ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » skills 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 How To Get Extensive Hands-on Experience In Information Technology http://www.it-career-coach.net/2012/01/10/how-to-get-extensive-hands-on-experience-in-information-technology/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2012/01/10/how-to-get-extensive-hands-on-experience-in-information-technology/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:36:27 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3375

How To Gain Hands-on Experience in-Information Technology

How To Gain Hands-on Experience in-Information Technology

When it comes to the Information Technology Industry, getting more hands-on experience is one of your most important professional development activities.

In this post, I will explain how information technology workers including business analysts, computer programmers, database developers, data analysts, project managers, software testers and infrastructure / networking professionals can gain extensive, high visibility, career defining hands-on experience!

More Opportunities To Get Hands-on Experience

By far, the number one place to find hands-on project experience in the information technology industry is in web or software development projects!

Now, does that mean that you need to become a software developer?

Absolutely Not!

An enterprise software development project employs a diverse set of software testers, project managers, business analysts, computer programmers, infrastructure specialists, database developers, technical writers, etc.

So, dis-abuse your mind of the notion that software development is primarily a coding or programming effort, because it is not!

Business Analysts / Project Managers

Before a single line of code is written, project managers and business analysts have to gather the specifications and then plan the amount of work that needs to be completed at each phase of the project before handing over the coding to software developers.

Infrastructure Specialists

The Computer Networking / Infrastructure team has to plan or architect the servers, computer networks and workstations that will be used by the entire project team.

They may have to install software testing, development or planning software and they will also have to monitor all the equipment used in building or hosting the software, so that they can guarantee that it is up and running!

Software Testers / Quality Assurance Analysts

After computer programmers finish with their coding, software testers, business analysts or quality assurance specialists have to test the code and assure the client or project sponsor that the software being delivered is reasonably bug free and designed according to specifications.

And while all this is happening, the project managers are busy monitoring the cost and resource usage versus estimates.

With all this mind, here is why software development work provides you with the best opportunities for hands-on experience regardless of your career, industry, domain or background.

Following The Money Trail Works

Better Pay / Compensation

Software development project experience is guaranteed to boost your career options because employers pay more for software development experience regardless of whether the project is outsourced, maintained in-house or developed from scratch.

Software development experience also provides you with better career stability. Since there is so much work available, employers are always looking for or hiring motivated, talented, experienced, skilled workers.

Software development projects are readily available because they cut across all domains and industries!

Highly Portable Experience

Regardless of the industry you work in: healthcare, pharmaceutical (pharma), telecommunications (telco), insurance, banking and finance, securities, utility, customer relationship management (CRM) or sales and marketing, you will find plenty of software development projects.

Software development experience is also highly portable because you can move your experience from one industry or domain to another.

For example, as a business analyst, computer programmer or project manager; you may transition from a web project in the CRM industry to another web development project in the Healthcare / Medical Management industry.

You can significantly improve your chance of getting your foot in through the door even when you don’t have the required domain experience by gaining web / software development experience because that is portable across industries, jobs, careers or domains!

For example, even when you transition from a software development career to a business analyst or project management career, your software development background will still be relevant or useful helpful to your new project or employer.

Why Is There So Much Work In The Software Development Industry?

The software development industry employs professionals from a wide, extensive and varied background.

There is a lot of software development project work available because:

  1. Software development projects cut across the mobile, desktop, web, system development industry
  2. A large number of software development projects fail which means that software development projects last longer than they are expected to
  3. Websites are now integral to the marketing and sales functions of many organizations which means that funding website development is a top priority
  4. Organizations are constantly retooling or upgrading their websites because of competitive forces, marketplace or technological changes

So, if you are looking for a well-paying, portable, cutting-edge career, start building your web / software development project experience now.

When it comes to the information technology industry, your hands-on experience trumps your certifications or post graduate college degrees.

One Good Reason, Why This Won’t Work For You!

Here is one good reason why you may fail to gain hands-on software development experience … looking for a hands-on position without first taking the time to gain the requisite knowledge or skills that will qualify you !

Hear me now, I do not recommend you walk up to an employer and ask for a position for the purpose of gaining hands-on software development experience … except if you are truly qualified to be on the team.

Look, regardless of the position you are interested in: business analysis, computer programming, project management, software testing, etc., you must first take the time to study for the position before you start working on getting hands-on experience.

Why? because without the prerequisite knowledge, you have little or nothing to offer the employer, who therefore, has no incentive to hire you.

Why Is Knowledge A Prerequisite For Hands-on Experience?

When it comes to gaining knowledge, what matters is whether you have the requisite knowledge and not how you did you gain the knowledge; college, coaching, training, self study, articles, professional textbooks, on the job, etc.

Here is why you must gain the requisite knowledge first before you start focusing on building hands-on experience:

  • Can You Perform?: software project teams typical focus on delivering working software and not on mentoring or coaching team members.

    So, without the requisite knowledge, you will be a liability rather than an asset to the team since you won’t be able to keep up with the pace of work.

    Furthermore, you may even slow others down who stop and try to help you or wait upon you to deliver.

  • Return On Investment (ROI): don’t assume that an employer will pay for your hands-on software development experience because most employers want a quick return on their investment (ROI).

    This is because of the costs associated with training information technology (IT) professionals which makes employers picky about who gets to work on their projects.

    You are going to be limited in your ability to gain software development experience, if you do not first take the time to learn your discipline: business analysis, computer programming, project management, etc. so that you are prepared to run when the right opportunity presents itself.

This article is #1 of a 2 article series. The second installation of this article (part 2) may be viewed here …

You may review the references for this article series below.

References

  1. Learn more: The Most Important Thing on Your Resume
  2. Learn more: Which Courses or Certifications Guarantee A Job?
  3. Learn more: Can Certifications Take The Place Of Experience?
  4. Learn more: How To Get Computer Programming Experience
  5. Learn more: Stuck in a College Mindset After Graduation
  6. Learn more: Which Software Development Life Cycle Is Best?
  7. Learn more: Can You Perform? Prove It!
  8. Learn more: This Type Of Hands-On Experience Can JumpStart Your Career!

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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2012/01/10/how-to-get-extensive-hands-on-experience-in-information-technology/feed/ 0 #3 Success Principle: When It Comes To Experience, Beggars Can’t Be Choosers http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/07/3-success-principle-when-it-comes-to-experience-beggars-cant-be-choosers/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/07/3-success-principle-when-it-comes-to-experience-beggars-cant-be-choosers/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:17:52 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2753

Beggars Can't Be Choosers

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.

Now internships are hard to come by because employers are refusing the burden of hiring or managing interns. And here is the reason why:

  1. Productivity: interns need to be managed by experienced employees meaning that productive time will be lost to employers.

    Productive time is lost when experienced workers have to show interns the ropes, supervise or assign work to them.

  2. Risk: employers are unwilling to invest in interns because they are more likely to fail at completing their assigned tasks or duties.

    There is also the added risk of redoing the work done by interns when it fails to meet expectations!

  3. Money: employers hesitate to pay interns because there aren’t sure of the immediate economic benefits and they refuse to hire unpaid interns because unpaid interns also cost money and time to supervise or train!

How To Build Experience From Scratch … Without A Job

The challenge facing those that fixate on getting experience through internship programs or full time jobs is that of becoming stumped … when they can’t get either.

Really, when it comes to getting experience, the key is to stay flexible, creative or open minded because full-time jobs and internship programs are getting harder to come by.

How To Build Experience From Scratch By Keeping An Open Mind

  • Focus on Smaller Projects: don’t fixate on finding big projects because you are more unlikely to get big project exposure with little or no experience.

    Start with smaller projects first, because that is where your current background, skills or experience is likely to be needed or appreciated.

  • Build Up Experience Gradually: don’t expect to get a ton of experience in a short time. Instead, spread your efforts at building experience over a longer period of time.

    Overtime, the cumulative effect of all your project based work will begin to show and you will be rewarded for your hard work.

  • Don’t Fixate on Money: don’t be too picky about your income when you’re still building up your experience because the ticket to getting paid more money is more experience!

    Start by building your experience first and then work towards a better compensation afterwards!

  • Don’t Think Too Highly of Yourself: don’t be looking down on smaller projects because you’re thinking they’re beneath you and don’t be fretting over the size of your role, task or opportunity either!

    Always put your best foot forward and build up your experience at every turn. Because that is how to ensure that you qualify for bigger projects or even a full time job!

  • Stay Flexible, Creative and Open Minded: be on the lookout for experience building opportunities that don’t fall under traditional internship or full-time jobs.

    For example, you may signup for unpaid, volunteer work or start your own consulting business (yes, you can consult on almost any subject) or register for Hands On IT Career Training (click here for more information)

Expect that you will always be learning new skills or transitioning careers because of the constantly changing face of technology.

Understand that staying open minded will help you discover more ways to build handson experience without a job or an internship program.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/01/07/3-success-principle-when-it-comes-to-experience-beggars-cant-be-choosers/feed/ 1 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 How To Plan For Career Success http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/02/17/how-to-plan-your-tech-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/02/17/how-to-plan-your-tech-career/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:23:27 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1041

jobs-employment-recession

On of my readers needs help with putting together his career advancement plan. I posted the information I provided to him below. If you have any question about this or about your career, post it as comment at the end of the post and I would answer it for you.

  1. Set a SMART Goal

    Begin by creating a comprehensive end to end career roadmap or plan.

    Your career roadmap needs to include a SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goal) That means that you need to define an end objective (for example, mastering business analysis or learning computer programming or improving your software testing skills) and a timeline for achieving it.

  2. Follow a Strategy

    Then you need to have a strategy for achieving your career goals. Your strategy is the “how to achieve your goal” part. So without a good strategy, you are not going to achieve your goal, no matter how hard you try at doing so.

    Your core career strategy needs to include: “gaining the requisite knowledge, skills and experience” needed to advance in your career as well as soft skills like “technical presentation / interviewing skills”.

  3. Execute your Strategy

    You need to define the specific tactics that would allow you to achieve your strategy. Your tactics is more like a day to day plan that you would carry out that aligns with your strategy. Your tactics is the execution part of the plan and if you don’t execute your strategy well, all the goal setting and strategizing in the world won’t help you.

How to Follow Through On Your Career Strategy

How do you ensure that on a daily or weekly basis, that you will get the knowledge, skills and experience required to succeed in your career?

To ensure that you succeed in your career, you need to define:

  • How you will gain the requisite knowledge

  • How you will gain mastery and turn your knowledge into skills

  • How to gain hands on, real-world, experience. Note that without experience, you won’t get be able to transition to new roles or get hired or get promoted

Here is some more information on how to gain more knowledge, skills and experience … which is required for IT career success:

  • How To Improve Your Knowledge:

    Would you use books, free website content, onsite technical training, online training, coaching or mentoring services, newsletters, etc. You need to come up with what works best for you based on your work, family and budget

  • How to Turn your Knowldege into skills:

    Note that knowledge and skills are not the same. Knowledge is theoretical and skill is practical. You must turn theoretical knowledge, education, certifications, etc into practical skills to succeed in your tech career

  • How To Gain Hands On Experience:

    The most valuable asset in your career is your hands on, real-world, experience. IT careers unlike careers in law, medicine and some other professional disciplines put more emphasis on experience than accrediattion.

So, before you do anything, you need to make sure you have defined the specific steps you will take to get your hands on experience. Also, not every experience is equal. Employers give more weight to experience gained in some specific ways compared to experience gained in other ways.

TO CERTIFY OR NOT?

This is a hot topic. Tech workers are worrying if their certifications, degrees, education, would hold up in the current economic climate.

There seems to be two schools of thought. One school asserts that certifications and educational degrees are everything. The other school asserts that certified tech workers may not necessarily have the experience to back it up and that certifications don’t matter anyway.

There may be a better way to answer this question. Instead of worrying about your certifications, educational qualifications, etc. focus on a developing complete, end to end career plan. In a complete career plan you may get additional certifications and educational qualifications as long as you do not neglect the core essentials needed for information technology career success: knowledge, skills and experience.

So, I want to know hear from you. Was this post helpful? Do certifications, degrees and educational qualifications matter? Does knowldege, skill or experience matter? If you have a question or concern I can address, post it as a comment at the end of this post and I will answer it for you.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/02/17/how-to-plan-your-tech-career/feed/ 11 How To Beat The 2009 Recession By Improving Your Skills – Top Predictions http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/26/how-to-beat-recessions-by-improving-skills-top-2009-predictions/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/26/how-to-beat-recessions-by-improving-skills-top-2009-predictions/#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:12:16 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=632

jobs-employment-recession

2009 is proving to be a big year for online learning as more tech professionals enroll in web based, video based, distance learning programs to improve their skills and employment prospects.

I have compiled some predictions from learning experts, coaches, trainers, educators and training providers published in the eLearn Magazine

  • Allison Rossett, San Diego State University, USA: … today, in these harsh economic times, there is pressure to reduce costs. Technology is favored over registrations in hotels and hours in classrooms away from customers and clients …

  • Saul Carliner, Graduate Program in Educational Technology, Concordia University, Canada: … as organizations try to stretch their learning budgets in hard times, e-learning will become an attractive option …

  • Roger Schank, John Evans Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, Psychology, and Education, Northwestern University; CEO Socratic Arts: … A ruined economy will demand trained workers and college degrees will matter less than real abilities. Schools will have to offer to train students to do actual jobs, and they will do this online. … Real education, according to the second president of the United States, John Adams, “…is about learning to live and learning to make a living” an idea that got lost between the late 1700s and today. High schools and universities have simply failed to teach what needs to be taught. This will change in 2009.

  • Richard C. Larson, Founder and Director, MIT LINC-Learning International Networks Consortium, USA : … this will open opportunities for new technology-enabled educational innovations in which the repetitive routine lecturing, administrative and related repetitive tasks are replaced with e-learning options, and the teachers-though fewer in number-will have more opportunities to serve as student mentors. This combination of personal mentoring plus tailored e-learning environments for students could-if we are imaginative-will usher in an age of personalized learning analogous to the movement toward personalized health care.

  • Inge de Waard, eLearning advisor, Ignatia Webs, Belgium : … In the past, the budget of training departments got cut when an economic crisis erupted, but this time investing in learning will make or break companies and organizations. The world is evolving from an industrial age into a knowledge age, so content will become key in 2009. Social media use will increase because it saves money as it keeps knowledge in a central place (quick retrievability, international access,…) …

  • Matt Bovell, Vell Group, USA: … there are three reasons why e-learning will continue to grow in 2009: (1) The economy is tanking. More and more companies will be attempting to achieve cost savings using e-learning technologies. (2) As students attempt to make better use of their time and money, they will continue to avail themselves of e-learning opportunities. (3) As more and more companies try to establish a reputation for being eco-friendly, they will use e-learning as part of their green initiatives.

  • Peter Parker, Owner, EPCoT Systems Ltd and Management Consulting Consultant, UK : … see the current credit crunch as a time when more money is spent on training. The reasons are: (1) Good companies (particularly in the financial sector) use training as part of an exit package. Hence, as people are released, budgets are provided for the release packages and some of this is spent on training. (2) Individuals want to distinguish themselves from the market. This means they have to spend money on training to provide that differentiation. Many training companies see this time as challenging, but not a time to expect a large decrease in training revenue.

Note this prediction by Roger Schank, John Evans Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, Psychology, and Education, Northwestern University; CEO Socratic Arts:

… a ruined economy will demand trained workers and college degrees will matter less than real abilities. Schools will have to offer to train students to do actual jobs, and they will do this online. … Real education, according to the second president of the United States, John Adams, “…is about learning to live and learning to make a living” an idea that got lost between the late 1700s and today. High schools and universities have simply failed to teach what needs to be taught. This will change in 2009.

Editor’s Note

In the next set of articles that we will be posting the step-by-step tools, techniques and strategies for beating the 2009 recession. Stay tuned.

Your Opinion?

Do you have any opinion about this article? … post it as a comment below … do you have any topics that need to be covered in the recession set of articles? …. post it as a comment below.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/26/how-to-beat-recessions-by-improving-skills-top-2009-predictions/feed/ 0 Become an Expert Business Analyst or Increase your BA Salary http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/become-an-expert-business-analyst-or-increase-your-salary/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/become-an-expert-business-analyst-or-increase-your-salary/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:56:51 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=452

increase your ba salary become an expert

increase your BA salary ... become an expert


If You Are Alive, You Want More Money! or you’ve been thinking of ways to increase your salary as a business analyst … yes, you have.

If you’re human and still breathing, what you get paid and how to make more money crosses your mind ever so often.

For good or bad, it is human nature to always want more.

We want more money, more love, more space, more friends and more fun.

This can be a bad thing, if it becomes an obsession that overtakes the desire to do a good job.

On the other hand, the desire for more money drives innovation and provides the motivation to become better at what we do.

The second approach could actually be considered healthy, but it is often ignored on the path to asking for a larger salary.

I have observed computer programmers and business analysts who simply focused on the dollar signs and hopped from job to job and company to company, gaining $1 – $3 per hour salary increases each time.

$3 per hour translates to an additional $6000 per year and that is nothing to sneeze at.

However, that approach is based on a sense of entitlement and neglects the fact that eventually, someone is going to take a good hard look at the value you produce and realize that you’re really not worth it.

So, unless your salary increases are matched by an equal or greater increase in the value you bring to the table or provide to your employer, you will not be able to sustain it!

Don’t Worry About Money, Focus on Expertise

A better, longer-term and more productive way to increase your compensation is to focus on increasing your expertise as a business analyst.

Begin to think in terms of increasing the value you provide to employers.

Answer this question as a reality check … what is your positive impact on the company’s bottom line?

As an employee, you represent a cost to your company: your salary, training and benefits negatively impact your employer’s bottom line unless you provide real-value over and beyond what you are paid!

If you begin to incrementally increase your business analysis expertise and responsibility, your value and expertise will increase and you will as a consequence become more valuable on the job.

As your expertise increases in quantifiable ways, your platform for asking for more money is made sure and fool-proof.

Make it your goal to become an expert business analyst and the money will follow.

What Does an Expert Business Analyst Look Like?

What does it mean to be an expert business analyst?

An expert business analyst is one who easily excels at carrying out the majority of the tasks assigned to them.

Your answer to issues on the job should be “Not a problem. I will implement it right away, 80% of the time or Give me a couple of hours, and I will have an answer for you, the other 20% of the time”.

Do you fit in with this description? If your current daily business analysis tasks and challenges do not lie comfortably within your circle of business and technical competence, you should focus on increasing your ability to solve those problems until it becomes as easy as pie. Then, ask for more money and more responsibility.

Ask yourself, if something suddenly went horribly wrong on your current project, would you have enough depth and breadth of knowledge to quickly find the solution to the problem?

How long would it take you to get the project back on track? Note that a quick turnaround is the mark of the expert business analyst.

Steps to Becoming an Expert Business Analyst

So, how do you become an expert business analyst or add more value to your organization? The key is to expand the tools and techniques you have mastery over through continuous learning.

To be an exceptional business analyst, you need to commit yourself to life-long education and training.

Be willing to run ahead of the curve to learn new techniques and master new skills. Register for Business Analyst training or Seek out mentors and coaches who can lead you into new knowledge areas or master business analyst through your own self study efforts.

If you are really interested in making more money by becoming an expert business analyst, begin by mastering the art of business analysis including:

  1. Requirements Planning
  2. Requirements Elicitation, Analysis and Documentation
  3. Elicitation Tools and Techniques
  4. Requirements Verification and Validation
  5. Business Modeling
  6. UML
  7. Business Case Development
  8. Requirements Change Management
  9. Requirements Baseline Management
  10. Agile Software Development
  11. Much more …

Click Here to Learn More About Becoming An Expert Business Analyst …


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/become-an-expert-business-analyst-or-increase-your-salary/feed/ 0 Coaching Or Self Study http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/20/coaching-or-self-study/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/20/coaching-or-self-study/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:11:14 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/20/coaching-or-self-study/

There are a number of ways you can learn programming or business analysis or any
other technical skill. I recommend both coaching and self study. I
am going to compare both modes of learning so you have a better idea of what
works for you and what doesn't.

Self Study or Teach Yourself

Self study is the type of learning where you are 100% responsible for the
outcome. It involves researching a concept, subject or topic through books,
online websites and other types of media. You set the learning goals by
yourself, draw up a lesson plan and then do your own reading and learning.

1. Self study is the cheapest way to learn a skill. It is cheaper than training,
coaching, mentoring or distance learning.

2. Self study is not the most productive or the fastest way to learn a skill. It
is easier for you to give up on your study goals because you are only
accountable to yourself. It is easier for you to skip on scheduled lessons
because you are only accountable to yourself.

3. Self study is great if you don't care about feedback. The books you are
reading are not likely to tell you anything about how you are doing or talk back
to you. So, if you like learning in solitude without any feedback from other
people, self study may be ideal for you.

Coaching

Coaching involves someone else other than yourself walking you through your
study material.

1. Coaching is more expensive than self study because you have to pay for your
coach's time.

2. Coaching is a quicker, faster, surer way to achieve your learnng goals and
here is why. When you pay a coach to learn a skill (body building, writing,
internet marketing, etc.) you are more likely to do whatever it takes to
complete your program. So, you are more committed and invested in your goal.

3. Learning a new technical skill can be a difficult or frustrating experience
at times and having a coach walk you through the process can save you a lot of
tears, detours and time.

4. Your coach can show you the shortcuts that shave years off your learning
curve. There is a limit to how much you can actually learn about a subject just
by reading it. A coach can supply that experiential knowledge that will take you
years to learn otherwise. That is why the top performers in almost every
industry have mentors who are above them.

5. Since coaching is a one-to-one relationship, you must admire and respect your
coach and also get along fairly well with your coach otherwise you may well be
wasting your money and your time.

I hope this clarifies things for you. On my website, I have IT Career Books for
computer programmers, business analysts and other software development
professionals. These books are perfect if you are a do-it-yourself kind of
person.

At the same time, I also have coaching programs that provide personalized,
one-on-one attention or feedback. So, just do what works for you
… get the ebooks if you prefer self study or the coaching programs if you want
a guide, mentor or trainer that will walk you through your
learning.

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, 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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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/20/coaching-or-self-study/feed/ 0 How To Recession Proof Your Career http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/06/how-to-recession-proof-your-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/06/how-to-recession-proof-your-career/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:22:14 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/06/how-to-recession-proof-your-career-part-1/

Recession Proof Your Career

Recession Proof Your Career

Is the US economy already in a recession?

Will the weakened US economy affect the global economy leading to a recession in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and perhaps other international markets?

Should you really care about a recession and how it will affect your career, job or income?

How About A Refresher Course On Recessions?

If you do not quite realize what a recession looks like, perhaps you can do with this refresher on the last recession to hit the US economy in 2001.

In the beginning, no one seemed to be quite sure that the recession was going to happen. Some pundits felt that the US economy will perhaps weaken but not really experience a full blown recession. Other experts felt that the economy was already in a recession. Then all of a sudden all the pundits and experts and news media outlets seemed to be screaming in unison, we are in a recession!

Fortune 500′s Laying Off Employees In The Thousands

Fortune 500 corporations where laying off employees in the thousands! There where daily announcements of job cuts leading to tens of thousands of full-time employees hitting the streets with their last pay check! Smaller businesses could not be out competed too! If you read your local newspaper, you will see the same daily roll call of local employers laying off workers.

No Jobs for Highly Skilled Workers

The recession got so bad, that even highly skilled and highly qualified employees with post graduate degrees couldn’t get jobs. The news media was awash with news on how the middle class and the white-collar workers could not even get job interviews.

Salary and Wage Cuts

Some of the fortunate white and blue collar workers who still had jobs after all the job cuts and layoff announcements, had to stand in line for salary cuts. Freezes on wage increases and benefits beame common. Vacationing was a taboo word and as if that wasn’t bad enough, the senior, experienced, highly-skilled workers where being offered an option between either working for entry-level wages or getting the dreaded pink slip.

Dog Eat Dog Market

I recall recruiters telling me horror stories of how they would put up a job advertisement and get 500 resumes of highly skilled and qualified people within 24 hours contrasted to how they used to get a few weak resumes per week for their job postings. The irony of the situation, was that the mailboxes of hiring managers and recruiters got filled up within hours of putting up a job posting. Hiring managers and recruiters who couldn’t deal with the flood of resumes literally had to abandon checking their voicemails and inboxes for other covert (black ops) methods of hiring.

An Employers Market

The job market situation worsened as those employers who could still hire, realized that they literally had the whole employment world at their fingertips. Then things got really ugly as employers start getting really picky about resumes, credentials, qualifications, experience, level of expertise and level of technical training of job applicants. I recall the horror story of a techie who had to contact about 10,000 employers to get 2 job interviews and one job offer.

How To Protect Yourself From The Next Recession

Hopefully, you get the picture now. The point of these horror stories is that, yes you should care about the ongoing debate between pundits and experts about whether the US economy is in the beginning or middle of a recession.

The big question is really “what should you do immediately to protect yourself and your loved ones from a national or perhaps global economic recession?“

Here are a few tips recession proofing your career:

  1. Become A Highly Skilled Worker Now

    In a recession, the unskilled technical worker is obviously more at risk than the skilled technical worker. While the highly skilled technical worker may get downsized to a lower paying job, the lesser skilled technical workers are the weakest in the tech food chain and are the ones most at risk of losing their jobs.

  2. Take Your Technical Training Now

    Now is the time to take your technical training and not in the middle of the recession when jobs are difficult to get. First, when you take as much technical training as you can, you reduce the chances that you will be laid off because technical training increases your competitiveness.

    Also, it is much harder to pay for your technical training if you are laid off and in the middle of a job search than while you still have a job and an income. What typically happens to laid-off workers in a recession is that their first instinct is to cut down their expenses and cost of living including out-of-pocket training costs. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really help them because this is the time when they really need to be competitive.

    Note: some employers get picky in a recession and will question your judgment by asking you why you waited until you where laid off to take your technical training seriously.

  3. Polish Your Resume Now

    Now is the time to take your resume and update it with all the latest and greatest technical skills (recruiter speak for cutting edge technology) . If you are in a computer programming career, now is the time to master the latest versions of the most popular software development languages (I have listed them in my “how to learn programming book“).

    If you are a business analyst, now is the time to ensure that you have learnt and mastered full life cycle software development practices. Whether you a tester, project manager, quality assurance analyst, data analyst or database developer, now is the time to look outside the windows or confines of your day to day job and ask yourself the question, “what critical skills am i lacking on my resume?” or “how do I take my career to the next level?.”

    For your sake and the sake of your loved ones, do whatever it takes to gain the critical, leading edge skills that you need to take your career to the next level and then put those skills, experience and training on your resume now, so you are not caught in the deadly grip of a recession.

    Don’t forget to polish up your technical interviewing and job hunting skills and finally do whatever it takes to look after your employer or clients now and they will be more willing to look out for you when you need their help.

Current Training Opportunities

If you are a business analyst, software developer, data analyst, computer programmer, web developer, web designer, tester or project manager interested in taking your skills and career to the next level, SIGN UP NOW for the 2008 SQL / DATABASE DEVELOPER TRAINING PROGRAM

If you want to master software development, computer programming or web development SIGN UP NOW for the 2008 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TRAINING PROGRAM

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, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. If you are in need of software development help or training, click here to contact me.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/06/how-to-recession-proof-your-career/feed/ 6 How To Become A Technical Expert http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/05/how-to-become-a-technical-expert/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/05/how-to-become-a-technical-expert/#comments Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:16:28 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/05/how-to-become-a-technical-expert/

When you meet someone who is a technical expert, you immediately make a few assumptions about the person’s education, income, competence, marketability and problem-solving skills.

While you may find it easy to identify the technical experts in your industry, it is much harder to become one..

Read the rest of this article and you will learn how you can become a technical expert easily.

Who Is An Expert?

An expert, according to Wikipedia, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a particular area of study.

An expert can be, by virtue of training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person.

The last line in the definition of an expert deserves a closer look because it mentions some of the processes that turn an average person into an expert including training, education, profession, publication and experience.

Who Is A Technical Expert?

Borrowing from Wikipedia’s definition, for the purposes of this post, I will define a technical expert as someone who has the training, experience or education to give sound advice and information in a technical profession.

The technical professions referred to in this post include those of data analysts, database developers, software developers, business analysts, project managers, software architects, web designers, testers and other software development professional.

Why Should You Become A Technical Expert?

There are two (2) main reasons why you would want to become a technical expert.

  1. Compensation:

    If you are a technical expert you are compensated at levels far above the market rate for other professionals in your field.

    You will find it easier to name, ask for or negotiate your billing rate and prove that you are worth your billing rate.

  2. Name Recognition or Star Power:

    I have been in several technical interviews where the interviewer googled my name before the interview.

    Typically the interviewer will take a note of how many times my name gets mentioned on Google, who is mentioning my name and what websites my name where mentioned on.

    My interviewers frequently comment about the books I read or the blogs I manage.

    I have received both job offers and software consulting offers through visitors who stumbled upon my websites or blogs and then decided to do business with me.

    In my opinion, one of the biggest benefits of being considered a technical expert is that you will find it easier to get job offers or consulting offers as a technical expert since you have taken the time to make your expertise known and available to the general public

What Do Technical Experts Do?

  • Marketing Rules:

    Recognizing technical expertise is not a 100% objective exercise.

    A large part of becoming a technical expert deals with how willing you are to market yourself, your skills, your expertise and your domain of specialization to the general public.

    It is a virtually difficult or impossible to become a technical expert without a fair amount of marketing or writing or speaking or presentation of your skills to the public.

    No one gets to become a technical expert in the privacy of their own room without showing themselves to the public.

    This is one of the greatest secrets or reasons why some people become technical experts and others don’t.

    Simply put, the more you get your name out there and your name is associated with a field of expertise, the more you are considered to be a technical expert in that field.

  • The Role of Knowledge:

    The other way to enhance your career or profession and become a technical expert is simply to study, educate, train and increase your knowledge in a technical subject to a level far above that of others in your industry.

    Increasing your knowledge takes time, effort and dedicated practice.

    However, if you invest the time to master your technical domain and become an expert, your technical excellence will be noticed by your colleagues, your managers, your clients or the public as you begin to solve increasingly complex or difficult technical problems.

    For example, several times in my career, I have been called to a client site and given a problem that stumped the team or the experts on the team, only for me to resolve it within a few minutes or hours.

    When this happens, my client simply reason that since I solved in an hour, a problem that has kept the team back for several days, I am worth every penny I am paid and more.

    I have actually had clients prompt me to increase my billing rate because of the perceived and real value that I bring to the table.

    Advancing your skills and knowledge is important because no amount of marketing on your part will replace your ability to resolve a client’s problem within a few minutes of you encountering the problem.

    Your knowledge, expertise and personal ability to solve complex or difficult technical problems will also earn you your client’s loyalty, respect and keep you billable on a project long after everyone else is off the project.

So, here is a role of thumb for aspiring technical experts:

Your marketing skills will get you through your client’s or employers door but your technical expertise will keep you billable or engaged with your client or employer.

How Do You Become A Technical Expert?

Here are a few things you need to do to build up your skill and become a technical expert:

  1. Education:

    You need to stay educated and abreast of all the developments in your field.

    You must master both the theory, concepts and topics associated with your body of knowledge.

    When I refer to education, I mean both formal and informal education.

    If you can afford (time, money and effort) to go to college, do so.

    If you can afford (time, money and effort) to go to graduate school, do so.

    Whether you can attend college or graduate school or not, make sure you are not skimping on buying and reading your professional books (informal education).

  2. Training:

    Get as much training as you can. It will look good on your resume and will also improve your skills, knowledge and expertise.

    Pay attention to online training classes, distance learning or training programs and other training opportunities that present themselves.

  3. Coaching / Mentoring:

    Find someone who is experienced enough in your field of specialization to be your mentor or coach and then simply follow their instructions.

    In my opinion, choosing a qualified mentor or coach can make or break your career and not choosing one is simply not an option.

    When you find someone who has built a habit of successfully mentoring or coaching others, simply do what he or she tell asks you to do.Mentoring or coaching is critical to becoming a technical expert because there are so many nuances or details particular to each professional career, that you simply would not and cannot observe or learn in a classroom setting.

    These details are meant to be passed on to a willing student by an able mentor.

    If you miss out on your mentoring or coaching opportunities, you will miss out on wisdom, the kind of wisdom that separates the men from the boys and either distinguishes your career or relegates you to meaningless conformity for the rest of your career.

    Simply put, to become truly great, you must learn how great minds work.

    The saying “The student is only as good as the teacher” is important to keep in mind.

How To Take Action

  1. Choose a field of specialization:

    Decide what you want to become a technical expert in. Choose based on market demand for specific skills, job data, your personal strengths and weaknesses or other relevant criteria.

  2. Become The Best:

    Train yourself with the goal of becoming one of the best in your field of endeavor.

    Study, get a coach or mentor, educate yourself and make it your goal to know better than anyone else.

  3. Show Yourself To The World:

    Technical experts are not created in oblivion or in the privacy of their own room.

    To be considered an expert in the public eye, you must be willing to present, sell, educate or market your credentials to the public.

    It is actually public opinion, public judgment or the opinion of others that confirms you as a technical expert.

    So, you must be willing to inform, educate, train and assert what you know with others before you can be accepted as a technical expert.

    There are several ways to do this, for example, with blogs, newsletters, books, ebooks, magazines, articles.

    Choose the media that works for you based on your budget, your personality and type of profession and then present yourself to the world.

Training Programs for Technical Experts

There are some training, coaching and mentoring opportunities right now for becoming a technical expert.

  1. SQL Training Program:

    This training program is designed for database developers, data analysts, business analysts, computer programmers, web developers and other software development professionals.

    You can read more about the SQL Training opportunity by clicking here: SQL Training

  2. Software Developer Training: :

    This is a coaching, mentoring and training program for software developers, web developers and computer programmers.

    You can read more about by clicking here: how to become an expert software developer.

About Me:

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 software development professionals .

My consulting firm, Exacticity, performs software development consulting and training for clients throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. If you are in need of software development expertise or training, contact me.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/02/05/how-to-become-a-technical-expert/feed/ 7 Learning C++ Programming Language Is Bad For Your Career … C++ Programmers Can’t Find Jobs http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/#comments Thu, 26 Jul 2007 05:41:07 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/

Learning A Marketable Skill?

Learning A Marketable Skill?

Hi,

Do you want to learn the C++ programming language or become a C/C++ computer programmer?

Have you ever asked this question? which programming language is the most complex and challenging?? and received the answer C++?

If you answered yes, you are not alone. About 13 years ago, I asked my mentors in computer programming which programming language is the hardest, toughest, most difficult to learn? and I got the same reply as you… C++.

I asked the question because I wanted to become a successful computer programmer.

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

Do You Want To Learn The Hardest Programming Language?

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

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

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

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

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

Continue reading and you will find out for yourself soon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHY C++ PROGRAMMERS CAN’T GET JOBS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Do Employers Care About?

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

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

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

Is C/C+ Dead?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/25/learning-c-programming-language-is-bad-for-your-career-c-programmers-cant-find-jobs/feed/ 21 The Job Of A Computer Programmer http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/18/the-job-of-a-computer-programmer/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/18/the-job-of-a-computer-programmer/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:00:25 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/18/the-job-of-a-computer-programmer/

A few days ago, I granted an interview to a student writing a research paper on The job of a computer programmer. During the interview, I was given ten questions to answer about careers and jobs in computer programming. I’ve decided to post my replies, since a lot of people will benefit from it. You will find this entire interview interesting.

Please read it for your own benefit.

1. How did you get into the field of computer programming?

While studying chemical engineering in college, I observed that my friends studying computer science were having more fun than me. For example, they had part-time jobs working for companies; the entrepreneurial minded ones had founded small software development firms and were creating practical, useable, real world applications.

So, I befriended them and after college, a friend helped me interview for a technical sales job at a computer networking and software development firm.

2. What do you do on a daily basis?

On a daily basis, I do one of the following:

  • Design or Architect Software Applications, Websites, Databases.

  • Write code for both Intranet and Internet applications, Web Sites, Web Services and other software applications.

  • I document code or write technical documentation for existing or new software applications.

  • I train and mentor people who want to become a programmer or master computer programming.

  • I support or maintain existing software application code.

  • I write about my life and career as a software developer.

  • I analyze and document requirements for new software projects.

  • I plan and manage the development effort of software projects.

3. What is the average introductory salary for a computer programmer?

The average introductory salary for a computer programmer varies. It depends on your country and state of residence, the programming languages, programming experience, negotiation skills and whether you are a full-time or contract programmer. For Saint Louis, USA, I will say it is about $65,000 to $70,000.

4. What are the pros for a career in computer programming?

There are lots of pros. It will take a book to mention or discuss it all, but here are a few:

  • Top pay for computer programmers. Computer programmers can earn a high salary easily. This is because programmers are judged by their ability to get the job done. That means that if you are capable of pushing yourself to do hard study, you can earn six figures in no time. In so many other careers, you can’t up your earnings by $20k to $40 k within a single year because your remuneration is not tied to your performance but to your age, experience and other implacable factors.

  • High demand for computer programmers. There are thousands of jobs listed on job sites like Monster.com for computer programmers. There are jobs everywhere on local newspapers, job boards, and local recruiting fairs. There are so many programmer job vacancies that programmers from several nations are courted and recruited worldwide to work in countries like USA, Canada, Australia.

  • Self Actualization. The need for us to do meaningful work that fulfills us is core to what makes us human. Computer programmers have that opportunity because their work is highly creative and they are highly remunerated. Computer programmers also get to use their mind, personal vision, talents, creativity, skills and initiative at work every day. There are always bugs to quash, new software applications to visualize and develop as well as human and business needs to be satisfied. Furthermore because there’s no cookie-cutter approach to programming, your personal ability, creativity and hard-work will always be appreciated and rewarded.

5. What are the cons of a career in computer programming?<

The major con of being a professional computer programmer is that:

  • You spend a lot of time with computers and technology. If you don’t like working with technology that much, you may begin to dislike your career. Also, you may end up spending more time working with computers than talking to people. Again, some people can handle this and others can’t.

  • Another con is that computer programming is a fast paced career. New technologies and programming languages are being released yearly which make your current skills partially or completely obsolete. So you have to be constantly learning new technology or your career becomes extinct.

6. What are the recent trends for computer programming careers?

Some of the major trends I’ve noticed is a shift towards object-oriented programming, a shift towards web programming, a shift away from windows programming, a shift towards test driven development, a shift towards better software design and a shift towards mobile software application development.

7. What are the hours for a computer programmer?

A computer programmer typically works a full 9 am to 5pm, 40 hour week. Additional time needs to be set aside to study and stay abreast of technology.

8. Would you recommend a career in computer programming and why?

Read my earlier comments on the pros of a career in computer programming to see the reasons why I recommend a career in computer programming.

9. What is your advice for someone interested in a career in computer programming?

Don’t let the lack of a college degree, your age or the educational conditions existing in your country or state of residence stop you from becoming a computer programmer because none of these is a real barrier. Begin by reading how to master computer programming and get high-paying software development jobs easily to discover the steps you need to take to become a professional software developer.

Next, if you can, begin your programming career early in life, because your investment in programming skills and experience will work for you and before you know it, you are a top-paid consultant. Finally, don’t let anybody or anything deter you from pursuing your career in computer programming because, programming is not as hard as people make it to be. If the fear of the unknown, stops you from pursuing a career in computer programming, conquer your fear and discover a bright new world waiting for you as you begin a career in computer programming

.

10. Are there opportunities for advancement in a programming career?

Yes. You can start and become a mid-level programmer, senior software developer, software architect, software manager, IT director, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), etc. If you are a contract programmer, you can advance by increasing your billing rate, finding challenging work or contracting for new clients.

How To Learn Programming Easily and Get Hired Fast!
The Faster, Easier, Less Expensive Way To Learn Computer Programming and Get A Job.

If you enjoyed reading this post and will like to be notified when I publish another news article, please join my free computer programming career newsletter.

About the Author

Kingsley Tagbo is a Software Developer, a Computer Programming Coach and Author of How to Master High Paying, Highly Sought-After Computer Programming Skills Easily and Quickly. Kingsley’s book “The Street Smart Guide to High Paying Computer Programmer Careers” teaches you how to develop and leverage your ability to master high paying computer programming skills easily.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/18/the-job-of-a-computer-programmer/feed/ 2 The Secret Path To Contract Programming http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2007 08:00:38 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/

Who is a contract programmer?

A contract programmer is a software developer who is paid an hourly rate for working on special software development projects for a period. Contract computer programmers are not paid salaries like full-time developers but hourly wages.

Contract programmers tend to be very project focused because they are hired to solve specific problems or code specific features and as soon as that is done, they have to move on to another project or find a new client.

Contract programmers are independent software developers who work with clients on a project-to-project basis. The relationship between a contract programmer and a client lasts as long as the client has a steady stream of work. What usually happens is that as soon as the client can’t find any work or the work starts dwindling down, the client initiates the process to end the relationship.

Contract computer programmers are not supposed to form strong emotional bonds or ties to their clients unlike their full-time colleagues because the nature of their work is temporary. That is why contract programmers are sometimes called temporary workers.

Contract programmers are specialists, experts and master craftsmen. When a client hires a contract computer programmer, the client expects to find a master programmer who will hit the ground running. This separates contract programmers from full-time software developers and the master craftsmen from the wannabe contract programmers.

A contract programmer is expected to start churning out high quality code, fixing bugs, improving their clent’s software and generally justifing their high pay by solving important problems within a few hours or days of starting work. Unlike full-time software developers who may take 6 months to 1 year to prove themselves, contract programmers who haven’t mastered their art well-enough to make a difference are usually dropped like hot potatoes by their clients.

Contract programmers may be W2 contract programmers or 1099 contract programmers. The difference lies with how their taxes are filed with the IRS.

The W2 contract programmer is paid by a recruiting agency that is also responsible for withholding taxes and providing liability insurance. Many recruiting agencies will also provide medical, dental and 401K benefits.

On the other hand, 1099 contract programmers, generally known as free-lancers, pay their taxes to the IRS and provide their own medical, dental and 401K insurance.

A contract programmer has the liberty of working as a W2 contract programmer with one firm and a 1099 contract programmer with another firm.

How long do contract programming projects last?

Contract programming projects typically last from a month to 5 years. The trend is towards fewer months and higher billing rates. The typical duration is 3 months, 6 months or 1 year.

How much do contract computer programmers bill?

Contract programmers typically bill anywhere from $50 per hour to $200 per hour.

What factors determine the contract programmer’s billing rate?

The factors that determine a contract programmers billing rate include:

1. Experience: The more experienced a contract programmer is, the more the contract programmer can charge

2. Demand: Some computer programming skills are in high-demand while others are not. So contract programmers who master computer programming skills that are in high-demand can bill at a higher rate than others

3. Client: The compensation provided for the same programming skills can vary widely by client with no other explanation other than one client having more money than the other

Who should be a contract programmer?

Contract programming makes sense for computer programmers who love to be independent or who do not want to climb the corporate ladder. It is also good for those individuals who want to make more money than is found in regular full-time software development. Finally, it works for those who can use their down-time in between projects to sharpen their computer programming skills, pursue other hobbies or take vacations.

What is the future or outlook for contract programmers?

The future is bright for contract programmers as more companies are trending towards out-sourcing their software development projects to temporary staffing firms or recruiting agencies that in turn out-source the programming work to contract programmers. Contract computer programmers are considered to be expert, highly-skilled craftsmen and their opinions and expertise are valued at client sites They are also paid significantly more money and do not have to stand inline or beg for a pay raise when they work for it.

How do you become a contract programmer?

The critical skills needed for a successful contract programming career are:

  1. Expert programming skills

  2. Well-crafted resume

  3. Effective job interviewing skills

  4. Aggressive Resume Marketing

Read this previous post titled “The keys of a successful computer programmer career” to learn more about these keys.

If you have these skills in abundance, you will do well in contract programming. If you don’t or will like to develop them, you should read “How to become a master contract programmer” or CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY IN A FEW MINUTES.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2007/07/16/the-secret-path-to-contract-programming/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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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/09/04/how-to-learn-sql-or-databases/feed/ 0 The Secret Art of Writing Highly Effective Killer Resumes for Computer Programming Jobs http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/08/27/the-secret-art-of-writing-highly-effective-killer-resumes-for-computer-programming-jobs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/08/27/the-secret-art-of-writing-highly-effective-killer-resumes-for-computer-programming-jobs/#comments Sun, 27 Aug 2006 14:06:40 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2006/08/27/the-secret-art-of-writing-highly-effective-killer-resumes-for-computer-programming-jobs/

Your resume drives your compensation, your marketability and the effectiveness of your job search. Without much ado, here are the rules of engagement for writing highly effective killer resumes for Information Technology jobs that gets you on the fast track to career nirvana.

One page resumes are out!

The rule of cramming your skills, experience and accomplishment on one page is dead. Include as much detail as necessary to secure an interview or a job offer. Your personal information is irrelevant!

Skip the section on your hobbies including the references to martial arts, chess, marathon, etc. Nobody really cares. Just answer the question, can you do the job?

Keywords are relevant!

Keywords are the buzzwords that describe the current skills, technologies and processes that are popular in your industry. Your resume is dead without the right keywords or buzzwords. Some hiring managers use scanners that count how often desired keywords are mentioned, so your resume is dead if you don’t employ them effectively.

Also, other recruiters who don’t use scanners look out for the jobs where you mention those keywords. Either way, your career is headed for the slow track if your resume does not use industry keywords effectively.

Beware of Cover letters

It is really a good resume that sells you if you are in contract programming. The cover letter is one more document that delays access to your resume. If you have a good relationship with your recruiter, make their jobs easier by skipping the cover letter. If you do not have a good relationship with a technical recruiter and you need a cover letter to sell you in addition to your resume, you had better not be in contract programming.

Cover letters are traditional and are necessary if you are applying for full time positions or applying directly to hiring managers, otherwise, use a a few sentences to introduce your attached resume.

Socialize your desired compensation

Have you seen those jobs where you are advised not to apply without including your desired pay? Apply without your desired pay anyway. Yes, I know you would really want a six figure income but it is much better to discuss this with the recruiter than to add it to your resume, where it really adds no value.

Besides, including your desired pay marks you as a newbie and from Negotiation 101 class we learn it puts you at a disadvantage when you finally negotiate your pay. The time to introduce your desired pay is after the recruiter or hiring manager has reviewed your resume and is all excited about interviewing or hiring you.

Keep your references to yourself

Don’t bother including your references or the ridiculous references available on demand line on your resume. Your references will be checked before or after an offer is extended to you. So, get on with your business of securing the job offer.

Include multiple ways of contacting you

The purpose of your resume is to market you, so, include as many ways of contacting you as possible. Include your email, mailing address, mobile phone, work phone, home phone and website address (tech or professional sites only) in the contact section of your resume and years from now, you will be getting calls from people who need your services.

By including multiple ways of reaching you, you increase the chance that you will be discovered by recruiters or headhunters even when one or more of your contact details become obsolete.

One resume does not fit all

Your resume is a marketing document. So, customize it for each job or position you are interested in, especially if it differs significantly from what you are doing now. Hiring managers and recruiters are only interested in exact matches or near fits between the jobs they advertise and the resumes they receive.

They literally want to see your resume mention the same skills and technologies they are advertising. So, if you want to get that interview, make sure you customize your resume for the position you are applying for.

Prove your relevance with your resume

If you are looking for a technical writing position, don’t just create a resume, showcase how relevant you are to the position you are applying for. See, recruiters and hiring managers want to hire the right person for each job, so make their jobs easier by beginning with this end in mind.

If you are applying for a business analysis position, you should know within yourself if your resume makes a good case for you or not. Your resume must prove beyond a shadow of reasonable doubt that you can get the job done!

It’s all about your experience

Recruiters and hiring managers believe that your past performance is the best predictor of your future performance. They are only interested in you, if you have successfully solved problems similar to theirs. They want to see in your resume a trail of successes, not a trial of failures or an absence of both.

So, describe not just the technology you use, but also the overall business processes, the problems you solved and the value you provided. Whatever you do, make sure you have relevant industry experience and showcase it on your resume.

Focus your resume on where you are going

Your resume should describe who you are now and who you want to be. It should make the connection between the positions you have had and the new position you want. If the credibility gap between what you have been doing and what you want is big, you will most likely be passed over.

For example, if you have been a HTML developer and you are applying for a Java or C# job, the skills gap between HTML development and Java or C# development may kill your job search, however, if you position yourself as a web developer, you stand a better chance of getting hired. Likewise if your resume only highlights HTML web development and you show up at the interview talking about C# .NET development, your interviewing managers will ask you why you don’t already have C# .NET on your resume.

Focus on your accomplishments not your responsibilities

Your accomplishments describe what you do with you’re given. Accomplishments present you as results and goal oriented. Your responsibilities describe you as a passive player who only responds by chance. Responsibilities describe you as being task or process oriented.

Hiring managers perceive the performance of responsibilities oriented candidates as being unpredictable and that of results oriented individuals as being a sure bet. So, do yourself a favor, become result oriented both on your resume and in real life.

Do not include irrelevant past jobs

You used to be a musician, a poet or a gunslinger in a past life, so what? Remove from your resume past jobs that you had to pass time or jobs you had when you were growing up or jobs that are not relevant to your job search! Let me spell it out, remove past jobs that have no skill and experience relevance to the position you are interested in.

By leaving irrelevant past jobs on your resume, you prove that you still have a lot of baggage and that you are still clinging to your past. Remember, that your resume is primarily a marketing document and not a monument to your ego.

Disclose your past employers

Include the locations (city and state only) and the company names of the past employers listed on your resume. If you do not disclose your employers, recruiters or hiring managers may start wondering about what you are hiding and then start digging into your garbage. If you have nothing to hide, make their lives easier and disclose your past employers on your resume. If you have something to hide, keep your own counsel.

List your past jobs in chronological order

Recruiters and hiring managers expect to scan your job history in a chronological order from the most recent job to the last. Present the past jobs on your resume in that order.

Is This Career Nirvana Or What?

These are some of the secrets of writing highly effective killer resumes for Information Technology careers and jobs. Use them to fast track to career nirvana, ignore them at your own peril! Either way, you have been warned :-)

To learn more about fast tracking your computer programmer career, visit this resource.


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