Doing your homework

After reading the Forbes article on leadership I could identify with all the points the article was making but the section about "doing your homework" especially stood out to me.  I equate this section with my personal belief of knowing your craft.  Being that this is my last semester, naturally my job hunting strategy has to not only find the job that I want but also to have several offers to choose from.  I use my spare time to research technology and the industry of each of the top 4 companies I want to work for and although I cannot claim to be a specialist in these areas the knowledge I am gaining is adding to my foundation of knowledge.  You see, I believe that whether or not you specialize in mainframe, security or windows related tech, one can never have too much tech knowledge.  I believe that too many students tend to rely on gaining knowledge from either thier classes or they assume they will start learning with initial job training.  I equate this with waiting to eat food until you get starved for nutrition.  I believe that I belong in the field of IT and I strive to know my craft.  I read blogs, read whitepapers and articles about things that I understand as well as things that may be outside of my current realm of understanding but it all serves a purpose for me and will benefit my future employer.  If you want to be succesful and land a job you are happy doing, I suggest you make obtaining information about your field your hobby and not just a task you are forced to do.