Your Guide To Software Development Methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, SDLC, Extreme ...)
Models like Agile, Extreme Programming, Scrum or Waterfall are used by project managers, business analysts, software developers or quality assurance analysts to describe how a project is managed or a software product is built.
The software development life cycle determines how risks are managed, business requirements documented, resources estimated and allocated, stakeholder expectations or customer feedback is managed and when software / quality assurance testing is performed.
Each software development model recommends a set of guidelines or best practices for developing software.
Certifications Or Experience Which Is Better?
I have been in business development / sales side of the Financial Services Industry for the past 15 years.
I have worked as a VP for several Fortune 500 companies.
Due to the market downturn and layoffs, I find myself looking to other industries for stability.
I want to get into Software / Network Sales and wanted to know what is the best way for me to break into the Information Technology industry
Should I get A+ certified, get a masters in I.T.?
Oracle Or Microsoft Access, Which Is Better For Me?
Are you matching your strengths to your opportunities or are you just being ideological … interested only in following your own ideas even when they won’t get you any results?
Here is a situation that illustrates the challenges of being ideological versus being results oriented. It is a situation that illustrates the challenges of learning an enterprise software like Oracle compared to a poor man’s database like Microsoft Access.
Are you wondering about who this situation involves? You are safe my friend because today, I will mainly be talking about me 
Data Analysis: Profiting From Numbers
Data Analysts have the opportunity to work in several different domains or sectors, for example as banking data analysts, retail data analysts, telecommunications data analysts and as marketing data analysts.
The marketing data analyst role is one of the more common ones and a marketing analyst may be found analyzing databases of prospects, leads and customers for the marketing department.
In this post, we will take a peak into the day of a marketing data analyst…
How To Start A Business Analyst Career
Identifying your transferable skills is the first step towards successfully transitioning, changing or starting a new business analysis career.
Though this article is written for those starting a business analysis career after having worked as a computer programmer, the principles presented here are helpful to anyone interested in starting any new career.
The first step in starting a new career is building self-confidence by recognizing that the career you are transitioning to has some relationship or similarity to the jobs you have performed in the past.
Career Tip For Senior BAs: Become The Lead BA
This post answers questions received from senior business analysts asking about
how to carve out an upwardly mobile career path in their company or organization.
The answers in this post are presented as tips, solutions or ideas for business analysts looking towards a better career path.
If you have a question about your business analyst career, be sure to post it as a comment on this post and I will be glad to answer it for you.
Here are the tips for business analysts looking for a better career path:
Highly Paid Business Analyst
You are reading this post because you are interested in learning or mastering business analysis for a number of reasons like
-
You may have read the US Bureau of Statistics report which predicts that the business analyst role will be one of the fastest growing occupations through 2012
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You are a computer programmer or software tester who is getting burned out on the monotony of coding or testing
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You may be interested in learning business analyst because you will gain more visibility by interacting with users and managers
Database Administrator (DBA)'s Job Description
In this issue, I will be answering a question submitted by a reader on “The Roles, Responsibilities or Job Description of Database Administrators (DBAs)“.
You can Ask IT Career Coach your toughest or most pressing questions and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!
If you enjoy reading this post, please be sure to … Share this Post with Friends
Here is the reader’s question::
About The Database Administrator’s (DBA) Job Description
I am a final year BE student interested in developing a career in DBA
How To Choose the Right Career?
The following question was submitted by a reader who needs help with choosing between a business analyst and a project management career.
If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to submit your question as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!
If you enjoy reading this post, please be sure to … Share this Post with Friends
Here is the Reader’s Question: Should I Change Careers To Business Analysis Or Project Management?
Hello,
Cobol Mainframe Programmers Changing Careers!
COBOL Mainframe Programmers switching careers have to overcome several challenges including the fear of learning new programming languages.
In addition, cobol programmers have to pick the right programming language which is not an easy task considering the range of possibilities (C#, Java, C/C++, PHP, Python, Visual Basic, Perl, etc.).
Cobol programmers also have to brand their resumes to look like that of modern, object oriented software developers.
Considering these challenges, one is not surprised whenever a cobol programmer decides to stick with legacy programming skills.
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.
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:
Jobs for College Graduates
Whether you’re launching your career or trying to change its direction, you can get around the Catch-22 issue (“You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job.”) with humility.
The solution is to get some humility because today’s shifting job market requires everyone incuding young job seekers and older workers with years of experience to continously reinvent their careers in order to stay marketable in a competitive global economy.
The lesson is that careers, skills and workplace environments will continute to transition and there is nothing we can do about that because what is marketable and in-demand today may not be wanted tomorrow.
Microsoft Access Developer Career
The Microsoft Access Relational Database has been around for a while and it is used in many businesses, Information Technology (IT) Teams and organizations.
Microsoft Access is commonly used in building desktop software applications, data analysis programs and corporate databases where the number of records are as few as 2 billion records or the number of users who access the system at any one time are as few as ten concurrent users.
The ease with which Microsoft access database developers create functional relational databases, add data entry forms, build reports and distribute their database projects to multiple users creates a market for skilled Microsoft Access Relational Database developers.
Be Wise ... Get Experience
In the computer programming industry, experience is King.
Real world, hands on, practical programming experience is valued more than computer programming certifications, software development diplomas or even programming job titles.
What you know is much more important than how you obtained the knowledge!
The next time you read a computer programming job description and you feel overwhelmed by the list of degrees or certifications required, just remember that the job market for computer programmers is not really that formal.
Learning and improving your business analysis skills is a must. Sometimes you can get so caught up in your current business analyst job that you miss the boat on new skills in the industry. Browsing and reading job descriptions can help you create a career development plan that keeps you on the leading edge of the business analysis industry.
decipher ba job descriptions
You can find out “what employers look for in a job candidate” by browsing business analyst job descriptions.
However, you will notice that some business analyst job descriptions are poorly written!
A weak business analyst job description does not provide enough information for you to compare your skill set against the requirements posted on the job posting.
A Well Written Business Analyst Job Description Is An Effective Hiring Tool!
Here is an example of a weak or ineffective business analyst job description:
How To Overcome Procrastination
The Procrastination Problem
As a career coach, one of the biggest hurdles I have to overcome when working with my clients is procrastination. An example is a client that I will call Ryan. Ryan acknowledges that even though he has a degree in Information Systems, he is stuck in a dead end job in Help Desk Support.
Ryan would love a great new job as a computer programmer. I have worked with him to create a plan of action that includes updating his skill set while simultaneously putting his resume out there to see if a potential employer will nibble on it.
Learning A Marketable Skill?
Hi,
Do you want to learn the C++ programming language or become a C/C++ computer programmer?
Have you ever asked this question? which programming language is the most complex and challenging?? and received the answer C++?
If you answered yes, you are not alone. About 13 years ago, I asked my mentors in computer programming which programming language is the hardest, toughest, most difficult to learn? and I got the same reply as you… C++.
I asked the question because I wanted to become a successful computer programmer.
How To Become A Business Analyst
ON BECOMING A BUSINESS ANALYST – THE BUSINESS ANALYST JOB DESCRIPTION
A business analyst is an information technology worker who improves the efficiency and productivity of business operations.
The business analyst achieves this by closely analyzing the business processes in an organization for inefficiencies.
When inefficient business processes are discovered, the business analyst makes recommendations for business process improvements.
If the recommended solution is approved, the business analyst works with computer programmers, lead software developers, software managers and other information technology workers to implement the recommended solutions.
A few days ago, I granted an interview to a student writing a research paper on The job of a computer programmer. During the interview, I was given ten questions to answer about careers and jobs in computer programming. I’ve decided to post my replies, since a lot of people will benefit from it. You will find this entire interview interesting.
Please read it for your own benefit.
1. How did you get into the field of computer programming?
Do you realize that you don’t have to be a computer programmer to be involved with software development?
Does this statement sound strange coming from a software developer coach?
If you think that my job is to get you into software development or to get to you to the top of your software developer career, you are partially right.
My job as a coach is to help you succeed by providing you key information that will save you a lot of time, a lot of pain and a lot of money.
Your technology, resume and interviewing skills are the 3 keys that drive your computer programming career.
If you are formula minded, you can express my career determining statement as:
TECHNOLOGY + RESUME + INTERVIEWING SKILLS = SUCCESSFUL COMPUTER PROGRAMMER
Here is how the computer programming industry works:
- Technology: Your choice of programming language can make or break your career. If you choose a programming language that’s not in-demand like COBOL, your career is PRETTY MUCH dead. If you choose a programming language that’s in high demand like Java or C# your career is headed for the STARS.
Where To Find Programmer Jobs?
I am answering questions now on computer programmer careers again and if you post yours on: [Ask IT Career Coach], I will answer it for you, just like I am answering this question on “how to find jobs for beginner or entry level computer programmers“.
How To Get An Entry Level Computer Programming Job
Dear Mr. Tagbo,
Now that the spring has finally arrived, I am ready to search for programming jobs available for college students.
So far I have mastered the fundamental concepts of programming such as function: Subprocedures, Arrays, and Classes.
Web Designers are the creative professionals who design “how websites look”.
According to a recent report, this is the year for web designers. And Monster.com (one of the premier job search websites) predicts a hefty 26 percent growth rate for the web design profession.
So, what?s web design and what does a web designer know and do?
Well, web designers are experts or professionals in making websites look good using graphics, HTML, XHTML and CSS.
If you are considering a career in web design, here are some sought after skills by hiring managers and recruiters:
I’m still taking questions from my readers. Today’s question is about finding entry level computer programming job working with the Java programming language. Here’s the rest of my reader’s question:
Dear Mr. Tagbo,
I am sending you this e-mail to ask you if there will be any jobs available in the spring starting April 2007 because I am interested in becoming a Computer Programmer.
One of my personal strengths and experiences so far is tutoring other students at my former school in Algebra Math, and doing favorably well in a Java Programming course.
One key to learning how to program computers is to begin with the right computer programming language. In my discussions with readers, I notice that both beginning programmers and experienced computer programmers often choose a programming language based on:
- Friends: The recommendation of their friends or colleagues at work.
- Popularity: Based on the perceived popularity of a programming language
- Difficulty: As strange as it sounds, some choose a programming language because it’s hard or difficult to master. They want to prove themselves by tackling languages that will raise their profile in their community.
A few days ago I asked you to email me your questions about how to succeed at your computer programming career. I received this email which I’ve edited to preserve my reader’s identity.
Hi Kingsley Tagbo,
I have an Engineering degree from India. Currently I am working in a well known software company with Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005.
My problem is that I don’t have any interest in computer programming and I cannot even sit for 1 hour to code.
I need your help to build interest in computer programming. I very badly wanted to shine as a software programmer. Please help me.
Is Your Age Really Against You?
A few days ago I asked you to
contact me with your questions about beginning your programming career.
Some of you (30+ and 40+) replied saying that you would like to know if your age will stop prevent you from getting hired by employers.
So, here are my career success tips for beginning a programming career when you feel that age is against you!
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The golden rule for career success in computer programming
Take a pen and write this down. In the computer programming industry, employers and hiring managers will judge you by “how you perform on the job”. And not by your skin color, your sex and certainly not by your age.
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