How To Break The Unemployment Cycle
Sometime ago, Glendal (a project manager on this website) asked me to suggest a solution for the current unemployment crises facing the USA. While still working on an answer to that, the same question was again popped to me in a recent interview with Dice.com.
Since this is a question weighing on the minds of people … Today, it will be my pleasure to answer the question: “How To Solve The Unemployment Crises Facing The United States of America.“.
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.
how to: ace technical interviews and land jobs
This question was submitted by Vijay who needs advice on “how to ace programming interviews and land the next job!“
If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering Vijay’s questions below!
Question: How To Impress Hiring Manager at Programming Interviews
Here is the question submitted by Vijay:
On my last job I was given a technical test to write nested SQL queries.
Choose Right!
If you are looking to start a new information technology career, you may be wondering about how to choose the right career.
This post helps you answer that question.
After reading this post, feel free to ask a question or discuss the topic by posting your opinion or comments.
-
What do you love to do? start off by reviewing all the productive things that you love to do and then compile a list of careers from them.
For example, if you like repairing electronic hardware, you may consider becoming a hardware or network support specialist or if you like writing, you may consider becoming a technical writer or a business analyst.
-
What do you have some background or experience in?: review your previous working experience or background for skills that you ca re-use in a new IT careers.
For example, if you have a background in marketing and sales, you may consider becoming a technical recruiter and if you have a background in programming electrical circuits you may consider going into computer programming.
Beggars Can't Be Choosers
One of the bigger issues facing IT professionals is: “the challenge of building experience“.
This challenge exists because employers still require experience for hiring, even when you need their jobs to build experience!
It’s the classic Catch-22: “chicken or egg which came first challenge” that may be solved through internships or full-time jobs.
However, internships are getting increasingly competitive (Read More …) and employers are still insisting on handson experience before making job offers.
Why Internships Are Hard To Get
For a while, internships helped provide the missing handson experience to IT professionals learning new skills or transitioning careers.
Will Pay For Work!
It is generally accepted that hands-on experience is one of the more important qualifications for getting a job and that you may get handson experience through paid or unpaid internship programs.
So this article on NyTimes.com about how job seekers are paying thousands of dollars for internships is not surprising considering how competitive the job market has become.
What is surprising is that these are college graduates from prestigious colleges paying for nonpaying internship programs!
The article is titled “Unpaid Work, but They Pay for Privilege” and you can read it here:
starving artist wolfgang amadeus mozart
This article is one in a series on creating or establishing your personal brand and becoming a leader in your industry.
While creating your personal brand is not easy, the benefits speak for themselves; other professionals begin to seek you out, ask for your assistance or offer you compensation in exchange for your help, services or advice.
Creativity is sometimes frowned upon in the workplace because you are expected to follow orders!
Perhaps you’ve neglected using your creative forces in the past because it forces others to think or so that you can keep your head down and stop others from following you!
Business Analysts Learn Computer Programming
Are database development, computer programming, data analysis or web development required skills for Business Analysts?
Perhaps you’ve seen, heard about or applied for jobs asking for a broad or seemingly impossible range of skill sets?
Like those job descriptions for business analysts requiring computer programming skills or those for PMP Certified Project Managers with 5 years of software development experience!
This post addresses “how to bridge the gap between business analyst skills and unfair job descriptions written-up by Information Technology (IT) departments”
The Domain Business Analyst Career Path
Is a business analyst with domain knowledge more valuable than a business analyst without domain knowledge?
By looking at how business analyst job descriptions are written, you may be tempted to say yes!
Business Analyst job descriptions are written as if there is a distinction between IT oriented business analysts with skills in UML, Use Cases, Requirements Elicitation, Requirements Modeling and domain oriented business analysts with knowledge in specific domains like sales, marketing, customer relationship management, insurance, finance!
Ask IT Career Coach
This question was posted by a reader who needs advice on “what to do about making wrong career choices”.
If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!
Please, send this post to your friends using the “Tell a Friend” Button button below. You earn points or cash each time you refer an article to your friends using the Tell a Friend Button.
Ask IT Career Coach
This question was posted by a reader who wants to overcome obstacles posed by employment gaps in an Oracle Programming Career!
Please, send this post to your friends using the “Tell a Friend” Button button below. You earn points or cash each time you refer an article to your friends using the Tell a Friend Button.
If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!
Beat the Recession
You’ve got a
college degree, a
good looking resume and an
impressive listing of Information Technology (IT) skills but can’t seem to find an IT
job.
Finding a Job doesn’t have to be a traumatic, nerve racking or frustrating experience filled with rejection, fear and pain!
Just follow this article series to find out what’s wrong or get back in control of YOUR job search.
Michael Jackson, King of Pop. August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009
Michael Jackson discovered his musical strengths early in his career, developed into a musical genius and then dedicated his life to serving humanity with music.
What we know about legends or superstars like Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan or Michael Jackson is that they are the best at what they do.
But the reason why we love the Michaels’ (Phelps, Jordan, Jackson) is: “we are just like them way down or deep inside of us”!
Ask a Burning Question
In this article I will be presenting a simple but effective plan for getting through business analyst interviews and also answer a question posted by a business analyst who has a hard time getting through business analyst job interviews.
Here is the question asked by the business analyst:
Hi,
The Toughest Challenge is to be able to get a job as Business Analyst.
I do get interviews but getting through interview as Business Analyst is quite a big challenge for me right now.
How To Boost IT Skills Rapidly Or Get Hired Fast
I discovered the power of practice tests in 1999 after I aced a job interview test with a score in the mid-nineties and got hired fast!
Over the next few months, I mastered how to boost my skills rapidly using the technique that I will share with you in the rest of this article.
Research has shown that practice tests or quizzes improve your retention, recall or understanding.
Research that studies how people learn skills effectively also demonstrates that students who study and take quizzes have better long-term recall than their colleagues who study without taking quizzes.
Quit your Job the Right Way!
Is your boss keeping your career back?
Do you realize that the same boss who is responsible for keeping back your career will ultimately fire you for another IT worker with a better resume!
If you are frustrated in your current job because of lack of stimulating, interesting or challenging work or because someone else like your boss … is keeping your career back then you need to read this article.
One of the traits of successful IT professionals is the desire to learn, improve or working on exciting and challenging ideas all the time. It is what truly distinguishes achieving IT professions from others.
Ask a Burning Question
Dear Friend,
What is the “Toughest Challenge Facing Your Career Right Now“?
Your 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 challenge is about how to transition out of or into a business analyst or computer programming or database developer career. Whatever they are, go ahead and post your comment and we will deal with them for you.
There is an increased demand for business analysts with software skills or a wider range of skill sets. Because of that, I am getting more questions on how to deal with this trend. Some of the questions are:
-
What software skills are needed by business analysts?
-
Should business analysts be made to learn computer programming?
-
What software packages programs are required for business analysis jobs?
Another reader also posted this question, should business analysts have in depth knowledge of SQL, Access, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and Reporting writing software?
As hiring managers are cutting costs and reducing staff size they are also hiring hiring professionals with a broader range of skills
As workers are laid off, the lucky ones left behind are asked to work longer hours or work on a broader range of tasks
IT Managers are now hiring for a broader range of skill sets. Business Analysts are being asked to perform light programming jobs and software developers are being asked to perform light business analysis tasks
On of my readers needs help with finding a business analyst job. I posted the information I provided to him below. If you have any question about this or about your business analyst career, post it as comment at the end of the post and I would answer it for you.
Here is the business analyst career question posted by my reader:
Hi – my greatest challenge is the fact that I’ve never held an IT Business Analyst position. I’m convinced I can do the job based on my experience, but I have not had any interviews outside of my current employer. I had a few interviews in my current company but was being sabotaged by my former boss so I never got the job.
It’s not news anymore. We are officially in a recession and people are being laid off everywhere. At first, it looked like the IT sector was going to come through this relatively unscathed, but that is no longer the case. Microsoft, IBM and Intel all announced job cuts this week.
In 2008, the US economy shed 1.2 million jobs. 10% of those jobs were Information Technology jobs. As of December, over 100,000 IT jobs had been lost and it doesn’t look like the situation is going to get better any time soon.
Learning and improving your business analysis skills is a must. Sometimes you can get so caught up in your current business analyst job that you miss the boat on new skills in the industry. Browsing and reading job descriptions can help you create a career development plan that keeps you on the leading edge of the business analysis industry.
Employment Job Search
A good way to find out what employers are saying they are looking for in a business analyst is to browse job descriptions. Unfortunately, you will quickly find out that many online job descriptions are very vague. Reading some of them, it would be hard for a business analyst to gauge his or her skill level against the requirements of the job description.
Creating a Business Requirements Document is Not the Mark of a Business Analyst
Here is an excerpt from one particularly bad business analyst job description I found:
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:
Would you be interested in getting additional business analyst training on how to get business analyst jobs or begin a business analyst career?
What I have in mind is a step-by-step online and email based business analyst training program that provides you with the opportunity to gain marketable business analyst career skills, real world experience and the courage to get your dream job.
The Business Analyst Internship Program
If you are wondering if this online business analyst training program is for you, here are some criteria for helping you decide:
In this post I will discuss why some people are affluent and successful in their careers while others seem to struggle with minimum wage or low paying jobs and despite their hard work, intelligence and personality can not earn enough money to pay their bills.
The reasons why people struggle with earning enough money to pay your bills and afford some of the nicer things of life include:
- Lack of a Top Paying, In-demand, Marketable Skill
- Lack of Focus and Inability to Follow a Proven Successful Plan
I’m going to share something with you that will pretty much blow your mind away.
Now, here’s it is. Do you need to be competent at web or windows development before you can get a computer programming job? What is the absolute minimum number of technical skills or programming languages you need to learn to get a business analyst, data analyst or software development job? Do you need to master a number of technical or programming skills to begin your career in business analysis or software development? Absolutely not, I say!
I’m finally done with it … the book that’s 10 years in the making and tonight I”m releasing the How To Ace Programming Job Interviews Book.
Why The Programming Job Interviews Book Took Ten Years To Write
If you are my customer, by that I mean you’ve bought one of my books, you will realize that i’m pretty thorough and not one to release a half-baked book. You will also realize that my computer programming books and business analyst books are practical, comprehensive and based on tactics, strategies and information that gets results in the software development industry.
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 got the reply C++. I asked the question because I badly wanted to become a successful programmer. So, I reasoned that if I could prove myself by conquering the hardest programming language, my success in computer programming would be guaranteed.
Your technology, resume and interviewing skills are the 3 keys that drive your computer programming career.
If you are formula minded, you can express my career determining statement as:
TECHNOLOGY + RESUME + INTERVIEWING SKILLS = SUCCESSFUL COMPUTER PROGRAMMER
Here is how the computer programming industry works:
- Technology: Your choice of programming language can make or break your career. If you choose a programming language that’s not in-demand like COBOL, your career is PRETTY MUCH dead. If you choose a programming language that’s in high demand like Java or C# your career is headed for the STARS.
I am taking more questions on computer programmer careers in today’s tutorial.
If you have questions you need answered, email it to me or post it as a comment to this article. Here are the questions I am replying to:
- I am interested in learning more about the program that will help you get a job fast
- How long does it take to learn programming?
- How can I learn programming fast?
- Is it hard to get a programming job?
The answers to these questions are hidden in the amazing short story I am about to tell you next.
I am taking questions on developer careers.
This article is on how to handle fear at programming interviews and become self-confident.
To succeed as a contract programmer, full time developer or freelance programmer you need to master the “developer interview”. Because your technical job interviewing skills are key to getting job offers, do not ignore them or you will quickly be un-employed in any competitive market.
The one critical skill that can make or break your programming interview is fear and here is why:
I am answering questions on computer programmer careers. This tutorial or guide is about how to get an entry-level computer programmer job as a beginner programmer or computer science student.
Here is the question:
Dear Mr. Tagbo,
Now that the spring has finally arrived, I am ready to search for programming jobs available for college students. So far I have mastered the fundamental concepts of programming such as function: Subprocedures, Arrays, and Classes.
I feel competent enough to pursue a career in Programming as well as Mathematics. Please send me an e-mail regarding the availability of programming jobs.
Resume Writer
You won’t have believed me if I told you.
But now You, Oh Yes You, are beginning to realize it.
Your resume is the reason why you can’t get a programming interview despite your best efforts.
And when you talk to recruiters, Oh My, Do They Give You A Run Around!
Someone should have been kind enough to tell you that your resume is killing your career!
You send your resume to soooo many employers and then sit back for phone calls that never happen.
Beginning computer programming can be difficult.
Even after getting hired beginner computer programmers may get the short end of the stick in matters ranging from compensation, training, and exposure to high profile projects and clients, peer respect, choice of technology, pecking order, holiday time and benefits.
There are several reasons why beginner programmers find it hard to get programming jobs or harder to find good career positions even after they are hired. Here are a few:
In my University years I observed two groups of students.
The first group was ultra-focused on their studies. They attended all their lectures, turned in assingments on time and fraternized exclusively with smart or smarter students.
The second group paid attention to their studies. In addition, they had part-time jobs and projects working for local companies. They cared more about how their studies impacted their world and not just the academia. Sometimes, they were at the top of their class and sometimes they weren’t.
Announcing the “How To Find Programming Jobs Easily And Get Hired Fast!”
3-DAY SPECIAL Release For programmers looking for a new job.
Never again do you have to feel over-whelmed by a job search when this FOUR-IN-ONE JOB SEARCH PACKAGE says it all. Here are the four books in this release:
- How To Create Highly Effective Programmer Resumes
- How To Find Programming Job Openings Easily
- How To Ace Technical Interviews
- How To Negotiate The Salary You Want
For the next 3 days, you can have this book for a fraction of the full price.
Well, you asked me to come up with a way to make computer programming less difficult, more rewarding and more meaningful.
I just did!
Starting from now until Wednesday Midnight CST, I am launching the new “Software Developers Online Coaching Service” with a 48 Hour Special to accelerate your learning and help you achieve your programming goals.
Whether you desire a lucrative programming gig, or you want to become a better programmer or learn programming as a means to more personal wealth, freedom and satisfaction, discover your answer here: IT Career Coaching.
I’ve been discussing how beginner (novice, entry-level or junior) computer programmers can break-through to high paying computer programming jobs with just a little real world experience.
Do you realize this is how I became a computer programmer? Yes, I landed a break-through $76,000/yr. contract programming job within 6 months of beginning my professional computer programming career in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
Unfortunately, some of my readers still find this hard to believe. I receive questions all the time pointing out why one can not succeed in contract or full-time computer programming this easily. If you are a skeptic, your contrary arguments usually falls into one of these:
I’m still taking questions from my readers. Today’s question is about finding entry level computer programming job working with the Java programming language. Here’s the rest of my reader’s question:
Dear Mr. Tagbo,
I am sending you this e-mail to ask you if there will be any jobs available in the spring starting April 2007 because I am interested in becoming a Computer Programmer.
One of my personal strengths and experiences so far is tutoring other students at my former school in Algebra Math, and doing favorably well in a Java Programming course.
A few days ago I asked you to email me your questions about how to succeed at your computer programming career. I received this email which I’ve edited to preserve my reader’s identity.
Hi Kingsley Tagbo,
I have an Engineering degree from India. Currently I am working in a well known software company with Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005.
My problem is that I don’t have any interest in computer programming and I cannot even sit for 1 hour to code.
I need your help to build interest in computer programming. I very badly wanted to shine as a software programmer. Please help me.
Happy New Year and Welcome to 2007.
What better way to start your new year than with a “one-time happy new year $600 super bonus gift” that helps you become a highly skilled, marketable, well-paid computer programmer?
As your computer programming career coach, I’ll like to jump start your career success in 2007 by inviting you to my private computer programming mentoring group.
Here’s how to join my private mentoring group. Order a copy of my “Computer Programming Careers e-Book” on or before midnight of Thursday, January 4, 2007 and you get additional 3 months of my computer programming career mentoring worth $600.
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