ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » UML Training 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 Learn How to Make Knowledge or Skills Work http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/24/learn-how-to-make-knowledge-or-skills-work/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/24/learn-how-to-make-knowledge-or-skills-work/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:55:38 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3147

Make your Knowledge or Skills Work

Make your Knowledge or Skills Work


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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is how we help make knowledge and skills work.

Learn Whenever – Why Not Learn At Your Own Time?

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

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

Open Enrollment – Let the Scheduling Work for You

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

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

Pause & Resume – Take A Break When You Want

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

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

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

Progress Monitoring – How Are You Doing?

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

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

Virtual Coaching – What Do You Want To Learn?

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

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

Real Learning – Resources For Work

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

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

For Utter Beginners or Experienced Professionals

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

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

Practice Tests – Better or More Effective Online Learning

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

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

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

Assignments – Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice

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

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

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

Comprehensive Learning – Stay Ahead of the Technology Curve

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

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

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

Social Learning – Research Best Practices

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

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

Affordable, Convenient & Effective Learning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/03/24/learn-how-to-make-knowledge-or-skills-work/feed/ 0 How to Write Use Cases – A Tutorial http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/23/how-to-write-use-cases-a-tutorial/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/23/how-to-write-use-cases-a-tutorial/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:45:32 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=572

What is a Use Case?

A use case is a description of how a system’s behavior in response to a request from a stakeholder known as an actor. The actor could be a person or an external system that interacts with the system being described.

The actor initiates an action with the system with the purpose of accomplishing a goal. The system responds to the actor’s action in a way that fulfills the interests of all of its stakeholders. A use case summarizes a complete series of related scenarios that may unfold.

Use cases by definition are developed in text format using natural or non-technical language. However, they can also be developed in use case diagram form using UML notation or a combination of both text and diagrams.

Parts of a Use Case

There is no set template for use cases. There are some core sections that are considered the most useful in use cases. You should use as many or as few of these sections as needed to successfully document your system’s requirements. The core sections for use cases are:

Use case ID

Use case name

Version

Goal

Summary / Description

Primary Actor

Secondary Actor

Pre-conditions

Trigger

Basic course of events

Exceptions

Alternative paths

Post-conditions

Business rules

Notes

Author and date

Why Use Cases?

Use cases can be used to document any type of system. They can be used to document a software system or to document a company’s business processes.

Use cases are useful because they quickly and early clarify how the system will behave when the users interact with it. Use cases are easy for users to understand.

In addition, use cases are helpful for brainstorming conditions under which the system may fail and working out solutions to the problems that fulfill the stakeholders’ interests.

How to Write Use Cases

  1. Develop a list of usage goals from your stake holders. This is your initial list of use cases.

  2. Develop a short paragraph describing each use case this will be your summary or description.

  3. Develop the header section of the use case. The header for each use case should include:

    • The Use Case ID Number

    • The Use Case Name

    • Pre-conditions

    • Post-conditions

    • Primary Actor

    • Secondary Actor

    • Trigger

  4. Verify that your use case headers are correct then iterate through them again to add more sections and more details. Further detail sections are:

    • Basic Course of Events – steps that the actor and system go through to accomplish a goal

    • Exceptions – steps for handling errors and exceptions.

    • Alternative Paths – steps for handling variations.

  5. Check your use case for failure points and missing requirements.

  6. As your write your use cases, do it in a way that makes them easy to read. Use natural language. Keep your statements simple and concise.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/23/how-to-write-use-cases-a-tutorial/feed/ 2 3 Day Early Bird Registration Discount Begins Now http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/3-day-early-bird-registration-discount-begins-now/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/3-day-early-bird-registration-discount-begins-now/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:42:34 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=443

3 DAY EARLY BIRD TRAINING REGISTRATION DISCOUNT

3 DAY EARLY BIRD TRAINING REGISTRATION DISCOUNT

The early bird registration for SQL Boot Camp Training, Business Analyst Boot Camp Training and Software Developer Boot Camp Training begins now and ends on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time (CST).

Use the early bird coupon EarlyBirdCoupon on the shopping cart now to get a substantial discount on the training packages immediately.

The IT Professional Boot Camp

The IT Professional Boot Camps are Video-Based, Hands-On, Instructor-Led professional training for beginner to senior business analysts, computer programmers, database developers and other IT Professionals who want to take their career to the next level by improving their skills. The training is provided through a secure, private, web-based, online training system which allows you to log-in and watch your training videos from the comfort of your home or office.

How To Use A Discount Coupon?

Go to the shopping cart and select the IT professional boot camp you are interested in. Click the [Add To Cart] button and enter in your coupon EarlyBirdCoupon. Note that additional discounts are available and automatically applied to orders of 2 or more people.

What Happens After You Place An Order?

You will get a payment confirmation e-mail and a link to complete your registration for the Boot Camps. As soon as you complete your registration (enter your name, address, etc.), you will get a confirmation e-mail for your Boot Camp training.

Busy Right Now?

If you are quite busy at work or in your private life, you can still take advantage of the 3-day special discount. Just register for training and then use a feature on the web-based training software to pause your training until you are less busy and are ready to begin training

Reasons Why You Should Take Your Training

  1. Recession Proof Your Career: You become the better skilled, better trained or more productive team member. In a recession, the better trained or skilled professionals tend to keep their jobs while the lesser skilled workers are let go. If you are in the market for a new job, the skills you acquire during training look great on your resume to hiring managers and give you a competitive advantage over lesser trained or skilled job applicants.

  2. Get A Salary Raise: Training or improving your skills make it easier for you to negotiate a salary raise or prove your worth to your manager. The investment in your training us easily reaped back in terms of better pay, better job prospects or better, more frequent on-the-job promotions.

  3. Become The Best: The best rewards for taking your training could be that you simply become the best at what you do on the job. The extra peace of mind, improved self-confidence and command you gain from taking an IT Professional Boot Camp training means that you perform better on the job, handle your responsibilities more efficiently and on time and become the go to resource or leader on your team.

International Students Are Welcome

The SQL Boot Camp Training, Business Analyst Boot Camp Training and Software Developer Boot Camp Training is open to registration from USA, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Turkey, South Korea, India, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and other countries including Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Venezuela, Algeria, Andorra, Anguilla, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Scotland, Wales, Zambia, Kenya, French Antilles, Gibraltar, Indonesia, Mexico, Monaco, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Romania, Uruguay, Virgin Islands (US). If you don’t see your country in the list, don’t assume that you cannot participate … ASK

Do You Need Help?

If you need help or you have any questions about the registration process or training … post it as a comment on this page and I will be sure to reply and get back to you promptly


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/01/12/3-day-early-bird-registration-discount-begins-now/feed/ 19 How To Get A Business Analyst Job Easily http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/10/17/how-to-get-a-business-analyst-job-easily/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/10/17/how-to-get-a-business-analyst-job-easily/#comments Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:24:56 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/10/17/how-to-get-a-business-analyst-job-easily/

Looking for a new business analyst job can be intimidating whether you are a seasoned business analyst looking for a challenging business analyst position or you are applying for entry-level business analyst positions.

If you do not handle your business analyst job search correctly, you may be passed over for positions that you are really qualified for or your resume may never get to the desk of the hiring managers or you may get discouraged by the lack of interest in your resume from potential employers.

Whatever your situation, what I am about to say next may help you find your ideal business analyst job quickly, fast track your business analyst career or help you become a star player in the business analyst industry, so, pay attention!

Your Cover Letter Is Key To Landing The Next Business Analyst Job

The cover letter you include with your resume is the first thing about you that will be read, noticed and analyzed by potential recruiters, employers and hiring managers.

Some job seekers assume that their job search starts with their resume or the business analyst job interview. Boy, are they so wrong! The process of actively soliciting a business analyst job actually starts with the cover letter and here is why:

Before you are scheduled for an interview or have your resume read by a hiring manager, the cover letter attached to your resume has to be read first. Whether you send in your resume by email, fax or snail mail, you have to include a cover letter with your job solicitation or application.

Now human resource departments receive a good number of resumes for any business analyst job position that they post and because of it, they will review your cover letter and only proceed to read the rest of your resume if your cover letter draws them in. This is exactly the reason why you must prepare a really good cover letter for your next business analyst job search.

The way hiring managers or staffing firms handle business analyst job seekers is similar to the way you search for information on the internet.

Typically when you search for information on the internet, you end your information search as soon as you find a high quality site that provides all the answers you are looking for. You will probably quickly narrow your focus to a few websites out of the several websites listed on the search results page. Now, picture a potential employer sifting through a pile of resumes in their inbox or mail folder. They will quickly also select few resumes out of the pile of resumes available based on the cover letter attached to the resume.

So, do not make the mistake of neglecting your cover letter or focusing all of your attention on your resume, give it the attention it deserves!

Your Cover Letter Says A Lot About Who You Are

Your cover letter should be a brief but convincing sales letter. It should present and qualify you as the best candidate for the business analyst job opening. At IT-Career-Coach.COM, I hear from a lot of people who complain that the never seem to get interviews or calls from recruiters and hiring managers. What is often missing is for these job candidates is a cover letter that sets them apart!

Make sure you highlight your best qualities, because the Law of First Impressions Still Holds! So, write a cover a letter that does a great job of convincing your potential employer that you are the best candidate for the job posting. Mention specific business analyst training, business analyst courses or business analyst classes you have attended. Mention any major results, key assignments and business analyst roles that you have been responsible for in your current or previous business analyst jobs.

Remember, that this is not a time for you to be shy, but a time to showcase your best business analyst skills, talents, training or on-the-job performance.

How To Write An Awesome Business Analyst Cover Letter!

You have decided to apply for a business analyst job posting and you have read the rest of this article, so you are ready to write a cover letter that makes your resume stand out.

Here is what you must do. Read the job description and then use your cover letter to position you for the business analyst job opening. If the job opening is for a Business Analyst with Agile Methodology experience, mention that. If the resume requires Rational Unified Process (RUP) experience, mention that or else mention that you have Rational Unified Process (RUP) Training.

List the key, measurable business results you have been principal to achieving. List all UML Training, Agile Training, Use Case Training, Requirements Analysis Training, skills and job experience. Mention any Fortune 500 corporations, business consulting experience, or experience in any industry aligned with that of your potential employer.

Finally, make sure your cover letter matches your key business analysis skills, training, certifications or job experience with the qualifications or requirements of the business analyst job posting.

Does Your Cover Letter Grab The Attention Of Hiring Managers?

If you have followed all the guidelines in this article, by now you should had a reasonably good cover letter. However the road from good to great is paved with good intentions. So, you need to make sure that your business analyst cover letter actually stands out!

You can achieve this the hard way by sending out your cover letter when you apply for a job and then sitting back to wait and hope that it is better than cover letters from other candidates who applied for the same business analyst job or you may do it the smart way. I prefer the earlier, easier, smarter reality check. Usually this begins by asking a business analyst coach, trainer or mentor to review your cover letter. Or by asking for specific feedback when you send your cover letter in with your resume.

Whatever, you do, don’t assume that your cover letter is good enough, verify it!

How To Format A Business Analyst Job Search Cover Letter

When writing your business analyst job search cover letter stay close to the straight and narrow path in formatting the letter.

Use normal business conventions in the opening paragraph, when addressing the business analyst job position, and in the closing paragraph of your cover letter. This will apply to cover letters that you send to business analyst job postings by email, fax, snail mail or business analyst jobs posted on job boards like Monster.com, Dice.com, etc.

Be courteous and business-like. Formality will not take away from you if you have something interesting to say, so keep the cover letter short by being focused and getting straight to the point. The entire cover letter should not be more than four paragraphs. Avoid starting out with “to whom it may concern.”, that is old school :-) If possible, you should use the name of the recruiting manager mentioned in the business analyst job posting. Do not use slang, cute phrases, emoticons or graphics.

Make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Use a spell-checker and if possible, get a friend or mentor to proof-read the cover letter before you send it out.

Finally, remember that your cover letter presents you with an opportunity to get your ideal business analyst job. It is your opportunity to connect with and capture the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s attention, tell your professional story and stand out from the crowd. It may take hard work to create great business analyst cover letter, but it is worth the effort, when you land that great business analyst job while others wonder why they are not as lucky as you.

I wish you success with your business analyst job search.

To Your Career,


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/10/17/how-to-get-a-business-analyst-job-easily/feed/ 2 How To Find Affordable, Flexible Career Training Programs http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/05/how-to-find-affordable-flexible-career-training-programs/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/05/how-to-find-affordable-flexible-career-training-programs/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:32:00 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/2008/03/05/how-to-find-affordable-flexible-career-training-programs/

If you want to excel in an information technology career, you need to make a career plan or plot a career road map that will take you from your current skill level to a professional, highly skilled or expert level.

You will also need to create a plan for maintaining your skills at the level of
top performers or experts in your field when you get there.

Whatever your current career (business analyst, data analyst, software
developer, report writer, database developer, web designer, etc.), you need to
sharpen your skills using one or more of the following training options:

1. Self Learning

2. Online Training

3. On The Job Training

4. Coaching or Mentoring

5. Classroom Training

The best training programs I have found include a combination of two or more of
these training options.

Personally, I have invested a lot of time and money in self learning, online
training, on the job learning and coaching or mentoring. I have also
invested in class room training, but not to the same extent as the other
training methods.

What is really important, is that you create a definite goal for what
you want to attain and then define the specific training you will use to
achieve those goals.

This is important because without constantly training your skills, you will
begin to lag behind your colleagues.

When that happens, you will find it hard to ace your technical interview or
get hired, you will be passed over for promotions and you will be one
of the most likely to get fired on your team. Your job performance
will also suffer and you will begin to show signs that you lack the
confidence to do your job well.

How to choose the best training program for your career

Here are some tips that will help you choose the best training program for your
career:

Choosing Self Learning or Teach Yourself Programs

Self Learning or teach yourself programs are usually the cheapest programs of
studying. All you have to do is buy a book on the subject or topic you
are interested in learning. For example, there are books on Amazon.com on almost
any subject under the sun. You can also purchase e-books written by subject
matter experts (SMEs) on any skill you want to learn.

The advantage of self study is that it is the cheapest way to learn a topic.

The disadvantage of self-study is that you may still not understand a topic
after reading a book on it. Also, the books you buy may end up collecting dust
on your shelf because it takes a lot more personal discipline or effort to buy a
book and read it.

Choosing Online Training

Online training also known as e-learning, virtual classroom training or distance
learning is growing in popularity because online training is cheaper than
physical class room training.

Online training is usually location independent which means that you can
in theory take an online class from any location in the world as long as you
have a computer and an internet connection.

Online training is also more convenient for working adults who cannot afford to
take out time from work and family commitments to drive to a physical training
class.

Online training is more self-paced and more convenient than classroom training
because you may attend a virtual class at a time (evening, morning, afternoon).

The disadvantage of online training compared to to physical class room training
is that you don't have the physical, intimate bonding experience of being in the
same class with students and course instructors. For some, the lack of physical
proximity with other students and class instructors is intimidating, so they
will not enjoy an online training class.

Choosing On The Job Training

Learning with or mastering "on the job training" is a necessity requirement for
today's information technology careers. This is because no matter how much
online training, or self-studying or class room training you take, you will
always have to learn something new on your job.

For example, you will need to learn the business processes of every company you
work for, on-the-job. Also, it is not practical for your employer to send you to
a class, each time a new software program or technology is installed at your
place of work.

What this really means, is that you need to be adept at learning on the job to
survive in today's fast-paced and highly competitive information technology job
market.

Choosing Coaching or Mentoring

You need to have at least one coach or mentor at every level of your
career.

Your coach should be someone who is more experienced than you and can help guide
you through the challenges you will face on the job.

As you progress in your career, you will be faced with decisions that you
will not be able to find answers for in an online training class or book or
classroom.

Successful people in every career or discipline can easily name coaches or
mentors who influenced, inspired or guided them to greater success than they
where capable of by themselves.

The question "you should be asking" is not whether you need a mentor, but
"who is best suited to be your mentor"?

Adopting a mentor can be as simple as asking someone who is much higher than you
at work to be your mentor.

You can also read the publications, articles, books and informational products
published by professionals or experts that you recognize in your industry.

Remember that you need a mentor and that you also have complete freedome in how
you go about selecting or choosing a mentor … so choose wisely :-)

Class Room Training

Class room training is one of the more traditional programs of learning a skill.

The advantage of classroom training is the physical proximity between you and
your teacher.

The disadvantage of classroom training includes the cost of attending it.
Classroom training usually requires more of your time and costs more money.

My advice to you is to constantly sharpen and improve your skills, your career
and your life using two or more affordable and flexible career
training programs. If you do that continuously, you will become one of those
people who succeeds in developing their personal talents and skills in their
career or life.

About The Author

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

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


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