ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » IT analyst courses 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 What Software Do I Learn to Become A Business Analyst? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/20/what-software-do-i-learn-to-become-a-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/20/what-software-do-i-learn-to-become-a-business-analyst/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:16:47 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3323

what software should you-learn to become a business analyst?

what software should you-learn to become a business analyst?

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Newsletter for Information Technology (IT) professionals including business analysts, computer programmers, data analysts, database developers, technical writers, project managers and software testers.

If you, have a challenging question about your career, submit it here and we will answer yours just as we are answering this question submitted by a technical writer titled: What Software Do I Learn to Become A Business Analyst? …

Question

How do I learn or get the software knowledge that would make me a business analyst?

What types of software programs will I have to use on the job; and how do I learn these programs in a visual manner without having to refer to textbooks?

Answer:

You do not understand what a business analyst does and because of that you are mixing software jobs (like that of a computer programmer’s) with the business analyst’s job.

This mix-up is quite common because software oriented jobs are more common and better understood than business analyst jobs.

When you think of a computer programmer’s job, the picture that comes to mind is that of a highly skilled technology savvy professional who spends a lot of time building software programs, creating data entry forms and screens, designing websites or even installing desktop applications.

Unfortunately, when you think of business analysts, you also imagine that their duties or tasks are similar to those of computer programmers!

Because of this, you are wrongly associating the business analyst’s career with more software / technology careers like software testing, technical writing or computer programming.

So, in TODAY'S POST, I will contrast the role of a software tester, computer programmer, technical writer and business analyst to bring the point home.

What Does A Business Analyst Really Do?

The primary skills that business analysts use on the job are communication skills
(both written and verbal) unlike computer programmers, whose primary skills are tied to expertise in specific technologies like C#, Visual Basic, Java, PHP.

Business Analysts are highly-skilled or expert at communicating technology requirements with stakeholders, customer, power users or even technical teams (think software developers, software testers, web designers).

The primary communication tools used by business analysts while facilitating the requirements engineering process are Office productivity tools including Microsoft Word (for documenting requirements), Microsoft PowerPoint (for making presentations) and Microsoft Excel.

However, unlike computer programmer jobs, business analyst jobs are not required to be software or technology centered.

Don’t get me wrong!

Some job postings for business analysts require knowledge of software development languages like C# or Java or a software development background.

The business analysts that apply for these job postings are more accurately classified as Technical Business Analysts.

There are several domains or specializations available to business analysts (mortgage, financial, telecommunications / telco, automotive, healthcare, insurance) and technical business analysis is just one of these domains.

Read more about domain business analysts here:

However, the requirements for domain business analysts are not the same as the requirement for becoming a business analyst.

You are a business analyst first before you become a technical / domain business analyst.

So, don’t apply the role, responsibilities and requirements for the technical business analysis domain to all business analyst domains.

Competence or mastery of Microsoft Office Productivity software (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is a requirement for business analyst jobs even when it is not stated on the job posting.

A business analyst who uses Office Productivity software can document requirements with Microsoft Word, make PowerPoint presentations and run what-if analysis using Microsoft Excel.

Focusing on software skills beyond Microsoft Office software makes you more of a computer programmer than a business analyst.

For your information, here are some of the differences between computer programmer jobs and business analyst jobs.

Business Analysts Compared To Computer Programmers

  • Business Analysts gather requirements while computer programmers build to specifications.

  • Business Analysts document work flows and business processes while computer programmers model and build software programs that follow those workflows or business processes.

  • Business analyst are hired for their written and verbal communication skills while computer programmers are hired for their expertise or skills in specific programming languages or technology platforms.

  • A computer programmer's work is deeply invested in learning or using technology while a business analyst’s work is deeply invested in understanding, documenting and communicating business requirements.

  • A business analyst’s primary software tool is Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint while a computer programmer’s primary software skill is knowledge of Java or C# or Visual Basic or PHP or other programming languages.

  • Business Analysts document the requirements or features of software programs while computer programmers build software programs.

  • Both the business analyst and software developer are involved with the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) for different reasons. While the business analyst owns the analysis and documentation of software requirements, the computer programmers owns the building of software programs.

  • Read more about the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) here:

I am also going to contrast the role of business analysts with that of software testers and technical writers to bring this home.

Business Analysts Compared To Software Testers

  • Software Testers are more hands-on with programming than business analysts.

    Software Testers are more skilled in programming because they sometimes have to write automated tests using scripting programming languages.

    A business analyst should not be required to write scripts or learn programming languages except in instances where they are applying for technical business analyst jobs.

    So, you cannot project the hands-on software skills requirements for software testers onto the hands-on skill requirements for business analysts.

  • Software Testers write manual or automated tests that verify that software programs developed by computer programmers were written according to the specifications or requirements documented by business analysts.
  • Software Testers have to test or inspect the procedures or functions written by computer programmers.

    For that reason, they may have to learn the basics of the programming language used in creating the software program.

    There is almost no value in business analysts inspecting a programmer’s code or even messing with it because Business Analysts do not have those competencies!

  • Read more about Software Tester Careers here:

Business Analysts Compared To Technical Writers

  • The skills exercised by technical writers are similar to that of business analysts in some respects.

    Both technical writers and business analysts exercise strong written communication skills.

    However, while a technical writer’s skill is useful for documenting the features of a software program after it is built, a business analyst’s skill is useful for documenting the features of a software program before it is built!

  • A technical writer’s primary role is the documenting of existing software features, business processes, etc.

    Because of this, a technical writer may have to learn specific software programs (apart from MS Word or PowerPoint) to help them with create technical documentation like Help Files, Software Manuals, etc.

    The technical writing industry is such that job postings require knowledge of specific software documentation tools.

    However, this must not be confused with the software requirements for business analysts.

    Business Analysts are not technical writers and the business analyst’s job does not require knowledge of specific software programs apart from the ubiquitous (Microsoft Office, MS Word, MS Excel or MS PowerPoint).

  • While the technical writing industry is componentized along the lines of software documentation tools (Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Frame Maker, Adobe Acrobat, Quark Xpress, Corel Ventura), the business analyst industry is segmented along the lines of domain specialization (financial, utilities, web / user interface (UI) business analysts, etc.).

  • Read More about Technical Writer Careers:

What Does It Really Take To Become A Business Analyst?

The requirements for business analysts’ jobs are primarily documentation, requirements analysis and communication (both written and verbal).

While it is common for a business analyst to spend his / her time, preparing PowerPoint presentations, taking meeting notes using Microsoft Word or writing Use Cases in plain-old Microsoft Word, it is common for a computer programmer / software tester / technical writer to spend the same amount of time coding new program features / documenting bugs / documenting the features of a software program.

A business analyst must be 100% comfortable in his / her role as a communicator, presenter, leader, facilitator or analyzer without feeling the need to learn more software tools!

How To Get Hired For A Business Analyst Job – Case Study

Some time ago, I was hired to help an Information Technology (IT) director put together a software development team for a financial software project in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.

In that role, we posted a senior business analyst job opening and then started interviewing qualified business analysts.

The business analyst I interviewed and recommended got the job because she did something different from the other business analysts who applied for the same job.

She walked into the interview with a bound, spiral document that showcased the comprehensiveness, thoroughness and versatility of several business documents she had created for one automotive client in the Greater Saint Louis region.

She did not get hired because of what she said at the business analyst job interview or because of the software experience listed on her resume.

She got the business analyst job, by showcasing her hands-on business analysis skills.

What differentiated her was a compilation of various types of business analysis documents she had worked on for an automotive client in the Greater Saint Louis area.

The financial client hired her as an Information Technology (IT) business analyst for a financial software project because they connected with the hands-on, visual depiction of her business analysis skills exemplified by her Microsoft Word based portfolio.

My final advice?

Don’t approach the business analyst industry based on how the software testing, technical writing or computer programmer industries work.

Remove false associations between the business analyst’s role (primarily written and verbal analysis or communication of requirements) and the hands-on skill requirements for software testers, technical writers or computer programmers.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/20/what-software-do-i-learn-to-become-a-business-analyst/feed/ 1 Learn How to Make Knowledge or Skills Work http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/24/learn-how-to-make-knowledge-or-skills-work/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/24/learn-how-to-make-knowledge-or-skills-work/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:55:38 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3147

Make your Knowledge or Skills Work

Make your Knowledge or Skills Work


There is such a wealth of information out there that it can be overwhelming to someone trying to figure out what they need to learn.

I mean, when you look in your local bookstore you will see a huge section of books to help, but what you won’t find is the insider information that teaches you exactly the most profitable techniques or what you absolutely must know.

You also won’t find any resources that will give you the inside information about what you need to know so that you stand out from the crowd.

You also won’t find the inside information about what to expect at information technology job interviews and more importantly – how to answer them!

Our online online career coaching or online training classes provides this information and more.

And not only that, but it is structured in such a way that it is easy to learn. Each step builds on what you learn in the previous step so you never get overwhelmed.

Here is how we help make knowledge and skills work.

Learn Whenever – Why Not Learn At Your Own Time?

You may login to our learning management system (LMS) and take your training at a time that is convenient for you.

And you don’t have to worry about following our timetable or rearranging your schedule to meet our class schedules ever!

Open Enrollment – Let the Scheduling Work for You

Registration for our online classes is always open and because of this, you may enroll at any time.

This is quite unlike other vendors that force you to enroll on specific days or restrict enrollments to their own schedule.

Pause & Resume – Take A Break When You Want

You may pause or resume your training at will and you will never be penalized for doing that.

Use this to catch up with pressing work or life commitments and for taking vacations or time off.

This is in contrast to rigid classroom training that forces you to start or finish your at the same time as everyone else!

Progress Monitoring – How Are You Doing?

As you complete learning activities like quizzes and assignments, your grade is recorded in real-time on an online report card that doubles as your virtual transcript.

Your online report card gives a measurable, objective assessment of how you are doing at a glance.

Virtual Coaching – What Do You Want To Learn?

Your ability to post questions for your course instructor as you learn or progress through your material differentiates our training from other vendors that dump videos on you or leave you to figure it out by yourself!

Our instructors do not walk away because online collaboration is built right into our learning management system (LMS) as part of our core service offering and not as an afterthought!

Real Learning – Resources For Work

Did you know that you still retain login access to our learning management system even after your training is completed?

This access allows you to watch your training videos as often as you want or use those videos as a reference resource on the job!

For Utter Beginners or Experienced Professionals

Our classes take you from novice or utter beginner to advanced level topics in a step by step fashion with each lesson building on the topics taught in previous lessons so you don’t feel overwhelmed or dumped on!

We make no assumptions about your background and that is why we also teach all the pre-requisite knowledge as part our classes.

Practice Tests – Better or More Effective Online Learning

Use the online quizzes integrated into our learning management system (LMS) to improve your retention, comprehension or recall for work or job interview purposes.

Retrieval based tests have been scientifically proven to boost your ability to learn new information and that is why we recommend or use them.

In other words, taking our practice tests will help reduce the learning curve typically associated with mastering new concepts.

Assignments – Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice

We provide assignments similar to those performed on the job so that you get handson practice at solving problems.

Assignments matter because they help you practice putting your knowledge or skills to work in a safe, virtual environment before you tackle them in the real world.

Bridging that gap between what you know and what you can do, helps you become better, more confident and successful at work!

Comprehensive Learning – Stay Ahead of the Technology Curve

Information Technology (IT) skills easily become rusty or out-dated because of the rapid pace of technological change.

Besides, information changes so quickly and so often that keeping up with is a challenge for everyone.

But now, with our comprehensive online curriculum, you may enroll and catchup with what you really need to know just by signing up for a class!

Social Learning – Research Best Practices

While our private discussion groups are for you and the course instructors only, our public study groups are for you and other participants registered for the same course.

Use our public discussion groups for researching best practices employed at other organizations or for learning from other participants who may contribute helpful solutions challenges or problems facing you at work.

Affordable, Convenient & Effective Learning

Our online coaching or training offers are all based on the same premise:

Anyone (regardless) of their background should be able to learn from any location in the world at any time of the day or night that fits their geographic, life or work commitments.

  • We make learning more affordable by combining the information you need including both entry level and advanced topics in one course.

  • Our private, web-based, learning management system allows you to enroll when you want or pause and resume your training at your own convenience.

  • Using practice tests which have been scientifically proven to boost your ability to retain, recall or understand new material, we make your learning more effective.

Right now, we are fulfilling coaching and training services for a world-wide information technology audience which includes course participants from USA, Canada, UK, Australia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, South Africa and several other countries … so why don’t you join us?

Let us help make your knowledge or skills work. Our secret is the sequence: what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and for how long, so that it all make sense.

So, why not enroll right now in an online career coaching or online training class and learn how to make your knowledge or skills work?


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/24/learn-how-to-make-knowledge-or-skills-work/feed/ 0 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 Did I Mess Up My Career? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/did-i-mess-up-my-career-part-2/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/02/did-i-mess-up-my-career-part-2/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:39:02 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2185

Ask IT Career Coach

Ask IT Career Coach

Po Bronson, author of “What Should I Do with My Life?” listened to more than 900 people who dared to be honest with themselves about their line of work or careers!

In the end, he discovered that it comes down to a simple gut check: “You either love what you do or you don’t.“

With that in mind, here’s question posted by a reader who needs advice on “what to do about making wrong career choices”.

What To Do About making Wrong Career Choices

I think I did myself well careerwise by reading for a degree that bears no inclination to what I am trying to aspire to in life.

The programme entitled: Degree in Computing with Management Studies is embeded with C++, COBOL and Report Programme Generator (RPG) courses.

The final year I underwent a gruelling course in Artificial Intelligence that I haven’t started to utilise in anyway in my career path.

What I strongly desire is a competence in database management and its integration with records management and design.

Regards

Career Transitions Are A Fact Of Life

Hello,

I feel your pain because I have been in your shoes – in a similar situation.

I’ve had to transition career several times from Chemical Engineering to IT Sales to IT Consulting to IT Career Coaching!

I’m reasonably sure that my last transition is permanent … but that doesn’t mean much because I expect my IT Career Coaching skills to change so much that I would literally be re-inventing myself every year!

Think about it for a moment. The world around us is constantly changing and we have to remain flexible and adaptable or we become as dead as the DoDo!

Fact is … “career transitions are a part of life“!

What I’ve learnt that I would like to share with you is this: “march boldly in the direction of your dreams!“

Start by forgiving yourself thoroughly.

Forgiving yourself is really not as easy as it sounds … put some effort into giving yourself a break because you did the best that you could based on the information you had.

Don’t be too hard on yourself; make sure you take out some time to love on yourself before you do the next big thing.

Now, having done that, “follow your call wherever it leads without any hesitation“!

Since your heart is saying that you need to become a database professional, do exactly that!

“Jump into the water with both feet and don’t be afraid of getting your feet wet”.

What I mean is: “pursue your dreams fearlessly, follow your heart wherever it leads and don’t be afraid of making mistakes”.

You owe yourself the pursuit of “life, liberty and love”.

What Should I Do with My Life?

Po Bronson, author of “What Should I Do with My Life?” listened to more than 900 people who dared to be honest with themselves about their line of work or careers!

In the end, he discovered that it comes down to a simple gut check: “You either love what you do or you don’t!”

So, if you find yourself doubting or regretting the choices you’ve made for your career or work, do these:

  1. Do What You Love; Start building your career around what you love or enjoy doing. Be honest with yourself by finding out what type of work fulfills you and doing it.

  2. Discover Your Strengths; Don’t spend your entire career or life building on weaknesses by doing what you don’t love.

    Discover what you excel at doing and then pursue opportunities that align with them.

    Use a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis to reposition your career.

  3. Follow Your Dreams; It’s never too late to discover or follow your dreams, aspirations or happiness.

    Don’t deny yourself the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness because everyone including your dear self, deserves better!

  4. Develop A Positive Mental Attitude; Don’t let past mistakes or career choices hinder you from making better decisions going forward!

    Believe that “you can do better and you will” because “if you think that you can, you can!“

  5. Learn From Past Mistakes; Don’t be reacting to past failures, learn from them!

    We all do the best that we can, based on the information we have. Now, re-invent your career by making better, informed decisions based on your past failures!

  6. Plan to Succeed; Now prepare a step by step plan for transitioning to a your new career!

    Start with a SWOT Analysis that addresses specific issues like “how you will learn new skills” and “how you will gain hands-on experience“.

    You need to plan your career transition because “failing to plan is the same as planning to fail!”

  7. Now, Do What You Love; You’ve learnt from past mistakes and planned a better career transition, now start doing what you love.

    Stick to doing what you love even when it’s tough on your purse or ego.

    Because a day will come when you’ll start reaping the financial and emotional rewards of “Career Nirvana!”

How To Achieve Career Nirvana

You’re not alone in making wrong career choices. But you must overcome the past by learning from it and by making better, informed decisions going forward!

This post answers a question posted by a reader who needs advice on “what to do about making wrong career choices”!

If you have a question about your career or are facing a challenge, be sure to 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/2009/08/02/did-i-mess-up-my-career-part-2/feed/ 5 How To Gain Cutting-Edge IT Skills Easily http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/27/how-to-get-cutting-edge-it-skills-easily/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/27/how-to-get-cutting-edge-it-skills-easily/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:30:23 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1416

Top Paying Skills in High Demand

Top Paying Skills in High Demand

Read How to Protect Your IT Career or Gain In-Demand IT Skills or Critical Hands-ON Experience Sought After By IT Managers …

    1. You Can Enroll for IT Training Easily

      • You can enroll for training at anytime because our training is provided online through videos, a web based training software and live course instructors who help you gain critical hands-on project experience

    2. Our Training Software Helps You Manage Your Study Time

      • You can enroll for one or more training programs at the same time because our web-based training software manages, schedules or keeps tracks of your progress on each training course

    3. Our Training Sharpens Your Skills And Helps You Gain Critical Hands-On Experience

      • After you enroll in a training course, the web based training software creates a new training schedule for you and then sends you a personalized e-mail with links to your training videos, assignments or quizzes.
      • You are assigned a number of days for each video, quiz, assignment or hands on lab activity by the web based training software.
      • You complete the assignment or activity and submit your work back to a live course instructor using a feature on the training system.
      • Your instructor is notified that you submitted an assignment and grades your work or provides help, assistance or corrective feedback to you.
      • Your grade is automatically dsiplayed in your secure, private online report card. Your report card displays the grades of each completed training module, quiz, assignment or hands on lab work.
      • The web based system sends out the next video to you and you continue to learn, practice and understand new information

    4. You Can Access Our Training Videos After You Complete Training

      • You will be able to login and access all the training videos after you complete our training
      • All the videos, transcripts, e-books or resources are accessible through the “Resources” Menu on our training system during training and after you complete training

    5. Our Training Is Designed To Be Flexible Or Convenient

      • Yes, you are given ample time to complete each training activity including the video training or practice tests or hands on lab work
      • You can login at any time during the day or evening and take you video training
      • If you want to pause your training at any time because of work or life committments you may simply click on the “Pause Training” feature in the online training software
      • You may pause your training for as long as you want to and click on the “Continue Training” feature whenever you want to
      • You are not required to start or finish your training at the same time as everyone else
      • You are not required login to the online training system at the same time as everyone else or at a specific time of the day or night
      • Your training is a “go at your own pace”, anytime, anywhere, anypace training. Your personalized, flexible training schedue is managed by our web based online training software system

    6. You Do Not Need Any Prerequisite Course Or Preparation Before You Begin Training

      • All our training courses are step by step, beginner to advanced training
      • We do not assume anything about your background, so we walk you through the basics and then take you to the advanced topics
      • Our Videos are step by step, instructional videos. You will learn by watching our Instructors explain or perform hands on activities or teach new concepts
      • Our training videos cover both the theoretical knowledge and practical hands on activity required to master each new skill or topic
      • You do not have to take out time to prepare for our training courses. All the preparation, foundational topics and pre-requisite knowledge is inbuilt or included as part of each training course

    7. We Train You For The Hottest, In-Demand IT Careers

      • SQL Boot Camp: The SQL Boot Camp online training course for database developers, computer programmers, data analysts or business analysts
      • Software Developer Boot Camp: The Software Developer Boot Camp online training course for computer programmers or web developers
      • Data Analyst Boot Camp: The Data Analyst Boot Camp online training course for data analysts, business analysts or database developers
      • Business Analyst Boot Camp: The Business Analyst Boot Camp online training course for business analysts or system analysts
      • Job Search Coaching: The Job Search online coaching for the IT Job Search process including Resume Review, Interview Coaching & Job Search Coaching
      • IT Mentorship Program: The IT Hands-On Training Program for IT Consultants

    8. You Control The Pace Of Training

      • Yes, you can accelerate or speedup your training course or complete training in a shorter time
      • Yes, you can finish your training in more time or less time than the estimated duration
      • You can control your training pace because our web-based training software allows you to run at a more customized, personalized pace. So you don’t have to start or finish at the same time as eveyone else

    9. You Don’t Need To Install Additional Software Programs to Run Our Training Courses

      • You don’t need to install additional software progarms to view our training courses online
      • We used a web-based system that allows you to view our training courses anytime from anywhere or place.
      • All the software training features you need for your training are already buit into our web based training system.
      • You don’t even need to worry about browser requirements.

Don’t miss out on these limited time discounts because they are ending soon!

For a limited time only …

  • get the SQL Boot Camp + Business Analyst Boot Camp or

  • get the SQL Boot Camp + Software Developer Boot Camp or

  • get two or more training courses for instant multiple discounts on the shopping cart!

Click here to get the special discount before it expires


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/27/how-to-get-cutting-edge-it-skills-easily/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 How To Schedule An Online Training Class http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/26/how-to-schedule-an-online-training-class/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/26/how-to-schedule-an-online-training-class/#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:13:32 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/26/how-to-schedule-an-online-training-class/

If you are interested in registering for an online training class, here is some additional information that you need to consider before you sign up for the ongoing SQL BOOT CAMP or BUSINESS ANALYST BOOT CAMP or SOFTWARE DEVELOPER BOOT CAMP.

Career Roadmap and Career Planning

1. The online SQL BOOT CAMP class is for database developers, data analysts, report writers / developers, business analysts or software developers who want to learn or master two (2) core or fundamental programming skills:

a. Relational database design and database development

b. SQL query writing and SQL programming

2. The online BUSINESS ANALYST BOOT CAMP class is for data analysts, system analysts or business analysts who want to learn or master the core business analyst skills including:

1. UML

2. Use Cases

3. Requirements Elicitation or Requirements Analysis

The online SOFTWARE DEVELOPER BOOT CAMP class is for computer programmers, software developers or web developers who want to learn or master the core software development skills including:

1. Database Development and SQL Programming

2. Object Oriented Web Programming Languages

3. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Real World, Practical, Skill Based Job Training

The best way to learn business analysis or computer programming or database development or any technical skill is to establish the tasks you will be performing for your employer in the real world and then perform those tasks in our training program with guidance, progress monitoring and feedback.

The study guides used in our online training boot camps match the types of tasks, assignments and projects you perform for employers on the job guaranteeing that the skills you gain are immediately useful to you and your employer.

Learning By Doing

The more effective way to master business analysis, data analysis or computer programming skills is by doing or performing the skills you are learning because your brain is wired to retain and remember 80% of what you do or practice versus 20% of what you read or hear.

This is why the online training boot camps includes practical tasks, assignments and hands on learning activities that will help you understand the technical skills you are learning, faster, better and easier.

Study Guides or Courseware

We developed the study guides used in our online technical training boot camps based on the tasks, responsibilities or competencies employers expect you to demonstrate on the job!

Our study guides and hands on exercises are constantly updated, improved and perfected using feedback on the skills, experience and training employers want to see you demonstrate on your resume, job interviews or after you are hired.

Finally, you are guided through an intense, hands on practical training curriculum that dramatically improves your understanding and retention, competency, self confidence and finally your ability to perform on the job.

The outcome of your training is that you will begin to demonstrate the technical mastery or competence needed to excel on the job easily to your employers.

Learning On Your Own Time

One of the core benefits of the database developer, business analyst or computer programmer online training boot camps is that our course schedules are guaranteed to match your work and life schedule and not the other way round.

Here is the reason why

You may enroll and take your online courses in the morning, evening, weekend or any time of the week that best fits your schedule.

You will also not be forced to adopt a schedule that doesn’t work for you and you are always guaranteed that our courses are always flexible or adaptable enough to match your work and personal time commitments.

You Need To Take Action Now

All I am asking you to do, is to invest in your career, your skills and your future by taking a minute to sign up for an online training boot camp or contact me with a question, comment or request for more information.

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, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. If you are in need of software development consultants or training, click here to get in touch with me.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/26/how-to-schedule-an-online-training-class/feed/ 2 Database Design Courses http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/17/database-design-courses/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/17/database-design-courses/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:17:49 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/17/database-design-courses/

The training courses at target="_blank"
title="SQL Boot Camp">SQL Boot Camp is for data analysts, report
writers, SQL developers, business analysts, computer programmers and database
developers who want to improve their SQL or database skills .

Hands-On Training

The SQL training courses are a combination of hands-on, practical training
combined with real world projects.

Step By Step Training Courses

You study step by step the concepts you need to master to design efficient,
enterprise scalable relational databases at your own pace, schedule
and time and from the comfort of your home or office.

Database Design Training Curriculum

Here are some of the topics covered in the database design training class:

How to use Keys and Indexes in relational databases.

How to establish Foreign Keys, Alternate Keys, Primary Keys, Candidate Keys and
Composite Keys.

How to use Tables, Records, Columns and Views.

How to use One-to-One Relationships, One-to-Many Relationships and Many-to-Many
Relationships.

How to establish Referential Integrity, Cascade Update Rules and Cascade Delete
rules or constraints.

How to use the First Normal Form, Second Normal Form or Third Normal Form in a
database design session.

How to use or follow Field Naming Guidelines.

How to resolve Multivalue Fields or Multipart Fields during the database design
process.

How to identify the Domains, Entities, Data or Relationships in a database
design session.

How to establish Domain Integrity, Entity Integrity, Data Integrity or
Referential Integrity in a database design session.

Please note that presently, the training courses at
target="_blank"
title="SQL Boot Camp">SQL Boot Camp include SQL Development
Courses, Database Design Courses and Database Development Courses.
This topics listed above are taken from the database design course only.

If you are interested in improving your SQL programming, SQL querying, database
design, database development, data analysis, business analysis or software
development technical skills, register for a class on
target="_blank"
title="SQL Boot Camp">SQL Boot Camp

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, Singapore,
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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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/17/database-design-courses/feed/ 0 How to Learn SQL or Databases http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/09/04/how-to-learn-sql-or-databases/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/09/04/how-to-learn-sql-or-databases/#comments Mon, 04 Sep 2006 21:16:45 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/09/04/sql-developers-are-in-high-demand-and-how-to-become-a-sql-programmer/

How To Learn SQL or Databases Online

How To Learn SQL or Databases Online

The demand for SQL query writing or database skills is tied to the high demand for web, intranet and internet application development skills

Organizations invest in web projects because they need to automate their business operations as it grows in complexity, expands in size or becomes more profitable.

This post addresses the following questions:

  • Why is SQL query writing skills needed?
  • What do SQL query writers do?
  • How can you become a SQL query writer?
  • What makes SQL query writers different from other developers?

Read the rest of this post to review my answers to the questions.

What Is SQL?

SQL (Structured Query Language) pronounced “sequel”, is a SET based language used to manipulate (add, retrieve, edit, update, delete) data in relational database management systems (RDBMS).

SQL is used for creating data structures (tables, views, stored procedures), writing the queries that retrieves data used in reports, making changes, updating maintaining data and in analysis work for identifying trends or insights.

SQL also describes a family of set-based languages that adhere loosely to the ANSI-SQL standards

Database vendors implement their own version of SQL, so each relational database including Microsoft Access, SQL Server, Oracle or MySQL has a flavor, dialect or syntax of SQL peculiar to it.

Oracle uses a flavor of SQL known as Oracle PL/SQL, SQL Server is Transact SQL (TSQL) and Microsoft Access is Access SQL.

However, if you learn or master any version of SQL, working with other versions will not be hard because they operate according to a set of basic principles or commands.

Why Are SQL Query Writing Skills Needed?

  • Sql skills are now taken as regarded as nice to have for many other careers. In some organizations, business analysts and data analysts are expected to have handson sql query analysis skills.

    Most software development positions now regard database development or sql query skills as mandatory.

  • Learning SQL query writing allows you to transition into high demand careers in computer programming or web development.

    This is a big deal because computer programmers can earn as much as six figures and web developers have the most portable set of skills.

  • Learning SQL transfers a versatile programming skill that is considerably less complex than traditional software development programming languages.

    Computer programming languages take up to a year or even more to learn or master why Sql skills can be mastered in a relatively short time … as little as 4 months.

  • Web or windows applications provide services that require database capabilities for retrieving, saving or manipulating data which in turn creates a demand for database and SQL development skills.

Tips On Learning Sql Query Writing

  1. Learn One SQL Dialect: There are as many dialects of SQL as there are types of relational databases.

    For example the SQL language used in SQL Server differs from that used in Oracle which differs from that used in MySQL.

    However, when starting out, focus on learning and mastering just one SQL dialect like Microsoft’s Transact SQL.

    Then when the need actually presents itself at work, like when you have to learn additional SQL dialects like Oracle’s PL/SQL or Microsoft’s Access, learn that because your job requires that

    In other words, don’t try to learn every version or flavor of skill!

  2. Use SQL for Database Work: SQL programming is SET based and is designed for manipulating (adding, retrieving, editing, deleting) data.

    Unlike other types of programming like Java or C# which are more Object Oriented and are used for creating full blown web and windows applications.

    One of the secrets to success in working with SQL is to use it for SET based operations and traditional programming languages for procedural coding!

    In other words, don’t write SQL queries for problems that will be better solved by traditional programming languages and don’t write code for problems that are better solved with Sql Queries.

  3. Learning SQL Is Easy: Becoming a SQL programmer is easier than most people think because programming with SQL on databases like SQL Server is less complex than programming with languages like Java or C#.

    The reasons are:

    • You can’t create web applications or windows applications in SQL which removes one layer of complexity.
    • You are expected to use a fully fledged application development language like Java or C# to develop complex business rules and not SQL.

  4. Learn both the Theory and Practice of Databases: To become a SQL developer, you must master both the theory and practices of Relational Database Design and Development for real world databases like Microsoft Access, SQL Server or Oracle.

  5. Know This Before You Apply for SQL Positions: There are fewer pure SQL developer jobs than other types of programming jobs like Java or Microsoft .NET Programming.

    This is because traditional SQL development is part of what a professional software developer does.

    So, be ready to apply your Sql Query Writing or Database skills in the context of data analyst, software developer, project manager, report writer or even technical management jobs.

  6. Know How your SQL Skills Will Be Applied:

    If you are interviewing for a new position with a recruiter or hiring manager know the percentage of SQL query writing, database design & development, data analysis or report writing that you will be doing on the job.

  7. SQL Developer’s Responsibility: A SQL developer’s responsibility is to create the stored procedures, views and tables used in the database.

    It is also the Sql Developer’s responsibility to maintain the data contained in the database or extract useful insight, trends or information from it.

SQL Query Writers Or Database Developer Job Satisfaction

Learning SQL or Database Development online is fun and easy.

Sql Query Writing or Database Developer careers do not have the steeper learning curve that comes with software developer careers because the relational database development environment is less complex than that of the traditional computer programming environment.

In addition, SQL Queries and Relational Database skills are useful in software development, business analysis, financial analysis or modeling, data analysis, report writing and several other types of jobs … in other words, SQL is a very portable skill.


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