Career Archives - Page 32 of 43 - The Voice of Job Seekers

Interview: Careers in Cloud Computing Part 2

Today is part 2 from Monday’s interview with Bob Bunge and Ed Hill.

Q: Should students consider competitions in any computer tech areas, particularly cloud computing, as a way to stand out and test skills?

Bob: Absolutely! There are many good options: CyberPatriot, Imagine Cup, Skills USA, etc. Competitions are highly motivational.

Q: In all jobs there is a certain amount of competition. How does the student who enters computer technology fields prepare for competition?
Bob: Practice, practice, practice! You get good at competing by competing. That’s why our club members get the best jobs – they’ve been performing under stress for years. They know what to do when under pressure.

Q: Does a global perspective play a major part in the computer technology world? What is the best way students or job candidates obtain this kind of outlook?
Bob: The tech world is totally global. In addition to tech, take one or more foreign languages. Study abroad if you can. Be open to other cultures.

Ed: There is no doubt that companies have to think about the larger global market, and employees need to be aware of this. The good news for cloud developers is that there are so many opportunities here in the U.S. Many of the big cloud players such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etc. are here in the U.S. Many U.S.-based companies are taking advantage of the cloud, and hiring developers to migrate applications, create solutions for systems integration, and more.

A well-rounded citizen has broad cultural perspective, so students should always be thinking beyond their neighborhood. The Internet gives us an easy, low-cost way to explore culture, the arts, and history from around the world. Anything students can do to diversify their interests will help them become more comfortable with the global economic environment.

Q: What are other competencies that a student or job seeker in this field should have? How can they increase their value other than coursework and entering competitions?
Bob: The successful job seeker will have a track record of leadership and performance. Volunteer. Give back to the community. Develop worthy projects and deliver results. Document your positive outcomes. Speak in public. Show that you can reach out to others.

Q: What are some of the challenges in finding talent? What skill is missing from the current talent pool?
Bob: In general, the world has become incredibly over-complicated and demanding. We need people who can navigate that complexity. We need students who are street-smart as well as school-smart. Don’t spend all day behind a keyboard or staring at a rectangular screen! Learn how to live in your own skin. Work with your hands and face-to-face as well as online. Intuition and emotional intelligence will take you a long way. The tech industry looks for the right personalities to join high-performance teams. So find your personal voice – and bring it to the interview!

Ed: We constantly hear from employers that the big gap is in the soft skills. Managers and team leaders are more than happy to help students develop their technical skills. They are really looking for students that can solve problems and communicate well.

Q: Is it true that the lack of talent/skills in cloud computing can lessen the value in this field? Please explain.

Ed: I don’t think cloud-specific skills are required, as long as the student is willing to keep developing. Fortunately, there are free or low-cost ways for students to pick up cloud computing skills. I always encourage students to explore as much as possible so that they can make themselves attractive to potential employers. Students do not have as much choice with entry-level positions. They may want to move into cloud development, but that may not necessarily be their first job out of school. Students need to have realistic expectations, be flexible, and willing to constantly learn new skills.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Interview: Skill Inventory for Computing Careers

I was offered to interview two experts in the computing field as an opportunity for job seekers and students alike. Job seekers in computing careers need to calculate carefully. It is important to take coursework, but successful careers require fundamental skills. There were some important take-a-ways to focus on Part I of this interview with Ed Hill and Bob Bunge, both DeVry University Professors:

1) The importance of perpetual learning and growing within his or her profession

2) For young people to grasp and remain vigilant of the changing trends occurring from year to year, not just by graduation

3) It is not enough to just have course work. Fundamental skills like Math should be a strength, especially graduates from High School going into his or her freshman year in college

Ed Hill is a professor in the College of Engineering and Information Sciences at DeVry University in Miramar, Fla. Before joining DeVry in 2002, he served as the vice president of information systems at FSD, Inc. in Miami, Fla. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree in computer information systems from the University of Miami.

Robert (Bob) Bunge is an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Information Sciences at DeVry University. He has nearly ten years of teaching experience in computer information systems, network security and simulation development. As a cyber security and cloud computing expert, Bunge has presented on various subjects at numerous events, including the NWSec Conference and the Washington Association for Skilled and Technical Sciences Conference. Careers are growing in the areas of cyber security and cloud computing, learn more at www.devry.edu/knowhow.

Q: How do students approach you as they are interested in cloud computing other than signing up for classes?

Ed: Students are generally aware of the big trends in information technology including the explosion of cloud computing and mobile technology. It’s definitely an area of interest for them. They tend to focus on technologies that they have heard of, and may not be looking at trends that will impact the industry over the next few years while they are in school.

Q: What must a young person be prepared for while training and being educated in 2012?
Bob: Be prepared for everything to change multiple times during your career. Learn how to learn. You will have many jobs. You will probably work in industries that do not even exist yet.

Ed: The important thing about starting school in 2012 is to realize that you will be graduating in 2015-2016. That’s an eternity in “techno-time” as the pace of change accelerates. Students must always look at the big picture and focus on being adaptable. The truth is that no one knows what the next “big thing” will be and they have to be ready to learn throughout their careers. Few of the languages I learned in college are popular now and chances are that technologies that are just in the development stage today will be pushing aside older platforms that students learn in school.

I recently spoke with a prospective student, and he asked about specific languages that have been around since the early days of the Web. He didn’t mention any of the new languages that are being created for the next generation of cloud apps. Students should focus on learning fundamental skills that will translate to new platforms. They shouldn’t get locked into any specific language or technology.

Q: What skills must students master other than computer science?
Bob: Problem solving, team work, good communication and people skills will always be in demand. Get a good general education. Take some electives in arts, humanities, and the sciences.

Ed: Critical thinking and problem solving are critical. Employers want solutions, and users don’t care what underlying technology was used. Students need to be able to approach development as a problem solving exercise, not a coding exercise.

Q: Do you feel that high school students are coming to college with enough skills to build on?
Bob: No. Math, in particular, is a huge weak spot for many high school graduates. Too many students pay college tuition to take basic reading, writing, and math courses they could have passed in K-12. Most educators acknowledge this problem.

Ed: It’s no secret that the U.S. students have fallen behind their peers in much of the developed world. We keep hearing that students are not prepared for careers in the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering, math). Students are not as prepared in critical thinking and problem solving as they need to be.

Q: If you could influence the high school system, what would you do differently?
Bob: High schools are too focused on “one size fits all”. Current technology allows extreme customization. We need to take advantage of that.

Ed: I think our schools have been distracted by standardized testing, and are not necessarily preparing students for STEM-related fields. I speak with students and teachers who are frustrated that they cannot take or teach more programming courses in high-school.

The good news is that we have great models from around the world about how to prepare our young people. It’s not a secret, it’s not complex, and surprisingly fixing schools is not very expensive. The big problems are political, not a lack of resources.

We are having to compete in a global economy where our partners in Europe and Asia generally have a different approach to primary and secondary education. Schools there generally compete to get the best students, and students compete to get into the best schools. It’s really nothing more complicated than that. They’re not spending more than we are (and typically spend less per student). (http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_spe_per_pri_sch_stu-spending-per-primary-school-student).

We have tried a one-size-fits-all approach, where students are generally assigned to schools based on their address. There were very good reasons for having tried this approach in the past, but we now have decades of data showing that it’s expensive and does not prepare students for the needs of our economy in the 21^st Century. In the U.S, higher education is closer to the model of primary and secondary education in other countries, and we are able to attract students from around the world to attend our colleges and universities. We know that this flexibility works in the rest of the world at the primary and secondary level, and we know that it works here in the US at the college level. I think we should consider how we can adopt this approach at our primary and secondary schools.

Part 2 will be published on Wednesday, November 28.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Are College Graduates Unprepared For the Job Marketplace? Interview with Alexandra Levit

Many studies will say college graduates are not ready for today’s job environment. The lack preparedness for the high expectations of the workplace. The latest study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) on the behalf of the Career Advisory Board which is established by DeVry University recently reported 1.5 million of college graduates under 25 are jobless or under-employed.

Alexandra Levit (@alevit), a member of the Career Advisory Board, agreed to speak to me about the study. Levit is a renowned business and workplace expert, and an author of several books.

Mark: The press release states that, “Among its findings, more than half (56 percent) of today’s university and college career center directors cite students’ lack of interest in formal career preparation and professional development as barriers to successfully finding a job.” Are there clues as to where this apathy comes from? Does this describe a typical millennial generation’s attitude?

Alexandra Levit: On the whole, Millennials are confident and entitled, and have the mentality that a college degree equals an instant job. They believe they are better than the competition, and that Mom and Dad will help them out while they get their bearings. They just aren’t worried about their job search until the very end of their college tenure, and therefore are apathetic.

Mark: It also states that, “..they also have started developing skills in teamwork, time management and communication.” Everyone says that he or she is a “team player,” what makes their brand unique. What makes them stand out upon graduation?

AL: What makes them stand out is not only being able to communicate vaguely that you’re a team player, but being able to communicate SPECIFICALLY how you will add value to the organization when you come on board. This means doing your homework and knowing what’s important to the company and its bottom line and being able to give the impression that you can hit the ground running.

Mark: Are college career centers failing to brand themselves as the main resource to prepare college students?

AL: Yes, they are. The research clearly demonstrated that career centers perceive themselves as being far more important to students’ success than the students themselves perceive them. Frequently, students aren’t even acquainted with the career center until senior year – and sometimes there’s never a proper introduction, Even when students do know about the career center, they are usually not aware of the breadth and depth of helpful services offered.

Mark: There are critics of college career centers that say that the counseling received from them is outdated. Is there some truth to that in your opinion?

AL: This entirely depends on the university and the individual. Is it sometimes true? Yes. But there is bad career advice everywhere. Students should validate what they hear from a college career counselor by reading current career blogs/publications and speaking with mentors in their fields.

Mark: The survey stated that, “The survey found that students have a poor understanding of how to properly conduct a successful job search and also lack some of the tools and skills necessary to locate and acquire a job.” I find this startling being that a job search these days require tech knowledge that college students possess. Where do you think the disconnect takes place?

AL: Tech knowledge is one thing, and most of them do indeed have it, but a successful job search today requires a ton of productivity and hustling. It is simply not enough to put your resume on a few job boards and wait to get a call. That call isn’t coming. You have to be out there, branding yourself online and offline, meeting people in your field who are in a position to help get you work, and clearly showcasing what you have to offer each and every organization with which you interface.

Mark: With the lack of interest from students in general, are college career centers suffering or experiencing a feeling of un-usefulness?

AL: Yes, and I think they are rightfully frustrated. Their success depends on student success, and it’s tough when you are trying to do your job well but feel that students aren’t living up to their part of the bargain. However, it does seem that career counselors get a lot of fulfillment from working with students who do use their services effectively, even if this isn’t the majority.

Mark: I find it interesting that in this day and age international college graduates stand out as being difficult to counsel. Are there ways to you think to increase engagement of foreign students?

AL: One idea for directors to facilitate the advising and hiring of international students is to form programs that pair current students with similar alumni who are currently employed. Such mentorships would provide insights that are unique and expressly relevant to a particular student group.

Mark: Are there groups such as, first generation students, college graduates, minority groups, older students, military that might be considered more self-sufficient than the other when it comes to networking, using career center resources, or any other tool?

AL: Not that I am aware of. Being self-sufficient/self-driven is an individual trait, and I think that you see it (and don’t see it) in all groups. I want to say that first generation students are on the whole more resourceful than other groups because given their background this would make sense, but I haven’t seen it personally.

What do you think of a few of the recommendations from the Career Advisory Board for graduates to get started on his or her career search?

Expand network. Conduct informational interviews with mentors in their mid-twenties who can provide advice on how to most effectively position their background and experience in a specific field.

Customize resume. Review sample resume in the desired field and craft theirs in a way that will interest an employer immediately. Also it’s important to customize their resume with keywords from their target position’s job description.

Show enthusiasm. Present themselves as can-do enthusiastic employees who are humble and eager to learn.

Do you have additional suggestions? Please comment below.

Mark: If I am reading this correctly, career centers are not receiving zealous involvement from the administration. Is there one common denominator that stands out as to why that is?

AL: Overall, college career centers have a perception problem. Many administrations view them purely as immediate “placement centers” and marginalize their role in shaping America’s future talent pool. Unfortunately, this attitude negatively impacts student perception, and they may not use the career center as expeditiously as a result.

To obtain a copy of the report and additional research, go to the Career Advisory Board website and look for the “Effectively Counseling Graduating Students” information.