From Wikipedia: A Christmas Carol is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of one night. Mr. Scrooge is a financier/money-changer who has devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth. He holds anything other than money in contempt, including friendship, love and the Christmas season.

About a year ago I got blood test results that showed that the pace I was going would surely lead me to diabetes sooner rather than later. It was my wake-up call. Sure, I'd tried diets before. I have clothes in my closet that spanned a wide variety of sizes. However, this time was different. Seeing the results in the blood work set me on a path of good health. Less than 3 months later, I had started to alter the pace and diminish the chances of diabetes. The new life-style is still in effect and I feel great.

What was different this time was the feeling of Scrooge. Feeling enlightened, I walked out of the doctor's office where the doctor had read me the riot act. I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge did the morning after the visits from the three ghosts. I felt that I saw the way my life was, the way it had become, and the future if I did not change my ways. I felt that it was that morning after with new powerful knowledge. Knowing that only I could be responsible for changing my ways and that there was still time. I knew that my life wouldn't change in a day but gradually day by day. I have ups and downs but I'm more committed than ever. When I see something relating to diet and exercise, I don't tell myself "I know that;" I ask myself "How good am I at that."

The IT environment is changing rapidly. More jobs are performed outside the United States than they did pre-2000. This pattern will only continue but at a faster pace. The supply and demand for IT professionals has created a curve of the buyer being able to demand all skills at an ever cheaper rate. Bottom line, IT personnel has become a commodity.

The key to success nowadays is to either undercut your price or provide more value. I choose the latter.

Hard technical skills (analysis, design, coding, testing, implementing, oversight) are all skills everyone can learn and excel if they apply themselves. Anyone can pick up a book and practice these skills anywhere in the world. The difference between the "average" and the "best is" not worth the price difference in a commodity-driven world.

What usually is not applied are the soft skills (listening to, engaging with, and building relationships with the business community). The value of these skills differentiates you from the rest of the commodity-based skills. These are the skills that develop an individual relationship with people that will try to help you in the future. They may be able to help you with a personal introduction to someone that may need your help. That "warm" introduction will work far better than answering ads (cold calls) on Dice, Monster, or Net-Temps! Personal skills do not show up on the head-hunters checklist, but they are included on every job requirement. The problem is, no one really knows how to validate how good you are at these soft skills. This problem would be alleviated if you had a me-to-you connection with the business community.

The ghost of Christmas Past will show you when it was easy to get the job. Supply and demand had IT folks approached for new opportunities within weeks of receiving another offer. All you needed to know was the latest and greatest new technology to be in such high demand.

The ghost of Christmas Present will show you the lay-offs due to outsourcing and financial crisis. More people are available to check off the same technological skills that supply out-weighs the demand. Cheap wins out.

The ghost of Christmas Future will show you the long gaps in time between jobs. You can finally find a job if you drop your price to ¼ of what you used to be paid. You can keep on concentrating only on your technical skills and process skills resulting in more and more certifications (at a costly price), but you will be one lemming with all the other techies heading for the jobless cliff.

It's the morning after the visit of three ghosts. You have an opportunity to change your ways by working on the soft skills. You have the opportunity to make more friends with the business community. Work on improving one connection a month. Apply the tips discussed in these articles. The relationship won't form in a day but with your day-by-day actions, you will notice a huge difference in less than one year.

What's in it for you? Continually applying these basic soft skills helps you not only at work, but with your personal life as well. They will not help you in a day but will improve your situation by acting on them day-by-day. Make the resolution to start now. It doesn't have to be a New Year's resolution but an immediate life changing one. Start tipping the scale of opportunity in your direction. I'll keep to my new lifestyle diet and meet you where opportunity turns into success.

It's the morning after...what's your opportunity?

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Pat Ferdinandi, Chief Thought Translator