As the semester is getting to the end, the time for me and SCANA Corporation to go our separate ways is also coming close. I will be deeply sad on my last day of employment at SCANA, but right now, I just have to not think about it and try to make the best of it.

This week is a slow week, with not a lot of jobs for the Workstation Support Department. I have been imaging some old machines occasionally and wiping old computers twice a week. According to my supervisor, the last day of my Co-Op at SCANA Corporation will be May 10, which is the day before my graduation. My co-worker Michael Taylor also told me that SCANA is about to bring summer students in for a new batch of Co-Op employment. I even helped set up a new workstation for the summer Co-Op students. Thinking about my time at SCANA, I have really learned a lot new IT skills, and I hope I can use them during my future career.

Advantec Global Services, Inc. is currently in search of a hard working, energetic, customer friendly Outside Sales Representative to join their sales team. We are looking for people with drive, energy, intelligence and the motivation to work hard and make money.  If you have these skills, we WILL train you!  Additional qualifications for a successful Outside Sales Representative are:

The Outside Sales Representative will be responsible for the following

• Sell solutions-based products in security, virtualization, and mobility
• Attend and participate in sales meetings
•  Learn and use a consultative sales process
•  Perform cold calls to potential clients

The ideal candidate for this position will have the following skill set:

• Excellent customer service, negotiation and communication skills
• A personable and professional demeanor
• Ability to utilize a tablet-like PC as a sales and measuring tool
• Basic understanding of Microsoft Office applications and sales tools
• Customer-focused sales approach
• Willingness to cold call and learn a consultative sales approach
• Technology knowledge/background is strongly desired

Advantec Global Services Inc was created in 1994 to provide technical solutions for business needs throughout the Southeast US.  Advantec now provides world class information solutions on a global scale. Our beliefs in honesty and integrity make us stand out from other companies. Our client base covers small legal firms to large multi-national financial, retail, manufacturing, and healthcare organizations.

If you are looking for an Outside Sales Representative opportunity where you can be successful with uncapped earning potential, qualified leads, and a supportive sales and customer service team, then Advantec Global Services, Inc. is the place for you! Join our team today!

Apply online at the IT Gateway by visiting www.it-ology.org/jobs.

AT&T, Columbia, SC

The Information Technology Summer Internship Program is a strategic program that enables participants to combine their coursework experience with the skills and real world experience needed to broaden their knowledge across the IT application development spectrum.

Through our student internships, you’ll benefit from the combination of classroom theory and real world experience.  You will receive on-the-job training where interns can work with project teams.

Our internships will give you hands-on experience and valuable knowledge that will last you a lifetime. You’ll make valuable contacts and get the inside view of telecommunications from the industry leader.

Mentors are assigned to each intern, one for project and one for additional skills development.

This program is an 8-12 week program and curriculum may include one or many of the following subjects:

• Java
• J2EE
• Oracle
• C/C++/Unix
• HTML
• XML
• Project Management
• Requirements
• Strong Team Building Skills
• Finance
• Leadership Skills

Required Qualifications:

• Working towards BS or BA degree in Computer Science, MIS or related technical field
• Good communication, self-motivation and teamwork skills are a must
• Open to US Citizenship or Permanent Residents

AT&T is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to hiring a diverse and talented workforce.  EOE/AA/M/F/D/V

Apply online at the IT Gateway by visiting www.it-ology.org/internships.

ACS Technologies is a leader in providing outstanding technology solutions, backed by superior sales and service. With over 50,000 clients in the United States, Canada, and Europe, ACS Technologies enables churches, schools, and organizations to manage events, finances, donor relationships, staff, reporting, websites, growth strategies, and so much more. ACST is looking for a Software Developer responsible for coding, testing, debugging, and documenting desktop and browser-based programs. Our developers work in a fast-paced environment, employing agile development processes that allow for quick-to-market solutions. Our development teams are relatively small and each successful team member is empowered to make a significant impact on the delivered solutions.

We offer employees a competitive salary and robust benefits plan. Our benefits include among others, Medical and Dental plans, generous paid time off, a 401K program, and Short Term Disability and Long Term Disability plans.

What you’ll do:

• Leads in development, testing, debugging, and documentation of software applications across various platforms within an agile development team.

• Accountable for maintaining approved development standards and quality within his/her agile team and contributing to these across all teams.

• Responsible for independently resolving issues, providing technical leadership on projects, mentoring other developers, contributing to the developer community, and providing technical expertise to non-developers.

What we’re looking for:

• Expert knowledge of Delphi for Windows, SQL, Visual Basic, C#, or equivalent programming language.

• Must possess a strong body of technical and/or application knowledge. Is knowledgeable in the technical underpinnings of at least one web-based application.

• Proven technical skills and the ability to communicate complex ideas to diverse individuals.

• Complex problem-solving both independently and collaboratively.

Education and Experience:

• BA/BS in Computer Science and 3-4 years of software development experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Apply online at the IT Gateway by visiting www.it-ology.org/jobs.

Columbia will be one of dozens of cities across the nation participating in the first ever National Day of Civic Hacking, June 1-2, 2013. Yes, that’s two days, not one. Most of the events will be occurring Saturday, June 1, and will run the gamut from pure fun to pure coding (“hacking”). There will be classes at Richland Library and a design competition at the Columbia Museum of Art. At IT-oLogy, coders will continue working overnight in a Hackathon. The computer applications they produce will be unveiled Sunday afternoon. Sponsors include: IT-oLogy, Richland Library, Columbia Museum of Art, EdVenture Children’s Museum, City of Columbia, Richland County, Innovista, University of South Carolina, SC.gov, EngenuitySC, CETi, Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR), Voterheads, and DP Professionals.

Why participate? “Public information” is often the most difficult data to use, although it includes things we want, need, and have a right to know. Learn what what’s available, and how to unlock it. Hang out with others who want to share information to improve our communities.  If you’re up to a challenge, you might actually do something to help in just 24 hours. There will be food, drinks and music. And, to make it another hot weekend in Columbia, we’ll be collaborating with the folks at EdVenture Children’s Museum, which is hosting the Columbia Mini Maker Faire June 1.

Data miners, fact hunters and activists (Richland Library). No technical skills required! Join us for sessions throughout the day. We’ll have beginner classes for Web design, and we’ll show you how to use information that’s already online so you can do things like compare your property taxes or pinpoint hot spots for crimes in your neighborhood.

Designers and dreamers (Columbia Museum of Art). Sessions will be open to all who care about designing the ways people can find and use information.

Makers (EdVenture Children’s Museum). Featuring both established and emerging local “makers,” the Columbia Mini Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration featuring rockets and robots, DIY science, technology and educational workshops. Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists and students. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show and share what they make and what they have learned.

Hackathon for Hackers (IT-oLogy). Immerse yourself for 24 hours in a coding project that can help others in Columbia solve problems or better their lives. You’ll be teaming up with others who design in your language. You can join one of the teams on a project that the organizers have launched, or you can assemble your own team for your own project. Projects envisioned by the organizers tentatively include building better tools for searching the collection at the Columbia Museum of Art.

Breaking the code around ‘civic hacking’

How “national” is the National Day of Civic Hacking? As of mid-April there were about 80 cities in 32 states participating. Also on board were more than a dozen federal government agencies from the National Archives to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Why is the event is called a “Day” when you say it spans June 1-2? Good question. We’re not sure, but in Columbia most of the activities occur Saturday, June 1. An overnight Hackathon at IT-oLogy will end 1 p.m. Sunday, when the teams’ results are announced.

What’s the “civic” about? We’re concentrating on information that is available to the public through government agencies to solve problems relevant to our communities.

Why will you be celebrating “hacking” — and should I be concerned? We’re glad you asked that question. Many people think of “hacking” as something bad — from mischief to a crime — done by people who know how to use computers and computer languages. But some believe its origins lie with the broader, and older meaning of hacking as “to chop or chip away at something.” The idea here is that you are trying to figure out how to solve a problem, as in “hacking towards a solution.” Our event is named after that broader definition: We think hacking should be for the good of the community.

A short history of hacking

As late as the 1976 edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, “hack” and “hacking” were specifically mentioned in relation to an occupation as an informal way of saying someone was working “as a hack, especially as a taxicab driver or a writer.” That edition of American Heritage makes no mention of computers in relation to “hack” or “hacking.” But this was already changing. A milestone for the computer-related meaning of the word arrived with 1984’s publication of Steven Levy’s book, “Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.” Levy said hackers should be guided by these principles:

●             Access to computers—and anything which might teach you something about the way the world   works—should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-on Imperative
●             All information should be free
●             Mistrust authority—promote decentralization.
●             Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race or position.
●             You can create art and beauty on a computer.
●             Computers can change your life for the better.

This type of definition of “hacking” has less to do with the morality of the activity than it does with the values and culture surrounding hacking. If you really want to probe the moral dimensions of hacking, click here and watch some episodes of the PBS cartoon series, Cyberchase.

Here a character called “Motherboard” (or “Mother B.”) rules a world called “cyberspace.” Motherboard is kept working by a technician called “Dr. Marbles.” One day Dr. Marbles creates an assistant called “Hacker,” who turns evil and infects Motherboard’s operating system with a virus. In each episode, Motherboard summons a group of kids to thwart Hacker’s latest attempt to overthrow our wise ruler. While the kids essentially act as “hackers” themselves, the signature line of the show’s best-known character is “That’s THE Hacker to you.”

More information about the South Carolina Day of Civic Hacking can be found at:

Web: http://hackforchange.org/south-carolina-day-civic-hacking-june-1-2-2013
Twitter: www.twitter.com/hackforsc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HackforSC

Event registrations are at:
http://scdoch.eventbrite.com/

More information about the National Day of Civic Hacking can be found at:
http://hackforchange.org/

Name:

Job Title:  VP, IT Application Services

Company:   Family Dollar – Matthews, NC

What does your company do?   Discount Retail – 7600+ stores in 45 states

 Yes, but what do you actually do?  Help ensure that our stores are open and able to ring sales.

 Where did you go to college?   UNC Charlotte

What is your degree in?  Business Administrations

 Did you always want to work in IT?  I never considered IT as a career.  I was recruited at school by a major technology company.

 What is your favorite part of the job?   Working with our people and the variety of challenges we work with – technology, business, change.

Describe the work environment at your company.  Dynamic,  growth-oriented

 What qualities do you need to have to do your job?   Business acumen, relationship oriented, team player, decisive, calm under fire, enjoy problem solving

 What is (in your opinion) the biggest misconception about working in technology/IT?  Importance of soft skills – communication, ability to work with business users and customers as well as team members.

 Any advice for students or professionals going into your field? Start building your people network early in your career process with community support and industry relationships.  Learn to use social media tools effectively and appropriately.

Personal hobbies and/or interests:   “Junking”, Collecting NC Pottery & Folk art

 Name: 

Job Title:  Technology Delivery Executive

Company:  Currently working at Lender Processing Services (LPS).  Prior to LPS, I worked at Bank of America and Accenture

What does your company do?  LPS is a leading provider of mortgage and consumer loan processing services, mortgage settlement services, default solutions and loan performance analytics, as well as solutions for the real estate industry, capital markets investors and government offices.  I work in the Mortgage Origination Technology and Solutions group.

Yes, but what do you actually do?  I manage a portfolio of projects to ensure they are flawlessly executed on time, on budget, on schedule.  I oversee a team of technology project managers who run individual projects. We manage the technology components of the project (development, testing, architecture, etc) and partner with the client and business partners. On a day to day basis I could be doing anything from managing client expectations, delivering status of my portfolio to the organization, troubleshooting a high impact code issue, managing issues that were escalated to me or taking my team out to lunch for a job well done

Where did you go to college? What is your degree in?  The George Washington University.  BA in Computer Science with a minor in Business

Did you always want to work in IT?  I have always been stronger in math/sciences, and I began college on a mathematics major scholarship.  As a gift for getting the scholarship, my parents bought me the coolest laptop on the market.  That began my obsession with electronic gadgets – I would save my allowance to buy the latest and greatest of whatever was hot at the moment.  I didn’t love my math courses, and a friend joked that I should change my major to computer science since I was such a gadget junkie – I took his advice, and I never looked back!

What is your favorite part of the job?  Implementing a project.  To me, nothing is more rewarding than seeing something you have spent months working on and sweating over come to fruition. 

Describe the work environment at your company.  An environment where every employee, regardless of job rank, is expected to contribute and do the right thing

What qualities do you need to have to do your job?  Excellent communication, technology aptitude, leadership, organization and relationship building

What is (in your opinion) the biggest misconception about working in technology/IT?  That everyone in IT is introverted.  I would not be able to be successful at my job without human interaction 

 Any advice for students or professionals going into your field?  Find at least one strong mentor or role model in the IT field and leverage their experiences and advice.  I have been really lucky to find great mentors over my career that have given me guidance on current roles as well as insight into professional development opportunities.

Personal hobbies and/or interests:  Spending time with my husband and dog, traveling, road biking, hiking, and enjoying the Colorado outdoors

Name:

Company:  Time Warner Cable

Job Title: Chief Information Security Officer

What does your company do? Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) is among the largest providers of video, high-speed data and voice services in the United States, connecting more than 15 million customers to entertainment, information and each other. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video and voice services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to wireless carriers and managed and outsourced information technology solutions and cloud services. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions. Time Warner Cable serves customers in the following 29 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Time Warner Cable employs more than 50,000 people.

Our Customers: 15.2 million customer relationships

12.0 million residential video subscribers

10.9 million high-speed data services to residential customers and a growing number of business customers

5.0 million residential Voice subscribers

28.9 million primary service units (the sum of video, high-speed data and voice subscribers for both residential and business services)

What do you actually do as  Chief Information Security Officer? I am the Executive leader of The Enterprise Information Security and IT Compliance organization.  My team’s role is to globally manage IT risks against the program, policy, technology, business and operational aspects of cyber and information security within the organization while effectively utilizing security experts to ensure a secure infrastructure, employee and customer data security.  We have multiple responsibilities.  With a collaborative, business focused direction, the information security team is sought after to be a partner and trusted advisor.  Successfully implemented, a business focused, Security Liaison approach to work on business solutions by not saying “no” to our technology, business and project partners, but by providing secure, risk based decisions—together.   In my first 18 months at Time Warner Cable, we have built a team of 92 full-time security professionals in addition to teams of security contractors (domestic and international); that oversee multiple functions including:  Identity and Access Management, IT Compliance, eDiscovery, Forensics, Risk Management, Cyber Security and Threat Intelligence, Security Operations, Architecture and Governance. 

Where did you go to college? What is your degree in?   I went to the Computer Processing Institute in East Hartford, CT.   Computer Automation Specialist (programmer)

Did you always want to work in IT? I attended the State University of New York  for Hotel and Hospitality management and after a year I decided that I wanted to get into computer programming (it was a hot area in the early 80’s).  So I left and attended the Computer Processing Institute and began focusing on my future.  I started my career off as an executive assistant and excelled to where I am today from dedication, hard work and great mentors – not to mention loving what I do!

What is your favorite part of the job? I love what I do each and every day!  The part I love the most, is watching my team grow and develop into amazing analysts, engineers and leaders.  I am excited to see the teamwork and their ability to build strong collaborative business relationships and maintain peak-performance with exceptionally high morale.  It clearly shows, we are not only doing the right things, but doing the right things – right!

Describe the work environment at your company. Time Warner Cable’s mission is to “Connect people and businesses with information, entertainment and each other.  Give customers control in ways that are simple and easy”.  To align our Mission and ensure we carry it out with passion, TWC created a set of core Values that we want to live by in all of our interactions, both inside and outside of the company.  These are the attributes that define what it means to be a Time Warner Cable employee—attributes we strive to live up to each and every day.   Our Values are; Excellence, Teamwork, Initiative, Innovation, Integrity, Inclusion, Community.  By just observing the actions of the employees, across the entire company, each and every person, live our Mission and Values every day.   

What qualities do you need to have to do your job? A combination of patience, leadership, passion and integrity. I lead by example and I am true to my principles and unwavering in my commitment to do the right thing for the company – and I will not compromise those values.

What is (in your opinion) the biggest misconception about working in technology/IT? The biggest misconception about working in IT is that all we do is IT!  Whether you are an individual contributor or an executive, not all of the positions require technology backgrounds.  Technology is an integral part of our lives and it is important that we have the business and communication skills that in turn will support Technology; it all about business enablement.

Any advice for students or professionals going into your field? In the information security arena, there are many different areas that you can focus on. You can be an expert in keeping systems from being attacked/hacked, risk management, application security, computer forensics, virus expert, policy, compliance and more! What makes it an exciting area to work in is that there are so many opportunities for many different types of skill sets; and they all do not require IT degrees!  If you want to focus on Information Security, Cyber Security or IT Compliance–there are a few areas I want to point out–make sure you study and learn more about the area of security that interests you.  Study doesn’t always mean that it needs to be your major.  Reading security books, blogs and attending conferences area a great way to learn more and will add value.  Another area that may add value is to find someone that does this for a living and shadow them or have them as your mentor. Information Security, Cyber Security and Compliance is an exciting field to work in.  If you like challenges, passionate, working as a team and more importantly are open to working in an ever-changing environment – this is the field for you!

Personal hobbies and/or interests:  I have been married to my husband, John for 25 years.  We have three (3) boys and five (5) grandchildren and one grandchild on the way!   Outside of my security career, I focus on my passion as an executive leadership mentor and coach.  I also write the food/recipe column for Palisades Living Magazine.  I enjoy spending time with my family, golfing, travelling, attending sporting events and I am avid cook.

Company: Vc3 www.vc3.com

Job Title: Director, Service Delivery

What are some of your personal hobbies and/or interests?  CrossFit, Cooking, Photography, Gardening

What does your company do?  We provide a wide range of technology services such as Cloud Services, Consulting, Disaster Recovery, E-Government, Hosting, Unified Communications, Custom Application Development, Web Design, Education Software  to the public and private sector across the Southeast and beyond.

Yes, but what do you actually do?  At a high level, I get paid to learn and have fun. On a day to day basis, I am a Sr. Project Manager and responsible for delivery of our technical projects to our customers.

On a macro level, I pull information from engineers’ brains to create project plans, I schedule engineers and coordinate with our customers’ schedules, I rework project plans and reschedule, I create status reports, I adjust the schedule again and continue to keep us all on the same page, I talk to customers about how we can better service them and I adjust the schedule again accordingly.   J

 Where did you go to college? What is your degree in?  University of SC, Art ,Graphic Design

Did you always want to work in IT?  While in college, I really didn’t think of IT as a job. I had mapped out a career as a Graphic Designer.  I kind of fell into IT at my first “real” job at Renaissance Interactive.  I started building templated websites, then supporting the customers, then training the customers, then managing the customers….  

What is your favorite part of the job?  We are literally always evolving. Technology is ever changing and we are consistently trying to find the right technical solution for our customers.  

Describe the work environment at your company.  Fast paced.   High quality.  Focused.   Customer-centric.  Accountable.  Open environment.   Foosball table.  Flat organization.  Super smart.  Miniature Golf.   Competitive.  Fun.

What qualities do you need to have to do your job?   Humor, patience, solid communication skills, enthusiasm, empathy, accountability, problem-solving, creativity, commitment, intuition, flexibility and versatility, big-picture while also paying attention to the details, be willing to dig the trenches with the team and finally, did I mention that a sense of humor will go a long way during the stressful moments?

What is (in your opinion) the biggest misconception about working in technology/IT? I think there is a perception that everyone in IT is a big nerd who sits alone in a server room with no interaction with others and/or the opportunity to be collaborative or creative.   That’s simply not the case.  (ok, it may be the case for some individuals but certainly not us.)  We are constantly brainstorming, thinking outside the box and working together as a team, as well as with our customers, to provide the best technical solutions for their business needs.

 Any advice for students or professionals going into your field?  Find the company that is the right “fit”.  Be passionate about your job.   Never stop learning.  Have a sense of humor.

Company: Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC www.southcarolinablues.com

Job Title: Java Developer II

Personal hobbies and/or interests: Crafts, such as making cards and cross stitching and cooking

What does your company do? Provide insurance

Yes, but what do you actually do? I am the WCM expert for my team, which is Web Content Management (an application from IBM) that controls the content on a website

Where did you go to college? What is your degree in? I went to Winthrop University and majored in Computer Science with a second discipline in Business

Did you always want to work in IT? No, I started out in Early Childhood Education, but decided I may make better use of my logic skills and less of dealing with parent drama in the IT field

What is your favorite part of the job? I like developing new things, such as websites, but this job is mostly updating existing code rather than developing new code

Describe the work environment at your company. We work hard, but it is easy to make friends here because everyone is friendly and helpful, so it makes the job more enjoyable

What qualities do you need to have to do your job? I would say you would need some logic skills along with organizational skills to be able to debug issues and keep track of your work

Top Skills

• Operation Analysis
• Logic / Critical Thinking
• Complex Problem Solving
• Organization
• Active Listening
• Reading Comprehension

What is (in your opinion) the biggest misconception about working in technology/IT? I think most people think you know everything about computers when you are in IT, but really there are so many specialized fields within IT ranging from web development to networking to workstation support and everything in between

Any advice for students or professionals going into your field? Be willing to always learn new technologies because IT is a constantly changing field and keep your mind open to the ideas of new minds (folks younger than yourself…AKA don’t be stuck in your ways)