The IT Career Builder's Toolkit

Matt set out to provide a toolkit and not a cookbook and that is exactly what he has done. The difference between the two is that the toolkit provides you with the tools to build/repair almost anything while a cookbook provides you with specific "recipes" that answer very specific questions on how to cook certain things. If you want someone to tell you in minute detail how to get into and prospor in IT with an absolute guarantee that, if you follow the recipe, you will succeed, then this book may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you understand the concept of being mentored and of applying lessons to life in general, this book definitely is for you.

I "met" Matt via his ITTollbox blog and I have followed his blog since I first encountered it. You can learn much from his approach to life, family, and career (which is the proper order for things in my opinion). He seems to have a good grip on reality and to be able to apply his skills and the lessons he has learned across the boundaries between professions, which is probably why several reviewers have pointed out that this toolkit is not just for IT people.

This is one of those books that one should keep handy and periodically reread . . . sort of like "The Book of Five Rings" or "Modern Management and Machiavelli" . . . because it will help one to stay focused and to realize that any career is a path and not a destination.

Be sure to also check out Ian Fisher's "How to Start a Career in Information Tecnology, 2nd edition" 2007.

Author Matthew Moran provides considerable insight into the world of IT and how to build your career in this growing field. Moran provides foundational information about what a career actually is and the development of a plan to sell your skills and qualifications to an employer. Moran provides some excellent tips on job searching, resume and cover letter writing, and conducting a successful interview. The CD provided with this book offers the reader some valuable templates for developing a professional resume and career plan.

I have used this book for a college class in career and soft skills development and have thoroughly enjoyed the class. Maybe that cannot be completely credited to Moran and his text but he has certainly provided an excellent foundation for study.

The ideas presented were very interesting and helpful in that the author presented a different, active perspective on how to search for a job. The author has been in the IT field for a long time and also knows how the business environment of IT is like.

Sometimes the author seemed to go on and on about a simple topic as if the point hadn't been made already; Doing so made you want to skip a few lines.

If you're in the right environment and have the right resources, you can definitely get into the IT field with the help of this book. And even if the strategies outlined in the book don't help you to get into the field, the strategies will give you an idea of what needs to be done to get into the field.

I enjoyed reading this book - it gave me a different perspective to my carrier. Especially the part where it recommends concentrating on reusable skills vs. learning one more technology. I wouldn't say it will give you a real toolkit that's why I give it 4 stars.