The Millennial Report: Five Easy Ways to Raise Your IT Awareness

The IT industry can be a very confusing ocean to navigate, especially for someone who isn’t already intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the different vendors, distributors and partners who make up the vast channel business we call home. When I first got involved in the channel, I wished there was some kind of resource that I could access from someone who had experienced a similar sort of trepidation, but since there wasn’t one, I’ve decided to write one myself.

Using my innate abilities as a millennial, I’ve gathered a collection of five of the easiest things to do, read and participate to help you find your footing in the world of the channel, and even gain some social media followers in the process.

5. Set up Twitter Feeds and RSS Feeds to Track Big Names in the Industry: One of the best ways to learn about any industry is to do some reading—lots of reading. And where better to find the latest up-to-the-minute articles than the Internet? Start by going into your Twitter account and setting up feeds dedicated to curating posts from vendors including HP, Dell, IBM and others, as well as ones catering specifically to breaking technology news, distributor updates and channel news. That way, all of your daily tweets are organized neatly into specific “columns” so you can easily see what’s happening in each part of the industry without having to parse through celebrity news, personal updates and adorable cat pictures. And if you like having updates sent directly to your inbox, set up a series of Google Alerts that will give you daily updates on specific topics. Some good alert keywords to start out with include “Enterprise Mobility,” “Internet of Things” and “Enterprise Security,” to name a few.

4. Attend Free Webinars and Tune into Weekly Channel Podcasts and Videocasts: If the Internet has taught us anything, it’s that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to learn about any subject you can think of if you look hard enough. Luckily for you, The VAR Guy and our sister sites Talkin’ Cloud and MSPmentor make it easy to find lots of free resources to help you learn about different segments of the IT industry, from scheduled webinars with the editors to our weekly ChannelTech VideoCast series. There are also plenty of similar educational solutions out there from our fellow industry experts to help you give you a broader view of the industry.

3. Check out CompTIA’s certifications and Member Groups: One of the first things you should look at upon entering the channel is the huge list of resources available from CompTIA, one of the best places for channel newbies and experts alike. For a one-time fee, CompTIA offers a number of certification programs on its website, including tests specializing in cloud, security, storage, networking and more. And if you don’t have the cash to shell out for certifications, there are several free communities you can join to meet with like-minded individuals, including groups for Women in IT, Security, and even a dedicated Future Leaders group.

2. Attend Distributor and Partner Office and Factory Tours: Search out some of the PR folks who work with major distributors and channel partners and see if you can score an in-person tour of their facilities to learn a little more about what goes on behind the scenes at some of the biggest names in the business. Sometimes being able to see the distribution process for yourself can really help put a lot of things in perspective, especially if you’re struggling to get a grasp on the whole product and service chain of command.

1. Read and Interact with Penton IdeaXchange Experts, Or Become One Yourself: Read about the latest trends and news directly from industry experts as part of Penton’s IdeaXchange program, where some of the top minds in the business contribute blogs to our channel sites. Aside from being an interesting look behind the curtain at what the experts are thinking, these posts also offer you a chance to communicate with and build a rapport with movers and shakers in the channel. And once you feel comfortable enough to write confidently about the IT industry, you can even apply to become an IdeaXchange expert yourself so you can help educate the next generation of channel initiates.