Student Exchange 2006
Each year Computer Careers sponsors a student exchange with Carl-Severing-Berufskolleg (CSB) located in Bielefeld, Germany.
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| Herr Wolfgang & Ina Bornemann Technical Writing Instructor |
Michael | Ivana |
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| Sebastian | Nikias | Gunnar |
During October 2006, these five students and their English instructor. Herr Bornemann visited South Central College. They attended classes and did job shadowing at local companies during their four-week visit.
Here is the final report summarizing their visit and here is a copy of this year's itinerary .
You can view the photos taken during their visit here.
Tim Markowiak, one of the German students from the 2005 Exchange, put together a photo gallery showing a collection of the photos from last year.
If you would like to be a host family, contact Peter Johnson. Telephone: 507 317-3572.
Travel to Germany
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Each year, during Spring Break, the Computer Career department sponsors a trip to CeBIT, the world's largest computer show.
This is a great way to get a gobal perspective
on technology.
Here's more information
on this year's trip. Visit the
TechPlus pages
to see photos and Tom Edward's PowerPoint presentations from
the last six years. |
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Jobs
Check out the South Central Internship and Job Listing Page for a current list of internship and job opportunities.
Minnesota Future Work
Minnesota Future Work is an environmental scanning program designed to identify new and emerging occupations, the skills required for such occupations, and the education and training needed to develop such skills. For an archive of additional scans, please visit the Future Work page on ISEEK. http://www.iseek.org/sv/35.jsp
Here's two job scans of today's hottest positions and the qualities needed to succeed in each role.
Information Technology Auditor Information technology. (IT) auditors evaluate an organization's computer systems to ensure the proper safeguards are in place to protect and maintain the integrity of the firm's data. While this position has existed since the mid-1960s, companies that previously employed just a handful of IT auditors are now significantly adding to their ranks, sometimes doubling, tripling or quadrupling current staff levels. Much of this demand is due to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other legislation aimed at improving corporate governance in the wake of major accounting scandals earlier in the decade. Publicly traded firms require the expertise of IT auditors to meet ongoing compliance requirements. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), among other regulations, also are fueling the need for IT auditors.
According to the Robert Half Technology 2006 Salary Guide, IT auditors can expect starting salaries between $67,000 and $94,250, an increase of more than 11 percent over 2005 levels.
IT auditors must have a general understanding of accounting principles and the strategic vision to ensure a firm's IT systems allow the organization to achieve its short- and long-term objectives. Many companies promote from within for this role. Firms who look outside the organization for these professionals usually seek candidates with experience, a knowledge of emerging technologies and issues, and increasingly, certifications such as the certified information systems auditor (CISA) designation.
Search Engine Optimizer Search engine optimizers (SEOs) increase a firm's Web site traffic by improving its search-engine page rankings. This is an especially important task in today's Internet-driven world, where many customers first learn of an organization and its products or services through the Web. Because of a shortage of experts in this relatively new area, many top SEOs receive multiple job offers.
SEOs typically supplement their knowledge of how various search engines operate and determine page rankings with strong marketing skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and program using HTML. Most are self-taught, learning the trade by researching trends, attending conferences and seminars, participating in discussion forums, and experimenting with their own sites. Courses and certifications in this specialty are being offered by an increasing number of organizations; however, consensus on the value of these programs does not yet exist.
-- Minnesota Future Work is supported by MnSCU, Academic and Student Affairs, The Carl D. Perkins Act. Posted August 2006
What's the Job Status out there?
Employment of programmers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2012. Jobs for both systems and applications programmers should be most plentiful in data processing service firms, software houses, and computer consulting businesses. These types of establishments are part of computer systems design and related services and software publishers, which are projected to be among the fastest growing industries in the economy over the 2002-12 period. As organizations attempt to control costs and keep up with changing technology, they will need programmers to assist in conversions to new computer languages and systems. In addition, numerous job openings will result from the need to replace programmers who leave the labor force or transfer to other occupations such as manager or systems analyst.
Employment of programmers, however, is expected to grow much more slowly than that of other computer specialists. With the rapid gains in technology, sophisticated computer software now has the capability to write basic code, eliminating the need for more programmers to do this routine work. The consolidation and centralization of systems and applications, developments in packaged software, advances in programming languages and tools, and the growing ability of users to design, write, and implement more of their own programs means that more of the programming functions can be transferred from programmers to other types of workers. Furthermore, as the level of technological innovation and sophistication increases, programmers are likely to face increasing competition from programming businesses overseas, to which much routine work can be contracted out at a lower cost.
Nevertheless, employers will continue to need programmers who have strong technical skills and who understand an employer’s business and its programming requirements. This means that programmers will have to keep abreast of changing programming languages and techniques. Given the importance of networking and the expansion of client/server, Web-based, and wireless environments, organizations will look for programmers who can support data communications and help to implement electronic commerce and Intranet strategies. Demand for programmers with strong object-oriented programming capabilities and technical specialization in areas such as client/server programming, wireless applications, multimedia technology, and graphic user interface (GUI) should arise from the expansion of intranets, extranets, and Internet applications. Programmers also will be needed to create and maintain expert systems and embed these technologies in more products. Finally, growing emphasis on cyber-security will lead to increased demand for programmers who are familiar with digital security issues and skilled in using appropriate security technology.
As programming tasks become increasingly sophisticated and additional levels of skill and experience are demanded by employers, graduates of 2-year programs and people with less than a 2-year degree or its equivalent in work experience should face strong competition for programming jobs. Competition for entry-level positions, however, also can affect applicants with a bachelor’s degree. Prospects should be best for college graduates with knowledge of, and experience working with, a variety of programming languages and tools—including C++ and other object-oriented languages such as Java, as well as newer, domain-specific languages that apply to computer networking, database management, and Internet application development. Obtaining vendor-specific or language-specific certification also can provide a competitive edge. Because demand fluctuates with employers’ needs, jobseekers should keep up to date with the latest skills and technologies. Individuals who want to become programmers can enhance their prospects by combining the appropriate formal training with practical work experience.
-- from CollegeGrad.com (http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/proft43.shtml)
