personal11: Competing in tech in US (v1.0)

This blog talks about 10 skills/approaches to compete in the tech industry in US. This is what I learnt and practiced. This is especially true if you plan a technical career like me instead of a managerial career. Many of these points may also apply beyond tech or the US. 

1. Analytical thinking, logic, problem solving and attention to detail are critical skills. Education helps you develop it. 
2. The material you actually learn in college is not that useful and over time dated, but you learn how to learn. Your career is a lifelong learning experience. 
3. Hard work, and the ability to take some risks are crucial.
4. Your employer will keep you only as long as they see you as valuable. In any given position, find out how you can use your capabilities to add value to your employer. Define your role in the organization and if necessary, create it. 
5. If you cannot add value or your employer does not value you, don't hesitate, find another job. You are probably misplaced. 
6. You learn from every job, something or another. If you are a thought leader or tech lead, need additional skills to lead. 
7. Exposure to different technologies, roles, helps broaden you and increases your value potential. It is hard to jump across unrelated technologies or roles. Moving to a related technology or role where there is an intersection is much easier. 
8. Don't sacrifice your values. But you do need to learn how to say things to present even negative things about a product from a positive perspective - especially to people outside the company or department. 
9. Interpersonal skills and communication are crucial in a business environment to succeed. 
10. Don't harass your boss with frequent queries about pay raises. The best way is to show them your quality work. But sometimes you have to ask. 

Hopefully technical people are not exposed much to politics in an organization which is unavoidable when there are competing interests. But my suggestion is you should be aware of it and try to avoid getting entangled in it. 

 A managerial career has other skills that are needed too but a manager who lets himself/herself become technically obsolete will have problems down the road. There are fewer jobs available and more competition as you rise higher and non-technical skills become more and more important.