Professional Issues in IT: Skills, Ethics, and Communication

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 1
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT
By
Institution
Course
Date

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 2
Introduction
Professionalism is an area of central focus for IT professional. Competency in the IT
field, therefore, requires grasping of specific professional skills deemed necessary for IT
professionals. Just like any other course studying is based on certain motivating factors. This
report detail, the factors that led me to choose the ICT profession, my general experience and
learning from studying the Professional skills in IT unit and the applicability of the skills learnt
in my professional practice.

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 3
PART A
Compulsory
a)
The monetary aspect of the ICT profession was one of the motivating factors that led me
to study ICT. With increasing demand for technology world over, the demand for technical ICT
services has also been on the rise. This fact has made ICT experts some of the most sought after
in freelance, government, and corporate World. This, therefore, means that with my ICT degree I
will have an opportunity to earn some good amount of money. Working as an ICT professional
also comes with some degree of flexibility which means that I will also have time to engage in
personal endeavors (Adams & Mccrindle, 2008). .Additionally, the practical aspect of ICT is
also one of the reasons I have chosen this course. There are a variety of careers choices for ICT
professionals. This coupled with increasing demand for ICT services means that I will put my
skills to optimal use at all times. By enrolling into PIIT I had a picture of myself being an ICT
professional fully equipped with the desirable professional skills. The unit would, therefore, play
a role in improving my skills and professional competence in the ICT field. This fits into my
overall goals because I will not only be sought after for being an ICT expert but because I
possess the requisite professional skills. The unit has actually made me reaffirm my choice. It
has made me realize that this was the only degree that would best serve my interests. The Unit
has changed my aspirations and plans in that while prior to enrolling for PIIT my primary goal
was becoming an ICT expert, the lessons from this unit have made shift my focus to becoming a
competent ICT expert. I want to be sought after not only because I studied ICT, but because will
be doing my work with some degree of professionalism.

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 4
b)
Apart from individual work for ICT experts, the field also involves a great deal of
teamwork involving members with different skills, ethnicities, religion, age, and gender. This
means that the successful completion of teamwork projects requires the possession of certain
skills and attributes for experts working in a team. Integrity is one of the desirable behaviors for
ICT experts working in a team, individuals are required to have high personal and professional
standards as part of their day to day group interactions in order to win the trust of other team
members (Crowley,2012). Good communication is also an important aspect of the success of
Teams in the ICT field. Because of the diversities likely to be present in a team, good
communication means that the needs of all team members will be catered for. It will also give an
opportunity for all team members to have their input appreciated by other team members. Being
respectful is also a desirable behavior for ICT experts working in a group. By being respectful
means that an individual is able to respect the preferences, opinions, customs, divergent ideas
and approaches from other team members (De George, 2013). Offering constructive criticism is
a behavior that allows maintenance of a bond among team members, ICT professional working
in groups need to give their opinions without offending their team members. This can be done by
focusing on the work at hand instead of individuals doing the work. Individuals should be in a
position of taking and giving constructive criticism. Due to the nature work done by ICT groups,
collaboration is also a desirable behavior. A collaborative approach needs to be used in creating a
solution and accomplishing group tasks. It means that individuals avoid hiding information in
order to outshine their fellow team members. Collaborating gives the entire group an opportunity
to shine. Energy and enthusiasm is also an important behavior for the success of ICT teams, this
attribute allows individuals to bring fire into their team, irrespective of the roles that they play