Name: Christof Wittig
Title/Employer: CEO, db4objects, Inc.
Age: 38
Education: MS in Management from Stanford; MS in Engineering from Tech University Munich
Tenure in IT industry: 14 years
First-ever tech job: Founder and CEO of project management software company
Current role: Founder and CEO of open source object database company db4objects.
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What's been your best job and why?
My current job. The ability to leverage a large and passionate user community for the advance of a disruptive, useful technology to overcome the lock-out/gatekeeping from Oracle, MSFT and Co.
What do you think is the number one non-IT skill IT professionals need today?
Effective written communication via the Internet.
What do you credit your career success to?
Mentorship, persistence, intellectual honesty.
What are the top three skills a high-level IT manager needs today?
Communication skills (via the Internet); communication skills (listening between the lines, empathy); communication skills (communicate results to clients).
What's your favorite IT resource site and why
News.com because it is concise, relevant and efficient to read.
What is the best career advice you've ever received?
Always assume that everyone has something he knows better than you; if you don't see it you haven't been listening or searching enough for it.
What's the top advice you'd give to a new IT staffer?
Look at people's accomplishment in open source communities, both with respect to coding/design as well as communication skill.
What would you advise someone looking to find the type of role you currently have?
Go and study the economics of open source in depth, then go and find a suitable area to apply your analysis and engage. Do not rely on buzzwords.
What is the one career decision you would change if you could?
I studied architecture, a breadless job.
If you had the choice to jump into any other job, tech or non-tech, what would it be?
I cannot think of a better job than the one I currently have.
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