What DO people want from us Progeeks?

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Part of a career is figuring out what you can deliver, what people want/need, and then, well, delivering it.

In an age of changing technology, changing media and changing everything, it's hard to KNOW what people want.  As of the last five years or so I think technology's impact has been especially prominent in changing markets, job, and product – but I don't think what people want has exactly changed.  It's actually more obvious – it's just not always want we expect.

So, what is it people are looking for in their products/services/etc.?  Especially things we professional geeks like to work on and deliver?

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The Advantage of Double Doing

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When it comes to having the career – and hobbies – you like, you'll often find yourself pressed for time, especially if your life is more "in progress" than anything else.  You've got commitments, assignments, friends, conventions, etc. to take care of.

Worst, you often feel like these things conflict – time to work on a fan website conflicts with a class you want to take, hanging with friends means missing a seminar, a chance to travel overseas for work means missing a convention, etc.

An approach I find helps with this is to look for chances for "Double Doing."

By this I mean, look to see what there is in your life, even in the most stressful tasks or situations, that you can get multiple benefits from.  What is there in your demanding schedule that benefits you in many ways and your many sides as a person – or how can you make things benefit you in multiple ways.

That convention you go to may be a chance to do some networking (or slip in an interview at a local company).  If you've got to learn a new web tool at work, can you use it to rebuild your fan site?  Those free reviews you write may also let you hone your skills and be a better technical writer.

You can even take this further by going out of your way to see what you can do that "pays double" for you – classes in technology you use on the job and off, a chance to relocate to a better job can put you near a convention you like and make you look good to management, etc.

You get the idea – a lot of your life can pay off in many ways – personally, professionally, in entertainment, etc.  You have to look for it – and occasionally make it.

– Steven Savage

Too Big To Fail: The Geeky Version

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 companies seem to be veering into their own version of "too big to fail."

That's not to say these companies are economically mismanaged messes, the result of pathetic regulation, or their collapse will destroy the world economy.  In fact, all are more reliable, if not far more reliable than many of these botched institutions.  They're too big to fail in that they're so widespread, and have so much potential (realized and unrealized), that they're not going away – and I suspect they rely on this.

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