Career Advisor Interview with...Kevin Sheehan

From: kpsheehan(at)gmail.com
Subject: Career Advisor Interview with... Kevin Sheehan
Sent: 05/16/2008 at 03:33 PM

What is your Name (or Alias if you do not want to be publicized): Kevin Sheehan
What is your title or recent title?: Director of Infrastructure Architecture & Engineering
How many years have you been in Information Technology?: 28
Can you tell an experience that was critical to reaching your current level?: The decision many years ago to leave my 15-year position at AT&T to go into consulting, first at Oracle and now at Unisys was critical to my growth. Consulting just opened so many different opportunities to see the inner workings of diverse companies and their technology challenges. It was a scary move at the time but one that paid off big.
What professional skills (i.e. communication, writing, interviewing, etc...) do you think allowed you to overcome obstacles in your career?: I believe that listening is the most important professional skill to master. To actively listen and truely understand what your business associates are trying to communicate allows you to put things in context, understand the big picture and open others to understanding you.

Can you share an experience where you overcame an obstacle that was placed in your way during your career and how you overcame it?: Over 28 years there have been so many obstacles... I think the main thing is that we often think that the obstacle is external to us; a co-worker or boss we can't see eye-to-eye with, a technical problem that baffles us. If everything you've tried is not working, maybe you are part of the obstacle. Look at yourself to see if perhaps you are not listening well. Be willing to throw out your assumptions and start over - maybe you went down the wrong path and hit a dead end.
What was your best source for technical traning during your career?: Everyone has their preferred learning style; some like classroom training, some read manuals cover-to-cover. I like to learn from experience. I need to install and play with the technology. I then do targeted lookups into manuals to fill in the details. Google is your friend.
What Technical Skills allowed you to shine above your co-workers? Why?: For me it is understanding the complete Oracle technology stack; web, app, database, reporting, SOA, E-Business Suite, Identity Management, Content Management, etc. The fact that it's Oracle is not important. Pick Microsoft, SAP, anything, but learn the entire solution space. This allows you to debug complex problems and move up the ladder to engineering and architecture roles.
Is there anything else that you can share with I.T. Career Seekers?: Tenacity... Probably second in importance to listening. There will be those days when you are down (and getting kicked). Learn from your mistakes, move on, forgive yourself. Remember that if you are not making mistakes you are probably not making progress.
What is your LinkedIn Public Address URL (so that we can publicize your accomplishments) ?.: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinpsheehan invite Kevin to your LinkedIn Network at kpsheehan(at)gmail.com