Assignment 1 - mchuta/IT191 GitHub Wiki

Introduction

When I have obtained my Bachelor's Degree at ISU, I will already have over 18 years of experience in IT. This experience will be very useful in helping me find a job that is above entry level. I plan to use that prior experience and my new degree to find a job that values experience and requires a bachelor's degree.

My family and I are planning to move to Florida, Hawaii, or the west coast of the US after graduation. Because of that, I have focused my search on jobs in those locations. Most of the job listings I have found require or prefer skills that I do not currently have. To compensate for this lack, I intend to familiarize myself with the most commonly sought-after skills during the remainder of my time at ISU.

Jobs wanted immediately after graduating

Job listings in this category have experience requirements that I have met, but may have a few skills to develop before I am ready to apply.

Software Developer - .NET, C#.NET, ASP.NET, HTML/CSS/Javascript

As of today, I am most qualified to be a at CyberCoders in Honolulu. I already have extensive experience in all but one of the technologies listed in the requirements.

Skills requiring improvement

  • SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)
    • Download a free, licensed edition of SQL and SSRS from Microsoft using my ILSTU account

Software Engineer

I find this job, working at the William M. Keck observatory on Mauna Kea on the Big Island in Hawaii, to be particularly exciting. There are quite a few more skills that I need to develop, but the work and its impact would be extremely worthwhile.

Skills requiring improvement

  • Experimental Physics and Industrial Control Systems (EPICS)
    • Join EPICS developer mailing lists
    • Watch official EPICS training videos on YouTube
    • Read EPICS documentation
    • Download EPICS software and complete sample/demo projects
  • Python
    • Take online training classes for Python from sites like Code Academy
    • Find opportunities to use Python for writing solutions at my current employer

Web Development Engineer II

Working for Amazon would be an incredible opportunity to be on the cutting edge of automation. To help me get in the door, I would need to focus on mastering a few additional skills.

Skills requiring improvement

  • Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) and XML Schema Definition (XSD)
    • I am already familiar with creating, modifying, and parsing XML documents. These additional aspects of the XML language are unfamiliar to me, but some moderate studying and a few quick tutorials should be enough to give me the knowledge I need.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
    • I will take online prep courses that are geared toward specific AWS certifications. These skills and qualifications are highly sought-after, and though the certifications are not listed as a requirement, it should be helpful in setting me apart from the competition.

Jobs wanted 5 - 8 years after graduating

Job listings in this category require a depth of experience in a skill that I will not be able to achieve before I graduate.

Senior UI Developer- AngularJs

This job would be a good fit because my family and I love the Tampa area. In order to qualify as a senior developer, I will need more experience with working with the skills I'm learning at ISU.

Skills requiring improvement

  • AngularJS
    • I don't have experience yet with this framework, but I have worked with other JavaScript frameworks, such as jQuery and Bootstrap. This one should be fairly easy to learn, and with some practice, become proficient at.

Systems Designer II

This job requires a depth of experience in system design that I don't yet have. My short-term job should help me gain more experience in this area and prepare me for jobs at this level.

Skills requiring improvement

None

Senior UI Engineer

As a senior position, this job requires experience in skills that I am still learning at ISU. In order to be ready for this position, I need to learn new skills and gain experience in those I'm still acquiring.

Skills requiring improvement

  • AngularJS/React/BackboneJS
    • AngularJS is a popular UI framework, and would be a good framework within this set to focus on. There are a wealth of options for free (or paid) online learning.
  • Node.js
    • This server-side JavaScript library would be fairly easy for me to pick up. I have server-side scripting/coding experience and experience with JavaScript for client-side scripts. It is also very popular, and online learning opportunities are plentiful.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
    • Though this is listed as a preference and not a requirement, it could be a skill set that would set me apart. For this job, I would work to obtain one or more certifications for AWS.

Senior UI Developer

This is another senior position, and its requirements include more real-world experience in some technologies than I will have upon graduation.

Skills requiring improvement

  • AngularJS
    • As UI frameworks go, this one appears to be the most popular at the moment. The abundance of online learning courses and tutorials, as well as my experience with other frameworks, will make it very easy for me to gain skill and experience with this technology.

Takeaways

Though the jobs I have found listed here will undoubtedly be filled by the time I graduate, I have found common threads for requirements in experience and technology. It would be of great benefit to me to pay extracurricular attention to the following technologies during the remainder of my time at ISU:

  • Amazon Web Services
  • Python
  • AngularJS
  • Node.js

Appendix

Complete Job Listings