Active learners adjust much better to new technologies.
It's up to you to stay current David Jones, an independent contractor, network administrator, and engineer from Houston, and James Stakelum, a database architect and administrator from Dallas, agree that the key to excelling at a surprise assignment is to keep your technology skills well-rounded. I've probably done more Perl and Java in the last three months than most full-time practitioners do in a year. Jones fights any client's attempts to pigeonhole him into one specialty. If all I know is SQL Server or Exchange, then learning how to administer a NetWare network is going to be very difficult. When techies are asked to learn new tricks, those with broader experience often have an easier time than those with less experience.