IT Career news
10/12/2006 - Demand High for CIO's and IT Staff - The Baby Boomers are getting ready to retire, the number of college students entering computer science has dropped 50 percent in the last five years, according to the Computer Research Association, and the need for corporate IT people is growing. In a survey of its members released last month, the Society of Information Management (SIM), an organization of CIOs, found that nearly 40 percent of the nation's information chiefs are looking to increase their staffs, while another 33 percent said they are looking to maintain their current staffing levels—which means they'll have to find people to fill the spots left by workers moving on to new jobs or retirement. It's no wonder, then, that the same SIM survey found that attracting, developing and retaining information technology talent is now the No. 2 concern of CIOs—right after IT and business alignment. more info
10/09/2006 - Google job offers don't include fast financial windfall - (Computerworld) -- Taking a job at search engine vendor Google is no longer seen as a quick path to wealth for most new employees.
Prize hires are still granted high salaries and large grants of restricted stock known as Google Stock Units (GSU). But most applicants get salary offers that are below the prevailing market levels, said David Goodenough, a Seattle-based executive coach.
The high cost of living in Silicon Valley, where the vast majority of Google's job openings are located, also reduces the company's attractiveness, especially to out-of-state workers.
GSUs do have an advantage over more traditional stock options, which can become worthless if a company's stock falls. But their value is still pegged to Google's stock price, which has been moribund so far this year. It closed on Friday at $420.50, a hair under its price at the beginning of 2006, after doubling in 2005.
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09/19/2006 - Private sector pay should keep rising -
(Reuters) -- U.S. private sector wage growth should continue to accelerate in the months ahead on the back of a healthy employment climate, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The Bureau of National Affairs Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based news publisher, said its revised third-quarter Wage Trend Indicator rose to 100.86 from the final second-quarter index of 100.72. BNA put the initial third-quarter reading at 100.92.
"We expect year-over-year wage increases to continue to accelerate modestly, even though the pace of job growth has slowed recently," said economist Kathryn Kobe, who worked on the development of the index for BNA.
The indicator recorded its ninth straight quarterly increase for the first time since 1996-1998, BNA said.
A sustained increase in the indicator generally foreshadows increased pressure for higher wages, BNA said.
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09/19/2006 - ITAA's Greg Garcia for DHS cybersecurity post -
(Computerworld) -- The nearly year-long wait for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to appoint an assistant secretary for cybersecurity and telecommunications is finally over. The DHS late today announced that Greg Garcia, vice president of information security programs and policy at the Information Technology Association of America, has been named to the post.
Before joining the ITAA in 2003, Garcia served as a member of the professional staff at the House Science Subcommittee on Research, where he was involved in programs related to IT. Garcia has also worked in the private sector with 3Com Corp. and served as the coalition manager for a group called the Americans for Computer Privacy.
The announcement ends a search that began last October when DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the creation of the new position in a bid to elevate the importance of cybersecurity issues within the agency.
Since then, the DHS has been under increasing pressure from industry groups and lawmakers to fill the position expeditiously. Just last week, lawmakers suggested that the delay in finding someone for the job had considerably weakened the agency's ability to coordinate a response strategy to a cyberattack against the nation's critical infrastructure.
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09/18/2006 - People quit people not companies. -
A weak or insensitive leader/manager negatively affects attitudes, productivity and turnover. They cause confusion and manage Clock-watchers. Good managers provide leadership, specific management direction, build trust, and cultivate their employees. talents to achieve maximal results. Great Managers have dedicated employees that will do what it takes to get your job done on-time regardless of the level of effort required.
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