Despite innovations, disruptions, and rapid changes, IT is one industry that continues to survive and thrive

Contrary to popular misconceptions, the information technology sector is flourishing and will continue to employ skilled workers in large numbers. Factors like automation and new technologies only open new opportunities for your IT career path.

Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics, scientific advancements like space exploration and medical procedures, provide tremendous opportunities for IT experts.

For IT professionals in the US who are scared of outsourcing, fear not! Most of the outsourced jobs are mundane, repetitive jobs which will be automated sooner or later.

However, the innovative IT jobs are on the rise. In addition, there are numerous opportunities for someone who is a tech wizard.

If you’re interested in knowing what an IT professional’s career path looks like, keep reading….

It’s difficult but interesting

Working in the IT industry is not a cakewalk. But then, nor is it in any other industry!

If you have an affinity for technology and enjoy working on new complex challenges, the IT industry is for you.

You might have heard numerous stories of IT professionals who work day and night in their offices without even the time to go home just for a few hours.

It’s true. There are times when they have to slog and stretch. However, what most of the people ignore is the fact that a large number of people in this industry are highly passionate about their job. They enjoy their work more than anything else, which is the reason for their sustainability and growth despite the work pressure.

Working in the IT industry lets you apply your analytical mind, logic, and creativity.

If you want to become a successful IT professional, you must have passion, persistence and stamina.  If you do, success will be yours.

Career paths in the IT industry

Information technology is a vast industry with 100s of specialties. Some are discussed here:

Database Administrator

Big Data’s a revolution. Every enterprise generates massive volumes of data through its customer interactions, which is needed for analytics. This is where a DBA plays a key role.

Graphic Design

It’s where the creativity meets technology. If you’re a skilled artist, becoming a graphic designer is the right career for you.

Video Game Developer and Tester

Advancements in technology and graphic designing have made video games more sophisticated than ever. There’s tremendous scope as a games developer or tester.

Animator

Animators get to show their skills to a far greater extent now than ever. From animated movies to live action films, and advertisements and games, animation offers tremendous scope.

IT Security

The advancements in IT have also increased the threats. Viruses and malware are pretty common, and there’s always a requirement for more skilled IT security professionals to deal with the threats.

Programming and Coding

Coding shall never be out of the fashion. Most of the top entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerburg started out as coders. There’s immense scope in this field.

Project Manager

This comes as an advanced career path once you’ve moved up the ladder in the IT industry. As a project manager, you get to manage people and entire projects.

Conclusion

IT industry continues to offer significant scope for those who are willing to work hard and smart. Learn IT courses and programming languages online to move one step ahead towards building an exciting career in the IT industry.  If you’re looking to begin a new career, browse our course catalog and see how easy it is to get started in an IT career.

This week in Network World there is a great article on Datacenter Transformation.  The rapid transitions occurring require people to really understand (1) the basics of data center equipment, from power to cooling to IT, (2) the impact of changes on energy efficiency, cost, and data center uptime, and (3) what can be done to facilitate and manage these changes.  Dave Cole has consolidated more than 20 years of experience into 18 hours of training that will allow you to understand how a data center works and specific steps you can take to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency in the data center.  Everyone from a new data center manager  to experienced professionals will benefit from this training.

Are you old enough to remember when the IT department was made up of mainframe computers, and users had to file requests for reports they wanted? The IT department had “kingdom” control over information. The penetration of PCs into that arena caused a huge paradigm shift, as control shifted from the IT department to the user. With that came a new set of business rules, and the first signs of computer security as we know it today. Mind you, the mainframe never left the scene; its functionality shifted to tasks that were best suited for that environment instead of the overly dynamic environment of the user request. But the PC forever changed the way information is commmunicated within organizations. And here we are again looking down the long barrel of another shift – this one caused by multiple technologies, the Cloud and smart mobile devices.

The Cloud is the source of the shift up, but not because it’s new exciting technology; this technology has been around for a long time. We just haven’t needed it till now. As companies handle increasingly large amounts of data and face the hard economics of enlarging data centers and adding servers, the Cloud is starting to look “mighty fine” as an alternative. Company IT departments are grappling with security and privacy issues. Security plays an important role but is in the best interest of the supplier to have the latest security measures since this is the number one concern of clients. Privacy is currently being handled through authentication involving limited to full access based on usernames and passwords, and job roles defined around that. There are many ramifications including impact or shift to jobs, and will become evident as the trend continues.

Smart phones and tablets are causing a shift out for IT, as more and more employees are conducting business from these devices, and the devices are achieving networking and computing abilities similar to the PC. Security and privacy as in the Cloud, have bubbled up to the surface as the key concerns. As organizations adopt their use for their employees, concerns with security have increased with such things as information-stealing applications.  The variety of phones and operating systems also poses a challenge for organizational support, along with the additional training needed. Business rules are popping up to deal with such issues as what information should and shouldn’t be stored on the device; who owns the information that is stored, how frequently the syncing of that data occurs and many others.

Here we go again….

Source: Intel.com, Intel’s Vision of the Ongoing Shift to Cloud Computing white paper.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com, Cloud Computing Concerns, Jonathan Strickland

http://www.spsm-workshop.org, 2nd Annual ACM CCS Workshop on Security and Privacy in Smartphones and Mobile Devices (SPSM)

It’s been a hard year for corporate executives. Not only have they faced the challenges of moving their companies forward in a trickle-growth economy, they have also had to manage this forward move with less staff, less budget and more dispersed employee locations. Many are suffering under the stress of these responsibilities, and an extended vacation would be a welcome break.  Breaks of this nature can create havoc without the right team to step in temporarily at the helm. We have the perfect candidates to to consider.

As Chief Executive Officer, let me introduce Max Shepherd. Mr. Shepherd has an extensive background in managing tough situations. He held the CEO position at ASPCA for many years,and brought them to prominence in their field through his innovative marketing and barking expertise. He has also earned his bones in staff management. His hallmark is managing his underlings as he would his own family, and through Human Resources, is known for an organization that is very protective of employee rights and abilities.

Mr. Shepherd works closely with his right-hand man, Rob Malmut. Mr. Malmut has been working with Mr. Shepherd for over 10 years and provides a complimentary set of skills that enable the team to create a successful working dynamic and environment in which seniors managers thrive. Prior to working with Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Malmut was responsible for IT Security and the Press Room at the Iditarod in Alaska, and provided assistance with grant writing to the Alaska State government. He is known for his succinct communication style and rough but steady manner.

Mr. Shepherd’s team includes Director of Information Technology, John Mutt. Mr. Mutt has worked with Mr. Shepherd for the last 7 years and bring a great deal of varied experience to the team. Prior to working with Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Mutt worked for Petco, a pet products and food retailer, and was responsible for revolutionizing the web site purchasing capabilities. He also worked at Fancy Feast creating and maintaining their IT systems but left because of philosophical differences. While Mr. Mutt has a quiet, and seemingly insecure countenance,  he is a great asset to the team and very effective in his role.

Mr. Shepherd also brings with him a very capable manager of finance Timothy Boxer. Mr. Boxer has worked with Mr. Shepherd for 4 years and has a strong international background in finance. In his last position, he was Chief Financial Officer for Hanes. Through diligent oversight of the budget and restructuring of debt, he enabled Hanes to step into an offer with Fruit of the Loom. Prior to this position, he managed the financial consulting division of Devereau, Oberlin and Gossinger, (D.O.G. Consultants), an international consulting firm that held many contracts in Europe and the Middle East.

Mr. Shepherd and his team are ready to be of service to your organization. They can be contacted at 877-546-4446 or by email, info@gogotraining.com.

Sources: http://nickvt.blogspot.com/2012/05/dogs-office-environment.html

With 100’s of Terabytes of data, companies want new hires who understand the the entire scope of big data processing. It is  a different mindset, and there is a struggle to identify the skills needed, but some have been tagged.

• Working with traditional SQL relational databases
• Distributing loads on servers
• Strong math and coding skills and business savvy
• Willingness to learn new skills (different database or OS)
• Higher level quantitative skill sets
• Research Scientist background

Because of the shortage, crossing from one industry to another is not a considerable barrier. Modis Kelly says, “Data is data. Industry vertical really isn’t going to be the key driver. Its going to be what did you do with the data, how large of an environment was it.” Hiring organizations will avoid backgrounds with small companies because of the small data experience being so radically different. Jim Yu says it involves finding candidates who, “understand the right questions to ask around this data and how to tease this into actions that result in business outcomes for our customers.”

Source: Computerworld, Big data worker shortage demands job candidates with diverse backgrounds by Fred O’Connor, October 10, 2012

So what is Big Data? Big Data as defined by Wikipedia, “is a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand database management tools. The trend to larger data sets is due to the additional information derivable from analysis of a single large set of related data, as compared to separate smaller sets with the same total amount of data, allowing correlations to be found to “spot business trends, determine quality of research, prevent diseases, link legal citations, combat crime, and determine real-time roadway traffic conditions.”

Hurwitz & Associates have identified 4 dimensions of data:

1. Volume – 20 years ago, a Gigabyte was huge! Now, we have Terabytes and even Petabytes (one quadrillion bytes), an enormous volume of data. And we’re analyzing all kinds of data: from posts on Facebook to weather pattern data.
2. Velocity – Much of the volume of data must move at very fast speeds such as banking transactions from vendors or stock trades from day traders.
3. Variety – No longer are we just processing text but also audio and video as well as varieties in between.
4. Veracity – It’s easy to trust your data when it’s a small quantity, but as the quantity grows, lack of trust grows exponentially with it.

Career opportunities abound in a this new area being called Data Science.  In this very young, and maturing field, there is a quickly growing need that is not being fully met. Consulting firm McKinsey and Company predicts that in just 6 years, there will be a shortage of 1.5 million workers with data science skills and another 140-190,000 workers with large data processing skills. While universities gear up with degrees in this area, today’s candidate that may be a good fit comes with strong backgrounds in computer science, algorithms and operating systems. “If they have a good foundation in that, then you pair that up with a training program that allows them to understand how to translate into this new architecture,” Jim Yu from BrightEdge says.

More ideas on what types of skills to come next week on IT CareerCast. Stay tuned!

Sources:

“Four Vendor Views on Big Data and Big Data Analytics: IBM”, Hurwitz & Associates, Fern Halper, January 2012

Computerworld, Big data worker shortage demands job candidates with diverse backgrounds by Fred O’Connor, October 10, 2012

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Let’s start with turning that acronym back into words: Data Center Infrastructure Management. So what is this, and why are we hearing more and more about it?

Wikipedia defines it like this: Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) is an emerging (2012) new form of data center management which extends the more traditional systems and network management approaches to now include the physical and asset-level components. iTracs defines it as “…a relatively young term that represents an emerging class of IT physical infrastructure solutions…”.

So what’s making DCIM such a hot commodity? Management is craving for information on the tens of thousands of data assets under their supervision. An iTracs article put it this way: “They need to be able to see, understand, manage, and optimize the myriad of complex interrelationships that drive the modern data center – one of the most complex entities on earth. They need holistic information and visibility into the entire IT infrastructure, information that that is instantly meaningful and actionable. (Fragmented device-level data is no longer of much use to them.)”

iTracs further described what DCIM can do for an organization:

• Locate, visualize, and manage all of their physical assets within an integrated “single pane” view of the entire infrastructure
• Automate the commissioning of new equipment, reducing the need for error-prone, time-consuming manual tasks like walking the floor to confirm what can go where
• Automate capacity planning with unparalleled forecasting capabilities, including the use of “what if” scenarios
• Reduce energy consumption, energy costs, and carbon footprint – save the planet while you’re saving potentially mlllions
• Align IT to the needs of the business – and maintain that alignment, no matter how radically those business requirements may change and grow

Data Center Journal provides a solid list of options for software:

1. APC by Schneider Electric StruxureWare for Data Centers
2. iTracs Converged Physical Infrastructure Management
3. Emerson Network Power Trellis
4. Nlyte Suite
5. Rackwise Data Center Manager

Companies are now more able to plan and manage their systems better with this improved infrastructure approach, and of course there are decreased costs which are always a good thing. So if this is something you’ve been thinking about, now’s the time to learn as much as you can about it and implement a plan.

Resources:

http://wikipedia.com

http://www.itracs.com/what-is-data-center-infrastructure-management/

http://www.datacenterjournal.com/it/data-center-infrastructure-software-whats-out-there/#!prettyPhoto

There is a myth persisting where it comes to data center jobs.  Those willing to understand the true landscape stand to gain a great deal in the job market.

The myth is that data center jobs are going away as enterprises move to the Cloud.  It isn’t true.  Gartner analyst Dave Cappuccio sets us straight in pointing out that “when virtual infrastructures are using SAN’s, and Fiber Channel is running over Ethernet, who has responsibility for the overall storage environment; the network team, storage team, virtualization team, or server team?  All of the above.”

New recruits able to meet the demands of tomorrow’s data centers are needed.  Dr. Mickey Zandi points out that while “data center hiring isn’t in crisis yet, it’s already difficult to find qualified people.”  Consolidation of systems such as storage, network and computing save the data centers money but increase the qualification needed from employees. 

 Zandi recommends companies invest in the training needed to deal with these more advanced environments.  He points out that certifications will increase in importance, such as cloud-related certifications from Cisco, EMC and VMWare, and he recommends that workers do more training, research and learn other domains.

Learn more about IT certification paths for key technologies.

The healthcare industry recently started clamoring to meet requirements for data handling to avoid financial penalties.  Those who aren’t EHR/EMR (Electronic Health/Medical Records) compliant by 2015 will still have to do it AND pay fines.

According to Dice.com, the recent expansion of specialized datacenters to facilitate a move away from low-density server and storage to Tier IV is expanding the job market.  IT staff including virtualization engineers, SANS experts and system architects are being sought after to fill out the expanding field.

Join the emerging Healthcare IT field with networking, programming and management training from GogoTraining.  Start today to take advantage of special offers.