ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » CTO 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 Career Outlook for Business Intelligence (BI) or Data Warehousing (DW) http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/09/career-outlook-for-business-intelligence-bi-or-data-warehousing-dw/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/09/career-outlook-for-business-intelligence-bi-or-data-warehousing-dw/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:15:26 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2736

Competing on Analytics

Competing on Analytics


Microsoft NET Developers are well compensated IT professionals because the workplace demand for skilled Microsoft.NET programmers outstrips the supply.

On the other hand, being a Microsoft .NET programmer can be tough because of the constant pressure to keep up with new technology!

So, this post addresses the challenges facing a Microsoft .NET Developer moving to Business Intelligence (BI) / Data Warehousing (DW):

Considering a Career Move from .NET Development to Business Intelligence (BI)?

I am currently working as a .net Developer (for the last 4 years mostly on contracting jobs).

The biggest problem I am facing is not being able to keep up with new .net components coming out everyday.

On my last project I developed in .net 2.0. Now for new positions, everyone is asking for .NET 3.5 (while 4.0 is looming on ahead).

I have a friend who is working as a Business Objects Consultant, and I am thinking of switching toward Datawarehousing / BI.

Would that be a good career move from my side. I think they get paid more and also do not need to keep reading like crazy.

However I am not sure of how will be the future of Business Objects and is there any chance beyond a report developer.

Hopefully, when the economy is better, I will be able to get a fulltime job and settled in one place.

The Career Outlook for Business Intelligence (BI) / Data Warehousing (DW)

  1. High Demand: The demand for Microsoft .NET Programmers is driven by Microsoft’s sheer marketing muscle and corporations customizing various Microsoft software products (like SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Office) for Collaboration, Marketing and Sales. etc.

  2. Steep Learning Curve: Microsoft .NET development has a steep learning curve, so you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed.

    .NET programmers have to keep up with multiple versions including .NET 1.0, .NET 1.1, .NET 2.0, .NET 3.0, .NET 3.5, .NET 4.0 in the works … and perhaps another sequel to .NET 4.0 in some secret Microsoft lab!

    As a Microsoft .NET programmer, you are also expected to keep up with multiple related technologies including HTML, XHTML, CSS, SQL SERVER, JAVASCRIPT, XML and more!

So, what is one to do? On one hand, you have a well compensated .NET programming career and on the other hand, you feel enslaved to the technology because you always have to be learning!

Considering all these, making a career change from Microsoft .NET Development to Business Intelligence / Data Warehousing may be in your long-term interests.

So, the question is, what are the career prospects or job outlook for business intelligence and data warehousing professionals like?

  1. Competing on Data: Organizations facing increasing marketplace pressures are turning to business intelligence (BI) projects for solutions.

    Better data and better analytics are needed for faster, more-informed decision making and that is where business intelligence and data warehousing professionals step in to help!

  2. Job Outlook for Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Warehousing Professionals: Leading industry analysts including Gartner and Forrester Research rank Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Warehousing (DW) as top technology priorities for Chief Information Officers (CIOs).

  3. In plain words, there is gold in business intelligence and data warehousing careers and you can tap into it!

  4. How to become a Business Intelligence (BI) or Data Warehousing (DW) professional: Changing careers from Microsoft .NET Development to Business Intelligence shouldn’t be too hard for you.

    Data Warehousing is built on the backbone of strong relational database design, database development and SQL skills and Business Intelligence integrates analytics, database technology and yes, some Microsoft .NET programming.

  5. Leverage existing skills; If you decide on a Microsoft BI / DW Career Path, you can still build customized BI and DW projects using your familiar Microsoft .NET Programming and SQL Server Database Development skills and if you go with other vendors, you can learn their particular Business Intelligence (BI) programming / scripting tools and their database technology, too!

The good news for you, is that you can leverage or reuse your Microsoft .NET Programming background and your SQL Server database development skills in the BI / DW Market.

I recommend that you stop looking at business intelligence (BI) and data warehousing (DW) as a reporting job because it is more than that … get a copy of the book titled Competing on Analytics, ok?

Competing on Analytics

Competing on Analytics

This post answers a challenge facing a .NET Developer changing careers to business intelligence and data warehousing.

If you have a question or a challenge facing your career, post it as a comment on this page and I will answer it for you!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/12/09/career-outlook-for-business-intelligence-bi-or-data-warehousing-dw/feed/ 9 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 How To Keep Your Job In A Recession http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/12/10/how-to-keep-your-job-in-a-recession/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/12/10/how-to-keep-your-job-in-a-recession/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:41:03 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/12/10/how-to-keep-your-job-in-a-recession/

Laid Of In The Recession

No doubt you already know how the recession affects the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Unemployment Rate or Stock Market. So, I won’t waste your time by repeating all that bad news.

What I would talk about is what really matters:”how you or your loved ones can protect your finances by staying employed in this recession!“

The best way to keep your job in a recession or to find a new job easily is to become “The Most Over Qualified, Under Paid Professional” on your team.

Here is why becoming over-qualified and under-paid work hand in hand to protect your career:

  1. The Least Qualified Professionals Are Laid-Off In A Recession:The employees at risk of being down-sized are the least valuable professionals (business analysts, software developers, etc.) on the team.

    The least valuable professionals are the least effective, productive, skilled, trained or experienced people on their jobs.

  2. The Most Over Paid Professionals Are Laid-Off In A Recession:The other type of employee at risk of being down-sized are the over paid software development professionals (project managers, web designers etc.).

    The over paid information technology (IT) professionals typically earn far above their contemporaries with the same skill sets or far above the historical costs associated with a position in a specific business. Firing over paid workers qualifies as cost savings for managers concerned about cutting payroll costs in a recession.

  3. The Better Qualified, Least Paid Employees Keep Their Jobs In A Recession:

    The employees who keep their jobs or get hired easily in a recession … are the better trained, highly skilled and relatively inexpensive employees.The employees who advance their skills though hard work and training without always asking for more money … tend to stay employed even during recessions.

The Secret To Staying Employed Even In A Recession

The best way to stay employed especially in a recession … is by training to “become the best skilled person … and not the best paid!”

You need to cultivate the attitude of champions … “who train daily to be the best!“.Champions do not obsess about money! Champions understand that … proving their mettle is the only thing that really matters!

Champions are rich, famous and successful … because they ignored the pursuit of money … to become the best

So, will you accept this challenge: “to recession proof your career” … by training to become the best or are you going to leave your career at the mercy of the coming financial storm?

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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/12/10/how-to-keep-your-job-in-a-recession/feed/ 0 How To Find, Hire Or Retain Good Software Developers Easily http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/13/how-to-find-hire-or-retain-good-software-developers-easily/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/13/how-to-find-hire-or-retain-good-software-developers-easily/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:05:29 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/13/how-to-find-hire-or-retain-good-software-developers-easily/

There is a high demand by IT managers for good, competent and skilled software
developers right now.A good number of software development job postings for
leading or cutting edge software development skills are taking longer and longer
to fill.

1. The demand for experienced, skilled software developers in Java, C# .NET,
Visual Basic .NET, SQL Server, SharePoint and ASP.NET exceeds the supply of
available, skilled and competent computer programmers.

2. Software job postings are taking longer to fill. In some cases, they are not
getting filled at all. I have seen IT directors, IT managers and hiring managers
post "job wanted" advertisements for .NET programmers or C# programmers that
take months to fill.

3. When IT directors, IT managers or hiring managers use recruiting firms, they
have to pay a premium to find competent computer programmers. IT staffing
agencies bill $70/hr. or more for finding and placing skilled temporary
Java, C#, ASP.NET and SQL Server computer programmers. Employers sometimes have
to pay as much as a hefty 20% placement fee to convert skilled temporary
software developers into a permanent employees.

Here a few tips that can help you with finding or hiring good, competent or
expert software developers.

How to find and hire competent software developers

1. Telecommuting:

Offer your software developers the option to telecommute as a perk.

I am amazed at how in 2008, not enough IT managers are offering telecommuting as
a benefit. Offering partial or full telecommuting will allow you to attract more
highly skilled and competent software developers because it is getting harder to
compete for and win software developers based on offering better salaries, 401K
or medical benefits. But you can more easily attract the attention of software
developers by offering telecommuting as a benefit.

2. Software Development Tools:

Invest in enterprise software development tools to attract and keep the right
software development talent. If you are an IT manager, project manager, IT
director, hiring manager, software development manager or you have the authority
to hire and manage software developers, make sure that you have a budget for
software development tools such as testing tools, requirement management tools,
database development tools, web development tools, source code management and
versioning tools and software build management tools.

If you don't or you skip buying the professional tools your software developers
need, you may find it more difficult to hire, attract or retain good software
development talent. Good, experienced or competent software developers expect to
use these software development tools for their day-to-day tasks and rank
employers who provide them with professional software development tools higher
than employers who don't.

3. Train your programmers:

Invest in the training of your computer programmers and other information
technology workers who are interested in learning computer programming.

Don't lose sight of the fact that computer programming is a skill that can be
learned just like any other skill. With the shortage of skilled, competent and
experienced computer programmers, you need to explore training employees who are
interested in learning programming knowing that you can get the return on your
investment (ROI) within a year.

Training has the effect of raising employee morale because it demonstrates that
you care and believe in the employee. It also provides you with a means of
standing out in the industry as an employer who invests in their employees.
Training your existing computer programmers also signals to senior, experienced
and competent software developers that you are the kind of employer who looks
after the career of your software developers.

These tips will make it is easier, less expensive and faster for you to find,
hire or retain good software developers. If you need assistance with
implementing any of these tips,
target="_blank"
title="contact the author">click here to get in touch with me.

About The Author

My name is Kingsley Tagbo and I’m a technical expert living in Saint Louis,
Missouri. I write about the training, coaching, mentoring
and personal development of software development professionals including
business analysts, computer programmers, testers, project managers, web
designers, data analysts, report writers, software developers and other
information technology professionals .

My firm, Exacticity, performs software development consulting and training for
clients throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and
New Zealand. If you are in need of software development consultants or training,
target="_blank"
title="contact the author">click here to get in touch with me.


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