Trick question. Of course the correct answer is "D: All of the above (and more)." After much brainstorming and some heated debate, we narrowed our focus down to three critical areas that affect the ability of IT professionals to capture it all. There's something for everyone here, whether you've reached the pinnacle of your career or you're still trying to get a solid footing on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.

So here you have it: Network Computing's first-ever Careers special. We devote the first of our three core sections to strategies and techniques in Recruiting & Training--how do you get good help, how do you hang on to star employees and how do you ensure their upward mobility? And we share intriguing info about the most outrageous perks IT people have received. Our guide to graduate-level IT education, complete with Web-based interactive charts to help you fine-tune your search for the right school, is also a famous first. Anyone considering going back to school or sending a staff member for an advanced degree would be wise to make use of it.

Next, in our Salary Surveys section, we offer an analysis of the current IT job market and provide all the facts and figures you need to determine how your compensation package stacks up against that of other IT pros. We also tell you which cities might make the best home base for someone with your qualifications.

In our third section, Getting the Job Done, we supply the essential information you need to thrive as an IT executive, manager or employee, including the legal issues that come into play when you're interviewing job candidates, the skills you need to negotiate for a top salary, and the pros and cons of running an IT internship program.

Up front in this issue you'll find special guest columns from IT career experts. Ray von Dran, dean of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, offers some captivating insights into the increasingly critical role information plays in information-technology organizations. Rockliffe founder John Davies offers encouraging words for CIOs hoping to make the leap to CEO. And Donna Woodka, a software quality engineer for ViaSat, talks about how to combat the alarming drop in the number of female IT professionals to ensure a sufficient IT work force in the future.

We also go one on one in an interview with John L. Puckett, vice president of business development at Polaroid, who offers some unusual recommendations for IT pros aiming to climb the career ladder. Check out this interview online, where you also can access our complete Interactive Careers Toolkit.

You'll find a lot of value in this issue. Write to me at alipton@nwc.com and let me know what other topics you'd like to see us cover in our monthly Careers section. Meanwhile, here's hoping you land your dream job and reap plenty of rewards on the road to success.