Cowboy Coder Or Agile Programmer?

Are You A Cowboy Coder Or Agile Software Developer?

Software Developers facing a new programming project sometimes start coding before thinking through or planning an approach.

Coding without first planning or thinking through is a programming method known as cowboy coding.

Cowboy coders approach work with the mindset of coding without estimating or planning.

And they are at a complete lost when the results achieved by their cowboy coding tactics does not meet expectations.

Cowboy Coding Is Dead, Long Live Cowboy Coding

While many programmers publicly ridicule cowboy coding, they privately practice cowboy coding because it is the easier thing to do.

Kingsley Tagbo Interviewed by Dice.com

  

Interviewed on How To Escape The Cycle Of Unemployment

A few weeks ago, Leslie Stevens-Huffman of Dice.com fame interviewed me on How To Escape The Cycle Of Unemployment.

As a background, Dice.com is one of the premier technology job search portals and is arguably the #1 job search site for Information Technology (IT) / tech professionals.

Click here to read excerpts of the interview by Dice.com

7 Top Database Careers In High Demand

The 7 Top, In-Demand Database Careers

Database skills are foundational to jobs in the IT Industry.

By that, I mean whether you’re a business analyst, software tester, project manager, software developer or even a web designer, you’ll be using relational database and sql query writing skills at some time in your career.

Database or SQL skills are also important because they position you for multiple careers paths ranging from that of the database developer to the data mining professional.

Career Paths for Database Professionals

Here is a comprehensive list of database career paths and their respective roles, duties, responsibilities and skill sets.

The Agile Business Analyst, A Customer Advocate?

The Agile Business Analyst plays a key role in facilitating conversations between stakeholders, quality assurance / testing teams, customers, subject matter experts (SMEs) and software developers in an incremental, iterative fast-paced product development environment.

So, who is the Agile Business Analyst and why should business analysts who are already comfortable with the process of eliciting requirements in a traditional product development environment be concerned about becoming more agile?

Introducing The Agile Business Analyst Role

The Agile Business Analyst’s role includes facilitating communication, reducing the reliance on extensive documentation and reducing the length of the feedback loop in product development projects.

#5 Success Principle: Always Be Learning

The Love – Hate Relationship With Technology

Most days, we are in love with technology and can’t seem to get away from getting work done on our iPhones, laptops and the Internet or watching hi-tech adventure movies like James Cameron’s Avatar on 3D

We have witnessed the rapid pace of technological change in the last 20 years … the advances in computers, video games and electronics and of course … the coming of the internet.

As IT professionals, we all seem to participate in this drama either as consumers, producers or enablers of technology.

5 Steps to a New Business Analyst Career

5 Steps to a New Business Analyst Career

I talk to a number of business analysts interested in changing careers to new domains.

They come from diverse backgrounds (insurance, sales, financial, etc.) and they all share a common goal … that of switching careers to new domains.

So, when one of these business analysts asked; if I would like to throw more light on changing BA careers / domains at job interviews, I was glad to say yes

The Job of Software Testing – Quality Assurance Career

I am receiving a number of questions on software testing or quality assurance careers.

Some of the frequently asked questions about these careers are: “should I become a software tester“, “is software testing better or worse than business analysis“, “should I transition to or from a software testing career“.

So, I would begin to answer these questions by first providing some context or background to my readers on the quality assurance / software testing career path.

What Is The Most Difficult Challenge Facing Your Career?

The Most Difficult Challenge Of My Career

Hello,

“What is the most difficult challenge facing your career right now”?

Your most difficult challenge may be about how to get a job or how to improve your skills or how to get promoted on the job

Perhaps your most difficult challenge is about how to transition out of or into a business analyst or computer programming or database developer career.

Whatever your challenge is, just go ahead and post it as a comment on this page and I will deal with it for you.

The Six Sigma Business Analyst

Six Sigma Business Analyst

The Six Sigma career path intersects or shares a number of tools, processes, goals and techniques with the business analyst career path.

So, in this post I would like to introduce you to the … Six Sigma Business Analyst.

Ask IT Career Coach

This post answers the question submitted by a business analyst who is enrolled at the business analyst boot camp.

If you have a question or challenge, be sure to send it using: Ask IT Career Coach and we will answer it for you, just as we are answering the question below!

Are You Inspired Enough?

This is a real-life story taking from events in my life. Please read and share it with your friends

I stumbled upon “Think And Grow Rich” on my 17th birthday.

Shortly after reading Napoleon Hill’s classic, I also read “You Can If You Think You Can by Norman Vincent Peale” and got hooked on self help / motivational books.

A few years later, I read a really good book in that genre … “Awaken The Giant Within By Tony Robbins“.

The Healthcare Data Analyst Job Description

Data Analysts interested in learning about the right tools, techniques or skills for their job, should read this.

I am going to address the challenges facing a data analyst” starting a healthcare data analyst job.“

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask for help by posting a comment because I will answer it fully … just like I am answering this data analyst’s questions below!

How To Start A Healthcare Data Analyst Job?

Here is the challenging data analyst career situation:

Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job

This question was submitted by Vijay who needs advice on “how to ace programming interviews and land the next job!“

If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering Vijay’s questions below!

Question: How To Impress Hiring Manager at Programming Interviews

Here is the question submitted by Vijay:

On my last job I was given a technical test to write nested SQL queries.

Can a Developer Make a Good Business Analyst?

Computer Programmers Learning Business Analysis

I have been talking to a number of software developers, interested in changing roles to business analysis. If you are one of those software developers, then this post is written to show you how to switch careers from software development

There seems to be some bias against switching roles to business analysis from software development. It’s a subtle form of discrimination from folks who stereotype all software developers as nerds with poor presentation and communication skills!

But is that really true? Are you poorly suited for a business analysis role just because you’re a software developer?

What Career Is Right For Me?

If you are looking to start a new information technology career, you may be wondering about how to choose the right career.

This post helps you answer that question.

After reading this post, feel free to ask a question or discuss the topic by posting your opinion or comments.

1. What do you love to do? start off by reviewing all the productive things that you love to do and then compile a list of careers from them.

   For example, if you like repairing electronic hardware, you may consider becoming a hardware or network support specialist or if you like writing, you may consider becoming a technical writer or a business analyst.

2. What do you have some background or experience in?: review your previous working experience or background for skills that you ca re-use in a new IT careers.

   For example, if you have a background in marketing and sales, you may consider becoming a technical recruiter and if you have a background in programming electrical circuits you may consider going into computer programming.