Life at GE : Careers : GE
My current role has many characteristics that make it great, but by far the best part is the people I get to interact with on a daily basis. I face difficult technology and process challenges every day, but am able to leverage a network of great IT professionals to help deliver for the business. I also find it rewarding to know that I am helping the Aviation, Energy, and Oil & Gas businesses solve some of the world's toughest problems. Walking through the airport showing my son the aircraft engines I have a part in producing is pretty neat as well!
When I joined GE, I was looking for a company where I could build a career and that is what I found. I have had hands-on technical roles, organization leadership roles, and everything in between. As our products become more software-driven, the skills you get working in IT at GE are becoming invaluable. I could not imagine a better place to be.
My 14 years in the IT industry have provided both breadth and depth in technology, while developing my people and leadership skills. I constantly draw from a diverse background and experiences to look at decisions from all angles, to ensure the business gets an optimal solution. There are very few easy answers in the world, so having different perspectives is key.
Leading a business to be an early adopter of GE's Single Sign-On software was a great experience. I was challenged to push the capabilities of the technology while being responsible for the architecture, implementation and support of the solution. If it did not work, the business did not work - that was a huge responsibility.
The most important technical skill I learned is not related to a single technology, but rather how technologies interact with each other. You can have great depth in a single technology area, but still have trouble looking upstream or downstream from that area. Being able to look across technology silos is becoming even more important as technologies increase in complexity.
The best advice I can provide is to get technical early in your career, never get complacent, and follow your passions. We spend a huge portion of our lives at work, and you have to enjoy what you do, or it will reflect on your work and other aspects of your life. I think it is also important to constantly look for new opportunities to grow. You will never realize your potential without taking some risks.
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