I won’t lie; the technology industry currently faces a challenge with attracting new talent. This isn’t a new thing, though. I have known many individuals who had just graduated from college with degrees in Computer Science, Information Technology, or Information Systems, and thought it would be easy to find a job upon completing their academic studies. Sometimes it is, if you know the right people. Often, they struggle to get their careers started, though. Few will secure their dream job right out of school, and honestly, I would be concerned if that was all they had achieved in their careers anyway. For those getting started, here's a tip: try to secure a support or testing gig first.

Many people are currently going through the interview process. It is unfortunate, but this is the time we live in. Hiring managers often have multiple interviews at the same time, which can consume their day. Couple that with the regular day-to-day work that must be done simultaneously, and how do they provide feedback to their teams and Human Resources (HR) to determine whether someone should be hired or promoted to the next level of the hiring process?

Employee feedback is essential to any organization, including what goes from management down the chain. It is vital for career growth, performance, and team cohesion. What happens if managers don’t provide feedback to those they oversee?

Core Values are a set of ideals and guidelines that a person or organization uses when making decisions, solving problems, and building relationships. Many organizations have aligned themselves with Core Values and advertise them to their employees and clients, but do they follow them?

The edict is passed, and now your organization is going to be Agile. Congratulations! What does that mean? For most, this means implementing morning stand-ups, user stories, acceptance criteria, and story points. It doesn’t end there, though. The rest of your organization needs to adapt as well.

A good friend of mine once told me, “A fast nickel is better than a slow quarter.” This is one of those statements that often sounds witty but is usually ignored. He told me this a couple of decades ago, and I didn't think much of it until later in my career.