Blog Entries for charlesb2k

How Do I Get Relevant Industry Experience?

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

In my last article I discussed that it is important for programmers to have more than just code writing skills. Among other skills, a programmer these days also needs to have industry experience. In this tough job market a candidate with relevant industry experience will almost always win out over a candidate without this experience. So, one question that may be asked by those starting out in their careers is, “How do I get relevant industry [...]

The Most Important Skill A Programmer Needs Isn’t Code Writing

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Back in the old days, probably 20 – 30 years ago, a programmer was someone who sat in a back room and wrote code. Someone would bring him a set of instructions and he would translate it into a program and turn the results back over to the business. The programs were usually used to complete one task or get one piece of information out of the system. As the systems evolved, the business started making greater and greater demands on the programmers. The [...]

Going Back To School

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

It’s that time of year again when parents across the country rejoice and many children moan… It’s the back to school season. In my home there is a mixture of emotions. My high school sophomore is excited about the new school year because she is taking some really challenging classes like Honors English, Chinese and two math classes! On the other hand my 3rd grader seems terrified. She is very shy and spent the first week sitting by herself [...]

If It Wobbles Don’t Fix It Until It Falls Over

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

The other day I was at Midas getting my brakes fixed. I saw that they had a poster on their wall that showed the progression of damage that can occur if your tires are out of alignment. In the first picture it showed a little bit of uneven wear on the outsides of the tires. The next three pictures showed that this wear, increased and that the axle was starting to be affected. In the fifth picture the axle was bent and in the sixth picture the axle was snapped [...]

Leaders Aren’t Made, They’re Grown

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

In a previous article I noted that one of the possible career paths in an IT career could lead to management. To be a good manager, a person needs to be a good leader. However, leaders don’t become leaders overnight, they have to grow into leadership positions.

In order for you to become a manager, you first need to be a leader. Leadership is the ability to inspire others to assist you towards a common goal. In order to lead, you need to ins [...]

Concerns of the IT Worker

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

This article is posted on CIOZone.com, a site which caters to CIOs. I hope this message is read by CIOs and hopefully some will leave comments about the topic.

Once a quarter our CIO has a breakfast meeting with a group of employees. This is an opportunity for us team members on the frontlines to discuss issues and concerns with someone much higher up in the hierarchy. When you're on the bottom of the pile, it often feels like your concerns are not bein [...]

Why I Love Offshoring

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

In the early 1990’s there was a huge increase in jobs that seemed to be sent offshore. In 2004 a special report was commissioned by the U.S. government titled, The Changing Nature of Corporate Global Restructuring: The Impact of Production Shift on Jobs in the US, China, and Around the Globe. The study showed that U.S. corporations doubled the amount of American jobs that were sent overseas. The study said that between 2001 and 2004 over 850,000 professional service and i [...]

The Impact of Elections on IT

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Missouri had their state primary yesterday. Many states have already had their primaries, but for some reason Missouri waits until almost the last minute. There are only 90 days left until the general election, so there isn't much time for candidates to campaign against their opponents if they haven't started yet. It may not seem obvious, but when you think about it, there is a very real connection between elections and the IT business.

During the [...]

The Value of Good Documentation

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Some time ago, in an article entitled Basic Training - The Weapons, I wrote about the tools necessary to do data integration. I mentioned some of the tools necessary to perform data integration tasks, such as PL/SQL, applications and Informatica. As a production support analyst I use many of these same tools. However, one of the most important tools that we use in production support is documentation.

Proper documentation should be created duri [...]

Information Technology Offers Many Different Career Opportunities

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

When I was researching my last article about the drop in enrollments for Computer Science in the mid-2000's, I found some articles that tried to explain why. Many of the articles I read indicated that students were worried that if they completed a degree in Computer Science in the 2000's, that they would end up losing their job due to counterparts offshore.

An article in Business Week from May 2006 states, "Students fear that if they become programmers th [...]

Computer Science Enrollments Trending Up!

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

I have been blessed to be a data integration professional for over 13 years now. I always wanted to be involved in computers, but took some turns off that path along the way. Luckily I now have had the privilege of being in the Information Management business for quite a long time.

I love my job! Data is not necessarily the foundation of business, but it sure is the building blocks. Without data, business ceases to happen. Even the most primiti [...]

Passing the Frog Around

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Today a colleague and I were having a cubicle discussion around some issues we were working on. As I've mentioned before, when I'm not working on production batch process issues and fixes, I work on data quality fixes. At one point in the conversation my colleague said, "We're just passing the frog around." When I looked at him with a perplexed expression on my face, he clarified, "I had a data structures professor that said it is like passing a fr [...]

The Way To Get Ahead? Seize Opportunity!

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest hockey players ever, said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." To me that translates to, if you don't try, you're guaranteed you won't succeed. That saying can be broken down into these points:

Recognize an opportunity
Take action on that opportunity
Make the most of that opportunity
Find other opportunities to take advantage of

In this article I'm going to relate a story abo [...]

Going Back To School – Is It Necessary?

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Due to a family tragedy, I had to leave school in 1993, without being able to finish my degree. Throughout the years, I have dreamed of going back to school and finishing what I started. Today I am one step closer to achieving my dream. I just submitted my application to attend Webster University in St. Louis, MO!

I will be attending night school, because I am employed full time. I'm going to be studying to earn my B.S. Information Management deg [...]

The Connection Between Business and Technology Education

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

When I graduated from High School in the 80's, I actually had a guidance counselor tell me there were too many computer programmers in the work force. I was extremely disappointed because I loved computer programming. I excelled in my programming classes (yes they had them back then, based on Apple IIe and BASIC). Everything about computers was extremely interesting to me. I even figured out how to hack my TI-99 4a games. So, I was very disappointed when I wa [...]

What is the Strategy of Data Management?

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Strategy is defined as an elaborate and systematic plan of action. Strategy also refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. However, a few weeks ago I heard a definition I like even better, "Strategy is what we need to do to win".

I like that definition because it explains what the particular goal is, to win. This definition can be applied to everything in life. A football team can create a strategy to win the game.&n [...]

Should We Treat the Symptom or The Cause of Poor Data Quality?

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

I've recently been seeing a new chiropractor. The first couple of visits he has given me some instruction about what chiropractors do. A chiropractor basically adjusts the spines to correct subluxations or misalignments in the vertebrae. Chiropractors believe in the principle that when the spine is misaligned, we feel discomfort. This discomfort can be in the form of headaches, neck and back pain, and even pain to our extremities. They treat the cause, the su [...]

How To Help New IT Staff Feel Welcome, Accepted and Productive

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

In a recent post I spoke about how to pass Tribal Knowledge on to new team members. It sparked some pretty good comments. One comment in particular got me thinking about how I felt when I was new to my job, and how I was able to feel that I was a productive member of the team.

I have to admit that being a production support engineer is very intimidating when you start in that position. People expect production support analysts to know everything about the [...]

Quality vs. Deadlines

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

In the world of IT, everything is driven by a deadline. It seems like projects that are in the "Gee wouldn't it be nice if..." phase are given a calendar deadline. However, the push to hit these arbitrary deadlines may affect the quality of the work.

Each organization has a release calendar with the entire enterprise releases scheduled. When a new project is defined, it is put on this calendar. Sometimes rough estimates are taken of the [...]

Passing On IT Tribal Knowledge

cnjconsulting@gmail.com — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

From the beginning of time, humans have passed on knowledge of how to survive, from person to person. This knowledge includes where to go for certain foods, how to hunt certain animals, where to find water, and more. Even today, Aboriginal tribes around the world still pass on this information by mouth. This tribal knowledge is not usually written down, but relies heavily on the memory of the person passing it on.

Unfortunately, Tribal Knowledge still exis [...]