How to Stay Up in a Down Economy
Julia King enumerates six ways to nurture yourself and your career with the help of career experts on CIO. “Return to Your Roots. Remember why you first got into information technology? Bring back some of that enthusiasm – and maybe even master a new skill – by doing something you’d never be assigned to do on the job, just for the sheer technological challenge of it.”

Downturn strengthens the case for lean IT
Computing’s Dave Bailey talks to Fujitsu UK’s CTO Marc Silvester who encourages managers and employees to join forces to foster recovery. “It is often said that as much as 80 per cent of a firm’s IT budget goes on ‘keeping the lights on’ – just keeping the existing infrastructure operating smoothly. Given the depth of the current downturn, how the rest of the budget gets allocated could be critical. One approach that could deliver much-needed savings is ‘lean IT’ – a top-to-bottom, employee-driven methodology designed to cut waste, boost efficiency and raise service levels.”

Lessons Learned From An Economy Turned
On Civil Engineering Central, Matt Barcus looks back at what the past year has taught him. “Diversify. Diversify. Diversify. How many firms do you know put all of their eggs in the land development basket? I guess you can’t blame them, right? That’s where all the business was and it did not take long to be completely bogged down with lucrative land development work. To come up for air and even consider anything else was nearly impossible.”

Entrepreneurship up in down economy
John-Laurent Tronche cites examples of successful entrepreneurs and statistics in FW Business Press. “One can think of the recession as a kick in the pants for would-be small business owners. People who have been laid off as a result of company cutbacks or individuals who aren’t finding the opportunities they’d like frequently become entrepreneurs not only to secure a paycheck but also to explore an idea they might have thought about for some time, entrepreneurial experts said.”

The current recession in context
The Bubblemeter offers a sober discussion of the economy and what to expect in the near future. “The ultra-bearish are frequently claiming that another Great Depression is right around the corner. Many of the most pessimistic economic commentators have almost gleefully been comparing the current recession to the Great Depression. To give readers a sense of how not bad the current recession is, here is the decline in GDP of several major recessions vs. the Great Depression.”

BPM emerges as key downturn tech
Miya Knights talks about how the current climate is conducive for new tech like business process management and service-oriented architecture on ITPro. “The analyst said integration appliances were the fastest growing AIM segment, with a 44 per cent increase in 2008. This was followed by service oriented architecture (SOA) governance technologies, BPM suites and enterprise service bus (ESB) suites, which all grew at double-digit rates.”

Best Practices for Getting Hired in a Downturn
Jamie Eckle of AllBusiness lists what should be rules of thumb for those looking to escape IT sector unemployment. “When companies are doing mass layoffs, it’s even more difficult than usual to find another job. What can help? A good way to jump-start your search is to reach out to members of your professional network and let them know you’re looking for work. Be specific about what skills you can offer a potential employer and what type of position you seek to give people a better chance of helping you. Candidates should take a high-touch and high tech approach to networking. Be active at industry, business and community events, and explore online professional and social networking avenues like LinkedIn and Facebook to track down job leads on your own.”

Tokyo Is Burning
On Slate, Daniel Gross talks about the merits of an energy-saving measure in Japan which mandates that buildings be kept at 82 degrees. “In 2005, Environment Minister Yuriko Koike, a pioneering female politician, was seeking ways to slash energy use. And she came up with the Cool Biz campaign. The idea: Government would cut energy bills by keeping thermostats in its buildings at 28 degrees Celsius—82.4 degrees Fahrenheit—during the summer. It quickly produced results and was adopted by the business establishment as well. Since Japan’s energy mavens realized that simply unbuttoning a shirt collar can make people feel about 4 degrees cooler, dressing down became part of the Cool Biz mentality.”