GogoTraining has released nine unique online IT training courses with live mentoring sessions designed to fast-track career advancement opportunities as part of their 2011 Mentor-Accelerated Summer IT Training Program.  The courses are scheduled in July of 2011 only, are affordable for anyone to take, and offer limited seats available.

Offered courses include popular selections from the GogoTraining online course catalog such as:

• Oracle Real Application Clusters
• Oracle Application Express (APEX)
• Introduction to Android Programming
• Programming in Java 6 w/ Swing & Servlets
• ITIL® v3 Foundations
• ITIL® Continual Service Improvement
• Programming for Non-Programmers
• Introductions to C Programming
• Red Hat Linux Essentials

Courses in GogoTraining’s Mentor-Accelerated Summer Training Program include:

• Expert instructors
• The same material taught in corporate IT training classrooms
• Engaging “classroom experience” video modules
• Hands-on labs and exercises
• Direct access to ask the instructor questions
• Weekly 2-hour live online mentoring sessions including review, discussion and previewing of coming material.

The courses involve watching assigned online video material, doing hands-on lab and exercise work, and attending live online sessions with the instructor.  The live sessions are once each week for two hours and provide for instructor-led review, discussion and previewing of the coming week’s material.

“These are for someone who wants an advanced learning opportunity for a fraction of the time and cost,” says Marianne Cherney, CEO of GogoTraining.  “Our Mentor-Accelerated training courses are perfect for those who wish to gain extra skills needed for a promotion or new position.”

In a continued review of GogoTraining’s recently-released Developer Training Programs we take a look at another one: the Ruby Developer Training Program.

Ruby is a flexible and dynamic language that offers development teams or individuals a shorter development time, better cost efficiency (over other web application languages), and easier code changes.  It’s popularity has steadily risen on the strength of being a useful language in web applications such as e-commerce, content management and more.

The job market for Ruby is large.  Ruby is a great skill to add to any resume focused on web application development.  In mid-2011, a search for “ruby developer” on popular job sites yielded approximately 1,400 open positions. On one site, Ruby was mentioned as a desirable skill in over 8,000 open positions.  In 2011, the average salary for a developer with Ruby included in their skill set is $70,070.

The Ruby Developer Training Program has three online, self-paced courses.  It includes the GogoTraining Programming Essentials Pack of two initial courses meant for those with no programming background.  Students with a programming background can consider forgoing those first two courses and going right into the Introduction to Ruby course (which is sold separately as well).

Learn more about the Ruby Develper Training Program, including course details and very affordable pricing.

GogoTraining recently released 11 new developer training programs.  One of them, the Java Developer Training Program, is very worth looking into for those who are interested in not only Java development but eventually going into Android mobile app development.

Java is already a very widely used language.  We encounter instances of it being used without even realizing it most of the time.  It’s not only used online.  Java can be found as an embedded system in a wide variety of home, auto and office products.

The job market for Java is truly robust.  A recent search for “java developer” on popular job sites yielded approximately 10,000 open positions.  The current average salary for a Java software or applications developer is $79,135, with senior engineers and architects climbing into $125,000 and more.

The Java Developer Training Program is comprised of six online, self-paced courses.  It includes the GogoTraining Programming Essentials Pack of two initial courses meant for those with no programming background.  Student with a programming background can consider forgoing those first two courses and going right into the C Programming set of two, and then the Java Programming set of two.

Learn more about the Java Develper Training Program, including course details and our very affordable pricing.

GogoTraining has released eleven new self-paced, online training programs designed to allow students with no previous programming knowledge to train for careers in major programming languages.

The training programs are a breakthrough for people with nothing more than general computer skills and familiarity to pursue a career in software.  Similar training programs are either much high in cost or require initial experience and knowledge that exclude most people.

“Our new training programs are geared to open up the market and make programming and software development a viable career option for literally anyone who is interested and has an Internet-capable computer,” said Marianne Cherney, CEO of GogoTraining.  The programs are taught by leading experts with years of experience.  The courses are easy to use and students have access to them for one year following purchase, including the ability to ask the instructor questions.

The programs are also offered at a fraction of the cost compared to other IT training providers with less- than-comparable training programs.  Competing programs are almost never designed for non-programmers and cost upwards of $5,000 to $10,000 or more per student.  Almost all of the GogoTraining Developer Training Programs are very affordably priced between $500 and $800 per person.  Volume discounts are available upon request.

“Recruiting in IT has risen sharply and demand for selections in our 140+ course catalog have skyrocketed, however those without IT skills interested in programming have always has been an underserved market,” said Tim Salam, Director of Marketing for GogoTraining.  “People with business skill sets are looking for a way to enter the lucrative world of software development and this is it.  We have worked hard to meet that market in an affordable and accessible way.”  The programs are also suitable for those seeking to learn additional software languages as the core courses are available to be purchases separately.

Learn more about the GogoTraining Developer Training Program or see one of the specific training programs below:

1. Become a C Developer
2. Become a C# Developer
3. Become a Java Developer
4. Become an Objective-C Developer
5. Become a COBOL Developer
6. Become a SQL Developer
7. Become an Android Developer
8. Become an iPhone Developer
9. Become a Perl Developer
10. Become a Python Developer
11. Become a Ruby Developer

Tech is flying high again in the Bay City, by some estimates higher than the Dot Com boom of the late 1990’s.

San Fransisco, California is fabled for various things through the ages, many being of the economic variety.  The California Gold Rush of the mid-nineteenth century caused what was a small town of 1,000 to balloon to over 25,000 people.  In the 1990’s it became one of the homes to the Dot Com boom when literally hundreds of tech startups were fueled by the excitement of a developing Internet and unchecked rivers of venture capital.  It also took a beating when that boom went bust.

Today, tech remains an important part of the economy and is seeing an irrefutable re-emergence.  VC investment and IPOs are increasing.  Job growth is riding on the coattails of that influx.  The approximate peak of tech jobs in San Fransisco was 32,800 in Q1 of 2001.  After bottoming out in Q1 of 2004 at 17,100, the end of 2010 had it back up to 30,700.  Everyone in the industry says the numbers are assuredly higher now, potentially over the previous peak.

Just as telling is the office space getting snapped up.  Rents are climbing in Palo Alto, Cupertino and SoMa (South of Market) district, fueled by largely by news leases from tech firms.  According to real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle, there was 2.5 million square feet of space already leased by tech since the start of 2010 and 90 companies are looking for 2.3 million square feet more.

Tech segments that were in comparative infancy a few years ago are leading the way, including social media, cloud computing, and mobile application development.  The price-to-earnings ratio shows a much more grounded perspective than what happened in the 1990’s, with tech companies today averaging 16 (versus a heady 70 before the bust).

It is clear that growth is strong in one modern-day’s IT haunts and hopes are that it will spill over into the greater job market nationally and internationally.  Early signs indicate upward trends all around with IT being a leading growth industry coming out of the down economy.

For those looking to ride the rising wave, investing in education for key areas like Android developer training, project management training, ITIL training, and networking training, there is sure to be an open market of job opportunities.

The economy is emerging and IT is one of the business segments leading the way.   There are great jobs to be had with employers of all sizes and types.  Training is a great way to get up to speed or refreshed so that you can be positioned at the head of the pack.

Here are six red-hot areas in which you should get training:

Business Intelligence: It’s all about data.  Companies have oceans of data and they continue to fill with more.  They need information on business performance, benchmarking, sales trends, customer insights.  It is all ripe for the taking and ready to go if only people knew how to push and pull the data around until it turned into information.  There is very real money inside those databases, money companies would be pleased to obtain and happy to pay you to get it as long as you have business intelligence training.

Storage: Moving and keeping the data is of big concern now with the onset of cloud computing.  Companies are keeping more and more data in the cloud to facilitate productivity.  I/O and storage training offer opportunities as the cloud grows in popularity with IT departments.

ITIL: Managing IT for business success means a few disciplines are in order, a major one being IT service management.  ITIL is playing a larger and larger role with companies who are refocusing IT to be about business instead of infrastructure.  Those with ITIL training and certification have a lot to offer today’s IT workplace.

Project Management: In the same vein as ITIL, project management is key in delivering beneficial results.  Management skills are increasing in importance for IT workers to have as increased demand for services and introduction of cloud vendors ultimately means a lift in projects to manage.  Project management training and certification is the direction to take for those wanting to contribute positively to that sort of environment.

Networking: The handling of data has continued to be a critical segment of the IT industry and has especially seen change with cloud computing.  Managing and maintaining complex network environments is not just about performance but also about business security and integrity.  Networking training is available on introductory and advanced topics for people wanting to be in demand for this still-growing segment.

Programming: Projects are being revived or created left and right.  Many of them were mothballed while layoffs were at their worst in recent years but are seeing the light of day again.  Open positions for programmers have risen in the last six or more months and many large employers are hiring crowds of them to cover projects.  Programming and application development training is an outstanding investment for someone looking for a career in which to get established.

GogoTraining provides classroom-quality IT training courses taught by industry experts in an online, self-paced and affordable format.  For more outstanding IT and management training opportunities, check out the GogoTraining online IT course catalog.

A gap exists between today’s composition of IT groups and what is needed for enterprises to maximize return on systems investments, so say CIOs in a recent survey.

CIO magazine and the MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) asked 370 CIOs about the makeup and goals of their organizations.  The CIOs indicated a new “value proposition” for IT was to move beyond building and running systems and into a space that contributes more fundamental business value to the enterprise.  This represents at least a partial shift of responsibility away from other departments who are often tasked with providing the ultimate value out of systems created and maintained by the IT department.

Skills such as vendor managers, IT/business experts, data and analytics experts, and application developers top out where it comes to skill sets needed to make that value proposition a reality.

IT/Business experts are the hybrids we discussed recently, people who have depth in both and are able to tie them together in meaningful ways.  One example are IT service managers who are not necessarily technologists but manage technology for the business.  ITIL certification and project management certification are highly advisable for those in such positions and are sure to be hired first in a glut of applicants.

Application developers will have specific skills that vary depending on the chosen technology.  Particular hot spots include Java, Oracle and Android application development.  Pursuing training in any of these areas is very desirable when seeking to build a strong resume.

GogoTraining continues to create new learning opportunities that allow IT professionals of any experience level to build a foundation for reliable job security and employability.

What area could you train for that would really make your resume stand out?

Microsoft confirmed with Dice.com they are looking to fill a wide range of technical positions across key groups.  Their focus on cloud computing and mobile development (both smartphones and tablets) is generating a significant, ongoing demand for fresh talent.

Software engineers, program management engineers and software testing engineers are being sought in the United States.  Their gaming division is looking to add software engineers as they pursue development of a new version of the popular Halo title.

Microsoft confirmed with Dice.com that around 2,400 positions are to be filled in software engineering and research along with another 400 in general IT positions.  Whether you have experience or not, we strongly suggest obtaining GogoTraining online technical training in order to beef up your resume and make you more hirable for employers like Microsoft.

High growth in demand and compensation for non-certified IT skill sets has occurred for four straight quarters and is projected to continue, outpacing certified skills which have been experiencing comparatively anemic activity in the same timeframe, according to a new report by Foote Partners.

Factors cited as responsible for the growth include a focus on skill-based acquisition (creating more contract and consulting positions), increasingly distributed IT responsibilities in organizations, and the evolution of “hybrid IT/business professionals.”

“Technology and business skills have in effect collapsed into each other, creating legions of what our firm refers to generically as hybrid IT/business professionals.  New hybrid jobs and job titles have been created throughout the enterprise,” said David Foote, co-founder and CEO of Foote Partners. “Globalization and competitive pressures have accelerated the popularity of hybrid IT/business professionals and in turn energized market demand and interest in paying cash premiums for hundreds of certified and non-certified IT skills.”

Foote said the economic recession had a hand to play in the skill-based approach and rise in hybrid positions yet the story of evolving the IT workforce started earlier. “The truth is that IT and business leaders have been struggling with transforming the IT workforce for years, trying to make it more agile, flexible, nimble, whatever you want to call it, said Foote. “What the recession did was help leaders get ‘unstuck.’  More focused and motivated.  The pressure to get on the other side of this transition is enormous.”  Foote mentions the “end game” is to find a way to “react quicker, execute faster and more predictably.”

Of the certifications showing continued growth in worth, VMware is at the top showing an average compensation premium of 8.5%.  As virtualization and other areas tied to Cloud Computing grow, relevant certifications will continue to rise in value commensurately.  Other certifications seeing rise in value include those from Red Hat and Oracle.

Non-certified skills which saw a sustained lift for four consecutive quarters include database, application development tools, SAP/ERP, Web/e-commerce and methodology and process management.

GogoTraining provides outstanding quality technology and management training at an affordable price.  IT and technical management professionals of all stages in experience and academic background are encouraged to meet the needs of today’s job market, ensure longevity and increase your chances for above-average compensation by identifying a training path and getting started with GogoTraining today.

The latest large employer looking for mobile developers is SAP, one of the leading providers of business software.  Their model of how they meet market demands involves their Global Business Incubator, which essentially is a venture developer that creates nearly autonomous teams of people to act like a start-up company.  These teams are tasked with fulfilling a specific need in the market.

One such new team is the Consumer Mobile Initiative focused on “leveraging consumer’s adoption of smartphones and SAP technology to redefine consumer shopping experience in and around the store” (per many of the current SAP job postings for developers).  The new team has already developed market pilots with a handful of leading retailers and consumer product concerns in the American and European markets.

Specific areas of growth in SAP will be mobile development, cloud computing and security as they continue to pursue development using their Global Business Incubator model.

Those interested in meeting the need of SAP and other enterprise software providers in these growing areas can make use of IT training courses from GogoTraining, such as:

• Android Development Training Program.
• Cloud Computing training courses.
• Security training courses.
• Oracle training courses.
• Java training courses.