CA Career Cafe: Join a Professional Association

CA Career Café

"The way of the world is meeting people through other people.”

• Robert Kerrigan

Did you know?

Joining a Professional Association while still on campus can help students learn about their prospective career paths and offer a wealth of experiential and networking opportunities. Professional organizations exist for almost every profession from artists to zoo keepers. These non-profit organizations host meetings, conventions, and virtual workshops. Introduce your students to Professional Associations via the California Career Café where students can access Cool Connections, a Professional Association database.

Try this…

• Ask your students about Professional Associations…

What is a Professional Association?
Can you name some Professional Associations?
Why join a Professional Association?

• Share your own Professional Association experiences.
• View video.
• Access this Professional Association database and identify associations related to your discipline.
• Distribute the Student Activity, review the directions, and complete.
• Discuss the possibilities and power of networking cards.

Add an Experience!

Have students try the Connect to a Professional Association student lesson on CaCareerCafe.com. Encourage students to make a personal connection via phone, email or in person using their networking card as part of their introduction.

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WhyITNow ICT Workforce Preparation Initiative and California Employer Foundational ICT Competencies Study Invitations

Dear IT Industry Representatives, IT Operations Professionals, and ICT Educators,

Please help improve IT education, IT workforce development, IT industry economic development, and Digital Literacy in California through the following two initiatives:

·         WhyITNow.org ICT Workforce Preparation Initiative

·         California Employer Foundational ICT Competencies Study

To thrive and prosper in the 21^st century, California needs to adapt to new information, knowledge and innovation economy requirements, including:

·         an adequate understanding and appreciation of the strategic importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) by policymakers and planners,

·         economic development priorities and plans to further incent ICT industry successes in California,

·         an educated and digitally literate population, employee and consumer base,

·         a consistent and competent technical workforce adequately prepared for the demands of 21^st century economies and enterprises.

Join WebProfessionals.org, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the Mid-Pacific ICT Center (MPICT) and many others throughout California advocating for IT strategic focus, planning and change by adding your name to the WhyITNow.org ICT Workforce Preparation Initiative!

 

Contribute your knowledge and experience to improving ICT Workforce and education by participating or asking your contacts with direct knowledge of ICT workforce competency demands to complete the California Employer Foundational ICT Competencies Study!

The study’s goal is to develop a set of employer-generated, clearly defined competencies expected of the future ICT Workforce, to create better consistency across college programs and employer needs.  The study is focused at a foundational level, knowledge and skills expected of all ICT Workforce, regardless of specialized role.  The results of the study will help address a skills mismatch problem, in which a majority of employers report difficulties finding appropriately skilled ICT Workforce, even in this period of high unemployment.

Your participation is important to improve the competitiveness and success of California, California companies, California IT operations, and California students, workers and citizens in the 21^stcentury.

Sincerely,

Bill Cullifer

Executive Director
www.webprofessionals.org
facebook.com/webprofessionals
twitter.com/webprominute

Excellence can be attained if you.....

* Care more than others think is wise.

* Risk more than others think is safe.

* Dream more than others think is practical.

* Expect more than others think is possible

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Agile Developers Needed, Demand Outpaces Supply: Study

By Darryl K. Taft | Posted 2012-12-30, eweek

The number of available agile jobs outnumbered qualified candidates by nearly 5 to 1 over the last two years, according to a study by Yoh Services.

As more and more enterprises begin to adopt agile software development methodologies, the need for qualified agile developers has skyrocketed. However, the number of available agile developers cannot keep up with demand, according to a recent study.

Many of the Fortune 500 and leading brands in America are increasingly searching for agile software developers that can help them improve speed of delivery and provide more and better value to their customers. Yet a study conducted by staffing firm Yoh Services based on data from CareerBuilder's Supply and Demand Portal revealed that the number of advertised agile jobs outnumbered active candidates by 4.59 to 1.

This skills gap has not only made it difficult for companies to quickly source quality talent on demand, but also puts them at risk of hiring technical professionals that have poor agile methodology skills. At the same time, as more companies seek to capitalize on agile practices, many agile professionals struggle to find an established program that fits their abilities.

Agile software development refers to a group of software development methods based on iterative and incremental development, in which requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams. It promotes adaptive planning, evolutionary development and delivery, a time-boxed iterative approach, and encourages rapid and flexible response to change.

 

Agile methods break tasks into small increments with minimal planning and do not directly involve long-term planning. Iterations are short time frames or "timeboxes" that typically last from one to four weeks. Each iteration involves a cross-functional team working in all functions: planning, requirements analysis, design, coding, unit testing and acceptance testing. At the end of the iteration, a working product is demonstrated to stakeholders. Agile development emphasizes working software as the primary measure of progress.

The Yoh analysis showed that companies advertised a total of 558,918 agile jobs from 2010 to 2012. During the same time period, there were merely 121,876 active candidates, just 17 candidates for every 100 jobs. Inconsistencies in experience and geography compound this "agile gap," the Yoh study showed. Of the available job seekers, more than 50 percent have 10 years of experience or more, while less than 2 percent have one to two years of experience.

The agile gap exists across the U.S., varying only in its degree of severity. For instance, while states like Florida and Texas have a higher average number of active candidates, the ratio of open positions to candidates remains high, at 4 to 1. States with a more severe gap, however, such as Washington and California, have 10 open positions for every candidate, the study revealed.

The adoption of the agile development methodology has accelerated since the latter part of the last decade, while training for frontline developers failed to keep pace. As a result of the high demand for a limited number of agile developers, many industries, such as computer systems design services, custom computer programming services and software publishing, struggle to attract the agile talent they need. Organizations that get available, experienced talent are forced to pay premiums, whereas others are forced to hire and train professionals on agile methodologies.

"These discrepancies can hurt the hiring companies in the form of increased costs, salaries and turnover," Don Hanson, senior vice president of the eastern region at Yoh, said in a statement. "When companies hire the wrong candidate, they jeopardize employee engagement as well as potentially damage their reputation in the agile community, hurting future recruiting efforts. More than ever, a thorough vetting and hiring process is crucial for both agile employers and job seekers."

For this reason, "agile developers hold all the cards," Bob Schatz, chief agile evangelist at Yoh and owner of Agile Infusion, an agile coaching firm, said in a statement. "As demand for agile skills continues to grow, employers must clarify the extent of their agile programs, whether they're established, new, or still just an idea.

"By erring on the side of transparency about the state of the company's agile culture, employers will be able to find the best talent for their open positions and avoid turnover costs as well as misunderstandings during the hiring process that could alienate future agile recruits," he said.

Yoh, a Day & Zimmerman company, sought insight into the state of the agile talent pool as demand continues to rise for agile practitioners, who build software and transform business processes through teamwork; customer collaboration; short, iterative cycles; and responses to change. As more companies seek a nimble and entrepreneurial approach to business, the agile development methods of companies like Facebook and Apple are quickly spreading, but a lack of educational resources has left few agile practitioners to fill that need, Yoh officials said.

"Given the gap between available talent and demand, companies seeking to hire an agile team must understand that the adoption of agile development requires a complete change in culture, and they must make that transition or risk high turnover, lower morale, and loss of credibility in the agile community," Schatz said in a statement.

For more information on the agile skills gap, the positions most in demand and the companies most in need of agile talent, check out Yoh's infographic.

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CVC Distance Education Catalog Update 2012

TechEDge, Written by Sandoval Chagoya Thursday, 13 December 2012
California Virtual Campus Link
After its 2012 update the California Virtual Campus Distance Education Catalog now includes 16,129 courses and 1,247 degree-granting programs available online from 167 schools of higher education. These numbers represent a 15 percent decrease in courses and a 15 percent increase in degree programs available online to California's students.
The 2012 update occured between mid-August and mid-October. Information was gathered from public websites in the same manner that a student would look for this information. The CVC distance education catalog takes a catalog approach rather than a class-schedule approach to this information, so regardless of how many sessions a course might be offered in an academic term each unique course was counted only once. Whenever possible information for multiple, future academic terms was included when available.
Here is a list representing the difference in course offerings after the 2012 update when compared to the results of the 2011 update.

• Total course count after 2011 update: 18,979
• Total course count after 2012 update: 16,129
  • Difference: -2,750
  • Percentage: -15%

The California Community Colleges lost 1,977 online course offerings between the 2012 and 2011 updates, which accounts for 70 percent of the decrease in all courses in the catalog.

• CCC course count after 2011 update: 11,915
• CCC course count after update: 9,938
  • Difference: -1977
  • Percentage: -17%

Despite this decrease in course offerings, several colleges report that online enrollments—both raw count and percentage of all enrollments—continue to trend up significantly.
In addition, online academic programs leading to degrees increased 15 percent in 2012 compared to 2011.

• Total program count before update: 1,084
• Total program count after update: 1,247
  • Difference: +163
  • Percentage: +15%

The online, degree-granting programs in the CVC distance education catalog are listed here by degree type:

• Associate Degrees: 252
• Bachelors Degrees: 143
• Certificates: 574
• Degree Minors: 14
• Masters Degrees: 241
• Doctorates: 21
• Others: 23

As illustrated in the following list, both the California Community Colleges and the California State University increased their program offerings in 2012 compared to 2011:

• CCC program count before update: 365
• CCC program count after update: 425

• CSU program count before update: 126
• CSU program count after update: 185

• UC program count before update: 160
• UC program count before update: 121

• Independents program count before update: 433
• Independents program count after update:516

As these numbers show, there are significant opportunities in California higher education for students to supplement their traditional learning with online courses or even to follow a degree path that is offered entirely at a distance.<>

---

Sandoval Chagoya is the TechEDge Managing Editor and a Project Manager for the
California Community Colleges Technology Center and the California Virtual Campus.

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A jobs market bright spot? ‘App economy’ sizzles

McClatchyDC

Ross Wayercaster designed the first of his four mobile apps as a high school senior in Tupelo, Mississippi, a game called Super Marrio Jump that has been downloaded from the Apple store more than 20,000 times | Kerry Smith/MCT

 

View larger image

By Rob Hotakainen | McClatchy Newspapers

By Rob Hotakainen McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Ross Waycaster designed the first of his four mobile apps as a high school senior in Tupelo, Miss., a game called Super Marrio Jump that’s been downloaded from the Apple store more than 20,000 times, earning him more than $16,000.
          
“I have an entrepreneurial spirit, so we’ll see where that takes me,” said Waycaster, 21, who’s now a junior at Mississippi State University in Starkville.

It could lead him to a top-paying job in a sizzling new industry, one that might provide the United States with a big opportunity to increase its exports in coming years.
          
While the overall economy still lags, the “app economy” has created nearly 500,000 jobs in the U.S. since 2007, when there were none.

Companies even worry that the nation isn’t moving fast enough to produce new talent for thousands of unfilled jobs as consumers demand more and more gizmos and gadgets for their smartphones.
As a result, salaries are rising quickly: Mobile apps developers can expect pay increases of 9 percent next year, among the highest of any jobs, putting them in the range of $92,750 to $133,500 a year, according to a survey that the staffing and consulting firm Robert Half International released last month.

If the United States can maintain its dominance in the industry, many say the app economy could make a big dent in the country’s federal trade deficit. Last year, for example, more than 20 percent of the apps downloaded in China were made by U.S. developers.

“There is unprecedented opportunity for America to capitalize on exploding international markets,” Peter Farago, the vice president of marketing for Flurry, a high-tech start-up company in San Francisco, testified in September before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.

Farago said his company had more than 100 employees and 50 open positions and that “we literally cannot find the talent we need fast enough.” He told members of the subcommittee that the app economy would become increasingly international and that the United States should do more to improve education and retraining programs and to make it easier for companies to bring and keep more talent from foreign countries.

“We’re in a human capital crunch,” added Rey Ramsey, the president and chief executive officer of TechNet, a network of technology executives that promotes the industry.

According to a TechNet study released earlier this year, California is by far the most dominant player in the industry, accounting for nearly one of every four jobs. New York ranks second, followed by Washington state, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Georgia, Virginia and Florida.
Among metropolitan regions, New York ranked first, followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue.

Some universities have begun retooling their curricula. At Mississippi State, students are enrolled in such popular courses as Field Studies in iPhone Entrepreneurship.

Professor Rodney Pearson, the head of the information systems department at Mississippi State, said most of the graduates from the business program made starting salaries of $45,000 to $50,000.
“But we have had six get jobs as app developers at $80,000,” he said.

He said students had created all kinds of apps, including a game called Poke the Pig, another that counted pitches during baseball games and one that aided in swimming pool maintenance. He predicted that Waycaster will become “a serial entrepreneur, for sure.”

Waycaster, who plans to graduate in May 2014, said he’d enrolled in the iPhone course after teaching himself how to create an app just by Googling and reading about them online.

“It really did help me out,” said Waycaster, who’s the technology chairman of his fraternity. “When you teach yourself something, you have other ways of thinking, and so when you actually go through a class in a structured way, things connected.”

Besides Super Marrio – that’s with two R’s to distinguish it from the registered trademark of the popular Super Mario game – Waycaster has created apps called Dye Birds, Football Cannon and New Earth Symbol. He described the latter as an app “that illustrates God’s promise of a new heaven and new earth” as described in the biblical Book of Revelation.

At Washington State University in Vancouver, Kerri Lingo managed a team that created an app for Dick Hannah Dealerships, allowing the auto dealer’s customers to schedule appointments or to make quick contact when they’re stranded on the road, using GPS – the Global Positioning System – to show their locations. After graduating last year with a degree in creative media and digital culture, Lingo went to work for the dealership in its marketing department.

“It was very fast. In 12 weeks, we went from not knowing anything about mobile apps to having one completed,” said Lingo, 34, of Vancouver.

Dene Grigar, an associate professor who’s the director of the creative media and digital culture program at Washington State Vancouver, said students enjoyed the hands-on approach of designing apps, noting that “practice and theory are inseparable.”

She said the university began updating its curriculum as soon as the iPhone was released.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out where the future’s headed,” she said. “In 2007, we get the iPhone, and it’s kind of a no-brainer to say, ‘OK, well, there’s our new medium.’ . . .

Every company is realizing they need a social media specialist. Instead of hiring a communications specialist, they want someone that can work in digital media, everything from mobile environments to making a video.”

The TechNet study found the United States had created 460,000 jobs in the app economy since the iPhone was introduced. Those include programmers, designers, marketers, managers and support staff.

The industry’s rapid growth is raising some tough questions for Congress, with some saying that much more should be done to protect Americans’ privacy as they post more and more of their personal data on apps owned by private developers.

“The reality is that many online users have a false sense of privacy because they don’t understand the lengthy and complex privacy policies they are compelled to agree to in order to use the service,” North Carolina Rep. Mel Watt, the top-ranked Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet, said at a hearing in June.

Copyright 2012 McClatchy Newspapers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Email: rhotakainen@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @HotakainenRob

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/15/174767/a-jobs-market-bright-spot-app.html#storylink=cpy

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2012 Nonprofit Software Development Summit in Oakland Nov 14-16

Aspiration

Dates: 14 November, 2012 - 16 November, 2012

Aspiration's Annual NPTechie Love Fest will take place right on schedule this year, 14-16 November at Preservation Park in Oakland.

Check out the 2012 Session Slate and propose your own.

You can Register Now!

And check out the CiviCRM Pre-Event Fun! In San Franciscoon Tuesday 13 November, CiviCRM user and administrator training and CiviCRM Integrator and Developer Camp. Use discount code "aspiration11" to get a 50% discount on the user/administrator training!

Got questions or want to get involved? Contact Us!

A big love bomb of thanks to all who joined us for past Dev Summit's, as well as all of you who will join in the fun at this year's high-spirited, fully-interactive festival of folks who are passionate about developing software tools to support the work of social change organizations and community activists.

We'll be posting more info soon, but in the meantime, check out last year's proceedings:

• 2011 Agenda and session notes from the event!
• Let us know if you want to propose or request a session for the 2012 Dev Summit! There is always plenty of room for more!

You can also check out the proceedings from the 2010, 2009,2008, and 2007 Nonprofit Software Development Summits.

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2013 IT salaries: 15 titles getting the biggest pay raises

Mobile application developers and wireless network engineers can expect a 9% and 7.9% increase in starting salaries, respectively, says recruiting and staffing specialist Robert Half Technology

By Ann Bednarz, Network World 
November 07, 2012 03:59 PM ET

Certain IT titles will be getting sizable salary hikes, according to data from recruiting and staffing specialist Robert Half Technology. At the top of the heap, based on percentage gains, are mobile application developers and wireless network engineers, who can expect a 9% and 7.9% increase in starting salaries, respectively, RHT reports.

IT COMPENSATION: Top CIOs take home seven-figure pay packages

The firm examined more than 70 positions for its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries. Overall, base compensation for IT pros is expected to increase an average of 5.3% in the coming year. The 15 positions expected to see the largest salary gains, percentage-wise, between 2012 and 2013 are:

1. Mobile applications developer 2012 salary range: $85,000-$122,500
2013 salary range: $92,750-$133,500
Net: 9% increase

2. Wireless network engineer 2012 salary range: $79,250-$108,500
2013 salary range: $85,500-$117,000
Net: 7.9% increase

3. Network engineer 2012 salary range: $75,000-$107,750
2013 salary range: $80,750-$116,250
Net: 7.8% increase

4. Data modeler 2012 salary range: $85,500-$117,750
2013 salary range: $92,000-$126,750
Net: 7.6% increase

5. Portal administrator 2012 salary range: $80,500-$106,500
2013 salary range: $86,500-$114,500
Net: 7.5% increase

6. Data warehouse manager 2012 salary range: $101,250-$135,750
2013 salary range: $108,750-$145,750
Net: 7.4% increase

7. Business intelligence analyst

2012 salary range: $87,750-$123,500
2013 salary range: $94,250-$132,500
Net: 7.3% increase

8. Senior web developer 2012 salary range: $85,750-$118,500
2013 salary range: $92,000-$127,250
Net: 7.3% increase

9. Web developer 2012 salary range: $61,250-$99,250
2013 salary range: $65,750-$106,500
Net: 7.3% increase

10. Network architect 2012 salary range: $95,500-$137,000
2013 salary range: $102,250-$146,500
Net: 7% increase

11. Network manager 2012 salary range: $82,750-$114,500
2013 salary range: $88,500-$122,500
Net: 7% increase

12. Data architect 2012 salary range: $97,500-$134,250
2013 salary range: $104,250-$143,500
Net: 6.9% increase

13. Data security analyst 2012 salary range: $89,000-$121,500
2013 salary range: $95,000-$129,750
Net: 6.8% increase

14. Software engineer 2012 salary range: $78,250-$119,500
2013 salary range: $83,500-$127,750
Net: 6.8% increase

15. Network administrator 2012 salary range: $58,750-$87,250
2013 salary range: $62,750-$93,250
Net: 6.8% increase

RHT's salary numbers represent starting compensation only. Factors such as seniority make it difficult to measure ongoing pay, the firm says. Bonuses and benefits such as perks and retirement packages also are not included in the tally.

Ann Bednarz covers IT careers, outsourcing and Internet culture for Network World. Follow Ann on Twitter at @annbednarz and check out her blog, Occupational Hazards. Her email address is abednarz@nww.com.

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