Posted on 08/14/2009 2:53:18 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
[...]
Candidates don't necessarily need to be programmers or systems analysts, or have worked for a tech company to get hired, says Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA's CEO. "Most IT jobs are in tech support in a wide range of businesses like hotels, hospitals, and factories,
[...]
"These days, employers are looking for people who can do hardware-and-software integration and data security," Thibodeaux adds. "One category in big demand now is basic computer skills, which will get you hired at the entry level. Then you can add certifications from specific vendors like Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500) and HP (HPQ, Fortune 500), and other more advanced certifications as you move up in the organization."
[...]
Dice.com recently compiled a list of the skill sets most in demand among employers.The top 5:
* Security. Employers often want to hire people who have earned the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) designation (see www.isc2.org). Candidates need 5 years of hands-on experience before taking the exam.
* Virtualization. The term refers to the practice of running multiple servers on a single piece of hardware, increasing efficiency and conserving energy.
* Java EE. Sun Microsystems' (JAVA, Fortune 500) Java and its enterprise edition, until recently called J2EE, are the industry standards for developing online applications, so the Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) designation is in widespread demand.
* SAP. Most employers prefer candidates who have direct on-the-job experience with SAP (SAP), but "having the right credentials can make even experienced candidates stand out," the Dice.com report says.
* .NET. Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) has a variety of certifications, Dice.com notes, but "the most bang for the buck comes from the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)" designation, which covers Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft .NET framework.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Once Gibbs gets the boot, this guy can walk right in.
Truth. You may or may not be amazed at how many times I have had programmers here (and elsewhere) who keep saying that programming is a skill, not just a craft. I try to advise them, but many times they are too invested in their own perception of their "superior" abilities to listen.
I have run at least 2 projects where I had a room full of developers in China for $5 or $10 an hour each (as opposed to the $100 or so for one here), and when properly managed put out some pretty high-quality stuff.
Managers off shore always speak English. It is the language of computing (in fact all of technology).
The only time I find language to be a problem is when a message is issued (information, error, etc.). The messages frequently have syntax problems -- "An error you are having and needing please to be corrected."
But once you have managed a few of these, you learn to be very specific on message text in the specifications and to highlight any new trap messages that came up during the development cycle.
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