Several Information Technology and Management students have been working hard behind the scenes to form an IIT Student Chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). An organizational meeting will be held in Perlstein room 108 at 12:45pm on Tuesday, November 15th. This organizational meeting scheduled for Nov. 15 was postponed to a later date due to scheduling conflicts.
AITP is the leading worldwide society of information technology business professionals and the community of knowledge for the current and next generation of leaders. The mission of AITP is to serve members by delivering relevant technology and leadership education, research and information on current business and technology issues, and forums for networking and collaboration. There are over 200 student chapters in AITP, and the AITP National Collegiate Conference is an annual premier event for IT/IS college & university students all over the country.
ITM undergraduates Jimyong “Jason†Choe, Deepu Kumar and Tim Cuthill are the moving force behind this effort and if you have questions, please contact them by email, or just come to the meeting on the 15th.
Robert Half Technology has put out their 2012 Salary Guide; this a great source to see the state of the industry and what folks are getting paid. Remember though, these are average starting salaries so half the offers you get might be lower; also note that there are adjustments for location. It also has a very complete glossary of job descriptions for a broad range of IT jobs. Robert Half is a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis, and has been a consistent sponsor of conferences here at the School of Applied Technology. Download their guide at .
I get asked this question a lot. In fact, since this will be read by a lot of students and faculty, I will share some advice I gave someone about three weeks ago. This person, who actually has an M.S. in Information Technology, was proposing that IT certifications alone would suffice to help a person get the IT job of their dreams.
I am with one of the world’s best companies at the moment, and I am very happy with my job and the people I work with, so I am planning on staying here as long as possible.
But I laugh at the people that think they can move ahead in the IT field without a degree or multiple degrees in this field. They do not realize that despite what they sincerely believe about saving money and getting a few certifications, and skipping the formal education, they are doing themselves considerable career harm in the long run, because they cannot get back the years they wasted believing that poppycock. And actually, it’s good because it helps decrease the competition for guys like you and me. Also, they don’t realize that despite what they believe about being successful without formal education, they have peers and people younger than them who will get a clue and realize what it takes to succeed, and set their course and do it. Read more…
