If you're a manager, you not only need to be concerned with your own career growth -- which includes keeping your tech skills up to par and current -- but also those of your direct reports.

Happy employees are those that feel challenged in their current positions and who are given opportunities to develop their skills even further. It's part of your job then to assist employees along in this growth, working with them to set obtainable goals and coaching along the way.

Read up on these career development tips, which can help you empower employees to make sure they're heading down their desired career path.

As the holidays draw near, video games are climbing the ranks in high-selling items. One of the most popular gifts for tweens and teens, video games have carved an industry that is constantly growing and expanding. But if you want to jump on that money train, you'll have to make sure you have the education in video game programming that will you land you the job.

Even if video games aren't your focus, getting a first or even secondary degree in the technical field might make you more competitive in this tough economy. There are even several certifications that don't require the commitment of a full degree that can make you more marketable.

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While the economy seems to be slowly recovering, many companies are still fighting layoffs and have been forced to cut holiday bonus spending.

With so many belts tightening, a lot of IT professionals who would have retired at the end of this year have decided to stay in the workforce and rebuild lost savings. But mature tech pros need to make sure they stay relevant in the ever changing IT environment. Don't get left behind if you choose to delay your IT retirement.

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IBM and professors from Columbia University in New York City have joined forces to get more people trained for some of the higher-level green tech jobs that have started opening up.

Columbia is already a very environmentally-focused school, offering 23 environmental studies-related degrees. But according to an article posted on SolveClimate.com, by partnering with IBM through the Smarter Students for a Smarter Planet initiative, the university will gain access to things like:

"...software that relates to energy management, as well as courseware, cloud computing capabilities, smart systems, analytics, technology roadmaps, and the like."

All of these things are going to be integrated into Columbia's first-year design course, which is mandatory for all engineering students. The tools will also be used to help train students in other areas, such as project management, systems integration and data analysis, with the goal of turning out more well-rounded engineering graduates.

For more information, here is the video of IBM's and Columbia's green jobs announcement.

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