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Showing posts with label Technology jobs miami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology jobs miami. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Tech Workers gain confidence as employment prospects lift - NetWorkWorld
IT workers more optimistic in Q2, job hunters feeling confident
Network World - Confidence levels among IT workers improved in the second quarter, buoyed by reports of employment gains in the U.S. tech sector.
The IT Employee Confidence Index, created by technology talent and solutions provider Randstad Technologies, increased five points from the previous quarter to 53.6 points. Tech workers’ overall confidence had dipped to a 12-month low in the first quarter, hitting 48.6 on Randstad’s scale. Tech workers are particularly optimistic about their employability. Forty-seven percent of IT workers said they feel confident in their ability to find a new job -- a gain of nine percentage points compared to 38% in Q1.
[[HIRING: 10 reasons for IT job-hunters to be optimistic]]
[[2013 JOB WATCH: Top 11 metro areas for tech jobs]]
When asked about the economy, 30% of IT workers said they believe the economy is getting stronger (up from 27% last quarter), while 39% said the economy is getting weaker (down from 46% in Q1).
“Given the demand for IT talent, we are not surprised to see an increase in confidence numbers. Information technology teams continue to support organizations in unprecedented ways, and leadership is scrambling to find talent to address important priorities,” said Bob Dickey, executive vice president of technologies at Randstad US, in a statement.
Among the in-demand tech skills Dickey singled out are: Java, data architecture, SOA, and experience with SuccessFactors, Microsoft Dynamics, SQL Server, SAP HANA and Workday.
Yet despite greater signs of optimism about the workplace and the economy, IT workers’ confidence trails the national index, which measures U.S. workers’ attitudes across a range of industries. The national Randstad index hit 56.3 in July.
Some IT employees remain leery about the security of their current position; 25% say it’s likely they'll lose their current job in the next 12 months (58% say it’s not likely).
“While we are seeing some improvement in confidence and in the desire to find a new job, IT workers are often in precarious situations within organizations, working on temporary projects or jumping in to fix problems,” Dickey said. “As a result, employees may be feeling a level of insecurity around that.”
Meanwhile, Foote Partners’ analysis of July's employment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals a net gain of 18,400 jobs across four IT-related job segments. In a single category -- Data Processing, Hosting and Related Services” -- 3,600 jobs were created in the month of July, marking the single best month of job growth in this category since June 1998.
In the big picture, the rate of growth of IT employment continues to accelerate, says TechServe Alliance, a collaboration of IT and engineering businesses. On a year-over-year basis, IT employment has grown by 5.71% since June 2012, adding almost 241,700 IT workers, the alliance reports.
Separately, Dice.com surveyed 1,000 hiring managers and recruiters, and 73% said they plan to hire more technology pros during the second half of 2013 than they did during the year’s first six months. The IT careers specialist also notes the number of job postings on its site that mention the word “cloud” hit an all-time high this month, topping 5,000 -- which is up 32% compared to a year ago.
“There’s an upswing in cloud services and cloud technology-related job opportunities,” says Shravan Goli, president of Dice.
Randstad’s study, which was conducted online by Harris Interactive in April, May and June, polled 203 technology industry employees.
Ann Bednarz covers IT careers, outsourcing and Internet culture for Network World. Follow Ann on Twitter at @annbednarz and reach her via email at abednarz@nww.com.
Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
More women finding jobs in Tech Sector
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In the early 1980s, Tammy Hawes was one of only two women in her college graduating class to receive a computer science degree.
But recently the Virsys12 president and managing partner, who started the cloud computing/software-as-a-service technologies company in 2011, has had a lot of company in the tech industry.
Of the seven employees working at the Virsys12 offices in Brentwood, a Nashville suburb, five are women. And although gender isn't a factor in the hiring process, the demographics at this tech company showcase an employment shift as women increasingly take on jobs that deal with technology.
"I think when computers made their way into homes, that changed significantly," Hawes said. "Most kids — girls included — are involved in computers now to communicate with their friends and play video games. There's just not that mental block or stigma that women in my generation held in what we were supposed to do."
Even with advances, a gender gap still exists. An executive summary prepared for Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce notes that women represent 23% of the workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions. But women make up 48% of workers in all occupations across the board.
A recent nationwide survey released by Dice, a job search website for technology professionals, found that men out-earn women in the tech industry sectors.
On average, of the 15,000 employers contacted through an online poll, the survey found that male tech workers made $95,900 compared with $87,500 for women in these industry jobs. However, the compensation gender gap has narrowed, with average salaries equal for male and female tech pros with comparable levels of experience and education and parallel job titles.
According to the survey, the top tech positions for women — in order — were project manager, business analyst, other IT, quality assurance tester and technical recruiter, while men tended to hold job titles such as software engineer, systems administrator, project manager, IT manager and applications developer.
Education is key
"Being in technology is a great career path for women. It is still a male-dominated industry, but that's changing. And it's an exciting time to be in technology. Schools are specifically targeting those career paths, and the programs are out there," said Connie McGee, who has been involved in technology for 28 years and is CEO of Evolve Women, a women's entrepreneurial center.
To her, education is the key to encouraging more female interest and participation in these types of careers, especially in engineering jobs. Male and female students are enrolled at Vanderbilt University in about equal numbers, but 31% of undergrads in the School of Engineering are women, according to Cindy Funk, director of the college's Center for Student Professional Development.
Evolve Women has recently partnered with a local high school to pilot a youth entrepreneurship initiative in which students shadow mentors and have an opportunity to participate in a business plan competition.
"Technology can be a natural fit for either gender as long as they are passionate and enjoy what they are doing," McGee said. "It gives them opportunities to develop role models in the industry. I know some might think that all an engineer does is sit behind a desk, but that's not the case. If we bring these students in as interns, we allow them to see that it really is interesting work."
Diversity of thought
Lisa French, who took her marketing background and combined it with new technologies, initially didn't think that she was tech material because she wasn't keen on math. But a love of social media and a new iPhone in her hand as a college graduation gift changed her perspective.
In January, she graduated from the Nashville Software School and landed a new job with Moontoast, a company that empowers brands to reach their target audiences across all major social networks and devices using interactive social rich media.
"I think you get a different perspective. Women use technical products, and diversity of thought is a great thing when you're working with a diverse market," French said.
She also leads a meet-up group — free and open to all — known as Nashville Women Programmers.
"I'm new to it myself. I don't claim to be an expert, and the technology changes all the time. It's easy to feel down on skills because everything is so massive," she said. "But I also feel really passionate about getting new people into programming. With my background, I was interested but didn't think I could do it. But I'm here to say that you can do it."
Lora Stevenson's start in the tech field came by learning mainframe systems and DOS on the family's Radio Shack Tandy computer. When she was barely in her teenage years, she made a little pocket money developing programs for local businesses. Now Stevenson is the 41-year-old CEO of Mothers Digital, an on-demand project staffing, coordination and management business for creative digital projects. She is involved with The Salon, a group of professional women that meets once a month.
"I came into this industry early enough that my expectation was not to see other women," she said.
At one time, she remembers attending an electronics convention that featured a Middle Eastern-themed show complete with live tigers. She looked around the room and noticed the only women who were there — and not belly dancers — were herself and another woman.
"Now that's shifted. I think having more women involved makes better products," Stevenson said. "It's exciting to see that happening, but I do wish it was a little faster."
But recently the Virsys12 president and managing partner, who started the cloud computing/software-as-a-service technologies company in 2011, has had a lot of company in the tech industry.
Of the seven employees working at the Virsys12 offices in Brentwood, a Nashville suburb, five are women. And although gender isn't a factor in the hiring process, the demographics at this tech company showcase an employment shift as women increasingly take on jobs that deal with technology.
"I think when computers made their way into homes, that changed significantly," Hawes said. "Most kids — girls included — are involved in computers now to communicate with their friends and play video games. There's just not that mental block or stigma that women in my generation held in what we were supposed to do."
Even with advances, a gender gap still exists. An executive summary prepared for Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce notes that women represent 23% of the workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions. But women make up 48% of workers in all occupations across the board.
A recent nationwide survey released by Dice, a job search website for technology professionals, found that men out-earn women in the tech industry sectors.
On average, of the 15,000 employers contacted through an online poll, the survey found that male tech workers made $95,900 compared with $87,500 for women in these industry jobs. However, the compensation gender gap has narrowed, with average salaries equal for male and female tech pros with comparable levels of experience and education and parallel job titles.
According to the survey, the top tech positions for women — in order — were project manager, business analyst, other IT, quality assurance tester and technical recruiter, while men tended to hold job titles such as software engineer, systems administrator, project manager, IT manager and applications developer.
Education is key
"Being in technology is a great career path for women. It is still a male-dominated industry, but that's changing. And it's an exciting time to be in technology. Schools are specifically targeting those career paths, and the programs are out there," said Connie McGee, who has been involved in technology for 28 years and is CEO of Evolve Women, a women's entrepreneurial center.
To her, education is the key to encouraging more female interest and participation in these types of careers, especially in engineering jobs. Male and female students are enrolled at Vanderbilt University in about equal numbers, but 31% of undergrads in the School of Engineering are women, according to Cindy Funk, director of the college's Center for Student Professional Development.
Evolve Women has recently partnered with a local high school to pilot a youth entrepreneurship initiative in which students shadow mentors and have an opportunity to participate in a business plan competition.
"Technology can be a natural fit for either gender as long as they are passionate and enjoy what they are doing," McGee said. "It gives them opportunities to develop role models in the industry. I know some might think that all an engineer does is sit behind a desk, but that's not the case. If we bring these students in as interns, we allow them to see that it really is interesting work."
Diversity of thought
Lisa French, who took her marketing background and combined it with new technologies, initially didn't think that she was tech material because she wasn't keen on math. But a love of social media and a new iPhone in her hand as a college graduation gift changed her perspective.
In January, she graduated from the Nashville Software School and landed a new job with Moontoast, a company that empowers brands to reach their target audiences across all major social networks and devices using interactive social rich media.
She also leads a meet-up group — free and open to all — known as Nashville Women Programmers.
"I'm new to it myself. I don't claim to be an expert, and the technology changes all the time. It's easy to feel down on skills because everything is so massive," she said. "But I also feel really passionate about getting new people into programming. With my background, I was interested but didn't think I could do it. But I'm here to say that you can do it."
Lora Stevenson's start in the tech field came by learning mainframe systems and DOS on the family's Radio Shack Tandy computer. When she was barely in her teenage years, she made a little pocket money developing programs for local businesses. Now Stevenson is the 41-year-old CEO of Mothers Digital, an on-demand project staffing, coordination and management business for creative digital projects. She is involved with The Salon, a group of professional women that meets once a month.
"I came into this industry early enough that my expectation was not to see other women," she said.
At one time, she remembers attending an electronics convention that featured a Middle Eastern-themed show complete with live tigers. She looked around the room and noticed the only women who were there — and not belly dancers — were herself and another woman.
"Now that's shifted. I think having more women involved makes better products," Stevenson said. "It's exciting to see that happening, but I do wish it was a little faster."
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Career advice: Making IT more influential in the business
Another good read found by The IT Academy in Miami.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9241123/Career_advice_Making_IT_more_influential_in_the_business?taxonomyId=10
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9241123/Career_advice_Making_IT_more_influential_in_the_business?taxonomyId=10
IT Hiring Manager Seeks a Perfect Fit
I found this too be a good read:
http://www.cio.com/article/736835/IT_Hiring_Manager_Seeks_a_Perfect_Fit
http://www.cio.com/article/736835/IT_Hiring_Manager_Seeks_a_Perfect_Fit
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