Sixteen members of the Network have been hard at work since our last meeting, researching six alternative career paths for IT professionals who are looking for new opportunities in this difficult market. Our Bounce Back researchers will present their findings and recommendations at the meeting. The pathways are:

· Path 1: Crafting a career ladder from contract work, becoming the ‘external talent’ that is in demand

· Path 2: Positioning oneself as a valued IT advisor to small businesses and non-profits

· Path 3: Becoming an entrepreneur – or hooking up with someone else who did

· Path 4: Preparing for one of the global economy’s emerging tech-dependent occupations

· Path 5: Getting in on the new wave of green and clean technology work

· Path 6: Preparing the next generation of IT pros by becoming a teacher

If you are interested in a career path that takes you “out of the box,” please don’t miss this presentation! If you’re not particularly interested now, you may well be after you’ve heard about these pathways. There will be time for questions, comments, and suggestions from those in attendance.

We will meet from 6 until 8:30 pm at Washington University’s West Campus Conference Center (where we met in February). The address is 7425 Forsyth in Clayton, but please note that you do not actually enter the building to access the conference center; rather the Library and Conference Center entrance is from the parking lot on the south end of the courtyard just east of the main building. If you park in the West Campus surface lot, you will see the signs directing you down one level to the Conference Center. Here’s a link to a photo that may be helpful. http://library.wustl.edu/units/westcampus/confcntr.html

Also, we still have room in the IT Leadership Development Workshop that SIM facilitator Bob Rouse is going to offer for us. It will be an all-day, high-engagement event on Monday, April 20th. We will meet in the Regional Collaboration Center at RCGA, 211 North Broadway, in downtown St. Louis. There is no charge to participate in the workshop, and we will provide box lunches and other refreshments for you. Prior to the workshop, you will need to purchase (approximately $50 … although you may be able to find some real deals on the Internet) and read a couple of books that Bob has in mind for you, however.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this great opportunity, please send me an e-mail with a few brief sentences of why you would like to participate, and attach a copy of your short-version resume. Let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.

We are looking forward to seeing you on March 18th!

Thank You.