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Changing the Future Workforce

May 26th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Careers | Education | IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (0 Comments)

This morning, I attended the Power Breakfast Series, a networking and panel discussion put on by the folks at SC Biz News. Today’s panel topic was on “Working Through the Recession,” and featured BB&T President Michael Brennan, Michelin’s Executive VP of Personnel and Chief Human Resources Officer Wayne Culbertson and VC3’s CEO David Dunn. The panel weighed in on how their businesses have ridden the wave of the recession, dealing with the financial downfalls and the possibilities of employee layoffs. 

The conversation was very open and insightful, discussing the value of employees, how layoffs were avoided and taking the brave step to reinvest in their talent. David, a good friend of IT-oLogy, talked about taking advantage of the times and relocating his space to 1301 Gervais Street, assessing customer needs and rolling out new products and services as a way to retain his employees. Michelin made the decision to cut back plant hours for a few months to save 700-900 jobs across the nation. BB&T was able to weather most of the storm by keeping their employees and investing in their renowned Leadership Development program for recent graduates.

The conversation turned to economic development and education in South Carolina, a hot topic these days. There was one comment from Michael Brennan that struck me immediately. He said, “We have all the ingredients in South Carolina to be a lot better than we are.”

He’s right. We do have the ingredients. We have talented individuals who want to and are contributing to society. We have manufacturers, corporations and businesses bringing economic development and dollars to the state of South Carolina. We have over 100 colleges, universities, technical colleges and professional institutions, all providing avenues for higher education. We have tourism bringing millions of people to SC each year to enjoy our beaches, historic towns, Capitol city, renowned zoos and gorgeous Upstate areas. We have emerging entrepreneurs and businesses, as well as those already established and seasoned.

So where do we (in a large, unified SC sense) go from here? How do we take South Carolina to the next level?

Here’s how IT-oLogy is working to make these changes. It starts with our youth. Our education system needs innovation and change. We need to energize and excite our children when it comes to learning. We need to prepare them for a career, whether it be one right out of high school or after graduating from med school. Youth need to know their options.  IT-oLogy is working with K-12 students, parents and educators to make sure they are informed about the IT profession, and providing students with real world experiences to broaden their understanding of IT.

We need to make sure our colleges and universities are providing curriculum and experiences that prepare graduates to meet industry needs. Curriculum needs to match up with the changes that take place in our global economy. Students need opportunities to gain experience so they have more than a diploma. IT-oLogy is working with colleges and university professors to shape the curriculum to keep up with changes in the industry. We are connecting educators and industry executives to identify needs and shortfalls. IT-oLogy is also connecting college students with internships through the Next Generation IT Internship Program.

Learning does not stop with college graduation. Professionals need to continue educating themselves on the newest trends, especially in the IT field. Businesses need to identify ways to collaborate to reduce the costs of training programs. IT-oLogy is making these things happen by hosting conferences and workshops, such as POSSCON and the Cyber Summit, to keep professionals updated on the latest trends and hot topics. We are also connecting similar companies within industries to join together to provide professional development opportunities and entry-level training programs to reduce costs, while maintaining a fresh and innovative team.

IT-oLogy is changing the future of the workforce not only in South Carolina, but beyond. Change is necessary to take South Carolina to the next level. We’re here to make that change, but we can’t do it alone. We need individuals, businesses, academia and economic development organizations to realize that change needs to start young, and that now is the time to start to make change happen across the board – not just when it comes to information technology.

IT-oLogy is making the change. Are you?

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Folks Who Make IT Happen

May 24th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education - (0 Comments)

A really great thing happened today at IT-oLogy. We were happy to host a group with New Carolina, and Lonnie had the opportunity to speak to this group of men and women about IT-oLogy. What we’re doing as a collaboration of partners is extraordinary, and every time we share our successes and vision, we bring more folks on board. Lonnie spoke about our inititatives and ways to get involved on all levels – the K-12 level, the higher ed level and the professional level.

One person in particular jumped on board quickly when Lonnie mentioned the Summer IT Camp that kicks off in June. This camp is for middle school students across the Midlands to experience IT in a hands-on learning environment, while also participating in leadership development, team building and other opportunities. This camp is open to students, regardless of their ability to pay for it. What struck me was how quickly one such gentleman raised his hand and volunteered scholarship money.

Scholarships are giving students the opportunity to participate in the Summer IT Camp for anywhere from one to five sessions. Each session costs $300; it is people like this gentleman that are making the camp accessible to so many students! Are you interested in sponsoring a child to attend the Summer IT Camp? Give me a call at 803.354.5735!

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Make IT Happen

May 23rd, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined - (0 Comments)

These high school students, with the help of IT-oLogy, Lenovo and USC Upstate, made IT happen! Check out the video from this year’s Make IT Happen Camp!

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What would you consider an IT success story?

May 18th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in World of IT - (0 Comments)

IT-oLogy is about the people behind the information technology – the people that make it happen. We are on a mission to spread the success stories about the individuals and the teams that make IT happen every day. We want to hear from students, interns, educators, parents and professionals. We want to know about the a-ha moments, the cool jobs, the new apps. We want to know what makes IT cool, why you like IT and what drew you to IT.

What makes you an IT success story?

Email me at powers.strickland@it-ology.org!

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InnoVenture Southeast 2011: IT-oLogy and Aibo

May 16th, 2011 | Posted by Bobby Rettew in IT-oLogy Defined - (0 Comments)

Did you ever think that a little dog could be a mere focal point of such a high powered conference like InnoVenture Southeast 2011. Well, after the second day…we had more people coming by our booth to visit Aibo than expected. Meet Aibo…if you look above, he was well visited and well liked!

Now, we did lead many great discussions about the Future of IT and the Talent Pipeline necessary to support this initiative. Lonnie was the opening speaker on the first day. He introduced many cool speakers from the Governors School for Mathematics and Sciences to a cool new company called Kin Valley creating a new online, social network for families. These presentations led to a wonderful round table discussion between all the speakers, focused on the Future of IT and leveraging each other’s resources. That is what InnoVenture is all about, bring innovative thinking together so that “Sparks Will Fly.” You can learn more about InnoVenture Southeast at InnoventureSoutheast.com.

The more innovative conversation that was taking place, the more people that visited our booth…and litte Aibo was stealing the show. This little pup is more than just a robot, he was almost real. People could come and get him to play with a ball, pet the back of his neck, and watch him walk around. Aibo even took a little snooze. Here is the thing about little Aibo…he represents the future of IT. He is fully programable, set with emotions and actions. He is actually owned by the University of South Carolina and is a bit pricy.

Here is a little video of Aibo walking around at InnoVenture Southeast 2011.

Let’s just say we had a great day meeting so many innovative folks at InnoVenture Southeast 2011. Here are the pictures from the event, so feel free to look through our Flickr Slideshow. Also…Check out our Facebook Page with all the great conversations from the day.

Also…here is another post that I wrote about InnoVenture Southeast 2011…Sparks Will Fly!

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IT-oLogy in Action

May 10th, 2011 | Posted by Bobby Rettew in Careers - (0 Comments)

Above is a video detailing a collaborative program, bringing students and professionals together to help a non-profit here in South Carolina. This program is bringing exposure for career fields in IT to high school students here in South Carolina.

Yes…we are in Action! We are building partnerships and hoping to leverage those partnerships to build bigger and brighter communities. A few months ago, we started a project that brought students from Lexington High School, IT Professionals and educators to work collaboratively on a project.

The Columbia Museum of Art was in need of an exhibition website. Five Lexington High students were in need of real world IT experience. IT-oLogy had the answer.

The five students were paired with five IT professionals to create the website from beginning to end for the major exhibition, Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present.

“Students are playing the role of real IT professionals with the guidance of their mentors in real world experiences to produce a real result for the Museum,” Lonnie Emard, IT-oLogy Executive Director, said. “It is a win for everyone involved.”

But there is a bigger goal here…”To build a computationally savvy cadre of students from South Carolina schools by implementing a version of the Exploring Computer Science and/or AP Principles course. Our special focus will be on team projects, mentored by industry professionals, in which students will experientially learning the crucial roles of teamwork, comprehending client needs, managing complexity and the translation of human intention into software artifacts.”

What does this mean? Taking this program across the State of South Carolina…to build bigger initiatives. This was a pilot program to demonstrate in a grant proposal to fund more opportunities for collaborative teaching, raising awareness for the world of IT.

“Our focus will be on software to assist non-profit organizations in the Midlands region of South Carolina. This will build on the established principles that many students are more engaged in their work when they see the benefit that comes from it, and that many students do not understand that computing careers exist “beyond programming” in requirements specification and analysis, quality control, project management, and related areas within a team.”

“This project gave me great insight to what actually happens in real world situations and consequently made me more interested in this field of work,” student Web Designer Jenny Clark said.

Check out the Who Shot Rock & Roll exhibition site at www.columbiamuseum.org/exhibitions/whoshotrock.

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IT-oLogy Recognized as Business Partner of the Year by Irmo High School

May 5th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined - (0 Comments)

IT-oLogy has been named the Business Partner of the Year by Irmo High School for 2011.

USC Professor Bob Brookshire, an IT-oLogy board member and volunteer, accepted the 2011 Business Partner of the Year award from Carolyn Diaz, Chair of Business and Technology Education at Irmo High School. This award was given to IT-oLogy because of the assistance and guidance from Dr. Brookshire, Lonnie Emard and the organization on the advisory council and with field trips and computer camps. IT-oLogy was nominated for the award by Irmo High School, and was recognized by the Lexington Five School District.

Carolyn Diaz wrote the following for the nomination:

“Lonnie Emard is the Executive Director of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management.  He, along with Bob Brookshire as the Associate Director for Outreach, have gone above and beyond to work with us to get students more involved in computer science.  The Consortium has opened IT-ology at 1301 Gervais Street.  IT-ology is bringing a bigger focus to Columbia, SC about information technology.  This organization has helped our department focus our efforts to better understand the demands of business today.  IT-ology has provided field trip opportunities for our FBLA students.  Both Lonnie and Bob serve on our CATE Business, Marketing, and Information Technology Advisory Council.  Both have come to speak with our faculty about information technology as a career and how to better prepare students.  They have volunteered as guest speakers.  We have been invited to attend conferences at reduced rates (free for students).  They are currently inviting students to participate in camps both as campers and as student interns.  I know that I can pick up the phone and ask them for almost anything and they are always available to assist.”

We are thrilled to be recognized as the Business Partner of the Year. Our partnership with the Lexington Five School District is a perfect example of IT-oLogy at work!

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Resume Tips

May 5th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Careers | Education - (0 Comments)

As the Campus Relations Manager for IT-oLogy, it is my job to visit different colleges and universities and talk with students about careers in the IT profession. I find that many times students are completely clueless on what employers are looking for in their resume. Let’s face it, if all an employer see’s is your resume, it should be quite impressive, right? RIGHT! Let’s say you make it to the interview – what next? Hopefully this post will help you with misconceptions and concerns regarding resume writing and interviewing tips.

Writing your resume – 5 simple rules

Your resume is a direct reflection of you and no one else. Make sure you treat it this way.

  • 1-TEMPLATES: If you decide to use a template, make sure to individualize it some.  Recruiters see thousands (literally thousands) of resumes so you need to make yours stands out! So, how do you do this? For an ideal resume, create your own template but keep it simple.
  • 2-FONT:Chose fonts such as Calibri, Times New Roman, Book Antigua or Arial. These fonts are all professional and appeal to mostly everyone. FONT SIZES: Your name should always be the highlight of your resume.  18 MAX for your name and 10-12 for your contact information.
  • 3-WORD PLACEMENT:

Name

Address, Phone Number, Email Address (make sure your email address is professional. EX. john.smith@aol.com DO NOT use emails such as cutiepie22@aol.com. Also, the number listed on your resume should be YOUR number and no one else’s.  If you have to use someone else’s phone number make sure that person knows you are looking for a job. It is very aggravating for a recruiter to call and speak with someone and the person either hang up the phone or say “WE DON’T WANT ANY!” This will NOT get you your dream job!

Objective OR Skills (Objective: Should be a brief explanation of what type of job you are looking for. Skills is a good way to showcase a summary of your experience. Bullet point areas where you’ve had significant experience. EX. Publisher, Dreamweaver, Drupal. Also, experience doesn’t include JUST work history. If you’ve had a significant class list it as well! EX. Mainframe 101)

Education (Start with the Highest Education Level.  List the full name of the institution, desired/completed degree, graduation/expected graduation date. You can list current GPA only if it exceeds a 3.0.)

Experience (Using the word “Experience” vs. “Work History” or “Work Experience” allows those that don’t have actual work experience to list activities and organizations. Start with the most recent experience.  List the full name of the company and the month/year you were employed. Underneath each, have bullet points of your responsibilities/duties.  These can either be full sentences or word groupings. Do NOT use both. Make sure your verbiage is either past tense or present depending on the time frame of the bullet point.)

Activities/Honors (If you had work history to list in the above bullet point, this is where you would list any other affiliations you may have. EX. President Honor Society. Just as you did with Experience, list bullet points for each activity to show several details of what you did/do for the club/organization. List any honors you have earned. EX. Life Scholarship Recipient 2009-2011.)

References (Simply write “Available upon request” You do NOT want to go ahead and list your references.  Most companies will let you know they need this information during a phone screen. At this time you can let your references know  Company “A” may be contacting them.  This gives your references a head’s up, which they will appreciate.)

  • 4-PERSONAL INFORMATION: Do NOT list any personal information on your resume.  This includes age, marital status, etc. Your resume should be professional and ONLY include items that showcase your professional/educational experience, NOT your personal history.
  • 5-REVIEW:Make sure to do spell check! A mispelled word can automatically eliminate you from consideration! Also, have a peer review your final work. Another opinion is exactly what you need to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

In conclusion, make sure you spend time on your resume! Just like anything else, if you take five minutes creating the resume…it will look like a five minute resume.  Your resume is a collection of everything you’ve accomplished and you should take the time to showcase that! As always, if you’re looking for more information visit the internet. Simply google “Resume tips” or “Resume Examples” and you will come across tons of other advice.  Feel free to email me with additional questions at, lindsey.stork@it-ology.org

So you have the perfect resume…Now what? Come back next week for interview tips!

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The Royal Wedding

May 3rd, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in World of IT - (0 Comments)

The world is aflutter with news of the Royal Wedding that took place today. Wondering who received an invitation and who will be there has been the talk of the town for weeks. While I did not rise at 5 a.m. with most of the East coast, I have managed to move my office into the MegaByte Lounge for the morning to view the Royal Wedding replays on BBC (I mean, what better way to watch than with the Brits themselves, right?). Of course I had to find a way to incorporate it into the IT-oLogy blog. So, you ask, how does this relate to IT?

I read that on Twitter alone, Royal Wedding tweets were going out at 13,000 per minute. Seriously. 13,000 per minute. If the Royal Wedding lasted an hour, then that is 780,000 tweets. That’s a lot of tweeting. I read many of these tweets today and realized that I had “watched” the wedding, without even tuning into a television station. When logging into Twitter, I noticed that seven out of ten “Trends” were related to the Royal Wedding – at 11:32 a.m. At 6 a.m., all ten were related to the Royal affair. Wow!

Visit any website that remotely relates to news, and you will see the Royal Kiss, the Royal Processional, the Queen, comments about Kate’s gorgeous Alexander McQueen gown, and much more. Listen to the radio and you will hear the hosts giving their opinions on the Queen’s yellow suit or Camilla’s rather large hat. I googled “The Royal Wedding” and was given no less than 56,500,000 websites to choose from for information and 19,500,000 images. Google even changed their logo to a cartoon dream of what they think the Royal Wedding would look like. Check out Google Maps and you’ll see the street view man has been changed to include a bride and groom.

I also discovered during my research that for all of my friends out there with an IPhone or IPad, Royal Wedding apps are available for download. These range from countdowns to photographs to commemorative pieces.

Isn’t technology and the way we communicate amazing? We haven’t even talked about Facebook, blogging and other forms of social media and technology. (For a great article summing that up, check out Mashable’s “Royal Wedding Sweeps Trending Topics on Twitter, Facebook and Google” http://mashable.com/2011/04/29/royal-wedding-trending/)

Whew. Basically, technology is everywhere. IT-oLogy may not have received an official invitation from Kate and William, but we were there. IT-oLogy is more than this building, more than our initiatives, more than our work in the Southeast. IT-oLogy is a world-wide advancement of IT talent.

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What is IT-oLogy? What We Are Not…

May 3rd, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in IT-oLogy Defined - (0 Comments)

IT-oLogy. The buzz is around Columbia, South Carolina, and growing quickly around the Southeast. The greens and blues of the smiling logo can be seen driving down Gervais Street. Maybe you’ve heard of us. Maybe you haven’t.

I have to laugh at all the different ideas, visions and assumptions people have about IT-oLogy. I’ve heard our name pronounced many different ways (and spelled many ways too). First and foremost, we are not “It” ology. We are pronounced “I-T-ology.” Let’s all say it together now – I promise you won’t look stupid talking to your computer!

“I-T-ology!”

Okay, now we have that down. So, what exactly is IT-oLogy? Let’s first talk about what we’re not.

“How do I sign up?” is a question we get often, whether it is someone stopping in our really cool new space on Gervais Street (stop by and see us!), or someone talking to me at POSSCON. Sign up for what? Many folks think we are a technology school. We’re not.

“I’m an IT professional who needs a job. Are you hiring?”

This is a hard one. Yes, we would love to hire every IT professional out there, but here’s something you probably don’t know – we don’t actually hire people. IT-oLogy is not a recruiting agency.

We’re not a computer store. We’re not a technology school. We’re not a recruiting agency. We don’t create software. We don’t train people.

We’re more than this. Over the next few months, I look forward to sharing with you what IT-oLogy is – from our mission and vision, to our projects and plans, to our partners. Stay tuned!

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