Janet Pinkerton Posts

Mike Dellacava Sr. Systems Engineer, Reflexion Networks Mike Dellacava didn't choose IT as a career. "It chose me," he believes. "I was formed along the way, as I learned to do what needed to be done. But I've been happy doing the work." Dellacava's father, a systems enterprise administrator and project manager, introduced him to computers, starting with an old 386, an early desktop PC. "I've been taking apart computers, building, breaking and fixing them since I was seven," says Dell ...

Fifteen years ago, Pete Caro had trouble breaking into the IT field, despite the fact he had multiple, college-level computer courses under his belt. So he joined the Army in 1998. There he steadily gained IT experience and expertise that enabled him to establish a successful civilian career in IT security. Working IT in the Army, Caro, now 36, started out in mid-1999 as a systems administrator, doing Ti ...

St. Louis is one city that IT staffing firms see consistently adding more IT jobs. San Francisco, Silicon Valley and New York City may be the nation's largest job markets for IT, but industry staffing firms report that faster growth rates can be found in smaller, less traditional markets as well. Secondary and tertiary markets can provide high-quality, lower-cost standards of living and strong educational systems, and companies find that a very attractive environment for efficient growth. ...

"The closer you are to the application, the stronger the demand," says Dice.com Vice President Jennifer Bewley. That seems to be the trend for IT skill demand in 2013, as reported recently by IT staffing companies Dice, Robert Half Technology and TEKsystems. Skill sets seeing strongest demand this year include: Data Analytics/Business Analytics — "The term 'Big Data' has become so trite, but the demand for data analytics skills is off the chart," says Bewley. "Companies are willing to invest ...

A computer enthusiast and Japanese Anime buff as a teen, George Kalfas debated whether to pursue business or web graphics design in college. But a summer job working as an assistant to his high school's IT director piqued his interest in IT itself as a career.

We're not moving to the cloud just to move to the cloud. The cloud is a tool to reduce cost and make collaboration easier. Brian Glick, vice president of global information services, Vandegrift Forwarding Company Cloud is becoming a mainstream platform for IT solutions. Are you ready to take advantage of the opportunity for your company and your career? Moving processes and systems to cloud-based solutions requires IT personnel to gain not only new tech expertise, but also savvy critical t ...

Students work through through CCNA 2 curriculum involving basic router and switch configuration at the CompTIA/Cisco Networking Academy classroom/lab at Burnaby South Secondary in Burnaby, BC, Canada. The Computer Networking Technician (CNT) program at Burnaby South Secondary School, located in a Vancouver suburb, is creating student pathways to IT-related jobs and higher education, thanks to great local partnerships, an exceptional instructor and strong district support. For Burnaby South ...

Let your customer vent their frustrations first, advises Sharon Nielsen, account manager at One Prospect Technologies. "Most people, once they have vented their frustrations and felt heard, calm down on their own and become more willing to listen to your suggested resolutions, or provide feedback with suggestions of their own," she says. Your customer is screaming, or worse, quietly seething. What is the best way for you to respond? Several seasoned IT professionals recently shared their best ...

What does a senior systems engineer do every day? Let's find out!

Good project management skills are highly valued in IT and other industries. But people generally don't arrive in the workforce knowing how to initiate, plan, execute and close a project on time and on budget.