss of their aging knowledge base.

So, now is the time to dust of your books, make sure that your certifications are up to date (yes, I’m talking to all you MCSA/E’s specifically - God forbid you NT 4.0 folks haven’t gotten with the program), and that your resume is buffed up to land those positions that will be going vacant within the next 4 years. If your Cisco® certs are coming up for renewal, make sure to take the tests and keep fresh. With the changes in and additions to the CCNA, CCNP, CCSP, and CCVP you need to keep up. Don’t forget the wireless certs. They will be hot.

There are many modes available to keep yourselves up to date. Most everyone thinks of self study as their learning mode of choice. This may be a good way to go. There is a lot of study material available. CBT’s (Computer Based Training) is a good method to use, if you can’t work instructor led training into your schedule.

Instructor led training is most often the most effective means of keeping yourself fresh. This means you’ll have to go to school nights and weekends if you don’t have your days free. But, overall, you get so much more with an instructor. I find that pass rates on certification exams are higher with student who have had instructor led learning with labs.

Anyway, I thought that I would share a few observations with the IT folks. Being a Baby Boomer myself, I’m here to tell you that in a year or two, I’ll be out of the IT market. Someone’s going to have to replace me.

There has been a new development regarding the new PMI PMP exam. We have learned that PMI lowered the passing score for the new PMP exam. We also know that this new score will be retroactively applied to all examinations taken since September 30th of 2005.
We have no indication at this time that the lower passing score is temporary condition or a permanent change. But whatever the reason, we encourage those of you who failed the new exam to watch your mailboxes over the next few days to see if your exam grade is indeed modified.
Your best strategy is to sit for the exam when you believe you are ready to do so. Don’t let this lowered passing score push you into taking the exam until you’re fully prepared. Regardless of what the passing score might be, this is a very difficult exam!

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