View from The Top: Cyan Banister, Zivity.com

How important is it to be an engineering/technology/computers or even a broader science major to excel in the technology industry?

The importance of needing a master’s degree really depends on where you want to work. If you have your heart set on working at Google, building space craft to land on Mars or building custom electronic components for Motorola, these jobs require a degree.

But with new media, I don’t think it is important. In many cases, computer engineers begin their careers prior to college. With technology readily available and extraordinarily inexpensive, anyone can tinker with technology at a very young age and develop a hobby that will someday turn into a lucrative career.

Many of the great programmers and mathematicians that I know developed their skill through their passion of self-learning and sharing ideas with their peers and not through any sort of academic process.

Given the pace of technological change, how can an engineer avoid obsolescence?  Is it just a matter of keeping up on all “hot” technologies?  Or is keeping up with technologies not that important?

It’s unlikely that a great engineer will become obsolete. The concepts used in programming vary little between programming languages. It all depends on how flexible and adaptable someone is. In many cases, an engineer can pick up and be productive in a new language within a month, because they already excel at the core concepts of programming.

That said, it’s a good idea to keep up with emerging technologies, mostly so you don’t reinvent wheels. Many new innovations have more elegant solutions than older versions.

Should someone take a different path if they want to be a lead developer/architect rather than a technology manager?

My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you really want to be a manager before heading down that path. Managers need to be more excited about what their reports are doing than what they get to do themselves, and because of the time demands of management, are frequently forced to give up their ninja programming skills for good.

Is there a need for non-technical people in the technology field?  What roles are missing from most technology organizations?

The biggest gaps I see in technology organizations, especially in new media, are amazing product managers. A product manager needs to understand what is possible, but does not need a deep technical background.

Beyond the technical skills, what other skills are critical for a successful technologist?

Being smart, innovative, team-oriented, agile, striving for excellence and having good old fashioned written and oral communication skills are all important.

There seem to be companies that are tech-centric and those that are more user-experience centric.  Is this an important distinction in choosing the “right” company to work for?

This is a matter of personal preference. Do you want to build enabling technology or build finished products for consumers?

What is the ideal role for the technology organization to play in the broader organizational structure?  What are the most important inter-departmental relationships that a technology organization should forge to be successful?

Technology organizations need to be execution engines and move fast. This allows companies to be competitive and bring products to consumers quickly. Interfacing with marketing is probably the most important cross-functional relationship for a technical organization.

What issues plague the technology industry? What has surprised you the most about working in the technology/new media industry?

Shipping is a feature. The ability to move fast is key. Sometimes people are so obsessed with perfection that they miss the window of opportunity and fail.

I’m constantly surprised by how fast innovations happen and how the demands of customers can easily change. Much of the time, customers will drive innovation and you need to be prepared to act quickly if you need to deliver what they want before a competitor does.

Is it a mistake to think of the internet industry as being fundamentally a tech industry?

Yes. The internet involves technology, but so do refrigerators, calculators and the production of the clothing we wear. Most of these internet companies build consumer products. They are fundamentally about bringing new products and services direct to consumers, regardless of the type or amount of new technology used.

How possible is it to change career paths from other fields into new media and/or technology?

It depends on the field and on your ability to learn, adapt and have passion for the product.

What advice would you give a young person considering a career in technology?

With great risk comes great reward. Try different things. Push yourself in ways you’ve never pushed yourself. Give in to long nights of coding and caffeine binges. Get out and network with people in the industry and read, read, read.

Any predictions for the industry? What will be the “biggest news” in your field for 2009?

Hollywood and the music industry will bridge the gap with Silicon Valley. They will adopt new technologies and artists will finally get a bigger piece of the revenue for their creations.

How important is it to be an engineering/technology/computers or even a broader science major to excel in the technology industry?

The importance of needing a master’s degree really depends on where you want to work. If you have your heart set on working at Google, building space craft to land on Mars or building custom electronic components for Motorola, these jobs require a degree.

But with new media, I don’t think it is important. In many cases, computer engineers begin their careers prior to college. With technology readily available and extraordinarily inexpensive, anyone can tinker with technology at a very young age and develop a hobby that will someday turn into a lucrative career.

Many of the great programmers and mathematicians that I know developed their skill through their passion of self-learning and sharing ideas with their peers and not through any sort of academic process.

Given the pace of technological change, how can an engineer avoid obsolescence?  Is it just a matter of keeping up on all “hot” technologies?  Or is keeping up with technologies not that important?

It’s unlikely that a great engineer will become obsolete. The concepts used in programming vary little between programming languages. It all depends on how flexible and adaptable someone is. In many cases, an engineer can pick up and be productive in a new language within a month, because they already excel at the core concepts of programming.

That said, it’s a good idea to keep up with emerging technologies, mostly so you don’t reinvent wheels. Many new innovations have more elegant solutions than older versions.

Should someone take a different path if they want to be a lead developer/architect rather than a technology manager?

My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you really want to be a manager before heading down that path. Managers need to be more excited about what their reports are doing than what they get to do themselves, and because of the time demands of management, are frequently forced to give up their ninja programming skills for good.

Is there a need for non-technical people in the technology field?  What roles are missing from most technology organizations?

The biggest gaps I see in technology organizations, especially in new media, are amazing product managers. A product manager needs to understand what is possible, but does not need a deep technical background.

Beyond the technical skills, what other skills are critical for a successful technologist?

Being smart, innovative, team-oriented, agile, striving for excellence and having good old fashioned written and oral communication skills are all important.

There seem to be companies that are tech-centric and those that are more user-experience centric.  Is this an important distinction in choosing the “right” company to work for?

This is a matter of personal preference. Do you want to build enabling technology or build finished products for consumers?

What is the ideal role for the technology organization to play in the broader organizational structure?  What are the most important inter-departmental relationships that a technology organization should forge to be successful?

Technology organizations need to be execution engines and move fast. This allows companies to be competitive and bring products to consumers quickly. Interfacing with marketing is probably the most important cross-functional relationship for a technical organization.

What issues plague the technology industry? What has surprised you the most about working in the technology/new media industry?

Shipping is a feature. The ability to move fast is key. Sometimes people are so obsessed with perfection that they miss the window of opportunity and fail.

I’m constantly surprised by how fast innovations happen and how the demands of customers can easily change. Much of the time, customers will drive innovation and you need to be prepared to act quickly if you need to deliver what they want before a competitor does.

Is it a mistake to think of the internet industry as being fundamentally a tech industry?

Yes. The internet involves technology, but so do refrigerators, calculators and the production of the clothing we wear. Most of these internet companies build consumer products. They are fundamentally about bringing new products and services direct to consumers, regardless of the type or amount of new technology used.

How possible is it to change career paths from other fields into new media and/or technology?

It depends on the field and on your ability to learn, adapt and have passion for the product.

What advice would you give a young person considering a career in technology?

With great risk comes great reward. Try different things. Push yourself in ways you’ve never pushed yourself. Give in to long nights of coding and caffeine binges. Get out and network with people in the industry and read, read, read.

Any predictions for the industry? What will be the “biggest news” in your field for 2009?

Hollywood and the music industry will bridge the gap with Silicon Valley. They will adopt new technologies and artists will finally get a bigger piece of the revenue for their creations.