Ok, so I guess since this year marks my 20th anniversary of being a
"real" records manager, I'm entitled to be your oracle. I gave a
presentation in Cincinnati today and waxed philosophical on where we've
come (and where I, personally, have come). 

In my first five years, the PC was a rumor and I learned how you do
records inventories and retention schedules by being thrust into the
work. I joined ARMA and started going to meetings.

In the second five years, I become proficient at the PC and expanded my
technology knowledge. I passed my CRM exams. I began to do
presentations. I started to understand the broader world of RM. I
became active on my local ARMA Board. I heard the word "Internet" and
joined the Listserve. I bought my first computer.

In years 10-15, I created websites, worked for a technology consulting
firm, did some RM consulting, became President of a local ARMA Chapter,
and grew more technology knowledge. I gave more and more presentations.
I built my first computer.

In the last five years, I grew in my corporate job and moved from
operations to strategy. I stopped volunteering to do presentations and
turned a few requests down. I joined and left the ARMA International
Board. I got a Blackberry at work and high speed Internet at home. I
started choosing hotels and restaurants for Internet access. I finished
my Master's degree.

In the next five years, I think I will spend a lot of time dealing with
the ubiquity of records and information and the challenges of managing
records in a world that is global and where the clean lines of
corporations don't stop at national borders. I think we'll see fewer
"Analysts" and more "Strategists" in our profession. The dirty work
will be increasingly outsourced. And technology knowledge will be
paramount. Formal education requirements for jobs will increase and
demand for credentials will expand. 

The point of all this is that your career path is a progression. You
have to be patient, but you also have to make some of your own breaks.
You have to learn continuously -- either in formal programs or on your
own. You have to take some risks and take advantage of jobs where you
are given leeway to do what you think is right. There is no single
right way to do things in our world. Our work is more art than science,
but you also need to have a basis of knowledge underlying that art. I'm
hoping that our profession can grow the science in the next five years.

Patrick Cunningham, CRM
Records Management Strategist and Corporate Records Manager
Hewitt Associates, LLC
Lincolnshire, IL

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