ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » coach http://www.it-career-coach.net How To Take Your Career To The Next Level Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:09:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Live Up To Your Potential in 3 Steps http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/20/live-up-to-your-potential-in-3-steps/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/20/live-up-to-your-potential-in-3-steps/#comments Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:28:39 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3144

Live Up To Your Potential

Live Up To Your Potential

This question was submitted by a very young, exceptionally gifted and talented top performer who wants to know how he can live up to his potential.

Hello,

I am very young (23) and was radically accelerated through college \ graduate school.

By next year, I will have a BA (Math \ Religion), MBA (Management Consultancy), MSc (Business IT), PhD (Computing & Mathematics), and PhD (ABD), in IT from leading universities, as well as 9+ years IT experience, with 5+ years BA experience with stellar recommendations.

I do not want a career in university teaching or research … could you suggest a few viable directions to move my career forward in IT business analysis?

I feel “painted into a corner” and now am not certain which way to go at this point, as a Senior Analyst.

Just a few alternatives would be helpful.

Best regards and thank you.

How To Fulfill Your Potential

The first of the three most important challenges facing talented people is that of identifying their passion.

This is a big challenge because talented folks can do almost anything and succeed at it.

Another challenge facing talented folks is not doing what they love and / or following the money trail!

Because talented people can easily get high-paying jobs and get paid a lot more than their colleagues, they can be easily derailed from their true objectives.

Following the money trail is bad because it eventually leads to mediocrity.

Regardless of how talented one is, it is not possible to achieve your deepest potential if you do not identify your passion and do what you love.

The final challenge that talented people face is not taking their passion to market.

They pick vocations where they are unable to serve their community or their world because of money concerns or because of poor career recommendations.

Discover Your Passion

The first and most important thing that you have to do: “is to discover your passion“.

Your passion is something that you are deeply interested in doing because you love it, you have strengths in it, you enjoy thinking, dreaming or even speaking about it.

Your passion is not necessarily what promises you job security or what promises you lots of money.

Money and Job Security are used as the primary basis of making career recommendations and yet, they don’t truly matter because … guess what?

If you do what you truly love, the money will surely follow!

Discovering your passion is an exercise of the heart and not of the head.

You must be able to dream or envision your passion in your heart first and then use your head to figure out what to do.

Good folks get this heart and head mixed up all the time! Your heart is your instinctive, sensing personality and your head is your rational, logical person.

Do What You Love

The second thing that you must do on the path to self actualization is to: “Do What You Love”.

Doing what you love means working very hard at something that you love.

But it also means more than that … it means training yourself the way that world-class athletes do!

Though you can do several things exceptionally very well, you should concentrate on a few disciplines and hone your abilities in those alone.

You want to become so good in your chosen field, that your work in those areas will stand out in comparison to that of any others in your chosen field.

Think about this for a moment: world-class athletes have to invest considerable amounts of time into just training and honing their skills.

They understand that even through they may be exceptionally gifted, they cannot win unless they are much better than the competition or other equally gifted and talented folks.

And also get this … no world class athlete depends on their exceptional talents or giftedness alone!

Instead they put themselves through the most rigorous, skill-advancing training that they can find so that they can live up to their potential.

The issue is not really whether you are gifted. The true issue at stake is whether you will live up to your potential? I will advise that you read these two books:

  1. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
  2. Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

Amongst other things, these two books point out that to become a world class player, you will have to invest a solid amount of time into just doing nothing else but honing your skills and abilities!

Take Your Passion To the Market

Starting a blog and getting on Social Media is the starting point for taking your passion to market.

The next thing that you have to do with your passion or the work that you love is: “Subscribe to the Publish or Perish” mantra which you are already used to coming from academia.

The main purpose of your blog is to create a market for your passion or connect your passion with an existing market on the internet.

Your market is the readers or subscribers of your blog and what you must do is: help them, talk to them, connect with them using your blog as your premier publishing or speaking platform.

Without sharing your passion with other people who love the topics that you care about, your passion dies with you … which is the definition of being boxed in!

Not having a blog means that you are not others learn or grow. It also means your own growth is incomplete because you are closed off from the feedback of your industry … and no one can develop your passion in isolation

Starting a blog does not mean that you must offer a service or sell a product.

Starting a blog does means that you have decided to make your world a better place by serving humanity with your gifts and talents.

The lesson here is that being wired or connected to others using blogging and social media is now considered essential for success!

One person that comes to mind in that regards is Jacob Nielsen, the world’s numero uno usability expert!

For several years, he has been conducting researches on usability and publishing his findings online.

From those findings, he has written books and he conducts training seminars around the globe.

You can see that Jacob is deeply passionate and extremely knowledgeable in his field and that he publishes more than most people in his field.

Do these 3 things (discover your passion, do what you love, take your passion to market) and you will succeed.

Jonathan, when you break into stardom, don’t stop telling people how I helped you, ok :-)

P.S. I am sending you my new ebook titled “Discover Your Passion, Do What You Love, Take Your Passion To Market“.

Best Wishes and Lots of Success in your Career

This question was published using [Ask IT Career Coach].

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Column for Information Technology (IT) professionals looking for answers to their most challenging career situations.

If you have a question about your career that you will like me to answer for you, go ahead and submit it using the [Ask IT Career Coach] Career Advice Service.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/20/live-up-to-your-potential-in-3-steps/feed/ 0 What Is the Toughest Challenge Facing your Career? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/01/11/the-toughest-challenge-facing-your-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/01/11/the-toughest-challenge-facing-your-career/#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:30:35 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3062

What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?

Compliments of the Season and Merry Christmas To You. What is the toughest challenge facing your career right now?

Post a detailed question regarding your challenges right now, and I will help you take care of them, once and for all!

How To Discover Your Passion?

Perhaps, your toughest challenge is …

  • How to choose the right career or
  • How to make a career change or
  • How to get an entry level job that is inline with your career goals

Regardless of the type of challenge facing your career, go ahead and post a detailed question regarding your challenge and I will answer it for you

How To Do The Work You Love?

Perhaps, your toughest challenge is …

  • How to become highly skilled at your job or
  • How to get suitable hands-on experience or
  • How to transition from a beginner or junior position to a senior-level job

Leave a detailed comment about your challenging career situation using the form below and I will answer it for you!

How To Take Your Passion To The Market?

Perhaps, the most challenging situation facing your career is …

  • How to rewrite your resume and/or cover letter, so you can get the job you want or
  • How to distinguish yourself from others in your industry, so that you can standout or get hired or
  • How to ace your job / technical interviews so that you can get jobs more easily …

Whatever your challenge, just go ahead and ask a question using the “comment form” below and I will answer it for you.

I may answer by writing a new article that addresses your concerns or by posting a comprehensive reply to your comment below.

The concern or challenge facing you is important to me, so go right away and post it as a comment on this page.

The sooner you ask that question, the sooner I can take care of it for you. So, let’s get started


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/01/11/the-toughest-challenge-facing-your-career/feed/ 53 Is An MBA Required For Business Analyst Jobs? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/12/10/is-an-mba-required-for-business-analyst-jobs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/12/10/is-an-mba-required-for-business-analyst-jobs/#comments Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:42:11 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3031

MBA - Laid Off and Looking For Work!

MBA - Laid Off and Looking For Work!

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Column for Information Technology (IT) professionals looking for answers to their most challenging career situations.

This question was submitted by a reader who would like to know: “If An MBA Is Required For Business Analyst Jobs“.

Here Is The Question on Educational Requirements for Business Analyst Jobs:

… I will be working for one year then I have plans to go for a one year MBA program.

Will this plan help be to become a business analyst? And in this one year of working period before going for an MBA, i would like to load myself with extra courses like SAP or SAS or any other relevant courses.

Kindly let me know which part time course will be suitable for me to in this one year working period to become a business analyst.

I am not from computer background so do i need to do some computer programming related courses like c++ or java which will not be so easy for a beginner?

Thank you

Is An MBA Required For Business Analyst Jobs?

Here is the answer to the question: is an MBA required for business analyst jobs?

Business Analyst Jobs Are Not Traditional

Your question is based on the premise that Information Technology (IT) jobs are just like other traditional careers (law, medicine, education, etc.) … but they are not!

The IT Industry is fundamentally different from other sectors of the economy. For one, it is in a constant state of change and it is also in its infancy.

The Business Analyst Career has its roots in Systems Analysis, Software Development and Business Process Engineering amongst others.

So, business analysis as a profession is still in its infancy and it is still evolving and unlike other non-IT industries, there is no degree required for a job in business analysis or any of the other information technology fields.

So the answer to your question is: NO, an MBA Degree is not required for a Business Analysis Job.

Which College Degree Is Required For A Business Analyst Job?

Neither an MBA or SAS or SPSS or any one degree is required for a business analyst job … that is old school thinking!

Any degree will work for you because hiring managers are more concerned about your actual performance on the job than on your paper qualifications or credentials!

As a matter of fact, even if you get a job based on your paper qualifications, you are bound to lose the job, if you don’t understand the roles and responsibilities of a business analyst and perform accordingly.

Information Technology is a performance driven, prove-it field and business analysts are not exempt from that culture.

Your college education only goes to prove that you are literate and that you can be trusted to converse or discuss on workplace issues, intelligently.

Your college degree by itself does not qualify your for a business analyst job.

What Are Hiring Managers Looking For?

Hiring managers are looking for functional business analysis skills because business analysis skills are different from MBA skills or SAS or SPSS or any other body of knowledge.

In other words, getting an MBA degree does not convey functional business analysis skills.

To start with, business analysts gather, document, validate and manage requirements using specific processes like UML or Use Cases.

So, you can’t expect to get that from an MBA program or bypass this skill requirement by learning another course like SAS or SPSS.

In addition, employers often view business analysts as domain specialists because they are looking for subject matter expertise and previous business knowledge in their industry.

This is why you may see job postings for CRM Business Analysts or Sales & Marketing Business Analyst or IT Business Analyst.

Understand How To ACE IT Jobs / Principles of Success in IT Careers

My goal in this community is to get you started down the path that leads to career nirvana and stop you from forking over thousands of dollars in hard-earned money or waste time chasing down self-imposed limiting beliefs or myths supplied by others.

So, I would advise you to do just this:

  1. Don’t analyze Business Analyst jobs the way you would analyze jobs in other industries because that won’t work :-) .

    Don’t assume that an MBA degree pre-qualifies you for a business analyst job the way that a medical or law degree places you in the direct path of becoming a doctor or a lawyer.

  2. Don’t try to bypass the requirement for business analysis skills by taking non-business analysis courses.

    Learn business analysis first and then if you need to get an MBA or any other degree to fulfill your personal educational ambitions, do so afterwards.

  3. Take the shortest path to becoming a business analyst and give the hiring managers what they want.

    Learn business analysis, get hands on business analysis experience and bring you resume to market as quickly as possible.

  4. Focus your learning on business analysis techniques, skills and practices.

    You may learn business analysis in an online class because that fits in more conveniently with your hectic study schedule.

  5. The most impressive thing on your resume is your handson experience.

    So either get handson experience as an IT business analyst or get domain / subject matter expertise relevant to the domain you may want to specialize in.

Take a direct path to becoming a business analyst and don’t spend your time chasing rabbit trails … that is the [IT Career Coach's] ACE (Affordable, Convenient, Effective) :-)


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/12/10/is-an-mba-required-for-business-analyst-jobs/feed/ 13 How To Transition Into A New Career http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/04/how-to-transition-into-a-new-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/04/how-to-transition-into-a-new-career/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:50:41 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2951

Career Advice - Ask IT Career Coach

Career Advice - Ask IT Career Coach

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Column for Information Technology (IT) professionals looking for answers to their most challenging career situations.

This post answers the question of “how to transition into a new career“.

If you are making a career change and you don’t know how to effectively transition into another field, follow these simple steps to transition your career.

  1. Do what you love

    Discover what sort of career you will be passionate about before making a transition.

    Yo may transition because of a bigger salary, market demand, job security or interest level.

    Transitioning because of interest level or passion is the best reason.

  2. Get Hands-On Experience

    It will be hard to transition your career without getting some hands-on experience.

    Yes, you need to get this hands-on experience before you get the job … otherwise no one will believe that you are capable of doing the job

  3. Let Your Resume Sell You

    Your resume should reflect where you are going to and not where you are coming from.

    You need to get a hold of the resume of someone who is established in the career you are transitioning … and find a way to get matching skills, experience or portfolio.

  4. Don’t Follow The Crowd

    Do not transition to a career because others say it is hot.

    Transition into a career because you are willing to pay the price to succeed in that industry because without hard work or sacrifice, you are bound to fail.

  5. Be The Best

    Prepare to be the very best at your new career.

    If you fail, then you will be above average.

    Don’t plan to be average in your new career because you will under-estimate the effort you need to make and end up without a job.

    6. Follow these simple steps to transition into your new career.


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    ]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/04/how-to-transition-into-a-new-career/feed/ 6 Don’t Let Your Career Become A Silo! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/03/dont-let-you-career-become-a-silo/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/03/dont-let-you-career-become-a-silo/#comments Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:01:51 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2942

    Is Your Career A Silo?

    Is Your Career A Silo?

    Don’t let your career become a prison. Use it as a launching pad for achieving your dreams.

    If you would like to change career but feel like you can’t satisfy the specialized requirements on job postings, here is some good advice for you!

    [Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Column for IT professionals looking for answers to their most challenging career situations.

    Why Is Changing Roles So Hard?

    Changing roles is hard because Information Technology (IT), Web, or Software Development Managers want depth of experience in specific, narrowly defined or over-specialized skills.

    For example, you may be a strong HTML developer and yet fail at a job interview because you don’t have HTML5 on your resume even though you will easily learn it, if hired!

    Or you may be an e-commerce business analyst (ba) with 5 years of experience and yet you can’t qualify for an “e-commerce ba job because it requires an agency or advertising background”. This type of job description seems to imply that having an agency or advertising background is essential in a business analyst role!

    Is Your Career A Silo?

    IT careers have not always been silos. Software developers have been known to gather or document requirements for their projects (business analysis), create software manuals or help files using specialized programs (technical writing) or create and execute test plans (quality assurance).

    But because of the siloing of IT roles, our personalities are now limited by our careers instead of being expressions of them.

    Don’t Let Silos Stand In Your Way

    Transitioning careers is harder than it needs to be because of this narrow, over-specification of skills.

    • Your career is not bound to your college education. You are better of assuming that college is a training ground for improving thinking, probelm solving or analytical skills. College does not dictate your life work!

    • You are more than your resume. You succeed at work because of your intrinsic personal abilities which transcend job descriptions. Your resume only proves that you can get things done. Your resume does not determine what you can or cannot do!

    The ability to succeed at a job is within you. It is not limited by over-specialized job postings. This means that you should believe in yourself and let that confidence drive your career transition.

    For example, if you are a software developer used to gathering requirements for your team, believe that the same intrinsic personal traits (good communication or documentation skills) will help you transition into a full-time business analyst or technical writer job.

    I am saying that you musn’t let your current job become a silo. Use it as a launching pad to your dream career.

    Software Development As A Launching Pad For IT Careers

    Believing in yourself means that you focus on building bridges between your current and dream career instead of focusing on the restrictive or limiting words frequently used on job postings.

    with all this in mind, here is how you can transition from a software developer to a business analyst role.

    Expand the scope of your day to day computer programming tasks to take on more business analysis tasks.

    A good number of software development projects lack full-time business analysis resources. Take advantage of this opportunity to become a business analyst. Here is how:

    • Volunteer to gather, elicit or document the requirements for your software development projects. Don’t stay within the silo fo a typical software developer job role.

    • Learn UML and Use Cases which are skills that are common to both business analysts and software developers. This helps you build a bridge between your current and desired skills.

    • Bridge the gap between your current programming team and stakeholders. Become the go-between who interprets requirements to software developers or explains the programmers’ concerns to stakeholders.

    • Distinguish yourself by studying or training to be the best informed business analyst on your team. Many software developers have fragmented or incomplete knowledge of what business analyst do. Don’t be one of those.

      For example, some software developers know a little bit of Use Cases or UML, But having fragmented or incomplete knowledge doesn’t get the job done.

    • When an opportunity for a full-time business analyst resource opens up in your company apply for the position and ask the same stakeholders you are working with to recommend you.

    • If a business analyst position does not open up in your firm, document all the work that you are doing and apply for a full-time business analyst position at another company.

    Don’t let your career, education or job postings become your silo. You have to believe in yourself and learn how to build bridges between your current job and the career you want.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/07/03/dont-let-you-career-become-a-silo/feed/ 1     The Database Administrator (DBA) Job Description http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/04/15/the-database-administrator-dba-job-description/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/04/15/the-database-administrator-dba-job-description/#comments Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:40:02 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2876

    Database Administrator (DBA)'s Job Description

    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

    Can you tell me the future prospects for DBA jobs and do i need to have a good knowledge of programming like C,C++,java,.net etc to be a DBA?

    And I have also heard that getting jobs in DBA as freshers is very tough and companies don’t prefer DBA as freshers.

    The Duties, Roles And Responsibilities of Database Administrators (DBAs)

    The Database Administrator (DBA)’s job comes with a lot of responsibility and because of that, a lot of experience is usually required for the job.

    This is the reason why Database Administrators tend to be seasoned database professionals and not entry level database professionals.

    With that in mind, your first goal should be to learn database development first and then get a job where you can work your way up to becoming a DBA by first proving your competency as a database developer first.

    Does A DBA Need To Know Scripting Languages?

    DBAs are not computer programmers so they do not need to master every facet of programming with C/C++, C#, Java, .NET, etc.

    However DBAs also need to write scripts for database maintenance jobs in a specific programming language.

    For example, DBAs importing data into a SQL Server database may need to know enough of the Visual Basic scripting language (VBScript) to write some of the Extraction, Transform and Load (ETL) or Data Transformation Services (DTS) tasks required for the Extraction, Transformation or Loading (ETL) process.

    Does A DBA Need To Know SQL Programming?

    Though DBAs are not required to master computer programming, the normal day to day DBA duties may involve extensive programming in SQL.

    For example, a DBA may have to write fairly extensive programming solutions in the SQL Language as part of stored procedures or some other database script.

    It’s important to note that each relational database platform has its own native programming language (T-SQL, PL/SQL, Access SQL, etc.)

    Introducing The DBA’s Job Description

    Here is a quick overview of the database administrator’s (DBA) job description.

    The database administrator or DBA is responsible for maintaining the database, applying the patches and upgrading the database.

    The DBA is also responsible for maintaining the security of the database.


    Here is some additional information on the roles and responsibilities of a DBA:

    • The DBAs responsibilities includes installing the database on a production system.

    • The DBA role tends towards supporting production, staging or quality assurance databases and rarely sandbox or developer databases.

      Supporting Sandbox or developer databases are usually part of the database developer’s job description.

    • The DBA is also responsible for maintaining the uptime or availability of production databases.

      DBAs have to monitor production databases regularly or respond to any database issues by bringing down the database or taking the database offline.

    • The DBA’s roles, responsibilities and duties also includes monitoring or optimizing the performance, security, backup, recovery or integrity of database management systems.

    This post was written in answer to a question submitted by a reader on “The Database Administrator’s Job Description.

    If you have a question, be sure to post it here as a comment on this post or submit it to: [Ask IT Career Coach].

    How To Become A Database Administrator?

    The first step in becoming a database administrator is to learn SQL Query Writing, master relational database design and development and study advanced sql topics.

    Database Administrator’s tend to be highly skilled database developers and are usually promoted from within. What that means is that in all likelihood, you would start out as a database developer, gain a lot of experience and then move up the ranks or get promoted to a database administrator (DBA).


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/04/15/the-database-administrator-dba-job-description/feed/ 13     What Is The Most Difficult Challenge Facing Your Career? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/what-is-the-most-difficult-challenge-facing-your-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/what-is-the-most-difficult-challenge-facing-your-career/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:33:53 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2820

    The Most Difficult Challenge Of My 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.

    I may answer it by writing a new article that addresses your concern or by posting a comprehensive reply to your comment.

    The concern or challenge facing you is important to me, so go right away and post it as a comment on this page.

    Thank You,


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/what-is-the-most-difficult-challenge-facing-your-career/feed/ 70     How To Change your Career In 5 Easy Steps! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/05/how-to-change-your-career-in-5-easy-steps/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/05/how-to-change-your-career-in-5-easy-steps/#comments Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:18:00 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2731

    How To Change Careers

    How To Change Careers


    You are brave, if you are considering leaving your career. Most people make themselves stay at jobs or careers they hate because they are afraid of the unknown.

    However, knowing the difference between leaving a job and leaving a career can make your transition smooth and easy or painful to say the least.

    You change careers when you are in the wrong profession or you are in a career that you’re not suited for. And, you do not change careers simply because you are unhappy at work!

    Change your careers by first facing the reasons why you’re leaving, identifying the kind of work you are suited for and following through with a career transitioning plan.

    The rest of this article presents 5 easy steps for changing your career:

    1. Do you like your job?Be honest about the reasons why you’re leaving your current employment.

      Is it because you have lost or never had passion for your work or is it because you are looking for a better pay?

      Are you changing careers because you hate your boss or employer or because you consistently get low performance appraisals at work?

    2. Change careers for the right reasons: Some of the issues you face at one job are likely to show up at other jobs.

      For example, if you are a business analyst who hates talking to senior management and you change to another business analyst job, you may find yourself facing the same issue again.

      However, if your issues are specific to your current boss or employer and you can’t resolve them … then changing jobs and not your entire career may help.

      For example, I once interviewed for a job and I asked the team lead the question: “how do you to communicate to a team member that, he or she is not doing a good job?“

      To which the team lead replied saying that he simply YELLS and SHOUTS at anyone who is not meeting his expectations.

      My reaction was simply to turn down their employment offer, since I could see that the team had management or personnel issues peculiar to them.

    3. Take an inventory of your skills, interests, abilities, educational background and experience: If you have worked for at least a year, you already know a lot about yourself.

      So, start by taking an inventory of your personal abilities, strengths and aptitudes.

      • Do you like putting together a lot of technical documentation?

      • Do you like make presentations to team members, stakeholders or management?

      • Are you accustomed to and do you use a lot of SQL queries at work?

      • Do you like working on customer support issues?

      • Do you like writing small code snippets to fix buggy software products?

      It is important that you itemize all the skills and abilities you’ve used over your working life so you can get a better picture of what you are wired do.

    4. Explore alternatives career paths before choosing: One of the issues facing IT professionals comes from having little to no knowledge of the career alternatives available to them.

      Simply said, there are a number of good IT career alternatives out there and there is no one career that is better for everyone.

      Some of the IT careers with good prospects include:

      • technical recruiting

      • pre-sales support

      • technical writing

      • software architecture

      • database development

      • software development

      • report writing

      • web analytics

      • customer relationship management

      • business analysis

      • project management

      • business intelligence

      Before deciding what career best suits you, first prepare the comprehensive skills evaluation mentioned in the last point.

    5. Get hands-on experience outside work; Don’t be expecting to get a job without strong hands-in experience because that is like gambling with your time.

      You need to first improve your skills and hands-on experience while working on your resume.

      Determine exactly, how you will get the training, skills and hands-on experience required for each career you are interested in.

      Don’t be a professional whose effort at getting a job consists only of rewriting resumes to match job descriptions.

    Remember, the IT Job Market is a numbers game that plays in your favor like a rigged lottery if you have the right skills, experience and background and not just a souped up resume!

    Okay, we are interested in answering questions on how to change careers … to get yours answered,, just post it below as a comment!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/05/how-to-change-your-career-in-5-easy-steps/feed/ 10     Discover Your Inner Hero http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/24/discover-your-inner-hero/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/24/discover-your-inner-hero/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:20:09 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2634

    Become your Hero

    Become your Hero

    Randall Jones, founder of Worth Magazine and author of The Richest Man in Town, says that in regard to Personal Branding, “the most successful, wealthy people had very successfully branded themselves in relation their industry”.

    In an interview by Dan Schwabel, Randall says that all RMITs (Richest Man In Town) have found their “perfect pitch”- the thing that they are most personally gifted at doing and secondarily they have found a way to monetize their perfect pitches“; Click here to read the rest of the interview

    The key is to find, what Jones calls, your “perfect pitch” … what you are best thing at doing in relation to what you love doing.

    An example of those who found what they are good at doing is Hartley Peavey of Peavey electronics who loved music, but lacked the talent to play, so he ‘wired’ himself to create the equipment musicians depend on the most (amplifiers, microphones, etc).

    Another example is that of the famous investor Warren Buffet, who said; “I was wired to allocate capital.”

    The lesson here is: once you’ve found what you love to do and what you’re great at doing, run with it!

    Personal Branding is all about projecting to the world; who you are, what you’re capable of doing, and making sure others within your industry are responsive to your efforts.

    While it is okay to brag about yourself considering you are your Personal Brand, it is far better to be known or recognized by others as a hero in your industry.

    Start evaluating what you’re really good at doing by answering these questions:

    1. What truly motivates or inspires you?

    2. What do you love doing?

    3. What are you good or exceptional at doing?

    4. What do you do efficiently or what do you produce easily?

    5. What do you like to read, research or study on your own time?

    6. What are your hobbies and what do you do with your spare time?

    7. What work will you do if money wasn’t an issue?

    8. What work will you do if you weren’t trying to please anyone in you life?

    9. What do you get paid to do?

    Take a moment to discover the hero in you. Don’t spend your entire life working just to pay bills. Be smart and start taking stock of what you’re really good at doing!

    Consider this: a world of bystanders, villains, and heroes, who would you rather be?

    Limited Time 2 for 1 Discount

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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/10/24/discover-your-inner-hero/feed/ 0     How To Become A Highly Paid Corporate Programmer http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/how-to-become-a-highly-paid-corporate-programmer/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/how-to-become-a-highly-paid-corporate-programmer/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:49:37 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2138

    highly paid corporate programmer

    highly paid corporate programmer

    Becoming a corporate software developer is not the same thing as becoming a freelance programmer or a systems programmer.

    • Corporate programmers are hired for coding skills in programming languages like Microsoft .NET (ASP.NET, C#, VB.NET, SQL Server) and they tend to work regular, office jobs as contract or full-time programmers.

    • Systems programmers tend to work with programming languages like C/C++ and they also work for companies like Microsoft that build operating systems or systems software.

    • Freelance programmers work on their own hours and they tend to focus exclusively on web development, web design and user interface (UI) jobs using programming languages and platforms like PHP, WordPress or Microsoft .NET.

    Microsoft .NET is the recommended programming language for Corporate Programmers.

    However, transitioning careers to Microsoft .NET programming may seem like a daunting or impossible task because you need solid Hands-ON experience which is hard to get without a full-time Microsoft.NET job!

    So, the question is, “How Do You Gain Hands-On Experience For Microsoft.NET Corporate Programmer Jobs Outside Regular, Full-Time Employment?“

    How To Get An Entry Level Corporate Programming Job

    Start by transitioning into a Microsoft.NET Software Developer Career in manageable steps or phases which allows you to achieve career success.

    Your first step in becoming a highly paid corporate programmer is to learn Microsoft.NET Programming.

    The next step after that, is to gain solid hands-on programming experience!

    Both steps must be completed before you can achieve the goal of becoming a corporate programmer!

    First Step: The first step in your career transition is to learn the ins and outs of Microsoft .NET Programming. This would include learning ASP.NET, C#, SQL SERVER and the Microsoft.NET Framework.

    You can’t bypass the requirement to learn Microsoft.NET programming because you’ll be asked programming questions at your technical interview which you will have to ace before you are hired!

    Second Step: The next step involves getting solid, hands-on Microsoft.NET programming experience.

    Handson experience is a requirement for information technology jobs because this is a handson, practical industry where what you can do is valued even more than your educational qualifications.

    Click here to read more about how to get handson computer programming experience!

    1. Become a Freelance Microsoft.NET Software Developer:

      You may consider starting your career as a freelance programmer before you get hired for corporate / full-time programming jobs.

      The experience or skill-level required for some freelance jobs is not as extensive as that of full-time programming jobs because clients can easily work away if they don’t like your job or try your services and see if they like working with you first before hiring you on a longer-term basis.

      Freelance Programming Jobs are not necessarily as lucrative as full-time or contract programming jobs but they do allow you to gain the mandatory hands-on programming experience by working on real-world software development projects for real-world clients.

      Becoming a freelance programmer while in training as a Microsoft.NET Programmer may also provide you with additional income, which is helpful whether you’re just transitioning careers or looking for a full-time programming job.

      Your initial focus should not be to earn a high income but to gain the hands-on programming experience which is required for programming positions.

    2. Become a Highly-Paid Corporate Programmer:

      After you’ve completed learning Microsoft.NET, C#, ASP.NET, SQL Server and worked on some freelance computer programming projects, you may transition into a regular full-time or independent Contract Programming job.

      Independent Contract Programmers are highly paid corporate programmers with billing rates ranging from $45/hr. to $60/hr. and even more!

      However, Independent Contract Programming is not for everyone because you have to pay your own employment taxes or provide your own benefits or face some downtime in-between projects meaning that your income may fluctuate.

      As an independent contract programmer, you also have to market your skills consistently to compensate for any downtime in-between programming projects.

      The good news is that “the demand for contract programmers is quite high” and each programming project usually lasts for a while (between 6 months and two years).

    3. Become a Full-Time Computer Programmer:

      Finally, after you’ve gained strong freelance or contract programming experience or you’ve worked on a number of corporate consulting gigs, you may be ready to become a full-time, salaried computer programmer.

      The upside of a full-time, permanent, salaried computer programming job is that you’re guaranteed medical benefits, a good paycheck and some stability in your employment.

      You won’t have to pay your own taxes or be on the look-out for the next consulting gig or wonder where your next paycheck is going to come from!

      The downside of a full-time, salaried programming career is that you may not earn as much as a corporate programmer because you don’t handle as much risk.

      Also, you don’t have the flexibility of deciding who to work for or the ability to switch programming projects or teams when you want!

    If you’re interested in learning more about the differences or distinction between full-time and contract programming jobs, read this article titled: “full time programming compared to contract programming jobs …”

    How To Overcome Hurdles In Transitioning To A Computer Programming Career

    1. Transition your Career in Phases

      Break up your career transition into phases and set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Realistic) goals for each phase.

      Transitioning your career in steps helps because you set achievable goals and build up the momentum that helps you follow though on a plan that leads to career success.

    2. Take Your Software Developer Training

      Transitioning to a new career begins with learning new skills.

      So, don’t neglect to acquire the required skills and don’t be looking for alternatives that promise a career transition without learning or acquiring new programming skills!

    3. Give Employers What They Want!

      Employers require hands-on programming experience which may seem unfair because you need their jobs to gain experience.

      However, don’t waste time hoping that employers will change their requirement for hands-on programming experience because you will be more successful at giving employers what they want than at getting them to change their minds.

    So, you may transition into a highly paid computer programming career by following this step-by-step plan that allows you to build on past successes or achieve your goals in stages!

    You may also enroll for the Software Developer Boot Camp Training and the Sql Boot Camp Training, since both SQL and Microsoft .NET programming skills are required for Software Developer Jobs.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/how-to-become-a-highly-paid-corporate-programmer/feed/ 0     What Software Skills Do Business Analysts Need? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/03/25/what-software-skills-do-business-analysts-need/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/03/25/what-software-skills-do-business-analysts-need/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:29:43 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1292

    Have you noticed the increasing demand for business analysts with stronger software skills or a wider range of skill sets?

    Because this is a top hiring trend, business analysts have expressed concern about the range of skillsets requested for on job postings.

    Some of these strong concerns are often worded as:

    • What software skills do business analysts need?

    • Should business analysts be made to learn computer programming?

    • Which software programs are required for business analysis jobs?

    Along the same lines, one of the concerns expressed is; should business analysts have in depth knowledge of SQL, Access, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and Reporting writing software?

    This article provides the needed guidance for the questions bordering on “what software skills are required for business analyst jobs“.

    And while you are reading this, you may also want to read this article on why IT Managers are looking for business analysts with a wider range of skill sets.

    Are Software Skills Required For Business Analysis Jobs?

    The answer to the question: are software skills required for business analyst jobs … is yes and no.

    Some companies hire only for the core business analyst competencies, while others include a wider range of software skills in their job description.

    The core business analyst skill sets does not include knowledge of specific software skills. However, in the current job market, IT Managers are cutting costs by hiring business analysts with a broader range of software skills.,/p>

    Traditionally, business analysts have had to learn the specific software used by a business after they get hired. Now, IT Managers are changing track by making some of these software skills required for hiring!

    Which Software Skills Are Required For Business Analyst Jobs?

    I will divide the software skills needed for business analyst jobs into three groups.

    The first (A) group refers to the software skills required for ALL business analyst jobs.

    The second (B) group includes the software skills that are a nice to have or frequently asked for.

    The third (C) group represents the software skills that are not usually required.

    1. Software Skills Required For ALL Business Analyst Jobs (A List):

      These include office productivity software tools like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and Outlook.

      These software tools are frequently used in the day to day tasks of a Business Analyst.

      These software tools are also required for a business analyst position whether they are stated clearly on the job description or not.

    2. Nice To Have Software Skills For Business Analyst Jobs (B List):

      The nice to have software skills include Relational Database Skills, SQL skills, Data Analysis skills and Report Writing skills.

      Next to office productivity software skills, database software skills are in-demand for business analyst positions.

      Organizations looking to cut costs or reduce It staff may combine the business analyst job role with the data analyst job role or report writer as the IT Manager or Director sees fit! When this happens the IT department will post business analyst job descriptions listing software packages traditionally required for data analyst or report writer type jobs.

    3. Highly Specialized Software Skills Needed For Business Analyst Jobs (C List):

      IT Managers are also hiring business analysts with the specific skills needed for custom or specialized software packages!

      The list of software skills in this list is infinite as it depends on the personal decision or needs of the hiring manager.

      An example is the IT director who wants to hire business analysts with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software skills or computer programming skills!

      Now, it is impractical to worry about or focus on this list when preparing for the business analyst job market because the expectations and needs are diverse, wide and unpredictable.

      If you are a business analyst with a specialized software skill wanted by a hiring manager, you should highlight that in your resume. If you don’t already have a specialized software skill, you are better of working on the business analysis skills in the nice to have software skills (B List)!

    Should IT Managers Hire Business Analysts with Highly Specialized Software Skills?

    Since only office productivity software skills are required for all business analyst jobs, why do IT Managers then include specialized software skills in business analyst job descriptions?

    1. IT Managers are looking to cut costs by combining the job descriptions for business analysts, data analysts, software developers and report writers.

      With this in mind, business analysts need to be flexible in their approach to the job market.

    2. IT Managers and staffing specialists may write up business analyst job descriptions based on an imperfect knowledge of the core business analyst roles and responsibilities.

      If your boss writes up an imperfect business analyst job description based on misconceptions, about the roles and responsibilities of business analysts, you may providing some guidance by sending your IT Manager or Director the business analyst professional development curriculum downloadable here.

    Who Are The Business Analysts With A Broad Range Of Software Skills?

    Some business analysts really want to stay out of computer programming or data analysis or report writing or learning specialized software programs.

    If a business analyst with that mindset is hired for a role that requires learning or working with a broad range of software skill sets, that business analyst will under-perform.

    If you are an employer hiring for business analysts with software skills, you may want to first hire for business analysts with SQL or Relational Databases or Data Analysis skills and then train the new business analyst hire on the list of highly specialized software skills needed by your company.

    More Information On How To Improve Business Analysis Skills

    The Business Analyst Boot Camp training is a practical, job-focused, web-based, instructor-led, video-based training program for business analysts.

    The Business Analyst Boot Camp training is a complete, end to end training program that covers both beginner and advanced business analysis courses including requirements analysis training, UML training, Use Case training.

    The Business Analyst training program is designed for the practicing Business Analyst who wants to learn or master business analysis skills for the day-to-day job requirements.

    The Business Analyst training program has an in-built diagnostics, testing and certification process and an online reporting tool that features your grades or scores as you (the Business Analyst) work your way through practical business analysis activities or watch the various business analyst training videos.

    The Business Analyst training provides real savings and return on investment (ROI) for individuals or corporations looking to manage business analyst training costs.

    The cost of business analyst training is easily $5,000 or more for a series of business analysis courses that only covers one core skill or business analyst competency (e.g. UML Training).

    Therefore, an IT Manager or business analyst looking for business analyst training that covers all the core business analysis competencies will have to invest in excess of ten thousand dollars.

    That is why, we are only guaranteeing the current price of the Business Analyst Boot Camp for a limited time!

    Right now, you can get the complete, end to end, beginner to advanced training across all business analyst competences in the Business Analyst Boot Camp for a discounted price.

    We also have a discount program for corporations sending 2 or more business analysts for training. Click here to learn more.

    For a limited-time, we are running a special for Business Analysts who want to broaden their skill sets or learn more software skills. For example, with the current special, you can register for both the Business Analyst Boot Camp and SQL Boot Camp for close to the price of one (2-for-1 special). A number of people like yourself are now taking advantage of this offer so, click here to get more information


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/03/25/what-software-skills-do-business-analysts-need/feed/ 19     Choosing Between Contract Or Full Time Business Analyst Job Offers http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/03/04/choosing-contract-full-time-business-analyst-jobs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/03/04/choosing-contract-full-time-business-analyst-jobs/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:11:03 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1239

    How To Achieve In Your Career

    How To Achieve In Your Career

    I am dedicating this article to answering a question posted by an independent contract business analyst. If you have a question or challenge about your business analyst career, post it as comment at the end of this article and I will answer it for you:

    Here is the question posed by the independent contract or consulting business analyst:

    … I got hired by a consulting firm. I was under the impression that I was with a company with a team-oriented environment. By this I mean that I thought I would be working with project teams etc.

    I shortly realized that the company operated much like a ‘body shop’- I was put on contracts on my own. I shortly realized that I was operating almost like an independent contractor.

    I read your article on independent consulting and lets just say that was my role but with very little experience. I have survived this environment … but now Im exhausted cause I never feel “caught up”. Im trying to make a career plan, but with the last few years I feel like I have lost the vision…??

    I think I’m looking for some mentorship/direction…!

    Here is my answer to the challenge facing the independent contract business analyst:

    Not All Business Analyst Job Offers Are Good For You!

    Years ago … in the middle of the last tech crisis when all tech jobs were gone, I was living in Madison, Wisconsin and had 3 job offers to choose from. One of the job offers was a full-time job offer from a consulting firm.

    The full-time job offer looked good on the surface. I was new to Madison, Wisconsin, the job offer promised me a steady source of pay, zero bench time, a career path, a competitive salary and lot’s of opportunities to grow my career!

    However, I did some research on the job offer and here is what I came up with:

    Business Analyst Consulting Jobs Cloaked As Full Time Job Offers

    Doing due diligence on the company and full-time job offer, I asked the interviewer, how many hours I would be working on a full-time basis?

    The answer really surprised me … I was told anywhere from 55 to 60+ hours or as much work as it takes to get my work done!

    That is when the first alarm bell went off … you see it is not uncommon to be asked to work a 45 hour week. But to work a 60 hour week, indicates a 12 hour work day! That sounded unusual for a full-time job offer.

    Full-Time vs. Contract Business Analyst Salary, Wages and Compensation

    Then I asked my second question .. How would I be compensated for the extra hours I would be investing in the position?

    At that point, the interviewer paused and then answered that it depends on how the company does at the end of the year. If I do very well, I may get a bonus, etc. So, I did a quick mental calculation. Working 20 extra hours per week, 80 hrs. per month equates to 1,000 overtime hours. I then realized that in a true or real contracting position, I will be getting between $25,000 to $75,000 for that extra amount of overtime work!

    How To Evaluate Business Analyst Contract Or Full-Time Job Offers

    1. Are You Compensated Fairly? Are you working for a business analyst consulting firm that hires you as a full-time employee and then sends you out to work an extra 15 to 20 hours in overtime pay for a promise of end of year benefits, compensation adn a better life? If you do, are you then compensated at the end of the year at a rate commensurate or better than what you get paid … if you work those overtime hours as a contract business analyst?

    2. Are You Trained To Do Your Business Analyst Job? If you work for a business analyst consultancy, you will be thrown into whatever work your employer finds. Employers are not that picky when it comes to accepting work from clients because they need to pay bills as well .. and I know this because I have been on the receiving end of both, first as an employee and then as an owner of a consultancy firm! However, an exceptional employer would give you work that is challenging but does not lie too far outside your skill sets without re-training you.

      The challenge here is that you if you work as an independent contract business analyst, you are really in control of your own career and your own destiny. By this I mean that you can pick and choose the contract jobs that match your skill sets or that you are trained to handle. If you work as a business analyst for a business analyst consultancy, you may not be able to choose the assignments that match your background, skills, training and aspirations. You have to depend on your employer to make that choice for that.

      If you find yourself working for a business analyst consultancy and being placed on projects that you are not prepared to handle, here is a quick solution:

      • Get More Hands-On Business Analysis Training: You can take a look at the core skills required to perform the projects frequently assigned to your business analyst consultancy. Find the overlapping skills that are needed for the majority of projects, and then ask your employer for training on those skills
      • Research Your Business analyst Job Offer Before Getting Hired: In my story, I asked the consulting firm, a few questions to determine if the position being offered was a good fit! I had three job offers and each of them paid better than the offer from the consulting firm. However, that is not the reason why I did not accept the job offer from the consultancy. I realized during the interview that the business consultancy firm was asking me to invest about 1,000 hours per year in overtime labor without a fair compensation plan. For the plan to have been fair, my base pay should have factored in all those extra over-time hours or I should have been offered an hourly pay after 40 to 45 hours of full-time work.

    Is Your Business Analyst Job What You Signed Up For?

    So, here is the action plan. You need to evaluate if your current business analyst job is a good fit for you … career wise! You are probably feeling over challenged about your current business analyst job because you knwo in your heart that it’s not quite what you signed up for!

    You are missing the feeling of belonging to a real business analyst team. That is because your business analyst consultancy moves you from one project to another and from one client to another … because that is how consultancies generally operate! If you are lucky, you get to stay on one client or project for a long-time and build relationships with team members … but that is an exception and not a rule.

    However, in a real full-time business analyst position where your employer is not a consultancy, you will have a much better chance to build relationships with team members, work as part of a team versus working in a solo fashion!

    Also, why it is true to say that most business analysts need some form of training to do their job … since the range of required skills is generally wide, business analyst consultancies and business analyst contractors may need even more training … because they are expected to bring an expert set of business analysis skills to each client engagement!

    What Is The Challenge Facing Your Business Analyst Career?

    I hope I answered your question. If you have any question or challenge about your business analyst career, go ahead and post it as a comment at the end of this article and I will be glad to answer or solve it for you!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/03/04/choosing-contract-full-time-business-analyst-jobs/feed/ 9     How To Gain Handson, Web Programming Experience http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/02/08/how-to-gain-handson-web-programming-experience/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/02/08/how-to-gain-handson-web-programming-experience/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:47:05 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=906

    How To Become A Web Programmer

    How To Become A Web Programmer

    The post which you are just about to read answers the question of:“what is the most compelling thing on a web programmer’s resume or how do you gain the type of resume that will make you standout in the web development industry!“

    Let me begin by saying that, the key thing that hiring managers are looking for on your resume is not your programming certifications or your college degrees or computer science education but your handson web programming experience.

    It is only after software development managers are satisfied that you have the required experience that they will start considering other things like your training, certification, degrees, education or qualifications.

    So the real questions here are:

    • How do you get strong, hands on web programming experience?
    • How do you document web programming experience on your resume?

    How To Gain Compelling Web Programming Resume

    • Build ASP.NET Applications for you own personal use: Begin by developing asp.net web applications that have some real world, practical and personal benefit.

      An example would be a web application that stores and catalogs links to useful ASP.net articles that you find on the web

    • Volunteer for open source ASP.NET projects: There are several open-source ASP.NET projects on sites like http://www.CodePlex.com.

      Some of these open source projects need help from volunteer asp.net developers like you, who can design or develop new features or fix existing bugs in the open source project.

    • Volunteer for non profit projects: Find a non-profit organization close to your heart and volunteer to help with creating or improving their websites or software applications.

    • Work on freelance projects on websites like Elance or ODesk. Don’t get hung-up on trying to win the big bids, instead work on winning the smaller bids because you are still looking to build your skills, experience and clients and not to make a lot of money.

      Working on real-world projects will help you get used to communicating with clients or managing project scope, deadlines or deliverables.

    How To Document Web Programming Experience On your Resume

    • Go back and document all the projects or tasks or features you wrote or completed.

    • Describe the technologies you used, the business processes you supported, the type of project you worked on, the positive reviews giving by your clients or project managers or colleagues.

      One of the biggest mistakes that computer programmers make on their resume is that giving too little credence to the tasks they perform on a project.

      This is sometimes due to them because of low self-confidence or self-esteem.

    • Don’t have to wait until you complete a big project before you document your work or results.

      Give a lot of time, attention and effort to documenting the smaller victories (tasks, features or software applications) you either created from scratch or completed.

      Trust me, your resume would look much better than the other folks that don’t do use this highly effective technique.

    One of the folks in our online training bootcamps applied the last technique to his business analyst resume and saw the activity on his resume jump by 300%.

    A coaching participant did the same thing and started getting pulled into business analyst job interviews that he wasn’t even qualified to attend.

    When he saw that recruiters were taking him seriously and that he was getting a lot of calls for business analyst consulting jobs beginning at $30/hr., he decided to run back and complete his training … that is how powerful the techniques posted on this article are!

    Though this article is written for computer programmers, you can adapt these techniques or use them to improve your resumes or get hand on experience for business analyst, data analyst, database or any other information technology (IT) jobs and careers.

    This post is an answer to a question asked by Talibah Coleman on “How to put together a compelling ASP.NET programmer resume from watching ASP.NET software developer videos“.

    You may click here to add your own No Holds Barred Questions, Comments or Discussion on challenges, problems or issues facing your career and i will respond to your question just as I answered Talibah’s question in this post!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/02/08/how-to-gain-handson-web-programming-experience/feed/ 11     IT Career Coach Named A 50 Best Career Coaching Site http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/22/it-career-coach-named-a-50-best-career-coaching-site/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/22/it-career-coach-named-a-50-best-career-coaching-site/#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:54:17 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=579

    NAMED A 50 BEST WEBSITE

    NAMED A 50 BEST WEBSITE

    It is official. We (IT Career Coach) has been selected as one of the best 50 career coaching or job hunting sites on the web by Online University Review.

    This selection is important because with the predictions of US unemployment approaching 10% by the end of 2008, there is no more important time than now to take interest in your career prospects and professional marketability.

    The 50 best job hunting sites cover interview tips, resume writing, employee workplace experiences, personal, pertinent and honest advice on very personal experiences encountered while job hunting.

    IT Career Coach was chosen for

    teaching and coaching for computer programmers, data analysts, and software developers.

    Click here to learn more about the top 50 best career coaching or job hunting sites.


    What Is The Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career?



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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/22/it-career-coach-named-a-50-best-career-coaching-site/feed/ 0     Learning C++ Programming Language Is Bad For Your Career … C++ Programmers Can’t Find Jobs http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/#comments Thu, 26 Jul 2007 05:41:07 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/

    Learning A Marketable Skill?

    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.

    So, I reasoned that if I could prove myself by conquering the hardest programming language, my success in computer programming would be guaranteed.

    Do You Want To Learn The Hardest Programming Language?

    Recently, a number of C/C+ software developers have been turning to me for help with their computer programmer careers.

    You can do this by taking advantage of the developer coaching or training sessions available to computer programmers who enroll in the software developers boot camp.

    So, what could go wrong with the career of a software developer who has conquered one of the meanest, hardest, most complex computer programming languages?

    The real problem with learning C/C++ is not whether it leaves up to its reputation for being a tough guy, because it does!.

    The challenge facing those who succeed in learning C/C++ is more subtle.

    Continue reading and you will find out for yourself soon.

    Is C/C++ Programming Good For Your Career?

    A few months ago, I started mentoring a C/C++ computer programmer with real-world programming experience in C/C++, Microsoft Foundation Classes and Windows 32 API and a college degree.

    He couldn’t get a computer programmer job, so he signed up for my coaching program to find out why he couldn’t get a job with C/C++ programming skills.

    After he explained his situation to me, I presented him with a list of 3 hot programming technologies in high demand.

    I told him that these programming languages were so hot that just having them on his resume would land him programming job offers, even though he had been out of work for 2 years!

    Well, he acted on the information I gave him, took MASSIVE ACTION and in a FEW MONTHS learnt all he could about the 3 hot programming technologies!

    Guess what? a few months after taking advantage of my software developer mentoring, he got the first programming job he interviewed for on the spot, after being out of work for two (2) years!

    So, why couldn’t a C/C++ computer programmer with real world industry experience and a college degree get a programming job in the middle of a hi-tech boom?

    WHY C++ PROGRAMMERS CAN’T GET JOBS

    The simple reason why C++ programmers can’t get a job is that the C++ programming language is not suited for business or web applications development!

    But, wait a minute, isn’t C/C++ also one of the fastest programming languages?

    Yes C++ is one of the fastest programming languages. But the speed of C++ applies to the speed with which it executes on a computer and not to the speed with which you can code or develop software programs.

    STOP! Think about what I just said. Don’t just read it, digest my last statement until you really comprehend it.

    C/C++ is the wrong programming language for business or web programming because employers care more about the speed with which you code or develop software and care less about the speed at which your software program executes.

    Why Employers Don’t Care About The Execution Speed of C++ Programs?

    The reason is that the dramatic increases in computer processing speed and memory has made the personal computer faster and much more powerful.

    So, the amount of processing power available on most personal computers makes the execution speed of any programming language sufficient for most business software development projects.

    What Do Employers Care About?

    Employers really want their software developers to code or write programs faster. And C/C++ fares badly at this, because it’s one of the meanest, hardest, most complex programming languages to either learn or develop real-world business applications with.

    The problems of C/C++ does not stop with the difficulty of learning the language. It’s also harder, tougher and slower to develop web or business applications in.

    This is the real reason why most employers will not hire C/C++ programmers for business or web application development.

    Is C/C+ Dead?

    Certainly not. C/C++ is best suited for software projects like writing operating systems, compilers, computer or video games, data mining applications, scientific applications or applications where the execution speed is critical.

    Stop for a moment now and answer this question: do you really want to make money from programming computers quickly or easily?

    If you answered yes, I recommend you go into an area of computer programming where the demand is hot and where there are lots and lots of jobs.

    That area right now is in internet or web application programming which C++ is unfortunately not suited for.

    Secondly, if you want to success in web or business applications development, learn a programming language which allows you to quickly create programs that meet business needs.

    After 13 years, I realize that employers don’t care about the beauty of the C++ programming language.

    Employers care about automating their business processes or making their businesses work better, quicker and faster.

    Employers also want to hire programmers whose speed of development matches or outpaces their business operations.

    The ugly truth is that C/C++ is not the right tool for achieving either of these results.

    Dear friend, enroll in the Software Developers Boot Camp now and learn those programming languages that excel at creating business software applications easily and quickly and you will discover success in computer programming quickly and easily.

    Finally, if you are a programmer needing help with career decisions, no matter how bad your situation is, sign-up for the Software Developers Boot Camp now and you will be personally coached on how to achieve success in your situation.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/feed/ 21     How To Become A Business Analyst http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/19/how-to-become-a-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/19/how-to-become-a-business-analyst/#comments Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:42:34 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/19/how-to-become-a-business-analyst/

    How To Become A Business Analyst

    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.

    The business analyst works in a team, acting as a liaison between the business team and the software development team.

    The business analyst is the information technology worker who lives in two worlds, one being the business world and the other being the software development world.

    A business analyst needs to understand software development enough to discuss the details of the business process improvement project with computer programmers assigned to the project in a technical language programmers understand.

    Roles and Responsibilities of a Business Analyst

    The roles and responsibilities of a business analyst include:

    Acting as a liaison between the software development team and the business team.

    Writing feasibility studies, project briefs, cost analysis, testing schedules and user manuals for new business processes.

    Analyzing business processes to identify problems and implementing solutions that improve the business process.

    Communicating and presenting technical solutions for business problems to business stakeholders and owners.

    Documenting or explaining complex business operations to software developers.

    Career Outlook and Prospects for Business Analysts
     Like the other professions in software development, business analysts also have well-paying jobs. In 2006, business analysts in the United States earned an average of $68,579 annually, with bonuses amounting to $3,783. The total increase from the figures of 2005 is 3.1%.

    Business analysts who become contract information technology workers can earn six-figure salaries.

    I recommend that you read two of my previous articles on contracting if you are interested in becoming a contract business analyst. The first article is the how to become a contract business analyst. The second is Full Time Business Analysts Or Contract Contract Business Analysts.

    Both articles will help you decide whether to be a full-time business analyst or a contract business analyst.

    Skills and Requirements for a Business Analyst

    In some organizations, the business analyst works with a team of computer programmers and does not need to master computer programming.

    In other organizations, the line separating the business analyst and the computer programmer is fuzzy, therefore the business analyst must know how to code. In cases like this a beginner or entry-level mastery of computer programming is all that is needed.

    Generally, a basic computer expertise in computer programming will help a business analyst perform their work better.

    To gain this basic expertise in computer programming, an aspiring business analyst should have a solid understanding of SQL, data analysis, reporting, UML, Visual Basic programming, Microsoft Office Automation and a few other software packages.

    Just bear in mind that this varies from organization to organization.

    The ability to work in a team and to coordinate among people is also a skill that the business analyst needs to cultivate. Good writing skills and communication skills are also helpful in this career.

    Comparing Computer Programmer Careers To Business Analyst Careers

    1. Technology Skills: Computer programmers spend the majority of their time writing code while business analysts spend a minor amount of time writing code.

    2. People Skills: Business analysts invest a lot of time interacting with business users a lot, so they need good communication and relationship skills.

    Computer programmers tend to invest most of their time working on software that will be used by people. So communication and relationship skills are secondary to technical skills for software developers.

    3. Entry level requirements: Business analysis positions tend to have lower entry level requirements than computer programming positions. Business analysis positions tend to pay lower than computer programming positions as well.

    One of the advantages of learning computer programming is that you instantly have a lot of well-paying career options including software project management and business analysis.

    The business analyst career stands out because it gently introduces you to the software development industry. It also provides you the opportunity to use more of your communication, relationship-building and data-analysis talents.

    After more than a decade in software development, I’m convinced that many people don’t realize they have the option of becoming a business analyst. I hope that you do decide to become a business analyst if you are not really cut out to be a computer programmer.

    If you want to become a business analyst or are looking for a business analyst job, begin by reading the series titled “The Business Analyst Job Description” to get the foundation or knowledge you need to succeed in business analyst jobs or roles.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/19/how-to-become-a-business-analyst/feed/ 63     Thinking of Changing Careers To Computer Programming? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/08/thinking-of-changing-careers-to-computer-programming/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/08/thinking-of-changing-careers-to-computer-programming/#comments Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:53:32 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/08/thinking-of-changing-careers-to-computer-programming/

    One of my blog readers emailed me the question below about the feasibility of changing careers to computer programming in Malaysia.

    Question:

    Hi,

    I am 34 years old, currently working as an electronic technician and am thinking of a career change and take up programming as a career.

    I am interested to know if you have come across anyone like in my situation from Malaysia who has done your course and managed to get a job as a computer programmer?

    I ask because the conditions in Malaysia is somewhat different as in the need for a degree, for example. So, it would be refreshing to know of a proven case for me to bear in mind when making the crucial decision to get myself to really go for it.

    Thank you. Kind regards,

    Edward

    Answer:

    Hi Edward,

    1. Is A Computer Science Degree, a Legal Requirement? I’m aware that programmers who have degrees are sometimes preferred to those who don’t at job interviews. Notice that I use the word preferred. However the question to ask yourself is this: “Am I legally required to have a computer programming degree from a college or university?”

      The answer to this question in many cases is NO. No because in most countries that I know of, you are not legally required to have a computer programming degree from a college or university. Let’s examine my claim more closely. If you want to become a lawyer or medical doctor, in most countries you need to have degree from a university or college.

      So, you will be doing something illegal if you present yourself as a medical doctor or a lawyer without having the college or university degree to back it up. However, with computer programming, the preference is not a legal requirement. This means that you can present yourself as a computer programmer without having a computer science degree.

      So, this is what I urge you or any of my readers to do. If you are really serious about changing careers to computer programming, take advantage of the opportunity to do so now because the entry requirements and barrier to beginning a career in computer programming is quite low.

      The mechanics of how to master computer programming and begin a professional computer programming career is what I teach in my book: “the street smart guide to computer programming careers“.

    2. What Are Employers Looking For? Yes, there are many job postings that list a computer science degree as a requirement. However, in most of these cases, the computer programming degree requirement applies to full-time computer programmer job postings and not to contract programmer positions.

      This is because the contract programming market works differently from the full-time employment market. For contract programmers, the important requirement is to have strong industry experience and the technical skills for the job and simply present your resume. It’s far better to focus on developing the technical skills required to master programming than on the degree requirements because employers would often hire programmers who have the required programming skills without a college degree.

    3. Focus on Outsourcing And Increase Your Employment Options: You cannot focus on your local employment market in Malaysia alone because you limit your options by doing so. Whatever country you live in (Singapore, Japan, South Korea, South Africa), you have access to the internet and to a global supply of computer programming jobs. This means that even though you live in Malaysia or Kenya, you can bid for programming projects originating in US, UK, Canada, etc.

      Often these projects pay more than those originating in your own country. So, if you decide not to become a computer programmer because of the employment conditions in your country, you lose the option of working on better paying programming projects posted by more open minded employers on the internet. These software development projects do not require a computer science degree and are posted by employers in the US, UK, Canada, etc. for computer programmers living anywhere to participate in.

    Edward, I have given you 3 good reasons why you should begin your professional computer programming career today without hesitation. Please let me know if I can answer any other question or comment that you may have.

    Finally, If you are considering changing careers to computer programming, begin by reading the definitive book on how to master computer programming easily and get hired for a programming job fast.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/08/thinking-of-changing-careers-to-computer-programming/feed/ 0     Show Me Your Talent And I Will Show You The Money http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/02/19/show-me-your-talent-and-i-will-show-you-the-money/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/02/19/show-me-your-talent-and-i-will-show-you-the-money/#comments Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:40:10 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/02/19/show-me-your-talent-and-i-will-show-you-the-money/

    My programming career started in Tulsa, Oklahoma when I mastered a programming language in high-demand by employers within 1 month, scored 93% in my computer programming job interview and within 6 months was billing an entry level $76,000/yr. contract programming fee.

    Hi, my name is Kingsley Tagbo. I am a Contract Software Developer, an IT Career Coach and Author of the book on “How to Master High Paying, Highly Sought-After Computer Programming Skills Easily and Quickly“.

    The Hallmark of my signature coaching services and books is this: I help people develop their personal ability to master highly sought after computer programming skills in the fastest, easiest, least expensive way possible

    My coaching services and books follow “The Shortest Path Between Developing Your Skills And Becoming Well Paid“. And Nobody Else Does It Like I Do! Let’s quickly examine what sets my coaching apart:

    1. Begin Programming With The End In Mind: I believe that the foundation of your career is your technical skills. This is where I radically depart from others. I focus on the skills that are in high-demand by employers. In other words, I coach you with the mindset of achieving something more important than just learning a language. I focus on your big picture, what’s really important to you about computer programming.

      Beyond learning a programming language, is your career objective: (a.) finding a well paying job (b.) having a highly portable career (c.) developing highly sought after programming skills (d.) living on the edge by focusing on new technology. Only after your big picture is clear do I then map the shortest path for you to achieve it. This is what sets my coaching and my books apart.

    2. Speed Of Execution: I coach based on my unique formative years in programming. While some others take a part that means it can take you several years to achieve your programming goals, I focus on your Wildly Important Goals.

      For some job candidates, this means that you will learn a programming skill and begin marketing your resume to hiring managers and recruiters within one month. I can do this for you, because this is how I started my programming career too. This agility and speed means that my coaching candidates take the quicker, easier path to getting paid period.

    3. It’s More Than Your Money’s Worth: Because I started my computer programming career with a $49.95 investment and I’VE MADE several thousands of dollars back from that singular investment. So, I have become a strong advocate for self-learning, self-taught non-traditional paths to learning programming.

      If you follow the advice in my coaching and my books, you will develop your own unique personal power. The ability to identify high paying computer programming skills, master it for cheap bucks and easily discover employers that are willing to pay give you a well-paying job or pay you top dollars for your new skills.

    So ends this article on myself, my coaching services and my eBook “The Street Smart Guide To High Paying Computer Programming Careers“.

    Please feel free to post your questions and comments on this article using the comments form below and be sure to check back for further articles and discussions.


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