-
By Janet Pinkerton
| May 29, 2012
IT certifications can help a veteran land a job, but veterans need to understand how much work earning the credentials will require and the salary the resulting IT job will command, says Army veteran Ryan McCauley.
Since October 2011, McCauley has used funding from the Post 9/11 GI Bill to earn CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and other industry certifications at New Horizons Learning Center in Durham, N.C., while working a full-time job.
It's been hard, attending 12 hours of class at New Horizo ...
Full Story
-
By Jim Staats
| May 25, 2012
Takeaway of the week is a clarion call for the IT pro who never sleeps on what he or she knows amid an always changing technical landscape - and that goes all the way to the CIO. Who knows, show your tech skills and you could even end up in the White House.
Constant Learning Curve for IT Pros
Given the ever-expanding reach of technology, the smart IT professional will seek out ways to expand skill sets in comparable measures, says one industry veteran.
While the IT job market is doing some ...
Full Story
-
By Janet Pinkerton
| May 24, 2012
Mellisa Stroman
When her post-retirement career didn't work out as planned, Navy veteran Mellisa Stroman trained with New Horizons of Southern California to earn IT certifications and get the IT instructor job she really wanted.
Stroman worked in IT nearly her entire Navy career while raising two children with her husband, also a Navy sailor. "I just always wanted to go into the computer field," she says.
From 1985 through 2005, Stroman's Navy rotations included maintaining an I ...
Full Story
-
By Jim Staats
| May 18, 2012
Takeaway of the week is a clear slap-you-in-the-face theme of IT worker as wanderer and employers needing to up the ante if they hope to halt high-tech walkabouts. Mounting evidence in the form of surveys, polls and industry analysis prove that for the talented IT pro, it's not always about the money. Training a Key Retention Factor For wandering high-tech workers and antsy employers amid an improving economy, greener pastures aren't always the color of money. Talented professionals in the tech ...
Full Story
-
By Jim Staats
| May 14, 2012
Young Nik Roby is not only a veteran of the IT field; he’s a serial achiever when it comes to industry security credentials. For him, it’s a simple case of current events and proving grounds, and one certification stands above the rest: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP). “I’ve taken the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and passed, along with CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) - Security, and various other exams, but the CASP was my favorite,” said Rob ...
Full Story
-
By Jim Staats
| May 11, 2012
Takeaway of the week is a couple more shots-in-the-arm for job-seekers either in the process of beefing up their cybersecurity skills and experience or about to embark on such a journey. That sector of the marker is becoming more and more attractive. And for those not interested in preventing cyber attacks, one can't go wrong aiming to tame the beast known as "big data." And, if you're looking for a worthy tech locale to put down tech roots, ever heard of a place called New York City? Cybersec ...
Full Story
-
By Janet Pinkerton
| May 08, 2012
Click for full infographic Veterans desperately need jobs; the IT industry needs skilled workers. CompTIA is urging the supply of motivated veterans to take advantage of the industry demand for skilled IT workers. Veteran unemployment statistics are staggering—850,000 veterans (including 250,000 from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars) can't find work now, and 1 million more veterans are expected to seek to join the civilian work force over the next five years. Joblessness among youngest ve ...
Full Story
-
By Janet Pinkerton
| May 07, 2012
Dan O'Sullivan’s new IT career gives him plenty of diversity in both what he does and whom he works with. Six months after he earned CompTIA A+ and Microsoft certifications, O'Sullivan holds two IT jobs in the United Kingdom. He works for Venatrack, whose software tracks movement in football matches ("soccer" matches for American readers) and provides 3D digital playback for post-match analysis. He also provides IT support for Norsk European, an international logistics company. His day-to-day wo ...
Full Story
-
By Jim Staats
| May 04, 2012
Takeaway of the week is another shout-out for that seemingly superhero IT pro who can wrangle big data - i.e. the elusive data scientist. Also on tap is another survey that shares some good and some bad about those working in IT, a generation shift the industry has created in India and a virtual invitation for techies with a hankering to relocate to the Emerald Isle. Survey: IT Pros a Hot Commodity If findings from a recent survey commissioned by a recruitment firm are correct, IT professionals ...
Full Story
-
By Janet Pinkerton
| April 26, 2012
Maria Klawe Research indicates that young women are underrepresented in disciplines like computer science because they frequently don't know much about it, don't think it’s interesting, don't think they could ever be successful at it, or can't envision themselves involved with it. So if colleges, vocational-technical programs and high schools want to attract more young women to computer science, they have to proactively change that mindset, advises Maria Klawe, computer scientist, ...
Full Story