http://rss.acm.org/CareerNews/CareerNews.xml IT Career News Highlights http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304723304577365700368073674.html At the same time that Big Data has become one of the fastest-growing areas of the IT industry, companies are having a difficult time finding talent for all of their new openings. Big Data refers to the idea that an enterprise can mine all the data it collects right across its operations to unlock business intelligence in near real-time. This is harder than it sounds, of course: many IT managers today lack the training to pull out insights from these large data sets. By some accounts, there is a need for 1.5 million additional managers and analysts in the United States who can ask the right questions and analyze data effectively. A significant constraint on realizing value from Big Data will be a shortage of talent, particularly of people with deep expertise in statistics and machine learning. Data scientists can take a data set and model it mathematically and understand the math required to build those models. In addition, they can actually build these models, which means they have the engineering skills. Finally, they are someone who can find insights and tell stories from their data. That means asking the right questions, and that is usually the hardest piece. It is this ability to turn data into information into action that presents the most challenges. It requires a deep understanding of the business to know the questions to ask. The job of the data scientist isn~t simply to uncover lost nuggets, but discover new ones and more importantly, turn them into actions. At most universities, though, the right courses don~t yet exist for aspiring data scientists. Bits of it do exist in various departments around the country, and also in businesses, but as an integrated discipline it is only just starting to emerge. Nor can they be found in recruitment agencies. One of the problems with Big Data is the fact that it has to deal with real data from the real world, which tends to be messy and difficult to represent. Out in the real world, most data is unstructured. People have been doing data mining for years, but that was on the premise that the data was quite well behaved and lived in big relational databases. When recruiting, the ability to ask questions about the data is the key, not mathematical prowess. For now, some companies are attempting to tackle these problems through sophisticated algorithms, which can help you better understand the data. Wall Street Journal Sun, 29 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT BEN ROONEY http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/148850-the-call-to-teach-computing-to-everyone/fulltext The interest in teaching computer science has enjoyed a boost in popularity of late, driven by a booming market for night classes and online instruction in areas such as programming and mobile apps. People are preparing for a future in which the Internet is the foundation for entertainment, education and nearly everything else. While many are in agreement about a CS requirement for those in STEM fields, there is less agreement about whether there should be a similar course in computer science for those with lesser technological skills. The article takes a look at the types of CS and digital skills expected from students, emphasizing that a basic knowledge of how computers and the Internet work are now necessary for everyone. Teaching computer science in the 21st century is not about making everyone into a software developer. It~s about the belief that every child should have the opportunity to learn computer science, from primary school up to and including further education. We teach elementary physics to every child, not primarily to train physicists but because each of them lives in a world governed by physical systems. In the same way, every child should learn some computer science from an early age because they live in a world in which computation is ubiquitous. A crucial group of these will go on to become the engineers and entrepreneurs who drive the digital economy, so there is a complementary economic motivation for transforming the curriculum. Many professors of computer science say college graduates in every major should understand software fundamentals. They don~t argue that everyone needs to be a skilled programmer. Rather, they seek to teach "computational thinking," or the general concepts programming languages employ. This is not computer science for the "rest of us" but computer science for "everyone." From basic science to the humanities, understanding essentials of computer science has become vitally important to every student~s understanding of the world. Some universities already include computer science among options to satisfy science or math requirements. As the article suggests, the next step is to make computer science a requirement, rather than just an option, at the university level. Blog @ CACM Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT Mark Guzdial http://www.cio.com/article/705623/How_to_Land_a_Cybersecurity_Job Cybersecurity jobs are plentiful, from government, financial services and utilities to manufacturing and retail. But what skills do IT professionals need to qualify for these high-paying jobs? Experts generally agree that there are five ways to land a prestigious cybersecurity job. The suggestions include getting a security-related certification and joining the military or law enforcement agencies, where cybersecurity is an important priority. In addition, IT professionals can obtain specific expertise with cloud- and mobile-based security issues and demonstrate that they are able to analyze data in real-time to see if security breaches are occurring. Most companies prefer to hire cybersecurity experts with experience in the U.S. military or law enforcement agencies. Often times, you~ll find an individual who is coming from the military or a federal government agency who has received a variety of cybersecurity training that is not yet attainable in the commercial realm. Security-related certifications are a prerequisite for most commercial cybersecurity jobs and all defense-related IT security jobs. According to experts, there are a lot of security certifications that are very well accepted and are extremely beneficial to the individual. They demonstrate a body of knowledge and experience to employers. The issue of information security, identity and access management in the cloud is a major concern for CIOs. They are looking for employees who understand how to extend their directory services to control access to cloud applications. If someone has experience deploying security solutions in a new business model, such as the cloud model, that~s very valuable. As more organizations adopt "bring your own device" policies, they are facing a host of challenges including how to secure information stored on a range of devices that they don~t own. The people who understand mobility at a very deep level tend to be very young, often right out of college. With all of the streams of data on mobile apps, you need to understand how it gets in and how it gets out and how authentication is done. CIO.com (via Network World) Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT Carolyn Duffy Marsan http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-30/older-entrepreneurs-start-companies-too The conventional wisdom is that most American entrepreneurs are young and bold. However, as the Baby Boomer generation continues to age, it~s now the case that older entrepreneurs are getting into the mix as well. While they have a reputation for being set in their ways and being unwilling to challenge the established order, the reality is actually quite different. The share of new business formation by the 55-to-64-year-old age group is up sharply over the past 15 years, from 14.3% in 1996 to 20.9% in 2011. At the same time, the self-employment rate for those over 65 is an astounding 26.9%. As a result, some researchers believe that the U.S. could be on the cusp of an entrepreneurship boom powered by an aging population. People become entrepreneurs because they want to or because they have to. The first group tends to build more durable enterprises with human resource departments and capital budgets in a wide range of businesses. They~ll attract angel investors and even venture capital. For example, among U.S.-born tech founders, those older than age 50 numbered more than twice as many as those younger than 25. Older entrepreneurs tend to have an edge in markets where experience and contacts are invaluable. People with experience know how to support their customers and how to price their product. Still, many of the startups founded by older entrepreneurs are sole proprietorships with a handful of employees at most. Nevertheless, whether out of necessity or desire, older entrepreneurs have a number of competitive advantages in a knowledge-based economy. They~re knowledgeable in their field. They have deep informal networks. Information technologies make it easier to work out of the home. Some older workers have been cherishing a dream, wanting to start their own business, and the time is now. Many different strands and trends are feeding into entrepreneurship with older people. There is growing evidence that the ranks of elderly entrepreneurs will swell. The trend will not only make the Social Security and Medicare bills easier to pay. It will boost the economy~s underlying entrepreneurial dynamism. Bloomberg Businessweek Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT Chris Farrell http://gigaom.com/collaboration/women-dominate-offline-independent-work-too/ Women already make up the majority of online freelancers, now it appears that they play an important role in offline independent work as well. According to the latest figures from independent work consultancy MBO Partners, 53% of all American independent workers are also women, which amounts to 8.5 million women across the country working on their own. By comparison, women have a 47.6% participation rate in the traditional workforce. With that in mind, some suggest that the project-focused future of work might be a better match for the flexible works needs of many women. In short, the greater flexibility of independent work might be more suited to the workplace needs of women and take advantage of their ability to weave together communities of collaborators. Drawing on their Independence Workforce Index, MBO Partners~ numbers supports this idea that independent work tends to suit women and that flexibility plays a central role in this. 77% of women independents are satisfied or highly satisfied with their mode of working, according to the consultancy, and 74% plan to remain independent. When asked why they plan to remain independent, 65% cited flexibility, 64% said control over their own schedule and 59% noted the enjoyment they get from being their own boss. Not every woman is independent by choice, however. MBO admits that the recent recession and spotty recovery are forcing some women to get creative about their career trajectories. As the country continues to struggle with economic recovery, women have forged a viable third path that empowers them with even greater control and freedom over their lives and careers. It also gives them a new definition of work-life success, especially for women forced into independent work out of necessity. Web Worker Daily Wed, 02 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT Jessica Stillman http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/04/science-engineering-and-the-gender-gap.html As evidence continues to suggest that women are underrepresented in the computer science field, educators are attempting to address the reasons for the lack of women in the sciences and engineering. According to a recent report from the NSF, 41% of college freshman men planned to major in science and engineering, compared to only 30% of women. More than twice as many men than women attend graduate school for computer science fields, and more than four times as many men are enrolled in engineering. At the professional level, only 5.5% of commercial patent holders are women. The article looks at several possible explanations for this gender gap across academia and the professional sector, as well as possible long-term solutions. As educators point out, the problems caused by the gender gap only become more compounded over time. Female students say they find the scarcity of women to be isolating; others cite subtle discrimination. As a result, they may find themselves relegated to very traditional roles or regularly finding their technical abilities underrated. At a time when fields like software development are reporting strong job growth, women may be missing out on incredible job opportunities. These jobs are not always in Silicon Valley - they could be careers in computer science and medicine, computer science and arts, or computer science and languages. Within the science and engineering fields, the exit rate for female engineers is much higher than in other scientific fields. Women are also having a harder time advancing compared to other fields, due to a lack of female mentors, subtle discrimination and unsupportive work conditions. When women do excel in male-dominated jobs, they may be penalized for being too ambitious, too confident and too assertive. PBS NewsHour Wed, 25 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT JENNY MARDER http://moneyland.time.com/2012/04/27/why-face-to-face-networking-trumps-social-networking/ Placing too much of a focus on social networking and not enough on face-to-face networking can have a negative impact on your career trajectory. According to a new report, 39% of Americans now spend more time socializing online than they do in person. In addition, nearly 20% prefer communication via text or the Internet over talking face to face or on the phone. As a result, we may have more connections, but the typical relationship is shallower. This is problematic in terms of one~s career, because it~s the people who know you the best and trust you the most who can wind up helping you the most. No matter how well the latest digital tools allow us to stay in touch, face-to-face meetings and strong relationships are still very important in the workplace. An important first step in breaking away from the virtual world and starting to network in the real world is to focus on being seen and heard in the office. When people see you in person, they know you~re working and get a better sense of who you are, your emotional intelligence, and your leadership ability. Sometimes it~s difficult for managers to get a sense of these things if they don~t regularly see the people they are managing. So if you haven~t met with your manager in a while, make an excuse to visit. Second, get away from technology so you~re less socially awkward. Spending more time on technology-related tasks, and less time exposed to other people, has somewhat expected results: Over time, one~s face-to-face communication skills can become weaker and weaker. It will be harder to hold a conversation and appear confident in social situations with colleagues and clients, and your awkwardness will hurt your chances of advancing in the workplace. TIME Moneyland Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT DAN SCHAWBEL http://www.management-issues.com/2012/4/11/opinion/the-evolution-of-resumes-are-you-keeping-up.asp In the current job environment, having the right type of resume can make all the difference. Even if you~re not looking for a new job, some situations still call for a resume, such as when an organization is considering you for their board, or for a promotion within your own company. Because the workplace is changing, the use of resumes is changing along with it. At the end of the day, the resume must convey what value you can bring to another company - it must be able to translate experience into a set of transferrable skills. From an employer~s perspective, identify what attributes you want to see and how your proven abilities can be worded in a way to show valuable, transferrable skills. Today, many companies ask to receive resumes electronically. This could mean attaching your resume as a Word document or PDF, or they may want it in plain text format. Social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook are also becoming popular for posting jobs and submitting resumes. As with any resume, you have between 17 and 20 seconds to grab their attention. If you~re using e-mail, choose your subject line very carefully. To make it easy for the person reviewing your resume, write a brief cover letter and then copy/paste your resume into the body of the message. You can also include it as an attachment, but if you only attach it you~re forcing the person to open the document, and that~s eating into your 20 seconds. Also, because most email programs do not read formatting well, use caution to ensure your resume is easily readable. Finally, a whole new type of resume is no resume at all. In this age of mobile workforces and e-commerce, some companies are foregoing traditional resumes and asking applicants to send links to their Web presence, such as their blogs, Twitter accounts, and LinkedIn profiles. Some companies are even requesting a short video demonstrating a person~s interest in working for the company. Obviously, this type of resume doesn~t work for many traditional jobs, but it~s quite appropriate for a growing number of Web-centric occupations. Because this trend is likely to grow, "who you are" on the Internet will be what employers consider in their hiring decisions, so be cognizant whenever you post something online. With all this in mind, remember that a resume does not get you a job; its purpose is to get you an interview. Obviously, a good resume improves your chances of that, so start with the traditional approach and be able to show you have transferrable skills. Management Issues Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT Dan Bobinski http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6978.html Leadership is under fire around the world, in business, government, and other institutions. Followers appear to be exercising more and more power, thanks to such contextual changes as the rise of social networks, ubiquitous communication, greater transparency, and rising and unmet expectations. It has made the practice of leadership more complex and demanding. This is happening at a time when individuals and organizations of all kinds spend a great deal on leadership training, which ranges from in-house leadership programs to offerings by outside organizations. So why is there such a disconnect in the "leadership industry" between efforts and results? Harvard~s Barbara Kellerman, who has written widely about leadership, hypothesizes that leadership is a process involving leaders and followers functioning in a context of societal, legal, and technological change. According to Kellerman, training for leadership too often ignores the importance of followership (especially changing patterns of dominance and deference), concentrating instead on the individual leader operating in a narrow, somewhat static context. As a result, she questions several common assumptions in the leadership industry, such as the assumption that financial success is the best measure of leadership in the private sector. She also questions whether leadership can be summarized and packaged, and then taught to virtually anyone in a one-size-fits-all manner. Along the same lines, Kellerman raises doubts as to whether leadership should be taught in different professional schools for different professional audiences. While recommending a "buyer beware" approach to the leadership industry, Kellerman still continues to believe that there are great leaders and that learning to lead is possible. However, it will require such things as a greater appreciation of the complexity of the task of preparing leaders, a broader "curriculum" that includes emphasis on followership and the context in which the task is performed, and better measurement of effectiveness. HBS Working Knowledge Wed, 02 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT Jim Heskett http://news.mentornet.net/content/why-getting-women-stem-matters Women are still under-represented in science, technology, engineering and math careers, despite ample data to show women are just as good - if not better - than men in these STEM career tracks. At a time when women comprise just 25% of the STEM workforce, experts argue there should be even more of an emphasis on getting women into math and science-related fields. Getting women into these fields is good not just for gender diversity, but also for the future competitiveness of the U.S. economy and the financial fortunes of women. For starters, it~s important to get women into STEM fields because it is a growth industry that requires new infusions of talent. A recent White House Council report shows that STEM professions are set to grow by about 20% in the next 10 years. So if we~d like women to have skilled jobs that might be available at some point in a decade~s time, we should probably encourage them in that direction. There~s ample evidence to show that healthcare, research and technology are outpacing other careers by a long shot, as supported by statistic from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A decade from now, an academic and professional background in the sciences could translate to vastly greater job security within the STEM fields. It turns out, despite their lack of representation, women in science, tech, engineering and math face less of a wage gap than their less technologically inclined peers. The report shows that women in STEM fields earn roughly 14% less than men, while women in non-STEM careers face a 21% gap. High pay and high availability are just the two main reasons that STEM careers are advantageous for both men and women. In a transitioning economy, STEM careers offer a mix of flexibility, creativity and opportunity not found elsewhere. MentorNet Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT Sapna