Career Path: Computer or Technical Support Specialist

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for Computer Support Specialists will increase steadily until at least 2020. Computer support specialists troubleshoot and resolve various computer and software issues. They may work in a help-desk environment or provide technical support in an organization's IT department. They may work in a large company and be one of several specialists or they might work in a small company or school and be the only IT person, handling all the technical problems. These specialists generally have a background in computer hardware and software, programming and network technologies. Many employers require computer support specialists to hold a bachelor's degree, though a certificate or associate's degree is sometimes sufficient.

Here are a few videos to give you an idea of what's involved in being a computer support specialist.







Not the best video production; I find the scrolling dialogue annoying and the editing is not seamless but this guy gives a fairly good overview of what his typical day is like.

This woman's desk is way too clean and tidy for a computer support specialist!

My favorite! Why? Because he starts out by telling you that if you work in IT you have to have a pretty messy work area. YES!!! I have never met an IT person who didn't have a buttload of cables, flash drives, software, and hardware laying around their office. They love their gadgets






 Qualities for a Successful Tech Support Specialist

• Respect for all users -- even when it's not reciprocated. Specialists mostly get called when things go wrong. Sometimes the problem is trivial but the user thinks it's the end of the world! Good people skills go a long way in making the user feel like their problem is important and that they're not stupid for freaking out -- even though you may be thinking that in your head . Tech Support Specialists get yelled at and freaked out on A LOT. There will be times when you save someone's data and they won't even thank you. Yeah, people can be rude. But you'll have plenty more users who will treat you like the rockstar that you actually are and appreciate your technical expertise. Treat all of them with respect. It will pay off in the long run.

ROCK IT!!!!

• Know your knowledge limitations. Realize that you don't know everything. The best techs know how to find the answer, whether it's Googling something, calling upon another, more senior tech, or jumping on a discussion forum to get your question answered. If you enjoy constantly learning new things, then this is a great career for you.

• Be a problem solver and creative thinker. Sometimes you have to be MacGyver  -- solving complex problems with the tools at hand. Sometimes just being able to isolate the problem is the hardest part of fixing it.
  

• Keep learning and applying your knowledge. Rapid change is fundamental to the IT world. Hardware, software and methodology become outdated very quickly. If you want to stay employed, you need to keep up with all the changes. Adapt your knowledge base to new situations. What worked on one problem might not be the perfect solution to another problem. Most things don't go by the book.

• Have an intrinsic interest in technology. Users need to feel that you are the technical guru so it's important for you to be excited about new technologies. And you want to be a key player when the company is making decisions about purchasing technology.

To find out more about what's needed in a career in Computer and Information Technology, go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics page.

Keeping Your Hands Toasty

Just had to share my new best friends.

A former colleague from Apple turned me on to these and they truly are my new best friends! My office gets pretty cold, especially my hands. Now all I have to do is plug in my gloves and voilá...... INSTANT WARMTH!!!

And the price is right

Lots to choose from at Amazon.

Praxis

Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practiced, embodied, or realised. In other words.....Theory is 'real' knowledge while practice is the application of that knowledge to solve problems.

In school you are learning all sorts of things (knowledge) but, if you are like me when I was in high school, you question why you have to learn it and how you'll use it in the real world. How will you apply it in your day-to-day life?

There's a group called Code for America that provides programmers and other technology people the opportunity to volunteer with local governments in building web-based tools and resources in order to make their cities run better and more efficiently.What they do changes the way governments works!

Sophia Parafina is a Fellow at Code for America. Here's why she is doing it. And she doesn't have a degree in Computer Science! Her degrees are actually in History and Geography. I'm guessing that she taught herself how to code by utilizing online resources and user forums.

So now she's using those skills to make a difference. She's applying the knowledge she's acquired to change the way government works. That is just so cool!!

Here is her blog if you're interested in some of the projects she has worked on. I particularly liked her post from September 10, 2012 titled Code for America Austin Hackathon: Buses and fun with GTFS

Blogs About College Life

If you want to get the inside scoop on what life is like as a college student, it's probably a good idea to get it straight from the horse's mouth. Lucky for you, someone was nice enough to put together the Top 50 Blogs for College Students! About half of the blogs on this list are actually written by college students.

Now you may have decided that you aren't going to go to college or maybe put it off for awhile. You'll still find some good tips about renting an apartment, saving money and filling out job applications. Some of these blogs are humorous, some are skanky, and some have ever-so-helpful tips on taking those first steps into adulthood.

Here are my top 5 picks:

Surviving College has all sorts of tips on how to survive on your own and shares advice on how to successfully navigate your way through college and beyond!

Funny or Die College is the same sophomoric humor as Funny or Die but made for college students. Don't think I need to say more!

Study Abroad Bloggers is not up-to-date but if you're interested in hearing about the experiences of students who are studying abroad (Vienna, Spain, Ireland....) then I think you'll enjoy this. From food to quirky local customs to beautiful landscapes, these bloggers share their adventures with you. Go back and check out the archives!

Bwog runs the gamut from health violations at one of the school's cafes to politics on the Columbia campus.

The College Solution is geared towards future college students. It provides you with info on how to prepare for college, how to pay for it and how to make the right choice in picking a college.

Aspirations in Computing Award

 High school women: Apply by Oct. 31 for the Aspirations in Computing Award from NCWIT. Prizes include $500, a laptop, an engraved award and a trip for the student and guardian to the awards ceremony.

Changing Majors; Seizing an Opportunity

A few weeks ago I met a young woman who is interning for the Detroit Tigers. Not in person. Via email. It went like this.......Even though she lives in California, my daughter is a HUGE Detroit Tiger's fan. HUGE!!

The Tiger's were going to be giving away Miggy Cabrera posters at their next home game. And you could only get the poster if you went to the game. Well, that wasn't going to happen

-

My daughter desperately wanted one. Being the indulgent mother that I am, I sent an email to the Tigers, via their website, giving them the circumstances and requesting a poster. The worst that could happen is that they would ignore my email.

A week later, I received an email from Kelsey Meier with the Tigers, asking for my daughter's name and address! Holy crap!!

My snoopy recruiter-self just had to find out who this Giver of Happiness was. I mean, let's face it, she was going to make me look like The Most Awesome Mom Ever!! So off to LinkedIn I went. I found out that Kelsey was a fairly new college grad, with a very cool job. Naturally I thought her story should be shared. She graciously accepted my request for a phone interview.

Except for the first 4 months of her life, Kelsey has lived in Michigan. Do we call her a Michigander or a Michiganian? I forgot to ask! Though she attended public school from grades K - 8, she attended a private all-girls Catholic High school.

Throwback: I, too, attended Catholic school but this was way back in the Sixties. Checking out Regina High (where Kelsey went to school) I saw that their dress code included saddle shoes. Talk about a major flashback -- using white shoe polish every Sunday night to polish my saddle shoes! I don't know of any Catholic schools in my area that require saddle shoes nowadays. Call me crazy but I love saddle shoes!

Within the first couple of minutes of talking with Kelsey I could tell that she was a classic Type A personality, an indomitable force of nature. She played 3 sports in school -- basketball, volleyball, and softball, sat on the student council and was President of the Honor Society. She credits her parents' support and involvement in her education as a major factor in her success. Studies have shown that regardless of background or income,  students with involved parents are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, and adapt well to school.

Asked if there was one particular teacher who had an impact on her in high school, she said that, for the most part, she had very good teachers. But one stood out. Mrs. Robertson, her sophomore AP History teacher. Because of Mrs. Robertson, Kelsey decided that she wanted to major in government and foreign studies/foreign affairs in college.

Kelsey had wanted to go to Notre Dame, a private Catholic college in Indiana, for as long as she could remember. Her older brother was already there. Any good school counselor will tell you that there are multiple criteria you should look at when deciding on a college. Location. Size. Admissions requirements. Academics. Clubs. Cost.

Ultimately she decided upon the  University of Michigan. U of M was a good match for her outgoing personality and the cost, compared to Notre Dame, was much more palatable.

During her freshman year, with an introduction provided by a family friend, Kelsey interned with the U of M Athletic Dept doing marketing, specifically promotions. She loved it!

Her junior year she interned with USA Hockey, doing marketing promotions and PR (Public Relations) as well as assisting with national team development for the U17 and U18 teams. She was responsible for prepping the kids for interviews they would be having with the local and national press. Her years of working with the Miss St. Clair Shores Scholarship program, an affiliate of the Miss America Pageant, had given her the tools needed to coach the young hockey players in how to dress, speak in a clear voice and how to comport themselves with the press.

For three and a half years, she worked on promos with the Athletic Dept at U of M until her graduation in 2012. She had also switched majors. She graduated with a BA in Sport Management.

In January of 2013 she was hired as an intern with the Detroit Tigers in their marketing dept., focusing on promotions and events. She is responsible for an array of promotional programs such as....
          Fan Development
          Fan Experience
          Tigers Kids club
          Tigers Fan Club
          Theme Nights
When you email the Tigers (like I did) about a promotion they're having, Kelsey will most likely be the one who responds to your request. And she does an amazing job of it!

It's not often that an intern is given almost complete autonomy to manage an entire project but Kelsey was given that opportunity when she was asked to put together The Official Detroit Tigers Away Game Trip to Toledo which is Detroit's farm team, the Toledo Mudhens. She worked within her budget to advertise the event, book the FOX Sports Detroit Fan Express bus, handle all communications with the fans, and provide a thank you gift for the 50 Detroit Tigers Fan Club members that participated. The night was a success!

What's next after her internship with the Tigers? She isn't sure. She'd like very much to stay with the Tigers' organization but fulltime jobs are limited in a local organization like that. You either wait for someone to move up or out and that doesn't happen very often.

But she is sure she wants to work in community affairs (promos and events) and she wants to stay in the sports arena, so-to-speak. Whether that be with a pro team or college sports or even an agency firm, she enjoys the fast pace and interaction with the community. But until the end of the 2013 baseball season, she will continue to work crazy hours and show the Tiger fans lots of love. She is happy in the space she's in at this moment.

And what advice does she give to high school and college grads? "Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Take chances. Don't be afraid to talk about yourself -- your strengths and accomplishments. But don't be cocky. That puts people off."

Her journey continues. And wherever that journey takes her I know that she'll make the most of each and every opportunity.

Get Connected to Professionals!!

LinkedIn has just announced a new product aimed at high school students. It's called University Pages. It goes live September 12th. Mark your calendar!!

LinkedIn is one of the tools I use on a regular basis for recruiting. Whereas Facebook is used for social networking (friends and family), this is professional networking, connecting you with professionals. It has over 200 million professionals registered. Professionals? What, exactly does that mean? It means these are people who are in the business world.......Teachers, Engineers, Sales Consultants, Product Marketing Managers, Administrative Assistants, Buyers, Technicians, Game Designers, Forensic Specialists, Interaction Designers, Political Speech Writers..........there are so many!!

If you already have an idea about what kind of career you'd like to pursue, then University Pages can help you determine what college might be best for that particular career path. It also lets you connect with alumni from the colleges you're interested in.  You'll be able to find someone from a particular college that either majored in what you want to major in or is working in the field that you're interested in for a career. When you find these people you can send them an InMail (LinkedIn's internal messaging system) and start a conversation with them.

You can ask them things like what college life was like. Or you might want to know more about their current job and whether their college major prepared them fully for it. Maybe they have some advice on classes to take. In one of my past posts, I wrote about a young woman I found while looking on LinkedIn. Her college path and subsequent career were more like this

than this










And she would be happy to talk to you about her school-to-work path as well as share her thoughts  about college, networking with professionals and her present day career.

YOU CAN START MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH PROFESSIONALS BEFORE YOU EVEN GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!

I was looking for a video demo of how to use University Pages but could only find one that was geared towards college administrators and not you, the high school student. I'm sure that once the product goes live on September 12th, they will have a demo on the site for you to check out. But here's the LinkedIn product introduction blog post which you might find helpful.

Good luck!

NASA Johnson Style

2012 brought a flood of Gangnam Style video parodies. 2012 also brought us the spectacular landing of NASA's Curiosity land rover on Mars. Put those two together and you get NASA's Gangnam style video.

There are tons of cool things that have come out of NASA and space exploration. Let's go old school......a computer joystick! Or how about those ear thermometers? Yeah, they came from the JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) working with another company to have a thermometer they could use in space! Firefighters can thank NASA for their fire gear, air tanks, flame detectors, and radios. The list is long. Really long. Take a peek.

The above video was created by some of NASA's summer interns. NASA has a great intern program, ranging from Engineering internships to Office Support internships. Seriously!

You might want to reconsider those Math and Physics classes. Lots of potential careers at NASA for those who major in Aeronautical or Mechanical Engineering.

Check out the World's Best Universities for Mechanical Engineering or Aeronautical Engineering. 

If these float your boat but you want more than just your high school curriculum, do a Google search of online physics courses and also check out your local junior college. Many high schools allow you to take college classes and use those credits towards your graduation requirements. They might even allow credits from online courses!

Your career path. Your choices. Own them.

Following an Unknown Path

I was looking around LinkedIn which is a tool I use in my recruiting work. I find people very interesting so, naturally, if I find someone interesting, I read about them. Sometimes that can be a total timesink......but I still do it ;-)  Nicole Griffin has traveled an unusual road from high school to her current career.

Why do I find her so interesting?  Because she has truly embraced following an unknown career path and made some unique choices along the way. I found Nicole so interesting that I contacted her and asked if she could spare some time chatting with me about those choices and how she got where she is now. She graciously agreed!

Nicole attended a private high school in Northern California. She got good grades. Took AP classes. Had a 3.85 GPA when she graduated. 

I wanted to know if there was a teacher or counselor who had a huge influence on her. Yes, she had some really good teachers but her opinion of her school counselor surprised me and, yet, it didn't. It surprised me because private schools are actually willing to pay for counselors who work with students to help them get into college. Every school wants to show that a high percentage of their students go on to college, especially private high schools. What didn't surprise me was that Nicole felt her counselor was ineffective. Her word. Not mine. 

She felt that no one gave her the opportunity to choose whether or not to go to college. The counselor was there to focus/guide her on the path to college. Looking back on it, Nicole thinks that there are a lot of teens who aren't mature enough right out of high school, to go to college right away. She likes the idea of taking a year off to travel or work; to get your bearings and take a breather from 12 years of school.

She started out attending UC Irvine but decided it wasn't the right fit. This led her to take a semester at a community college to figure out what she wanted to do. She eventually ended up going to UCLA where she took an Art History class which lead her to an Islamic Art History class which then lead her to study abroad in Turkey for a year. She studied Arabic in Morocco, Jordan, and Lebanon and is currently taking Turkish classes at night after work.

Nicole has done several internships, drawing upon her knowledge of the art world and now applying it to business. She is in an MBA program and is working as a paid intern at 2 companies. While she's doing her internships, she is networking. Every person she comes into contact with is a potential referral, champion or mentor for her next step in the business world.

I will venture a guess that when Nicole started her college career in Art History, she wasn't planning on getting into international business. But she followed her interests, which lead her to where she is today. There are many things that impress me about this young woman but what impresses me most is that she is open to investigating new pathways and seeing where they will lead. Fearless!!

Do Not Fear Yourself

I was watching Akeelah and the Bee with my granddaughter this weekend and heard this quote by  Marianne Williamson. 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"

Good words to live by!

 

Math - The Universal Language

Math is the only language that is shared by all human beings. Some would even say that it is a shared language with non humans as well ;-)

We all have the ability to be literate in this one language. Whether we are baking cookies or discovering the world of DNA, math provides us with the tools to unlock our universe.

If I were to list all the jobs that use Math....well, let's just say that I would be doing nothing else except listing jobs.

Sports? Math is used in sports in numerous ways. The first thing you probably think of is as a statistician.

A player's batting average (B) gives the percentage of hits the player makes when he is at bat. It is found by dividing the total number of hits made (h) by the total times at bat (a):

B = h/a

So if Joe has 120 hits in the 300 times he is at bat, his batting average is .400 (120/300).

 The Police  use Math. They do accident reconstruction. I'm sure you've seen either a police officer or highway patrol officer out on the street after an accident and they're taking measurements. They reconstruct the accident to determine what happened and, eventually, who was at fault.

Designers use Math in their design process. This guy designs backpacks, but whether you are designing cars, slaughter houses, computers or video games, you always use Math.

Radio Engineers and Program Directors need to figure out each and every day, how much time they need to fill for their programs. Think about it -- XYZ DJ has a 3 hour slot to fill. How do you fill it? How long is each song? How many commercials and how long do they run? How much talking time? I was amazed at how precise radio schedules need to be and how much Math is needed to figure out just a 3 hour slot!

If you want to find out more about different careers that require Math, check out this site. I like that they break down the different levels of math needed for certain jobs. Clicking on the individual links, takes you to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) site, which I use a lot!

 

Coder Girl

Computer Science tends to be male centric. I wish there were more women programmers. Maybe this might inspire some young women to look into Computer Science as a college major.

Get Ahead and Learn on Your Own

When I started to write this post about online learning, my thinking was that college isn't for everyone. And it's not. But as a recruiter in Silicon Valley, I can tell you that in order to get a job in high tech or to get ahead in a business career, you will, indeed, need a college education. The more prestigious the college, the more likely you are to snare the right job. But again, college, especially the brick and mortar kind, aren't for everyone.

So where does online education come into play? Well, first of all it can give you a boost up in your current job. Secondly it can provide you with extra knowledge about an area of interest. And lastly, it can supplement your past education. Don't rule it out.

Online education is going nowhere but UP! Even Bill Gates is a strong proponent of online learning. The Khan Academy  is a not-for-profit educational organization whose mission is to"provide a high quality education to anyone, anywhere". They supply a free online collection of over 2,000 videos on mathematics, history, finance, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and economics. I think this site is great for high school students.

But there are other online courses you can take as well. The University of Washington has online classes for Arts, Biotechnology, Health & Medicine, Law and a host of other majors. Or check out Carnegie Mellon University's Open Learning Initiative and take a Statistics or Biology class.

Penn State University offers a free Swedish class or a Hungarian Language course.

The University of Washington School of Medicine offers free CPR classes online, complete with video and instructional guides.

If you want to learn about dentistry, medicine, nutrition, and more, check out Tufts University.

There are a lot of syllabi from college classes that can be found on the web. Just do a Google search using this formula:  site:.edu math course syllabus. Replace math with whatever subject area you're interested in. For instance, if you want to find a syllabus for an art history class, just Google this: site:.edu "art history" course syllabus. Or you can find lectures, tutorials, notes, and even online books.

You can use these online resources to enhance your existing education or maybe just to satisfy your curiosity in a particular subject. Never stop learning. Ever.

CSI Here I Come!

My daughter hired a nanny for the grandkids this past summer. She comes home from college for the summer. During the school year the nanny is a student at the University of New Haven .

I started quizzing her about her major and what kind of career she was interested in. She said she was a die hard fan of the show CSI . For as long as she can remember, she has wanted to be a forensic scientist. This pdf www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/art01.pdf , put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistic, gives you a good idea of what is involved in forensic lab work. Pretty interesting stuff!

Since I had no background in forensic science, I thought it wise to check out the class descriptions from the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Here are a couple of classes (just to give you an idea):

• Forensic Microscopy
• Fingerprints
• Forensic Pathology
• Criminalistics
• Capillary Electophoresis

The last one I think is like a DNA sequencing method.....but don't quote me on that.

I am in no way a science geek but I like solving mysteries. And it sounds to me like that's exactly what forensic scientists do. So if you enjoy solving mysteries and think you might actually enjoy Biology, then by all means, check out related jobs -- just do a Google search on forensic science and you'll have more reading than you ever thought possible. And also check out the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Those high school Biology classes might start looking pretty interesting ;-)

Real Life Game Designer

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing a guy who designs video games. How cool is that?!!

We ended up talking about how he got into game design and what advice he had for high school students as they were figuring out what they wanted to do in their life.

Simon  went to an alternative high school, so he had many opportunities to explore his passions. And for some people, this might not work. Some people need more structure. In this less structured environment, Simon took a lot of different classes that interested him. Just because. He had (and still has) the mindset that you never know where something will lead you. I call that fearless.

Simon went off to college. He majored in Physics and Philosophy. Go figure! While in college, he went to a career fair. There he met a guy who designed games.He thought it was pretty cool and decided he wanted to design games! So off he went. And learned how to design games.

As a recruiter I do a lot of research on potential candidates. Researching Simon, I went to his blog and read about a game that he had recently discovered. He liked the aesthetics of the game. It's called Ponycorns . It only takes a few minutes to play and, though I don't play video games, I had a blast playing it!

So what sage advice does Simon give high school students? One word.WRITE. Write a lot!

Simon is now working on a new game. He's building a business around this game. Check out his blog  and see how it's doing!

Oh, and if game design interests you, check out USC School of Cinematics Arts  or University of California Santa Cruz . GamePro  also did an article back in 2010 about the 8 highest ranked colleges for game design. I suggest you also read the comments because there's a lot of good info in there as well.

Working for the Dept of State

A friend of mine works for the DOS or better known as The Department of State. They even have a Facebook page .

Or you can go to their site  to learn about what they do, the jobs that are available, both domestically and internationally or just sign up to follow them on Facebook or Twitter!

If you want to check out all the jobs that are available with the US Government, go here .

This will give you an idea of what kinds of jobs are available with the government. If you like to travel (or think you might like it), then check out the foreign jobs. And once again, I can't stress enough the importance of learning a second language. It will open so many more doors for you. In fact, with all that is going on in the Middle East, you would be flooded with job offers if you fluently spoke and read Arabic. Think about it!

Education - The Great Cross Trainer

Every once in awhile I come across quotes that say exactly what I'm thinking. I came across one today.

We should think of education as a kind of intellectual cross-training that leads to many more things than at any one moment you could possibly know would be useful. The most powerful education generates further curiosity, new needs, experiences to meet those needs, more curiosity and so on.

Education isn’t just an object that you use to get started in a career; education is a catalytic resource that continues to energize and shape your life. Education enhances your ability to develop new skills and capacities for connectivity that allow you to solve problems and seize opportunities.

Who Do U Want To Be?

I came across this interesting website today while checking out the webpage of a media teacher at a local high school. Who Do You Want To Be? . It's much more entertaining than the other assessment sites I've found and it actually came up with areas of career interest for me that made sense! Though it is definitely not as indepth as the other sites, it's worth a few minutes of your time.

Stanford School of Medicine Residential Program

It's that time of year again!

The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program has a Summer Residential Program (SRP ) that is an annual science- and medicine-based enrichment program open to low-income and ethnically disadvantaged high school sophomores and juniors who live in northern and central California.

They only receive applications from the following California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, and Yolo.

Information about the program is sent to all high schools in these 21 counties. Check with your school counselor or school Career Center for an application.

This is an AWESOME opportunity for any sophomore or junior who is interested in a possible career in medicine to get up close and personal in a real-world medical setting.

You must submit your application  no later than February 15th........so there's no time to lose!

One of the cool things about their website is their Health Careers Profile  page. Click on any of the profiles and you're taken to a page which has information about what the job entails, what a typical workday is, and also some related links and other information you might find interesting. It took me well over an hour to go through all the profiles.

Do you know what a Biophotographer  is?

Learn something new everyday!!

Letter To Self

First of all.....HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2011 is an awesome year for everyone.

Secondly, I came across this very cool website called FutureMe.org  where you can send a letter to yourself which you will get in the future. The letter will arrive in your inbox at a date that you specify. So you can have your letter delivered in 1 or 5 or 20 years from now! I think this is a great way to remind yourself how you were feeling at the time, what your goals were and whether you are on the same path. And use it to remind yourself of what’s important to you.