Download Chapter 8 - University of Windsor

1
The Computer Industry
2
Computer History
Ø Counting aids keep track of quantities
Ø Many transactions required calculations
Ø A manual calculator called an abacus first appeared around 1200 in China, and then in
Japan around 1600
Ø Other manual calculators include the oddlyoddly -named Napier’s Bones,
Bones, and the slide rule
Ø In 1621, an English mathematician named William Ought red used Napier’s
Napier’s logarithms
to construct the first slide rule
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Computer History
4
Computer History
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Computer History
Ø A mechanical calculator implements algorithms autonomously. To work a
mechanical calculator, the operator simply enters the numbers for
for a calculation, and
then pulls a lever or turns a wheel to produce results
Ø Wilhelm Schickard created a mechanical calculator (called Shickard’s Calculator
Calculator))
Ø Blaise Pascal developed the Pascaline
Ø Leibniz Calculator
Ø deColmar’s Arithmometer became the first massmass-produced calculator
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Computer History
Ø Charles Babbage proposed a device called the Difference Engine that would operate
using steam power
Ø The Difference Engine was intended to quickly and accurately calculate
calculate large tables of
numbers used for astronomical and engineering applications
Ø In 1834, Babbage began designing a new generalgeneral-purpose calculating device, called the
Analytical Engine
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Computer History
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Computer History
Computer historians believe that the Analytical Engine design embodies
embodies many of the
concepts that define the modern computer
Ø Store the programs and data for calculations on punched cards
Ø The U.S. Census Bureau held a competition to find a way to tabulate
tabulate the 1890 census
Ø Herman Hollerith won the competition with a design for an electronic punched card
card
tabulating device
Ø
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Computer History
Ø Each
card contained areas to represent fields, such as “nationality.”
“nationality.”
punched, the cards were fed into a card reader that used an array of
metal rods to electronically read the data from the cards and tabulate
tabulate the
results, Hollerith Tabulating Machine
Ø Hollerith incorporated The Tabulating Machine better known today as
IBM
Ø Once
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Computer History
A prototype is an experimental device that typically must be further developed
develo ped and
perfected before going into production and becoming widely available
available
Ø The Atanasoff
Atanasoff--Berry Computer (ABC) was the first to use vacuum tubes instead of
mechanical switches
Ø
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Computer History
12
Computer History
Ø Konrad Zuse developed a computer called the Z3
Z3,, which was based on the idea of
binary “yes/no” statesstates-what we now call bits
Ø Howard Aiken created the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator
(ASCC), but it is usually referred to as the Harvard Mark I because it was moved to
Harvard University shortly after completion
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Computer History
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
In 1943, a team of British developers created COLOSSUS
COLOSSUS,, an electronic device designed to decode
messages encrypted by the German ENIGMA machine
COLOSSUS successfully broke the codes and gave the Allies a major
major advantage during World War II
In 1943, a team headed by John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert started work on ENIAC, a gigantic,
general-- purpose electronic computer
general
ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was designed to calculate trajectory tables for
the U.S. Army
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Computer History
Ø A computer called the UNIVAC is considered by most historians to be the first
commercially successful digital computer
Ø Eckert
Eckert--Mauchly Computer Corp constructed it
Ø At fourteen and a half feet long, seven and a half feet high, and
an d nine feet wide, UNIVAC
was physically smaller than ENIAC, but more powerful
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Computer History
Ø As technology evolved, relay switches and vacuum tubes were replaced
replaced with smaller,
less powerpower-hungry components
Ø Computer historians seem to generally agree that computers have evolved through four
distinct generations, and in each generation, computers became smaller,
smaller, faster, more
dependable, and less expensive to operate
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Computer History
Ø
First-generation computers can be characterized by its use of vacuum tubes
Firstt ubes
A vacuum tube is an electronic device that controls the flow of electrons in a vacuum
Ø They consumed a lot of power
Ø They also tended to burn out quickly
First--generation computers were characterized by custom application programs
First
programs
Ø
First--generation computers did not seem ready for “prime time”
First
Ø
Ø
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Computer History
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Computer History
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Second-generation computers used transistors instead of vacuum tubes
SecondTransistors performed functions similar to vacuum tubes, but they were much smaller, cheaper, less
power hungry, and more reliable
A number of successful transistorized computers were manufactured
manufactured by companies such as IBM,
Burroughs, Control Data, Honeywell, and Sperry Rand
IBM developed operating systems that provided standardized routines
routines for input, output, memory
management, storage, and other resource management activities.
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Computer History
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Computer History
Early proprietary operating systems were designed to work only on
on a particular
computer
Ø Second
Second--generation computers also ran programming language compilers that
that allowed
programmers to write instructions using English - like commands.
Ø High
High--level languages, such as COBOL (Common BusinessBusiness-Oriented Language) and
FORTRAN (Formula Translator), were available for use on secondsecond-generation
computers
Ø
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Computer History
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Third-generation computers became possible in 1958, when Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments and
ThirdRobert Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductor independently developed integrated circuits
Ø RCA Spectra 70, IBM 360
In 1965, Digital Equipment Corp.(DEC) introduced the DEC PDPPDP-8, the first commercially successful
minicomputer
By 2000, the IBM AS/400 (renamed the iSeries 400) was one of the few remaining devices that
could be classified as a minicomputer
Today, demand for minicomputers is satisfied by highhigh-end personal computers and servers, and the
term “minicomputer” has generally fallen into disuse
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Computer History
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Computer History
The technology for fourth
fourth--generation computers appeared in 1971, when Ted Hoff
developed the first generalgeneral -purpose microprocessor
Ø Early industry leaders included Intel, Zilog
Zilog,, Motorola, and Texas Instruments
Ø The Intel line, used in most WindowsWindows-compatible computers, included the 8086, 8088,
80286, 80386, 80486, and the Pentium family of microprocessors
Ø
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Computer History
Ø The Motorola line of microprocessors grew to include 68000 series
serie s processors used in
Apple Macintosh computers, plus the PowerPC processors developed in the early 1990s,
and used in current Macintosh computer systems
Ø Intel reigns as the world’s leading microprocessor manufacturer, though
microprocessors are also produced by companies such as Hitachi, Texas Instruments,
Sun Microsystems, AMD, Toshiba, and Motorola
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Computer History
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Computer History
Ø
Ø
Ø
One such system was the Mark
Mark--8 developed by Jonathan A. Titus, who was featured in the July 1974
1974
issue of RadioRadio -Electronics
In 1975, Ed Roberts and the MITS (Micro Instrument and Telemetry Systems) company announced
the MITS Altair,
Altair, which many historians believe to be the first commercial microcomputer
microcomputer
In 1977, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer Corporation
Corporation and released the Apple
I, a kit containing a motherboard with 4K of RAM that sold for $666.66
$666.66
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Computer History
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Computer History
Ø
Ø
In 1978, Apple introduced the Apple II computer
The Apple II was a very successful computer. One of the main reasons
reasons behind its success was a
commercial software program called VisiCalc — the first electronic spreadsheet
Ø
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In 1981, IBM began marketing what it called a “personal computer”
computer” or “PC,” based on the 8088
processor. The IBM PC quickly became the toptop-selling personal computer
Ø IBM PC 5150
Ø IBM PC XT
Computer History
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Within months, dozens of companies used these parts to produce IBM
IBM--compatible computers
These companies were also able to obtain essentially the same operating
operating system used by IBM
The IBM PC used an operating system called PCPC-DOS that was created by a young programmer named
Bill Gates
Although hobbyists and the business community had embraced computers,
computers, these machines were still
considered difficult for the average person to use
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Computer History
Ø That perception began to change in 1983, when Apple introduced a product called the
Apple Lisa
Ø A key feature of the Lisa was its graphical user interface—
interface—an idea borrowed from the
Xerox Alto computer
Ø In 1984, Apple released the first Apple Macintosh
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Computer History
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The Computer Industry
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Computer industry encompasses those companies that manufacture handheld
handheld
computers, personal computers, highhigh-end workstations, servers, mainframes, and
supercomputers
Ø Information technology industry (or IT industry), is typically used to refer to the
companies that develop, produce, sell, or support computers, software,
software, and computercomputerrelated products
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø
Ø
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No. A bank uses computers, but it is classified as part of the banking
banking industry
A clothing store might use computers to track inventory, but it is classified as part of
the apparel industry
The Computer and IT Industries
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Equipment manufacturers
Chipmakers
Software publishers
Service companies
Retailers
Although some companies fit neatly into one of the above categories,
categories, other companies
operate in two or more areas
Ø The IT industry also encompasses large conglomerates with one or more divisions
devoted to computer hardware, software, or services
Ø
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø
Ø
Ø
The 1990s spawned a group of InternetInternet-based companies that came to be called “dot coms
coms”,
”, from the
companies’ domain names, which inevitably ended with “.com” and many of the companies even
incorporated “.com” into their official company names
Amazon.com was one of the first InternetInternet -based companies
Unless a “dot com” sells computers, peripherals, or software online,
online, it is probably not considered part
of the computer industry, experts disagree whether “dot coms
coms”” rightfully belong to the IT industry
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø IT industry heavyweights such as Cisco, Intel, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, HewlettHewlettPackard, Palm, Handspring, Apple, AMD, 3Com, and Silicon Graphics
Graphic s are all located in
California’s Silicon Valley
Ø Although Silicon Valley has a reputation as the home of the IT industry,
industry, many of the
top IT players are located elsewhere
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The Computer and IT Industries
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Many of the largest companies in the IT industry have branch offices
offices all over the world
Ø Despite the increasing globalization of the IT industry, it is still
still dominated by the U.S.
Sixty--eight percent of IT workers are in the U.S., even though 62 percent
Sixty
percent of industry
sales are to nonnon-U.S. companies
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø You can dig up lots of information on IT and computer companies from a wide variety
of computer and business publications
Ø The type of computer publication you need depends on the kind of information you
want
Ø The IT Sources InfoWeb provides you with an upup-t oo-date guide to publications and
other IT industry resources
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
The IT industry has been described as “the most dynamic, most prosperous,
prosperous, most economically
beneficial industry the world has ever known.”
GDP is defined as the total value of a nation’s goods and services produced
produced within a specific time
period
In the U.S., for example, the IT industry accounted for about 5 percent of the growth in the 1985
GDP.
The Internet added more fuel to the fire, and by 2000, IT’s total contribution to GDP growth was
about 8.6 percent
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The Computer and IT Industries
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The Computer and IT Industries
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the IT industry accounted
ac counted for oneone -third
of the real economic growth, and almost half of all productivity growth between 1995
and 1999
Ø The world IT market (hardware, software, and computer services) grew at an annual
rate of 10 percent between 1987 and 1995—
1995—nearly twice the rate of the world GDP
Ø In 2000, IT industry growth in the U.S. slowed as a result of a shakeout in the “dot
com” sector
Ø
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø It is likely, however, that population growth and business globalization
globalization are two
important factors that contribute to huge investments in information
information technology
Ø The worldwide population more than doubled over the past 50 years,
years, and a recent
study predicts that the population will peak at 9 billion by the year 2070
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Governments and private businesses have discovered that they can become much more
efficient with a liberal application of computers and other information
information technologies
Ø
Ø
As businesses globalize, they encounter new competitors with tec hnological advantages
Bottom line: if your business competitors turn to technology, so
so must you
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The Computer and IT Industries
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø IT manufacturers and publishers introduce new products for the same
same reasons as their
counterparts in the automotive industry. New products, such as a computer with a
faster microprocessor, a DVD player, or an upgrade to Windows, are
are designed to attract
customers and generate sales
Ø In contrast to the automotive industry, however, the IT industry is not on an annual
cycle
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø The equipment -manufacturing segment of the IT industry is relatively young, and
and
technology, rather than marketing, is the major force that drives
drive s product development
Ø Companies cannot always predict when a new technology will appear,
appear, or how it might
be incorporated into new products. As a result, the life cycle of computer hardware and
some computer products is short, whereas other products have a long
long life cycle
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø The life cycle of a new computer model typically includes five stages:
stages: product
development, product announcement, introduction, maintenance, and
an d retirement
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The Computer and IT Industries
Product Development - Product development often takes place “under wraps.”
Product Announcement - Sometime during the development process, a company
makes a product announcement to declare its intention to introduce
introduce a new product.
Vaporware,, are announced, but never produced
Vaporware
Ø Introduction - When a new product becomes available, it is usually added to the
the
vendor’s product line and featured prominently in advertisements
Ø
Ø
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Maintenance - As supply and demand for a product reach an equilibrium, the price
price of
the product decreases slightly. This discounted price is usually
usuall y referred to as the street
price
Ø Retirement - Gradually, a company’s oldest products are discontinued as demand
demand for
them declines
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The Computer and IT Industries
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
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Software begins with an idea that is shaped by a design team and marketing experts
Most software products undergo extensive testing before they are released
The first phase of testing, called an alpha test,
test, is carried out by the software publisher’s inin-house
testing team
Errors, or “bugs,” found during the alpha test phase are fixed, and then the software enters a second
testing phase called a beta test
A beta test is conducted by a team of offoff-site testers
The Computer and IT Industries
Ø A newly published software package can be an entirely new product, a new version
(also called a “release”) with significant enhancements, or a revision
re vision designed to add
minor enhancements and eliminate bugs found in the current version
version
Ø
Unlike computer hardware products, older versions of software typically
typically do not remain
in the vendor’s product line
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The Computer and IT Industries
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Market share is a company’s share, or percentage, of the total market “pie”
Ø Competition is fierce in all segments of the industry, and market
marke t share is one indicator
of a company’s ability to “steal” sales from its rivals
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Since 1981, hundreds of companies have produced personal computers
computers
Ø Industry analysts have classified these companies into market tiers,
ers, or categories
Ø The top (first) tier in any segment of the computer industry consists
consists of large companies
that have been in the computer business for many years
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø The second tier includes newer companies with sales volume just below the cutoff level
for identifiable market share, and somewhat fewer financial resources
reso urces than companies
in the first tier
Ø The third tier consists of smaller startup companies that sell primarily
primarily through mail
order
Ø Computer prices vary by tier
Ø Computers from toptop-tier vendors generally are more expensive than computers offered
by secondsecond-tier or thirdthird -tier vendors
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The Computer and IT Industries
Computers from secondsecond-tier companies are generally less expensive than those from
first--tier firms, although the quality can be just as good
first
Ø Computers from third -tier companies often appear to be much less expensive than
those in other tiers
Ø Sometimes this difference reflects the low overhead costs of a small
small company, but
other times it reflects poorpoor-quality components
Ø
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The Computer and IT Industries
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Hardware manufacturers and software publishers try to reach consumers
consumers by making
their products available through a variety of sources
Ø Computer hardware and software are sold through marketing outlets
outlets called marketing
channels
Ø These channels include computer retail stores, mailmail-order/Internet outlets, valuevalue- added
resellers, and manufacturer direct
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø A computer retail store purchases computer products from a variety of
manufacturers, and then sells those products to consumers
Ø A computer retail store is often the best shopping option for buyers
buyers who are likely to
need assistance after their purchases such as beginning computer users, or those with
plans for complex computer networks
Ø Retail stores can be a fairly expensive channel for hardware and software
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The Computer and IT Industries
Mail order is a special instance of retailing in which a vendor takes orders
orders by
telephone or from an Internet site
Ø Mail
Mail--order suppliers generally offer low prices, but might provide only
only limited service
and support
Ø Experienced computer users who can install components, set up so ftware, and do their
own troubleshooting are often happy with mailmail-order suppliers
Ø
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Consumers without a “middleman,” such as a retail store
Ø The obvious advantage of direct sales is that by cutting out the retailer, a manufacturer
can make more profit on each unit sold. The disadvantage is that
that the manufacturer
must provide customers with technical support—
support —a potentially costly service that
requires large teams of technical support personnel
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The Computer and IT Industries
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø VAR stands for valuevalue- added reseller. A valuevalue- added reseller combines commercially
available products with specialty hardware or software to create a computer system
designed to meet the needs of a specific industry
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø Consumers can benefit from a variety of channels
Ø Although consumers benefit from a variety of channels, vendors within
w ithin the channels
often find that their sales are pirated by other channel vendors—
vendors—a process referred to
as channel conflict
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Some aspects of the IT industry are regulated by government agencies,
agencies, but many aspects are self
regulated
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates interstate and international communications
by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice police
police the business practices of the IT
industry
Many governments are enacting laws that restrict access to particular
particular Internet activities and content
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø In 1996, U.S. Congress enacted the Communications Decency Act, w hich made it illegal
to put indecent material online where children might see it
Ø For example, the U.S. government restricts exports of any hardware
hardware or software that
contain certain strong encryption algorithms
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The Computer and IT Industries
Ø
Ø
71
Most IT industry leaders oppose further regulation of their industry.
industry. They remain skeptical of
government regulations that might limit their ability to explore new technologies and offer them to the
public. To avoid further government intervention, the IT industry
industry has taken steps toward self
regulation
The information Technology Industry Council has become one of the
the major trade associations for
computer manufacturers, telecommunications suppliers, business equipment
e quipment dealers, software
publishers, and IT service providers
The Computer and IT Industries
Ø The Software and Information Industry Association
Ø This organization focuses on protecting the intellectual property
propert y of members, and
lobbying for a legal and regulatory environment that benefits the
the entire IT industry
Ø
Organizations such as the IEEE Standards Association help the IT industry standardize
technology
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The Computer Industry
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø
In 1999, the U.S. Congress crafted an amendment to the Fair Labor
Labor Standards Act that
essentially defines a computer professional as any person whose primary occupation
involves the design, configuration, analysis, development, modification,
modif ication, testing, or
security of computer hardware or software
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Careers for Computer Professionals
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
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A systems analyst investigates the requirements of a business or organization, its
it s employees, and
its customers in order to plan and implement new or improved computer
computer services
A security specialist analyzes a computer system’s vulnerability to threats from viruses,
viruses, worms,
unauthorized access, and physical damage
A computer programmer designs, codes, and tests computer programs
A quality assurance specialist participates in alpha and beta test cycles of software
A database administrator analyzes a company’s data to determine the most effective way to
to collect
and store it
A network specialist/administrator plans, installs, and maintains one or more local area networks
A computer operator typically works with minicomputers, mainframes, and supercomputers
supercomputers
A computer engineer designs and tests new hardware products, such as computer chips,
chips, circuit
boards, computers, and peripheral devices
A technical support specialist provides phone or online help to customers of computer companies
companie s
and software publishers
Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
A technical writer creates documentation for large programming projects, and writes
write s the online or
printed user manuals that accompany computers, peripheral devices,
devices, and software
A computer salesperson,
salesperson, or “sales rep,” sells computers
A Web site designer creates, tests, posts, and modifies Web pages
A manufacturing technician participates in the fabrication of computer chips, circuit boards,
boards, system
units, or peripheral devices
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Careers for Computer Professionals
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the number
number of jobs in the
computer industry will substantially increase between now and 2008
2008
Ø According to the BLS, the largest increases in available jobs will
will be for database
administrators, computer support specialists, and computer engineers
engin eers
Ø Over the next few years, economic trends may cause significant changes
changes in the job
market
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Web sites, such as http://w
http://w ww.bls.gov
ww.bls.gov,, provide salary data for various IT industry
jobs
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Many technology companies offer employeeemployee-friendly working conditions that include
childcare, flexible hours, and the opportunity to work from home
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø One indication of job satisfaction is voluntary turnover rate
Ø Some companies in the IT industry have remarkably low turnover rates
rates
Ø Database giant Oracle and network powerhouse Cisco Systems have turnover rates that
are less than 6 percent
Ø Turnover rates at IBM and Microsoft are less than 10 percent, which
which seems to indicate
higher--than
higher
than-- average employee satisfaction
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø The typical IT industry employee works a 4040-hour week, and often longer hours are
required
Ø A contract worker is typically hired as a consultant
Ø IT businesses benefit from the ability to hire contract workers. The pool IT contract
workers provides a selection of people with specialized skills
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Workers in many industries are interested in telecommuting — using available
technology to work from home or an offoff-site location, at least part of the time
Ø The Internet and telecommunications technologies have made an impact
impact on the
availability of telecommuting opportunities for workers
Ø It has become common for employees to collaborate through electronic
electronic mail, fax,
groupware, and videoconferencing
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Most people in the IT industry work at “desk jobs,” and spend many
many hours of the
workday gazing at a computer monitor and typing on a keyboard
Ø According to the BLS, “Data entry keyers and others who work at video terminals for
extended periods of time may experience musculoskeletal strain, eye problems, stress,
or repetitive motion illnesses, such as carpal tunnel syndrome”
Ø
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø To avoid these health hazards, workers should be aware of the ergonomics
ergonomics of their
work areas
Ø Ergonomics is the study of work. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) further explains ergonomics as “the science
science of designing the job
to fit the worker, rather than physically forcing the worker’s body
body to fit the job”
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Careers for Computer Professionals
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø
As you might expect, IT industry workers are younger than their counterparts in most other industries
89
Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø As with many technical occupations, men outnumber women in the IT
IT industry
Ø Minorities are increasingly taking advantage of opportunities in the IT industry
Ø The general attitude among IT industry human resource managers is,
is, “If you’re good,
we’ll hire you”
Ø But being “good” means having the right set of qualifications and
an d experience for the job
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø IT industry jobs include some type of higher education, certification,
certific ation, or computer
experience
91
Careers for Computer Professionals
Computer science is only one of the many computercomputer-related degrees that are offered by
colleges and universities
Ø Computer engineering focuses on the design of computer hardware and peripheral
devices, often at the chip level
Ø Computer science focuses on computer architecture, and how to program computers
to make them work effectively and efficiently
Ø
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Information systems,
systems, or “information technology,” degree programs, typically
offered by a university’s College of Business, focus on applying computers to business
problems
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Graduates of twotwo-year programs typically find employment as entryentry-level technicians,
programmers, and support personnel
Ø Advancement opportunities might be limited, however, without additional
additional education or
certification
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Master’s degree in Information Systems or Master’s degree in Business
Business Administration
(MBA)
Ø Any of these graduate degrees would help you get a management position
position as a college
professor
Ø
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Peterson’s is a comprehensive resource for educational services
Ø Its Web site at www.petersons.com has become a primary resource for locating
educational programs, as well as providing testing services for admissions and
certification
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Certification alone is rarely sufficient to qualify you for a job
jo b in the IT industry
Ø Bottom line: certification is only part of your total package of
of qualifications
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Careers for Computer Professionals
Ø Certificates of completion are offered to students who successfully complete one or
more courses on a specific topic
Ø A certification exam is an objective test that verifies your level of knowledge about
about a
particular technology or subject
Ø Certification exams can be divided into several categories:
categories:
Ø General computer Knowledge
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Careers for Computer Professionals
– The Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP)
(ICCP ) offers some of the
most generalized certification exams, including the CCP exam
– Software Applications
– Database Administration
– Networking
– Computer Hardware
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Careers for Computer Professionals
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The Computer Industry
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Job Hunting Resources
• In many ways, finding a job in the IT industry is just like finding a job in any other
industry
102
Job Hunting Resources
Ø The Internet has become an important tool for job hunters
Ø The Internet can figure into your job hunt in several ways, including
including researching
potential jobs and employers, posting your resume, locating job leads, and
corresponding with potential employers
Ø Job hunting experts advise IT job seekers to spend no more than 50 percent of their
total job hunting efforts online
103
Job Hunting Resources
You should begin by defining the jobs for which you are qualified.
qualifie d. In the IT industry,
job titles are not standardized
Ø Non
Non--standardized job titles can pose a problem for job hunters, especially
especially those who
use search engines to locate job openings
Ø Job hunters in the IT industry should take some time to compile their own lists of
equivalent job titles and relevant search terms
Ø
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Job Hunting Resources
Ø As a computer professional, you are expected to use technology effectively
effectively for everyday
tasks
Ø You can demonstrate this ability to prospective employers by the way you treat your
resume.
Ø Prepare your resume in a variety of formats, suitable for different
different computer platforms
and delivery methods
Ø If requested by a prospective employer, you can attach your resume
resu me file to an ee-mail
message that serves as your cover letter
105
Job Hunting Resources
Ø Some career counselors advise against the use of e -mail attachments, suggesting that
many employers never open attachments for fear of ee-mail borne viruses
Ø Instead of attaching your resume, you can simply paste it into t he body of an ee-mail
message
Ø You might also want to create an HTML version of your resume
106
Job Hunting Resources
Ø
Regardless of the industry in which you seek employment, an effe ctive resume is clear,
correct, and easy to read
107
Job Hunting Resources
Ø Today’s trend to search resumes online has implications for all job seekers, not just
those in the IT industry
Ø Experience is important, but the old style of “dating” your tenure
tenure at a job provides little
information for online searches
108
Job Hunting Resources
Ø A simple Web portfolio is a hypertext version of your resume
Ø More effective Web portfolios contain links to samples of your work
w ork
Some human resource directors are nervous about any information that indicates an
applicant’s age, gender, ethnicity, or physical characteristics
Ø You might want to keep such multimedia presentations on hand, but
but supply them only
when requested
Ø
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Successful job hunting typically requires several strategies
One strategy is to look for job openings and initiate contact with
th an employer by
submitting an application
Ø A second strategy is to post an online resume that can be found by recruiters who then
initiate contact
Ø A third strategy is to develop a liaison with a recruiting firm
Ø
Ø
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The newspaper’s Help Wanted section, your school’s career placement
placement office, and your
local state employment agency
Ø Many employers—
employers—and a large percentage of IT industry employers—
employers— maintain Web sites
that include links to information about their job openings
Ø
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Ø
Ø
Ø
An online job bank maintains a database that contains thousands of job openings posted
posted by
employers
Ø The largest job banks span just about every industry
You can search most online job databases by job title, geographic
geographic location, or company
If your search turns up a job that looks promising, you may be provided
provided with the information
necessary to directly contact the employer with a letter of application
application and resume
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Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
At last count, the Internet provided more than 2,500 job banks, each with unique job announcements.
Search agents and metasearch tools allow you to automate the search process across many sites
sites
A job search agent is an automated program that searches one or more databases, and
and notifies you
when it finds any leads that match your specified criteria
A metasearch tool is a software program that performs broadbroad-based Web searches, such as
searching more than one job database at a time
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Ø Job seekers who post their resumes at online job banks should be aware of potential
threats to their privacy
Ø Before posting your resume, always check the job bank’s privacy policy
Ø To protect your privacy, you might consider removing most of the contact information
such as your address and phone number
Ø By the way, consider your ee-mail user ID carefully
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Ø The term head hunter refers to a recruitment firm
Ø Head hunter recruitment fees are usually paid by the companies that
t hat hire them
Ø Companies usually ask head hunters to help fill managerial and executive
executive positions
Ø However, during boom times in the IT industry, qualified applicants
applicants at all levels of the
corporate ladder sometimes become scarce, and head hunters are asked
asked to recruit even
entry--level workers, such as junior programmers
entry
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Ø An employment agency (or placement service) works on behalf of employees, rather
than employers. The focus of an employment agency is to find employers
employers for people
who seek work
Ø Private employment agencies, however, usually charge a fee for their
t heir services
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A job application takes time—
time —your time and a recruiter’s time
Before you apply for a job, most career counselors suggest that you first gather some
background information about the company and its location
Ø You also may be able to use the Web to find out about your prosp ective employer’s
financial status and corporate culture
Ø
Ø
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Ø To find information about a company, start at its Web site
Ø Most companies provide a set of “About us” pages that describe the
t he company’s mission
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Ø Web sites such as www.homefair.com provide online tools that help you calculate the
cost of moving, the cost of living, and the quality of life in a selected location