1. Jason Wischer
How to Excel
in the IT Field

2. • Service Desk Manager at
Thomson Reuters
• President at Brew City HDI
• Father of twins
• Bowler
• Musician
• Love all things Milwaukee
– Harley Davidson
– Brewers
– Beer
About me

3. Just tell me how to excel!

4. From Wikipedia:
• Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's "EQ" (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality
traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with
other people.[1] Soft skills complement hard skills which are the occupational requirements of a job and many other activities.
• Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard
skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft skills relate to a person's
ability to interact effectively with coworkers and customers and are broadly applicable both in and outside the workplace.
• A person's soft skill EQ is an important part of their individual contribution to the success of an organization. Particularly those
organizations dealing with customers face-to-face are generally more successful, if they train their staff to use these skills.
Screening or training for personal habits or traits such as dependability and conscientiousness can yield significant return on
investment for an organization.[2] For this reason, soft skills are increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard
qualifications.
• It has been suggested that in a number of professions, soft skills may be more important over the long term than occupational
skills. The legal profession is one example where the ability to deal with people effectively and politely, more than their mere
occupational skills, can determine the professional success of a lawyer.[3]
• Soft Skills are behavioral competencies. Also known as Interpersonal Skills, or people skills, they include proficiencies such as
communication skills, conflict resolution and negotiation, personal effectiveness, creative problem solving, strategic
thinking, team building, influencing skills and selling skills, to name a few.
Soft Skills are “soft”

5. • What is Success? How do you define it?
– Money
• I’M RICH!!
• Fancy car/clothes/house
– Education
• MBA
• PHD
• Alphabet Signature
– Family
– #Winning
– Happiness
Success??

6. • “Money DOES buy happiness, but not for yourself.”
– Money spent on yourself doesn’t generate as much happiness as money
spent on others.
– Holidays
– Birthdays
– Surprise gifts
Success = money??

7. “Success is peace of mind which is
a direct result of self-satisfaction
in knowing you made the effort to
become the best of which you are
capable.”
– John Wooden
How do you know when you’re successful?

8. Pyramid of Success

9. • Find something you are
passionate about.
• Focus on it.
– Learn
– Practice
– Help others
My definition of success

10. • Build relationships
• Embrace change
• Be open-minded
• Be opportunistic
• Be humble
• Consider perspectives of others
• Become more self-aware
• Help others succeed
How do I get there?

11. • Need a volunteer
• 15-20 minutes
• Form small groups
Activity

12. “Allow yourself to make mistakes. Make them. Learn from them.
Move forward. Repeat. #alwaysrepeat”
Learn from your mistakes

13. “The ability to learn makes
you smart. The ability to
communicate makes you
successful.”
Become a lifelong learner

14. “The single biggest problem in
communication is the illusion
that it has taken place.”
- George Bernard Shaw
Illusion of communication

15. Social Media Awareness
• The internet is forever.
• Control your brand.
• Think before posting.
• Be smart.
• Be real.

16. Network! Network! Network!!
• Find a group.
• Step out of your
comfort zone.
• Share.
• Connect.
• Learn.

17. Attitude is everything!
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your ultimate altitude.”
– Zig Ziglar

18. Questions

19. • jason.wischer@gmail.com
• iamjason
• @only1wisch
• Jason Wischer
Contact Information