Strong information technology skills are more crucial than ever to a successful career, especially if you work for a small business. "There are very experienced and capable people who won't change jobs or go for promotions because they know their poor computer skills will let them down," career training specialist Pam Martin tells toptechnews.com. Another IT professional, Adam Dunkerley, tells the website that poor technical training can cause problems with employee morale and damage a company's image among its customers. This month, the nationwide unemployment rose to about 6.5 percent - underscoring the importance of constantly improving and updating one's workplace skills. Worse, some economists expect unemployment figures to reach as high as 8 percent in the coming months. The unemployment surge so far has taken a light toll on information technology jobs. According to Information Week, only 3,000 jobs in that industry disappeared nationwide in October, compared to much heavier losses in other sectors. Technology training can also open up whole new possibilities for your career. For example, the website federaljobssearch.com notes that by 2014, computer specialists will account for nearly 14 percent of all federal jobs, up from 3.5 percent in 2004.  |