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Cover.indd 111 13/3/06
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Want more quality career resources from Career FAQs for FREE? Click here
Information
Technology
By Jonathan Shearman
Australia wide
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study,
research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part
of this publication may be reproduced by any process or by any means, electronic,
photocopied, recorded or otherwise without prior written permission of the
copyright owner. Inquiries for reproduction should be addressed to the publisher.
Published by
Career FAQs Pty Ltd
Suite 76, The Hub
89–97 Jones Street
Ultimo NSW 2007
+61 2 9282 9383
www.careerfaqs.com.au
Shearman, Jonathan.
004.02394
Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners and obtain permission.
However, should an infringement have occurred, Career FAQs apologise for the
omission and request that the copyright owner make contact.
Disclaimer
The opinions and statements made by people who contributed to this book from
the information technology profession are their own and are not those of Career
FAQs. The publishers do not claim to represent the entire extent of the information
technology profession and career choices. The aim has always been to provide
a broad overview of the possibilities available. As such Career FAQs Information
Technology does not purport to be a true and accurate record of the information
technology profession, relying on the voices of those working in the industry to tell
their stories. Inaccuracies may arise as a result of the nature of this book. Users
should follow the links to actual websites of organisations to ascertain current
information and practice.
Why the IT profession? Our world has been – and is still being
Steve Vamos
– transformed by inventions like the personal computer (could you
Steve was appointed Managing
imagine life without one?), sophisticated software, the Internet and the Director of Microsoft Australia
ultra-fast broadband networks that give us access to the online world. in February 2003. He was
previously Chief Executive Officer
of ninemsn (appointed in 1998),
Some people call this a technological revolution, but to my mind it’s where he helped the company
better described as an evolution that’s enhancing the way that we live, achieve its position as an
Australian media industry leader.
work and play. Did you know that two-thirds of Australian households
Before joining ninemsn, Steve
have a computer at home and that over half of all households now held the positions of Managing
Director of Apple Computer
have access to the Internet? Australia (1994–96), Managing
Director of Apple Computer Asia
Technology is becoming a pivotal touchstone of our society. Today, it’s Pacific (1996–98), and was also
appointed Vice President of Apple
enabling us to do things that would have been unimaginable a decade Computer Inc., Australia, in 1996.
ago. Take, for example, the now commonplace practice of booking an Prior to joining Apple Computer,
Steve spent 14 years with IBM in
airfare or hotel online – a short time ago this would have been a rarity. a number of sales, marketing and
general management positions.
Have you got an Xbox or ever made a home movie on your PC? Both
have been made possible by the exciting fusion of digital technology
and entertainment, which is transporting people into new, fantastic
online environments and allowing everyday people to become self-
made musical maestros and film directors.
iii
And there are just as many paths through which you can reach
your career aspirations, whether it is through TAFE, university or
undertaking vocational training to achieve, for example, certification
as a Microsoft Certified Professional, a qualification that demonstrates
your expertise in working with Microsoft products and technologies.
But, like any sector, the IT industry also faces its own set of unique
challenges. For example, technological advancements are generating
immense waves of change and after many years of unrelenting
progress society is, in many respects, striving to catch up. Your
willingness and ability to learn about and adapt to change is as
important as being able to lend a guiding hand for others during
periods of transition.
iv
Insider info
What jobs could I do? 41
What do real people say about their jobs? 42
Lorretta Elias – IT support officer 43
Lily Lo – Software test analyst 46
Saul Bryan – National IT manager 47
John Twyman – University computer systems officer 50
Raymond Allo – Senior Oracle database analyst 54
John Turnbull – IT consultant 58
Victoria Morrison – Instructional designer 62
Ben O’Hara – Configuration specialist 66
Darren Gray – Director of professional services 68
Daniel Cheney – Web programmer 71
Aaron Stacey – Senior project manager 74
Barry Thompson – IT security consultant 77
Indrik Kalnins – SAP basis manager 81
Stephanie, Analyst programmer 84
Keith Pereira – Systems engineering manager 87
Nigel Moreton – System engineering director 90
Tim Leach – Manager, technical marketing, Bangalore, India 93
vi
vii
viii
Career FAQs publishes a diverse range of career books that focus on Career FAQs
different professions, industries and lifestyles to make the search for ■ real jobs
your perfect career that much easier. ■ real people
■ real experiences
Each book profiles real people doing
Don’t end up in
real jobs and talking about their real
someone else’s life, experiences – the good and the bad –
a career choice is as from the day-to-day routine of working
much a life choice as a life through to the more dynamic
vocational decision. aspects of a job. In addition to this,
Career FAQs books feature practical
information about qualification requirements, the key educational
and training institutions, industry bodies and support organisations,
earning capacity and job-hunting tips.
With all of the above covered in each book, it is easy to see why
Career FAQs provides a dynamic new approach to finding the
right career.
The Career FAQs books will address this critical information and
educational gap and so reduce the future mismatches between
career–lifestyle aspirations and career–lifestyle realities.
ix
Will Santow
Managing Director
Career FAQs
Thank you!
A special thanks from the team at Career FAQs to the many
people who have contributed their time and shared their
experiences and insights to help make this book possible.
Style elements are used in Career FAQs books to help you navigate
through the information.
xi
xii
Computer technology has changed the world more than almost any
other single invention in the last generation. Think electricity, the
Industrial Revolution, or the printing press. Computers and IT are right
up there in the same league as the basis for whole new industries
and occupations. This is a big part of the attraction of an IT career and
many of the professionals interviewed echoed the sentiment.
All of this is too much for just one title, so this book will pay special
attention to those occupations that are identifiable as part of the IT
department of a business, rather than, say, the graphics department,
or the marketing department. We’ll cover those in other editions,
although a web programmer and an instructional designer are
included in this book.
■ Passionate
■ Curious about what makes things tick
■ Self-motivated
■ Meticulous and conscientious
■ Adaptable and versatile
■ Analytical
■ Intuitive
■ Committed to learning
■ Self-disciplined
■ Goal-focused
■ Diligent and industrious
The dotcom revolution isn’t over either, not by a long shot, and in fact
we may look back in 10 year’s time to find that it really started only
in 2005 and 2006. Yahoo, a bellwether New Media stock, and Apple
Computer, both of which have been subject to considerable stock
market scepticism over the years, reported their biggest ever quarterly
profits in 2005. Google was recognised as the world’s most highly
capitalised media company and the NASDAQ reached a four-year high. fyi
NASDAQ stands for the
Current size of the profession National Association
of Securities Dealers
Automated Quotation and
Locally, for the latest year in which figures are available (2002–03), is the computer system for
the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) found a total of 235 696 the second-largest equity
market in the US. The
Australians employed in specialist IT businesses. Of these workers,
NASDAQ composite index
69 per cent were permanently engaged in computer consultancy measures stock prices for
services. companies traded on the
exchange, which tend to be
The IT industry is said to account for around eight per cent of high technology stocks.
Australia’s gross domestic product (Australian Computer Society
2002–03). This figure includes IT and telecommunications
professionals. Research and development expenditure in IT was
estimated at $1439 million during 2002–03.
While there may not be too many shortages, employment levels are
high with very low unemployment levels.
On the other hand, over the 10 years to August 2004, employment for
IT professionals rose by 110 200 or 124 per cent – a strong growth rate
of 8.4 per cent per annum, compared to the 1.9 per cent per annum
across all occupations. According to the Department of Workplace
Relations, average unemployment among IT professionals in August
2004 was 3.8 per cent (source: http://jobsearch.gov.au).
While such information does not give you any idea of future trends, it
does give an overall picture of the types of jobs on offer and the skills
and experience needed to do the jobs.
We know now that many of these predictions were way off the mark and
that after the dotcom crash many who had prepared to be e-commerce
managers and webmasters found the going very hard indeed.
IT business analysis
IT business analysis is a growing field and has the massive
advantage that it relies on more than raw IT skills. The ability
to relate business objectives to IT in a very detailed functional
specification is more highly sough than simple coding skills and
furthermore is often the hardest thing to offshore. Very good
written and spoken communications skills along with excellent
team playing ability are vital ‘soft skills’ in this career path. TAFE
offers units in Business Analysis and related skills required for
many of these roles.
Senior IT positions
Senior positions include roles such as Senior IT manger, Project architect,
Data modeller, Programming team leader, Senior network architect, and
so on. Such jobs can attract salaries in the range of $100 to $130K.
In the corporate sector there are many higher salaries paid for
various kinds of IT/business specialty, particularly in the finance
sector. Along with greater management responsibility, specialist skills
required include network security, computer security and information
architecture. Many such roles have tough selection criteria requiring
postgraduate qualifications and very specific experience.
Contract work
Contracting is a style of employment that is widespread in the IT
industry. For many IT workers, particularly applications specialists and
project managers, a period of working as a contractor is very likely
and by some estimates up to 80 per cent of all IT jobs are held by
contractors (Computerworld website data).
Contracting can be a good living, but it has its issues. You may be
‘self-employed’ or work through an agency.
If you are self-employed, you are ‘your own boss’ to some extent and,
provided you realise all of the implications of this and organise yourself
accordingly, you can maintain a good lifestyle. Elsewhere we have
looked at how some successful consultants manage their business.
The downsides are, firstly, little job security. A contractor can typically
be let go on the basis of an agreed notice period – a week or two – and
often works in a business only for several months before moving on
glossary to the next project. Contracts may be cancelled due to factors outside
your control and you will find yourself looking for work.
ATO means:
– Australian Tax Office Secondly, if you are a truly self-employed contractor, that is, not
ASIC means: working through an agency or bureau, then you have to be your own
– the Australian Securities bookkeeper. You have to manage your own tax and super – and this
and Investments
Commission, a body that
takes a lot of attention to detail and some practical knowledge of
regulates companies and payroll management. Don’t underestimate what is involved with this;
finance in Australia. if you do, you can end up with fines from the ATO and ASIC, and a lot
of extra paperwork and hassle.
10
from casuals – they are paid for the hours they work but receive no
benefits such as sick leave or holiday pay. If they are knowledgeable
contractors with a lot of practical experience, they may end up in
functionally senior positions in the sense that they have a lot of
responsibility and may be indispensable to the organisation. Yet they
have no real authority to delegate or manage other people in the
workplace. It is easy to get into a rut in these situations.
Agency contracting
A very common form of contracting is through an agency which
charges an overhead in addition to your hourly rate, in return for
placement in the position and looking after tax and super. Margins
on your hourly rate vary from 15 per cent up to 40 per cent, so
if you are being billed out at $35 an hour, the agency may be
invoicing the client for $50 or more. From your viewpoint, a good
agency relationship is worthwhile because they do look after your
tax and super payments, and often get you repeat assignments.
11
Consulting
detour A consultant is a professional who provides expert advice in a
Find out more about overseas particular domain or area of expertise and there are many consultants
jobs in Career FAQs Global. in IT according to www.wikipedia.org, the Internet’s communal
www.careerfaqs.com.au encyclopedia. Often brought in to advise on solutions to specific
problems, consultants build up their knowledge and perspectives over
time, and many specialise in very specific areas of IT, such as security,
architecture, interfaces or useability.
q&a
What are the main differences between being a consultant
and being a contractor?
A consultant is usually called in to devise a solution to a problem,
or recommend a course of action, while a contractor will implement
it. In this sense, consultants add more value to the organisation
as they have ‘solved the problem’. They are able to do this as they
have a wider outlook than that required for implementation and they
are prepared to take the risk of being accountable for the solution.
Normally, contractors work within parameters that have been initially
devised by the consultants.
Sometimes consultants will present a solution that they then
implement under contract, so the one person does both functions and
there is a certain amount of crossover.
12
13
Overseas opportunities
IT is a global industry and most of its core technologies have been
developed by companies that operate worldwide. Healthy tech-sector
detour industries have developed over the last two decades in India, Ireland,
Canada and Scotland, while the United States tech sector remains the
Find out more about source of much of the world’s IT industry.
overseas jobs in Career
FAQs Global. To live and work in a country definitely requires some language proficiency.
www.careerfaqs.com.au
However, as the global standards and programming languages are the
same everywhere, core IT skills are standardised around the world.
14
Women in IT
Think IT and most people, rightly or wrongly, think of the stereotypical
nerdy geek – or rather a male nerdy geek! However, as with all
stereotypes, they rarely reflect reality. Women do work in IT, although
there is concern that many are leaving the industry or deciding on
other career paths.
Five years ago, women held 35 per cent of the IT jobs. Today, that
find out
figure has dropped to 20 per cent according to the Chief Information
Officers’ Executive Council. Having a proportionate number of women
more
www.siliconrepublic.com/news
in IT is seen as crucial to the industry.
www.jobbankusa.com
Women are articulate, excellent communicators and very good www.jobsabroad.com
at analysis. Without them IT will be without the balance that is
required for it to mature as other industries have. We do not
want to see our industry be stereotyped as males doing geeky,
nerdy work.
Con Colovos, Executive Director, CIO Executive Council
15
IT career challenges
An oft-cited difficulty in IT is information overload. IT is a field
that is constantly changing and very demanding in terms of
keeping up. Along with information overload, there is also the
difficulty of knowing what specialties are going to be in demand.
The industry is renowned for rapid change so there is a risk that
what you learn today is out of date tomorrow.
While there are some great career choices in IT, there is no sure-
fire route to career fulfilment. The variety and challenges of IT
are indeed fascinating, even if job security is not always assured,
and if you can handle change, are not afraid of hard work, know
your way around the complexities of an operating system, or can
come up with original ideas, there are some great opportunities.
16
Not everyone who goes into the IT industry is going to make millions.
In fact, salaries in the IT industry are subject to wide variation. There
are some very highly paid positions in strategic areas, such as high-
level systems integration for the banks, or online consumer strategy
for the big media groups; these are executive-level positions.
At the other end of the scale, entry-level positions are hotly contested
by something of an oversupply of IT graduates, so salaries in the
routine areas of network admin, system analyst/programmer, and
these kinds of jobs, have been flat or have even fallen over the last
several years according to several sources.
This table shows the different salaries of the people we spoke to for
this book.
No. of
Age Approximate salary No. of years
Position title years in
group as at 30 June 2005 ($) in job
profession
23 IT support officer 38 000–47 000 .5 2
24 Test analyst 38 000–45 000 2 2
26 IT manager 65 000 1.5 1.5
27 Senior web programmer 60 000–70 000 4 9
29 Computer systems officer 50 000–70 000 2 6
30s Senior project manager 75 000–150 000 1 8
33 Configuration specialist 50 000–60 000 6 7
35 Director professional services 160 000 approx 4 13
37 IT manager 100 000 7 15
40 Instructional designer 75 000 1.5 7
40s Technical marketing manager 100 000+ 1 22
$650–$1200 daily
45 IT security specialist 5 20
(contract rate)
47 SAP basis consultant 120 000 1.5 20
Research and development
48 150 000 2 15
manager
A 2005 IT&T salary survey conducted by IT recruiters Ambit lists entry- glossary
level software development jobs in C++ or VB at $45 000. The Hays C++ and VB are:
Salary Survey puts a junior help desk person on about the same level. – programming languages.
This salary information is corroborated by our interviewees.
.NET developers get $20 000 more, or around $65 000, probably
glossary
because they’re in short supply. An entry-level Oracle developer is
.NET stands for: valued at $55 000, the same as a junior technical writer.
– Microsoft’s web service
environment. A web services developer or a general business analyst can earn
around $90 000. Unix or Citrix (operating systems) engineers work in
Sydney at about the same mark.
And there are many opportunities in the larger world of IT that cannot
easily be categorised or even forecast because computers and digital
communications are pivotal to the massive social and economic changes
that the world is going through at this time. Michael Page International,
a recruitment agency specialising in IT jobs, produces annual salary
surveys. In 2005, IT salaries were divided into three sectors:
find out
more ■ commerce and industry
See Appendix 1 to see ■ banking and finance
how IT starting salaries
compare to salaries of ■ IT&T and consulting.
other professions.
Michael Page International
The Michael Page survey shows that in the commerce and industry
salary surveys for IT jobs sector of IT jobs, a first level helpdesk analyst can earn between $35
in 2005 are shown in 000 and $55 000. The same type of job in banking and finance or
Appendix 2.
IT&T can earn up to $75 000. Such salary surveys as these not only
www.ambit.com.au/
salaryindex/it&t.asp
show the different incomes possible but also indicate the jobs that are
currently in the marketplace.
www.hays.com.au
Salary information is also available on job websites such as seek.com.
au providing salary ranges and the requirements of many IT positions.
However, you will frequently see the phrase ‘salary dependent upon
experience’ indicating the recruiter does not want to put a fixed value
on the potential package. This suggests that the company will make
an offer in response to the types of applications that come in and the
experience and quality of the applicants.
18
19
■ General commercial IT
■ Corporate IT
■ Banks and financial institutions
■ Tertiary education
■ Government
■ Not-for-profit organisations.
General commercial IT
glossary Opportunities for IT jobs are available wherever people are using
computer technology. IT specialties exist across all industry sectors,
SME means:
from engineering and manufacturing through to entertainment and
– Small to medium
enterprise or, a company the arts, retail, wholesale and healthcare.
that employs fewer than
500 people A large employer in the ‘general commercial’ sector is retail sales.
Given the extent of computer use in Australia in businesses and in
the home, retail outlets are a source of IT-related jobs given that
salespeople need to have some understanding of computers, their
capacity and functions to sell them.
20
Marketing and promotional jobs also exist side by side with the large
IT sales sector. In such jobs, technical IT expertise is not the main
component. Rather, your skills to market and promote the product
are valued. This is an example of how you can work in the IT industry
without actually having an IT-specific degree.
There are also specialties too numerous to list across industry sectors,
in disciplines as diverse as financial management, computer-aided
design and graphics, inventory control and warehousing, retail POS
(point of sale) systems and general business-management applications.
Corporate IT
Corporate IT is continuing to recover from the dotcom downturn
that occurred from 2001 to 2003. Recruitment company Hays sees a
continuing modest recovery in demand, putting upward pressure on
salaries, and notes strong demand for project managers with solid
understanding of methodologies such as J2EE and .NET, system
architects and network engineers.
21
In addition to the J2EE and .NET skills mentioned above, there is solid
demand in corporate IT for Cisco-certified network engineers; Oracle/
Peoplesoft/SAP consultants and database analysts (DBAs); Unix,
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) skills.
Banks and financial services companies pay top hourly rates for
consultants and contractors. But it is one of those fields where
previous experience in the sector is preferred: nearly all of the job
advertisements will stipulate this and recruiters will nearly always
22
Tertiary education
The tertiary sector is a very large IT employer in its own right. Every
Australian university has a considerable investment in IT infrastructure
for everything from student records to the library to teaching and
learning systems. Although the pay scales are somewhat less than
in the financial or corporate sector, tertiary sector IT workers enjoy
excellent employment conditions and a diverse range of professional
specialisations.
The key points about a university IT environment are, first, the sheer
diversity of people and projects with which you’re likely to be involved,
and, second, the satisfaction of working with people who are genuinely
interested in what they are doing for its own sake and not only for
the ‘bottom line’. Although universities operate in an increasingly
commercial environment, there is nevertheless a major commitment
to research and education which provides a completely different type
of atmosphere to that encountered in the world of commerce.
23
24
Government glossary
All Federal and State departments use computer and Internet BSC is:
technology and government is a major employer across the spectrum – the industry body for IT in the
of IT roles. Government sector pay rates are quite competitive and United Kingdom. It provides
service and support to the
the conditions generally equal or are superior to those offered by the IT community – including IT
corporate and financial sectors. practitioners and employers
of IT practitioners.
Look for federal public service IT jobs in the Australian Public Service
Gazette. State public service IT jobs are advertised on the various
government websites and in the major Saturday newspapers.
25
Janice Ma – Westpac
In her position as IT graduate manager at Westpac, Janice is involved
in recruiting new IT staff through the bank’s graduate program and
from applications in response to job advertisements.
q&a
What are you looking when you employ people to work in
your IT department?
We look to employ people who are motivated, energetic and can
embrace change. Individuals should have the appropriate technical
skills and also the soft skills, such as communication, as IT people are
expected to liaise with our business partners on a day-to-day basis.
People who have similar values to Westpac – teamwork, integrity and
achievement – are looked upon very favourably.
26
27
q&a
What are you looking when you employ people in the
industry?
At Microsoft, we look for highly energetic people with initiative and
drive; people who are smart and practical in their area. The most
important talents we seek from our applicants are genuine passion
and curiosity about technology, creative thinking and the desire to
work hard alongside some great minds in the industry.
find out How do you recruit people?
more It is best if you apply for a specific advertised opportunity. Online
To apply with Microsoft applications are preferred. A proportion of the people we employ
online, go to come referred to us by someone they know who already works for
www.microsoft.com/australia/
Microsoft – our employees often recommend Microsoft to their friends
careers
and acquaintances as a great place to work. Generally we only use
recruitment agencies for specialist senior roles.
28
29
Any negatives?
Not that we can think of.
30
In her job, Michele looks after recruitment policy for all positions at
Centrelink. She also has a broader perspective on the opportunities
in this sector from being involved with several interdepartmental
committees relating to IT recruitment, retention and skill development.
q&a
How many people work in IT at Centrelink, and what types of
employment are there?
Within any government agency there are different types of staff:
ongoing or permanent staff, short-term or temporary staff,
contractors, and shared people whom we borrow from other
departments or agencies.
Centrelink employs roughly 2500 ongoing IT staff. This is out of
about 27 000 staff altogether at Centrelink, so the IT group is a very
significant percentage of the overall staffing of the organisation. It
is absolutely fundamental to Centrelink’s ability to be able to deliver
services to the public. IT is the enabler that allows Centrelink to
deliver services on behalf of 22 key agencies and distribute more
than $44 billion in assistance to the Australian community each year.
Centrelink’s customer database holds 260 billion data items. This is
because all of the transactions individual customer service officers
have with customers, and all of the payments require IT systems to
underpin them
What are the opportunities like in the public sector right now?
The recruitment of IT people is generally something we are quite
concerned about – this is because there are not enough people studying
IT any more. The numbers have really tapered off since 2000. We are
particularly interested in getting more young people and more women
into IT studies so that they become available for us to recruit later on.
The pool of people currently available in the IT labour market is also
small. A lot of the agencies with larger IT sections, like the Australian
Bureau of Statistics, Australian Taxation Office, Child Support Agency,
31
and Medicare Australia, are also fishing in the same pond. So there’s
quite an issue in terms of being able to procure the people we need.
A number of interdepartmental committees have been set up to look
at what we can do about this shortage of IT staff. One committee,
which I am involved, in relates to the Department of Human Services,
which includes Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support Agency and some
smaller agencies in its portfolio. Both Centrelink and Medicare are
very large IT employers and, through the committee, a number of
short-term loans of people with particular skills to meet short-term
needs in one or other of the agencies have been made.
It’s called skill share, and is intended to maximise the use we
glossary collectively make of people within the Department of Human Services
portfolio to meet short-term IT needs. A person might work for
Skill share means:
Medicare, Centrelink, or another agency, and they will respond to a
– the short-term movement
short-term vacancy advertised on our Intranet if they feel that they
of staff between different
government agencies during a have the skills and experience. That gives them the opportunity to
skills shortage. move so that they can broaden their experience. They can make a
specific contribution and see how things are going somewhere else.
32
The good news is that all government agencies are linked. When
you join an agency, you actually join the Australian Public Service
(APS) and so you can potentially apply for jobs in any public sector
department or agency. Entry into one of the agencies, such as
Centrelink, means that you have the opportunity to move across the
whole of the APS. And that is very, very large. This also means that
staff have the opportunity to build a long career in the APS – either in
a single agency in Centrelink’s case or across agencies – and to do a
broad range of roles within that. Very few private sector organisations
can offer that.
33
34
35
CompTIA
CompTIA stands for the Computer Technology Industry Association.
With strong links to government and other stakeholders, CompTIA
aims to improve industry growth, develop educational and industry
standards and professional competence in the IT industry.
There are also a large number of user groups and special interest
groups (SIGs) for various aspects of IT.
36
cisco.com/asiapac/academy
Copyright © 2003 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Networking Academy, Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks
of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document or Web site are the property
of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1203R)
Centrelink is a
customer focused
organisation. Behind the scenes,
we have many opportunities for
professionals to contribute to the
delivery of services to the Australian
Community.
www.centrelink.gov.au
Want to get ahead in the IT industry?
JOIN COMPTIA’S IT PRO AUSTRALIA – YOUR IT CAREER CONNECTION
The Computing Technology Industry Association GLOBAL IT INDUSTRY INCLUDING APPLE, CISCO,
(CompTIA) represents the business interests of the HEWLETT-PACKARD AND MICROSOFT, IT PRO AUSTRALIA
information technology (IT) industry. For 24 years
CompTIA has provided research, networking and IS YOUR PASSPORT TO A COMMUNITY OF IT
partnering opportunities to its 20,000 member PROFESSIONALS, OFFERING COMPREHENSIVE CAREER
organizations in more than 102 countries worldwide.
CompTIA initiatives extend to areas such as ADVICE, BENEFITS AND DISCOUNTS.
convergence technologies, electronic commerce,
information security, IT services, public policy,
skills development, and software. CompTIA helps
organization maximize the benefits they receive
IT Pro Australia’s member benefits include:
from their investments in technology; and assists
IT workers to obtain the skills they need for
• Career roadmaps and mentoring
productive careers in technology.
• Training and educational opportunities
With its IT Pro Australia program, CompTIA is
responding to leaders in the Australian IT industry • Australian job bank
by creating a platform to support the ongoing career
and skills development of the nation’s IT students • Industry-wide networking
and professionals. Headquartered in Chicago,
CompTIA has offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Brussels, • Member discounts on technology products, education, certifications
Delhi, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, and events
London, San Paulo, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and
Washington D.C.
■ IT support officer
■ Software test analyst
■ IT manager
■ Computer systems officer
■ Senior Oracle database administrator
■ IT consultant
■ Instructional designer
■ Configuration specialist
■ Director of professional services
■ Web programmer
■ Project Manager
■ IT security consultant
41
■ SAP specialist
■ Analyst programmer
■ Systems engineering manager
■ System engineering director
■ Manager technical marketing
42
demanding when they have their own deadlines and issues, and often >> IT support officer
q&a
What do you like best about your occupation?
I enjoy interaction with people – I really like helping people sort out
their technology issues. I like networking as a discipline and keeping
track of technology issues. I like being the one who can sort things out
for people. It’s a good feeling!
43
How about work–life balance? Does your role allow for that?
To be honest, it is an issue sometimes. I am a single operator in this
MYTH place and it takes a lot of work to keep up. We have an issue-logging
working in IT gets system and I am responsible for everything on it, along with the phone
you a big salary calls and the other projects. So yes, I am very busy, and sometimes
the hours are long, but I like the business.
I got into this position
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
through a traineeship
fact
44
myweek
45
46
way through the ranks, either as programmers and system analysts, or computer sales manager
through help desk management, or a variety of other routes. (uni) >> consultant >>
NSW IT manager >>
IT managers need to know a lot of stuff – sometimes they complain
national IT manager
that it’s too much stuff! They work across a broad range of topics,
embracing networking, operating systems, some programming,
server management, plus people skills, prioritisation and project
management.
q&a
What do you like best about your occupation?
I make a difference and have a great deal of freedom. I try lots of
different things; my job is varied. The people are really nice. It’s
satisfying when you solve problems.
47
48
49
q&a
What do you like most about your occupation?
Engaging with students! I find working with honours students
particularly rewarding, as they are experienced but still ‘new’ enough
to be retain their youthful enthusiasm. Plus the honours year is very
demanding and it is rewarding working with them.
I also enjoy running the IT orientation workshops, which provide students
and faculty with an introduction to various applications, for example
bibliographic software, word processing and graphics packages.
The school is involved with a fascinating range of programs – for example,
the Angkor Wat restoration project being coordinated by UNESCO.
This involves universities from various parts of the world, and also
people from all different kinds of backgrounds – human geographers,
cultural anthropologists, to name a couple. And we are involved with
other interesting projects in Antarctica and the South Pacific.
50
find out
more
Geographic Information
Systems software
www.esri.com
UNESCO Angkor Wat project
http://portal.unesco.org/
culture
51
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
industry in terms of personal attributes, skills and aptitude?
You need to be outgoing, a good communicator and able to relate well
across the school; have a willingness to learn; be able to appreciate
the context for the technology. Also you need to be end-user-centric
– be able to see things from the user’s viewpoint rather than becoming
over-absorbed in the technology.
52
myweek
Play sport
Security committee meeting
Go to the pub with friends
Help staff with computer issues
Watch rugby and cricket when
they’re on TV
Relax by cooking and reading
53
In his late 40s, Raymond has been in the IT business since the 1970s,
initially in Europe and now Australia. He has the Dutch equivalent of
a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree, and then entered
a ‘cadetship’ with the airline KLM. Here he worked as a junior system
analyst and programmer before working his way up through the ranks.
When Oracle came out he ‘took to it straight away’ and has been
involved with it ever since.
q&a
What particular advice do you have for people wanting to get
into Oracle as a career path?
Well that’s a big question. Recently I was working with a guy at a telco
who had put himself through Oracle certification. And I advised him
to leave – which he was thinking about anyway – and get broader
experience. This particular installation was only making use of a small
aspect of Oracle and so if he stayed in that position he would not get
a lot of broader experience. While certification is important, hands-on
experience in different areas is also really important.
Oracle has grown a lot. When I was first involved, it was just a
database management system. Now it is a whole lot of specialised
applications – Oracle financials, Java, data warehousing, lots of things.
It is becoming very specialised and is too big now for anyone to be
across all of it.
So now it is important to get knowledge of some of the other aspects
of what you are working on – say if it’s Oracle Financials, it is good
to have some background knowledge of the financial industry,
accountancy principles, and so on.
54
What do you wish someone had told you about the industry
before you started on this career path?
I didn’t expect to have to do so much reading and research – it takes a
lot of work to stay on top of it all. Actually, to begin with, it is important
to read the product documentation, the manuals. A lot of people don’t
bother; then they ask me where I learned so much! I spend a lot of time MYTH
researching, keeping current and doing Google searches and so on. Oracle DBAs have
got it made
What do you like best about your occupation?
I enjoy solving problems and troubleshooting. I like dealing with new It can involve a lot
situations, learning new things, handling new challenges, and using of routine work and
my analytical ability. A requirement of my role is the need to know there’s competitive
pressure, especially
many facets of a situation – Oracle skills for sure, but also networking,
from ‘off-shoring’ which
fact
Does this job allow you to achieve the work–life balance that glossary
you wish for? Production system means:
Oracle DBAs work too many hours! We tend to do a lot of after-hours
– a live database with real
work – sometimes you can only work on production systems outside
customer data in it.
business hours. Problems can take hours to fix. You may have to run
tests that process overnight.
55
56
Computers in the
future may weigh
no more than 1.5 tons.
Popular Mechanics, 1949
57
q&a
What does your job entail?
As principal in a consulting company, I have to cover lots of bases. I
stay in touch with the clients and partners, design the methodologies
and solutions, give presentations to generate new clients, and work
on implementations on client sites. I am out on the road a lot. Until
recently I worked only from a home office, but we have just moved to
serviced offices in North Ryde.
What do you estimate the typical salary package for your job
to be?
Well my daily rate is $2300.
58
What do you like best about your occupation? People say that
being a consultant you can be your own boss.
I wouldn’t put it that way. I regard the client as ‘the boss’! But, that
said, you still have lot of freedom to decide how to go about things.
And you do avoid a lot of the office politics that is found in many
organisations.
Does this job allow you to achieve the work–life balance that
you wish for?
I still work from a home office a lot of the time, so it is good in that
respect. But you have to be disciplined, because, working from home,
you can spend so much time in your office that you see even less of
your family. But generally speaking, the work–life balance is good.
59
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
industry in terms of personal attributes, skills and aptitude?
You have to be self-disciplined, especially when you’re starting out. It
would be very easy to take time out or not spend it efficiently. If you’re
a consultant, your working behaviour needs to be an expression of
your professionalism even, or especially, when there’s no-one looking
over your shoulder at what you’re doing.
60
myweek
61
What do you estimate the typical salary package for your job
to be?
About $60K to 100K with an average being $75 000. Hourly rates start
at $45 (although people will try and recruit for less!) and I have heard
of people earning up to $70 per hour.
62
What do you wish someone had told you about the industry
before you started on this career path?
Most people in organisations – that is, your clients – have no
understanding of what effective instructional design is! Be prepared to
make recommendations and then use your influence and negotiating
skills to gain acceptance. Also, be prepared for projects with small
training budgets and long wish lists! Finally, be prepared to act
consultatively.
Does this job allow you to achieve the work–life balance that
you wish for?
When I tell people I work as a consultant/contractor, they often think
I have options to work my own hours and/or from home. The training
element of many organisational projects is one of the last things to be
implemented, however, so the instructional designer and trainer are
often contracted towards the end of the project. This means I usually
work towards tight deadlines and part-time is definitely not an option!
If anything, the hours tend to be longer, to ensure the deadline is met.
This is sometimes balanced by time off in between projects.
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
industry in terms of attributes, skills and aptitude?
An instructional designer will need interpersonal skills – they have to
be able to communicate with people at all levels in the organisation.
They need to be assertive when required and to take onboard
feedback. They also need planning skills, and must be organised,
adaptable, and show good attention to detail.
In terms of their technical skills, they should have intermediate to
advanced Microsoft Office skills (specifically in Word and Outlook)
and good computer skills generally. Strong writing skills are essential
– ideally, they should have formal instructional design qualifications
and a Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment and Training.
combine a number of
Most learning and development professionals and general formats to deliver the
instructional designers do not have technical authoring and/or design best training solution.
skills in multimedia products. However, most e-learning instructional
designers come from a multimedia design background. Consider
carefully where your strengths and interests lie!
63
What do you think is the single most important thing you can
do to advance your career?
Hold at least one job (it could be a casual job you had as a student)
where a major part of the role involves delivering excellent customer
service. Throughout your career, you will have customers – be they
internal or external – so you need to consciously develop these skills.
You will be asked at job interviews to talk about your customer service
skills, even if the job you are interviewing for is not specifically a
customer service role. Customer service skills include interpersonal
skills, assertiveness skills, listening skills, skills in managing
expectations and even coaching skills.
64
Are there any particular recruitment processes, practices $$$ Up to $55 per
hour, or a salary of
or systems for this industry that candidates should know $70K is achievable
about? for these roles
quals Bachelor of Health
At interviews for instructional design roles, a portfolio of work may be
Admin (UNSW),
helpful. Beware of copyright and confidentiality issues though. Grad Cert in Org
Dev and Training
What are your tips for preparing an outstanding job hrs/wk 40
application? life–work fair – hectic
Read the job advertisement well and write a cover letter that shows when deadlines
are looming
how you meet the essential criteria. Use a brief bulleted list. This
flexibility good, current
takes time but it makes it easy for the person reading your application role is limited to
to see how your experience and skills relate to the role. office hours.
myweek
65
Ben is in his mid-30s, and has been in his current position for six
months. He launched a career in IT seven years ago, with a desktop
support position.
q&a
What do you estimate the typical salary package for your
kind of job to be?
There is a big range for these kinds of jobs. Around $50 000 to
$60 000 is average but I have heard of salaries up to $90 000,
depending on the kind of company and what you’re required to do.
about a lot of systems. I occasionally do extra hours and some weekend work, but I don’t
You can’t just be a Cisco
mind it, and my partner also does the same. It’s much better than the
specialist any more.
job I had in a website hosting company, which really was 24/7 – you
could get calls at three o’clock in the morning.
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
industry in terms of their attributes, skills and aptitude?
You need flexibility, versatility and wide horizons – this kind of job
won’t suit someone who is over-specialised or unwilling to take on
new things.
66
67
Dull, it ain’t.
q&a
What does your role entail?
It covers a lot of things. Basically, I’m responsible for seeing that
projects and solutions are delivered on schedule and maintained
according to plan. I have input into product marketing and also do
some business development. I oversee a number of other contractors
and project managers – the number varies according to what’s on. I am
frequently involved in architecting technical solutions or vetting the
solutions of others – in particular when it comes time to integrate our
technologies with those of a customer.
68
What do you wish someone had told you about the industry
before you started on this career path?
In a leading-edge company, you have to learn almost everything on
the job. There is very little pre-existing literature or training courses
for these technologies because it is all new.
Does this job allow you to achieve the work–life balance that
you wish for?
I work from my home a lot, which offers flexibility but also allows work
to intrude at times. Also, I am theoretically always on call, although
fortunately our technology and architectures are robust and my
involvement is very infrequent.
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
industry in terms of their attributes, skills and aptitude?
You need to be prepared to take initiative and come up with ways of
getting things done that may not have been thought of before. You
cannot be a ‘pure’ manager or project manager – you must really
understand the technology and the market.
You also need to be very thorough, to ensure that things are done
completely and properly right through to the end.
69
myweek
Sydney
Up early for teleconference with
Architect or review solutions for overseas contacts to prepare
projects work packages
Phone conference with project
Review technology updates from
management teams
Webraska offices overseas
Onsite visits
Meet for update at Webraska head See live bands and movies
office Go to church
Onsite visits Relax at home, walk, and swim
70
designed by the graphics team. A Microsoft .NET specialist, Daniel web programmer
also worked on a groundbreaking AFL site, which was among the first
to provide real-time score updates and live team info way back in the
mid-1990s.
Now in his mid-late 20s, Daniel has been in IT for almost 10 years. For
the past four years, he has worked as a programmer for Gravity Max,
a web company working on the cutting edge of Internet technology.
For example, Gravity Max built an amazingly efficient online rental
catalogue site (try it and you’ll see!) for Kennards Hire.
q&a
What do you do in your job?
I’m a lead software developer for Gravity Max, and I mostly work on
server-side software in Microsoft.NET, ASP, SQL and related tools.
What do you estimate the typical salary package for your job
to be?
It’s a wide range, depending on the kind of organisation and the kind
of work you’re doing. In this environment, $65 000 up to $75 000 is
normal, but I have heard of people getting nearly $100 000 in some
jobs.
Re-usable code?
That’s code that can be put to another purpose in a program other
than the one that it was written for. This is an important ability for
a programming company as it means a better return on investment.
Gravity Max is pretty good at that.
71
What do you wish someone had told you about the industry
before you started on this career path?
The long hours! I enjoy my work but it takes a lot of concentration over
long periods. Don’t be a web programmer if you want an easy job!
Does this mean you find work eating into your home life?
Well you do the occasional long shift, particularly if there’s a big job
on, but mainly I’m talking about the energy level and job commitment
you need. I’m not too concerned about the work–life balance aspects
at this stage in my life.
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
industry in terms of attributes, skills and aptitude?
You have to have the attitude to take ownership of problems, rather
than leaving them to someone else to solve.
You have to work to a high standard, and do things the best way,
which is often not the easiest way. You have to be thorough and you
have to be knowledgeable about the issues.
72
73
q&a
How long have you worked in the IT industry? What was your
job before this one?
Eight years. Previously I worked at a company called EDS as a project
manager. Both jobs entail working on projects of varying size and
complexity.
74
fact
delivery of a project! Sometimes long hours are required to ensure the individuals, the vast
majority of people
project is delivered. The various challenges associated with managing
are fun and social.
various technical resources who can be working on simultaneous
projects can be demanding. This job entails a bit of juggling and
people-influencing skills. It can also get a bit uncomfortable wearing a
suit or at least shirt and tie in summer!
75
in Does your job allow you to achieve the work–life balance that
brief suits you?
Senior project manager Some companies are more flexible than others with working
$$$ 130K+ arrangements including things like working from home. Currently I am
quals on the job training contracting which doesn’t allow me the normal benefits or flexibility
hrs/wk 40–60 associated with permanent employment.
life–work work I am still able to
actively participate in How many hours per week do you work?
team sports a couple Between 40 and 60 hours, depending on project requirements and
of times a week
after work hours client expectations.
flexibility I am contracting What are your ambitions? Where to from here?
which doesn’t
allow me the I plan to move up to program manager – the position I report to now. I
normal benefits or would also like to work on larger projects. A long-term goal would be
flexibility associated
with permanent
to become a manager of a project services group.
employment
Are there any other pointers that you think would benefit
young people considering this career path?
I believe that the remuneration is well worth the effort and patience
involved in my profession.
myweek
76
consultant, Barry has almost 20 years’ experience in the IT industry. manager >> IT security
His work history includes working for the Pipeline Authority in South consultant
Australia, as a programmer in the financial sector and for a university.
He enjoys the challenges of his work so much you could almost call
his occupation a hobby! Well, perhaps not quite.
q&a
What do you do and how do you do it?
I contract through IBM to one of the major banks, working in a
specialised consultancy. I’m one of a team of twenty people examining
security from end-to-end for all kinds of banking systems – web-
based, consumer, but also in-house and client-server systems of
various kinds. Our job is to figure out how the system could be hacked
or compromised, either by an external hacker or by a staff member
– whatever.
77
Does this job allow you to achieve the work–life balance that
you wish for?
I sometimes work fairly long hours – worked for 16 hours the other
day but then billed them for two days’ work. I don’t mind the hours, I
get the occasional call on the weekend but mostly they are free. I am
studying for my Certified Information Systems Security Professional
(CISSP) certification at the moment, which takes a bit of time.
What type of person do you think best suits your sector of the
industry in terms of attributes, skills and aptitude?
You have to be passionate about what you do and genuinely
interested in the work. But I am a firm believer that you also have to
have a life outside work, otherwise it affects your ability to relate. I
suppose the other quality is not being formulaic and being able to use
intuition to solve problems.
is done by kids who thought, wow, what’s this!? And it’s been really interesting, ever since.
download hacking tools
and play with them. So I didn’t know what to expect, but I’ve really enjoyed the way it has
turned out.
78
79
myweek
80
from Adelaide, he has been living in Sydney for the last five years or fields >> designing and
so, where he is a SAP Basis Manager with Dairy Farmers. He’s held implementing SCADA
this position for 18 months. Here he talks about his day-to-day role remote control telemetry
coordinating systems and information from a national network in a >> data communications
busy FMCG environment. network design >> system
engineer >> consulting >>
q&a SAP consultant >> SAP
basis manager
What does your role entail?
Maintaining the company’s SAP systems, installing upgrades and
enhancements, installing new systems whenever required, and
monitoring all of the systems on a daily basis.
What do you estimate the typical salary package for your job
to be?
SAP consultants and managers can get from $80 000 at the less-
experienced end of the scale and up to $120 000 for experienced
operators.
81
interesting career
path that is relatively People say it is very hard to get into the SAP world. How does
well paid.
a student go about it?
Well I would say, look for an entry-level position and get skills on
the job, then take on more responsibilities. In terms of background
knowledge and the kinds of skills you need to get into SAP, I would
say a solid grounding in RDBMS, networking and communications
engineering, and a thorough understanding of software development,
software development life cycle, code libraries, and the like.
82
myweek
83
q&a
What does your job involve?
I work within the Project Delivery team so predominantly I work
on projects which enhance or maintain existing workflow systems,
B2B and integration processes. I am involved in all stages of the
development lifecycle from analysis to implementation and interact with
glossary everyone from end users, business analysts to database administrators.
What do you think made you stand out from the rest of the
graduates?
Studies and academic achievements combined with extracurricular
activities.
I had a summer student position at the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
I also had a part-time job throughout university and I volunteered for
the Olympics as an IT volunteer working with IBM staff. This showed
that I was socially active and able to juggle commitments successfully.
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What interesting projects have you been involved in? Can you
tell us why it was interesting and what you did?
We created a process that allowed third-party systems to electronically
submit loan applications. This meant no data entry was required by our
staff and we could automate a lot of the business rules.
It was interesting as it was the first time we had connected B2B and
the benefits achieved were staggering – we managed to take a one to
two day process down to four to five minutes.
I was involved with the design of the XML file we receive, building
validation rules and workflow process changes.
What do you wish someone had told you about IT before you
started on this career path?
Most people you will meet outside of work don’t really know what a
career in IT involves. If you said you work as an accountant, there is
some grasp of what you do day-to-day, however when you say you are
in IT, you just get blank looks.
Also, beware of being on-call. Nothing makes you wake up quicker
than a beeper going off at 3.00 am.
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How does your job allow you to achieve the work–life balance
that suits you?
We have a flexible work environment which allows me to fit in gym
and appointments around work. You do have to be disciplined though.
There is a never-ending list of outstanding work so you need to ensure
you keep your life balanced.
myweek
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87
What do you wish someone had told you about the industry
or your job before you started on this career path?
My career has been a series of accidents, good fortune and some
planning. I have been fortunate to have had excellent mentors and
supporters and I regret not taking some of their advice, which could
have increased my success even more. I wish someone had told me
that, while stock markets always rise over time, they also always fall
dramatically when least expected.
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is less important than the enthusiasm you show and the people you hrs/wk 45–55
meet and help. Success in all forms will come from the expertise you life–work work to live, not the
other way round
develop and the support and guidance returned to you by your clients,
flexibility 7/10
friends and colleagues that you’ve helped along the way.
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90
fact
improve the world for
onto one IP (Internet Protocol) network infrastructure delivering secure everyone, so it is very
access to information (data, voice and video) anywhere at anytime. much about people.
An example of this in use today is our ability to make phone calls over
the Internet.
How does your job allow you to achieve the work–life balance
that suits you (if it does)?
You have to balance your work–life commitments and most companies
will offer an opportunity for you to create a balanced environment. For
example, I try to arrange my working week so that it fits within the five
business days, this means I start work at 6 am in the office and finish
not later than 7 pm. This allows me to have more freedom to be with
the family on the weekend.
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myweek
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customers all over the Asia–Pacific region. Living and working in technical marketing engineer
Bangalore presents its own challenges, but with the help of his local >> manager, technical
staff, Tim is finding it very rewarding. marketing
q&a
What’s your job title?
I’m the Manager, Technical Marketing, Customer Proof of Concept
Labs, for Cisco Systems.
How long in the industry? What was your job before this one?
If different, how so?
I’ve had 22 years in the IT and communications industry.
Before this job, I was an engineer in the same department but based
in Sydney, Australia. The difference now is that I get to manage people
who are working in my previous role.
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How does your job allow you to achieve the work–life balance
that suits you (if it does)?
My job does allow for work–life balance, however it does require us to
work to meet deadlines at time. Often when preparing for customer
visits we need to work late at nights or during the weekends. We then
take extra time off in the following weeks to make up for that time.
One drawback of such a job is the technology can be addictive. You
can find yourself engrossed in what you are doing and lose track of
time, only to find that what you thought was 7 pm is really 10 pm.
96
What we offer
Along with new intelligence comes new thinking, new knowledge and new opportunities.
The University of Canberra’s state-of-the-art courses and commitment to building
outcomes is your ticket to a valued career in information technology.
Information Technology is an ever-evolving field. Our courses are industry relevant and
ensure you have the knowledge and skills to succeed in the real world. A degree in
Information Technology, Software Engineering or Business Informatics will provide you
with the fundamentals to start or continue your career in the IT industry.
BIOINFORMATICS
COMPUTER ENGINEERING
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CRICOS PROVIDER No.00098G
Ready, set,
go for it!
What qualifications do I need?
Entry into IT may be achieved by a variety of means, including through
formal education, career breaks and experience, or a combination of
these. Luck plays a part, as does intuition and timing. Bill Gates, founder
of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple and Pixar fame both dropped
out of university and did brilliantly. Some talented programmers or
entrepreneurs have invented businesses in their bedrooms or garages
that launched a powerhouse career, while others labour on in obscurity. fyi
Taking all of this into consideration, the best advice is: find what you Some employers consider a
like best and can do best and then get qualified in doing it! Some of high degree of proficiency in
Microsoft Excel crucial.
our interviewees found their way into good careers through sheer
talent and not a little luck, but more of them have a solid academic
base behind them. All agreed that the right qualification can set you
apart in a crowded market. So let’s look at what is available ...
In broad terms, there are three main education and training options
for entry into the IT industry:
find out
■ university courses
more
■ TAFE courses www.mbaguide.com.au
■ industry-based courses.
In practice, many people have experience with all of these, and one
of the best things about modern IT education is the extent to which
you can mix and match offerings from all three sectors. You can pick
up a thread at TAFE, do some core units, maybe get a Certificate III
or IV, find work, transfer to university on the basis of some credits for
your TAFE experience, graduate, find better work, then get industry
certifications in specialised subjects before moving up again. This is a
much more likely pattern of education and certification nowadays than
the traditional route of enrolment in one stream at one institution.
University courses
On offer at universities are undergraduate and postgraduate degrees
and graduate diplomas.
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There is no reason
anyone would want a
computer in their home.
■ Computer Engineering
■ Computer Science
■ Software Engineering
■ Informatics
■ Network Computing
■ Internet Technology
103
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RDBMS means:
Business Information Systems (BIS) programs seek to combine a
– relational database
rigorous IT training program with training in business skills, with management systems.
the aim of turning out ‘rounded’ graduates with skills across both SQL means:
computer systems and various business disciplines. Typically BIS – a language that provides
streams offer sponsored traineeships and internships to provide an interface to relational
database systems
invaluable real-life experience in the business world whether it be in
finance, human resources or some other aspect of business.
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The course can also be completed over six years part-time. A typical
full-time program is outlined in the table below.
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■ Internet Working
■ Mobile Computing
■ Applications Development
■ IT Management
■ Software Engineering
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collaborative effort between the tertiary sector and leading The aim is to prepare people
to move into a career within IT
companies offering industry certification in a university environment. with developed business skills
as well as technical expertise.
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TAFE courses
Each state government is responsible for its TAFE institutions.
However, they all conform to national training standards. As such,
qualifications from any TAFE are recognised Australia-wide.
TAFE courses on offer include VET (Vocational Education and Training) fyi
programs such as Certificates I to IV and diplomas offered by TAFE TAFE NSW is the largest
colleges and private training colleges. vocational training and
education provider in Australia
TAFE courses are categorised into courses based on three different and offers a flexible and
entrance criteria. These are: adaptable curriculum through
a wide network of colleges
■ no standard educational entry requirements for a relatively low cost.
Classes are available part- or
■ an entry requirement of Year 10 or equivalent full-time, as classroom-based
or online units.
■ an entry requirement of Year 12 or equivalent.
However, anyone can reach the highest TAFE qualification. Once you
begin at TAFE, you can work your way up to a diploma and certificate
level if you continue to do well. If you get good results in a TAFE
course, these can also be useful if you want to change to a university
course at some stage.
■ IT Applications – Certificate II
■ Programming – Certificate IV
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Unit Outline
Install and Configure a Defines the competency required to carry
Network out installation for the network hardware and
software and initial configuration
Build an Internet Defines the competency required to design
Infrastructure and implement an Internet to provide
services to client users
Apply Skills in Project Defines the competency required to
Integration manage the eight functions of project
management to best meet or exceed
project objectives throughout the project
life cycle
Install and Optimise System Defines the competency required to apply
Software aspects of systems optimisation
Install Network Hardware to Defines the competency required to plan,
a Network manage and support the installation of new
components in a network
Install Software to Defines the competency required to plan,
Networked Computers manage and support the installation of
software to networked computers
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At TAFE you can choose full-time, part-time and other flexible study
and attendance options to suit your circumstances. For example, in
some courses you can start full-time, find a job in your chosen field
and finish your study part-time. In other courses you can study at your
own pace from home, or wherever you choose.
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Industry-based courses
There are many pathways into IT other than university and TAFE.
Industry associations and certifications (sometimes referred to as
vendor certifications) are popular pathways.
Industry certification
The role of the major technology companies in shaping the IT
landscape is very significant. In times past, important discoveries have
generally originated with breakthroughs by researchers, scientists
and inventors, to be subsequently exploited by commercial interests
for competitive advantage; but in the computer industry, many of
the major innovations have been intended as commercial strategies
from the outset, and have emanated from the laboratories and design
suites of commercial companies such as Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, Sun
and IBM, among many others.
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CompTIA
CompTIA is an industry association and certification organisation
founded in the United States in 1982 to advance the IT industry, and
supported by a number of vendors. CompTIA has also developed an
internationally recognised curriculum of certifications outlined below.
CompTIA certifications are supported and recommended by many
companies, including Microsoft, as prerequisites for further certification.
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Oracle
In the United States, Oracle courses are distributed online by Oracle
University, which in Australia is called Oracle Learning.
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Microsoft
Microsoft Certified Professionals find career opportunities throughout
the modern enterprise, education system or business.
Microsoft Certification Microsoft Certified Solution Developers (MCSDs) design and develop
www.microsoft.com/learning
leading-edge business solutions with Microsoft development tools,
technologies, platforms and the Windows architecture.
118
Cisco
Cisco make the routers which form the backbone of the Internet.
One of the world’s most successful companies, Cisco dominates
the market for IP routing products and Cisco certification or product
knowledge is a necessity for network professionals.
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■ recruitment agencies
■ networking
■ government recruitment
■ online recruitment.
122
Recruitment agencies
The role of the recruitment company is pivotal in the IT jobs market.
So the odds are that if you’re looking to make your career in IT, you
will be dealing with recruitment companies.
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years! Plus you need some banking security specialists and a few
others with experience in the specialised applications that pull data
out of the bank’s old systems and display it in HTML.
You will need recruiters who understand your requirements, the jargon,
the required skill-set and the background of the likely candidates, and
who can place the advertisements, organise the interviews, and send
you a shortlist of programmers from which to choose. The recruiter
will have to understand something about the software you want to use
– certainly not the same kind of detail that a programmer needs, but
what to look for in a candidate – as well as knowing where to look for
candidates and how to describe the requirements. And in a specialist
area, this amounts to a lot of knowledge.
Job advertisements for IT workers appear in all the usual places such
as local and national newspapers and of course, online, on a regular
basis. Bulletin boards are also useful.
Networking
A great number of jobs are found through the ‘hidden job market’
– through colleagues, friends, co-workers, people you have worked
with before, and so on. It is not uncommon for an employer to ask
around and think over people they know before they start the arduous
process of formal recruitment. They might ask the question at a
meeting: know anyone who does ‘X’? ‘Hey, we’re looking for someone
who can manage the database for George. They have to know a bit of
SQL’ ... and so on.
Besides, most people are happy to employ someone they know or have
worked with previously. We are all comfortable dealing with friends.
Stay in touch with your university and school friends and associates.
As their careers develop, they will in turn develop their own networks
of opportunity and influence.
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Graduate programs
Corporate graduate programs are a recognised pathway into
corporate careers. Their purpose is to place promising graduates into
organisational roles which employ their skills and attributes while
training them in corporate and business culture. Quite often graduate
appointments are rotated through a number of different departments
and positions in order to provide for an all-round understanding of
the business. Positions in graduate programs are hotly contested and
applications should be carefully prepared.
We have a very successful program. It was developed in
2000 and we now have quite a mature model whereby our
graduates have an opportunity to rotate to various parts of
the organisation whilst they are on the two-year program. The
program’s success is also due to the support that we receive
from the IT executive team.
We recruit around 1000 people just within IT each year. There
is a formalised process in place to ensure that it is a fair and
equitable way of recruiting graduates into the organisation.
The process involves applicants completing an initial application
(graduates should meet minimum academic criteria), online
testing and then attendance at assessment centres.
Janice Ma, IT graduate manager, Westpac
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undergraduate and MBA hires with from zero to four years’ work
experience to participate in a two-year ‘on-board’ training program.
Candidates receive supplemental MACH training and mentoring to
help them realise their full potential.
Graduate prospects
TAFE IT qualifications are well-regarded, however by no means
guarantee employment. Between 2003 and 2005, post graduate
IT unemployment rates from higher-level TAFE courses such as
Certificate IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma fell from 32% to
25%, however remaining much higher than he average which fell
from 15% to 9% in the same period.
127
Government recruitment
All levels of governments regularly advertise for staff in newspapers
and/or on their own websites as well as job sites such as Seek.
128
If you are called in for an interview on spec, ask the recruiter if there is
a copy of the advertisement you can look at. Agencies will sometimes
call people in just to put enough numbers on a short list, so make sure
you think you match the job.
I got in. Place was packed. There were all of these exhibition
stands with the names of the recruiters that you see on Seek and
MyCareer around the perimeter of the Town Hall: Hays, Hudson
and the rest. Between me and every one of them, there were
rows of people, all waiting to speak to the recruiters behind the
desks. It was hard to move in there, it was like the sample-bag
pavilion at the Easter Show.
129
■ skills that are in demand; this encompasses a wide range but keep
an eye on what the market is looking for
q&a
Do you place many graduates?
It’s not a great number but we work regularly with graduates.
130
q&a
What is the most important advice you have for IT graduates?
I would say – don’t try and get into contracting without some real
experience behind you first. This is the kind of experience you get with
a full-time graduate position.
Graduate positions provide a lot of experience in terms of understanding
‘company etiquette’, how to work in a business, and how to get along with
people, which you won’t necessarily get through academic experience.
Contractors, on the other hand, are expected to be seasoned operators
who can adapt quickly to a situation and fulfil a particular role often
without much time to prepare. So even though there may be contract
positions for which you have the skills, you’re better off getting some
full-time experience first. Graduates often don’t have the general
business experience to work without supervision, assess the situation
and produce the outcome, even if they have the technical skills.
131
132
The résumé
It is important to get your résumé right. It doesn’t have to be too long
or too detailed, but it does have to be formatted well, and show your
experience, abilities and qualifications.
133
if you have a
[optional]
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Terry Sample Date of Birth:
[optional]
121 Lyons Cres
cent
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Your name and Matraville NSW
2412
in your résumé
9561 4564
contact details Daytime Tel: 02
Tel: 02 9564 2564
Evening
e@email.com
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Often resumes also include two referees. Referees are often people
in positions of authority who can vouch for your good character and
work practices. Always ask permission before including a referee. This
courtesy also prepares the person in case a prospective employer
calls for a reference check without notifying you.
You might have several résumé versions to match your main and back-
up job plans.
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This emphasises the importance of the cover letter. The cover letter
should be brief – about two or three paragraphs – succinct, and it
must address the requirements of the position. Remember, it is about
your suitability for the job, not just why you want the job.
6 January 2006
Employer’s name,
Mr Mark Smith
position, company Senior Consultant
and address ABC Recruitment Solutions
242 George St Sydney NSW 2000
Dear Mr Smith
Position and Re: Business Analyst Financial Services Company
reference number
for the position I write in response to your advertisement for this position in yesterday’s
Sydney Morning Herald. I wish to apply because the role represents an ideal
next step in my career, and because I believe I am an excellent candidate, as
my attached resume will demonstrate.
Your skills,
experience and I am currently employed in a similar position by Clover Financial Services
personal attributes however I wish to move to a larger organisation in order to make use of
that make you the skills I have acquired in my three years at Clover and from my recent
completion of a postgraduate degree in Financial Analysis.
suitable for the job
I have extensive experience with business analysis in both superannuation
and mortgage products, as well as a proven track record with Crystal
Reports implementation. I have been responsible for generating functional
specifications and requirements analysis over the last three years as well as
having similar experience in earlier roles. I am a dedicated team player who
enjoys the company and support of my peers while being able to manage my
priorities and work with minimal supervision.
Most of all, I am a committed professional with the skills and attributes the
job requires, and a strong determination to achieve an excellent outcome for
Closing statement
my employer.
Yours sincerely
Sign your letter
Terry Sample
Make sure that you write a different cover letter for each job that you
apply for. It needs to specifically address the particular requirements
of that job. To churn out the same cover letter for a number of jobs
shows a lack of interest that potential employers will not appreciate.
Selection criteria
Having a list of selection criteria helps the employer select the most
suitable person for the job because in responding to them, applicants
show how their previous work or experiences meet the requirements
of the job.
137
Remember, for any job it is vital to address all the selection criteria as
this is one of the major ways employers select interview candidates.
For private sector jobs, the selection criteria can be addressed in
the résumé and the cover letter. For government jobs, a separate
document needs to be included as part of your application.
How do I respond?
If requested, the selection criteria document needs to be a separate
component of your application. Make sure your name is on the
document and that it has a name such as:
Each criterion should have a number and the exact wording from the
application package. The following ‘statement addressing selection
fyi criteria’ is an example of what might be required for a human resource
For most private officer position.
organisations, the selection
criteria for the job can be Many well-written responses follow what is known as the ‘star’
addressed in the cover method of response. For each selection criterion, make a general
letter and résumé. Check
statement about your ability to meet the criterion then focus on an
with the company to find
out their preference. example that has ‘star’ elements.
138
■ Correspondence
■ Reports to management
■ Documentation of configuration procedures
■ Induction handouts for new staff
■ Guide to PC use
I add that in preparing documents I ensure that all written communication (both
internal and external) conforms to in-house style guidelines and is appropriate to
the intended audience.
Management and staff welcomed the information in the guide and calls to the
help desk dropped by 20 per cent. The guide was later distributed to staff in all
Asia–Pacific offices.
139
140
■ preparation
■ presentation
■ performance.
141
Preparation
Good preparation helps ensure a successful interview. Research
the company: its size, sector and history and any other specific
characteristics. Get to know the key positions and the names of people
in them. This is much easier that it used to be thanks to the Internet.
If you know people working for the company, talk to them about
the company and their experiences. Use any contacts that you may
have. It is important to go into the interview fully conversant with the
company’s product, its values and business culture. Use your research
to differentiate yourself from the other job applicants.
Think through what the job might entail and be prepared to answer
questions which show your experience and knowledge match the
requirements. Be aware of the types of questions they are going
to ask, just as they should have a good understanding of what is
required in the position being offered.
Presentation
Show that you are inquisitive. Ask intelligent questions to explore
information about the company. This can help ‘sell you into the role’
and gives you a chance to find out more about the role and to make
sure that this really is the job you want.
It’s important that you come across as personable and interested in the
job. It’s okay if you’re nervous but try to focus on your strengths and
what you want to say rather than on your nervousness. Employers want
to know who you are just as much as they want to know your skills.
If you are using a computer for the presentation, make sure there is
enough battery. Anything you present as part of your interview must
add to your presentation, not detract from it. If it is not relevant, don’t
present it.
Performance
Performance is all about making an impression. It is also about
knowing what the employer wants in your responses. This is where an
understanding of interview techniques will help you to shine.
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The way you project your personality is also crucial for a successful
interview. It is not always what you say but the way you say it.
Confidence is paramount but you shouldn’t be overly confident – and
certainly not cocky or arrogant.
You may also have to deal with difficult questions. Interviewers will
sometimes try and throw you questions to unsettle you or test your
mettle. Sometimes it is aimed at finding something out; sometimes
they are plain mischievous. You frequently get asked ‘what are your
weaknesses?’ Good answers include:
143
find out When you’re answering questions, answer with the end in mind.
more Focus on the person, situation and requirements. If you get asked
Vipassana meditation helps
to talk about yourself, keep it reasonably brief and bear in mind
emotional equilibrium. what you are there for. Don’t succumb to the temptation of talking at
www.dhamma.org length about yourself.
Think about what sort of questions may be asked and work out what
you might say. Here are some examples.
With regard to salary, be familiar with the salary range for the kind of role
you’re seeking, but aim at the higher end: it communicates confidence.
Research – visit the employer’s website and make note of some details
about the company. Prepare a list of questions to ask during the
interview such as questions about the team you will be joining and
projects you could be working on.
144
Respond – make sure you don’t interrupt anyone and keep answers
short, relevant and to the point. Maintain good eye contact and avoid
looking at the floor.
145
You have to be very mindful at this point. The reaction which follows
disappointment of this kind – and employment-related stress is a
major cause of anxiety – can be very disturbing. You can get quite
depressed and start to doubt your abilities and get caught up in a lot
of negative self-talk.
Realise that this distress is a natural reaction and that it is not actually
about ‘you’. You need to develop the capacity to allow anxiety to
happen without being too overcome by it or by overly identifying with
it. Remember, it will pass.
Here are a few things you can do right now to get a step ahead.
Do your research
IT is a field that is constantly changing. Keeping up is demanding but
it can also be fun. You’re presumably in IT because you like it: keep a
lively interest quite apart from your career aspirations.
146
Get a grip
Get a firm grip on which of the many aspects of IT occupations your find out
particular strengths will equip you for. Consult vocational advisers at more
school or university. Be honest about your capabilities and learn to be The MAPP service is
self-critical without being negative (this is a tough balancing act!). available at
www.assessment.com
There are some valuable web-based services that can help with this.
Have a look at the Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential (MAPP)
service. You can take a test on this site for free, and the subscription
version, which is much more detailed, is not expensive.
Be flexible
While you might have to specialise, it is good to have several
strings to your bow. If you’re considering a career in programming,
network and database administration may be good back-ups. If
you’re a technical writer, being able to turn your hand to copywriting
or e-learning would be useful. Don’t be too precious about your
particular patch of territory; the market can be very fickle and the right
combinations of skills for being in demand can be hard to predict.
147
Buzz words
ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics
ACS Australian Computer Society
AIIA Australian Information Industry Association
AIMIA Australian Multimedia Industry Association
APESMA Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists
and Managers, Australia
API Application programming interface
APS Australian Public Service
ASIC Australian Securities and Investments Commission,
a body that regulates companies and finance
in Australia
ATO Australian Tax Office
AusCERT Australian Computer Emergency Response Team
Australian Public a publication that includes jobs for all government
Service Gazette departments and agencies
AWA Australian Workplace Agreement, an individually
written agreement between an employer and
employee covering the employer’s salary package
and other conditions of employment.
B2B an abbreviation of Business to Business, referring to
the exchange of products, services or information
between businesses
bellwether the sheep with the bell around its neck. A bellwether
company shows where all the others are heading
BIS Business Information Systems programs seek
to combine a rigorous IT training program with
training in business skills, with the aim of turning out
‘rounded’ graduates
BSC British Computer Society, the industry body for IT
in the UK.
C++ a programming language
C# a programming language
CCIE Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert
CERN the Conseil Europeen pour la Recherché Nucleare,
the European research lab where the Web was born
CompTIA Computer Technology Industry Association
consultancy a business that offers its specialist services and
expertise for hire
CPOC customer proof of concept lab
CRM customer relationship management
CSO computer systems officer
DBA database analyst
ERP enterprise resource planning
149
150
151
Appendix 1
Comparative starting salaries of various
professions
Seeking full-time
Seeking full-time Further
In full-time employment, Median starting
Bachelor degree employment, not full-time study
employment (%) working part-time salary ($000)
working (%) (%)
or casual (%)
Agriculture 80.3 6.7 13.0 19.4 37.0
Architecture** 86.7 6.5 6.7 29.8 31.5
Building 91.0 4.5 4.5 25.0 35.0
Urb & reg planning 91.0 3.0 6.0 20.3 41.0
Humanities 70.7 11.1 18.2 34.4 35.0
Languages 74.9 8.3 16.8 40.2 40.0
Vis/perf arts 60.3 13.2 26.5 32.7 32.0
Social sciences 67.2 11.2 21.5 34.2 38.3
Psychology 70.5 10.8 18.7 44.2 38.5
Social work 80.2 7.6 12.2 8.1 40.0
Business studies 81.1 6.9 12.1 15.4 37.0
Accounting 86.9 6.7 6.4 11.1 35.5
Economics 86.1 7.3 6.6 32.1 41.0
Education 77.9 3.8 18.3 6.4 43.0
Education, post/other 84.3 3.6 12.0 34.7 39.5
Aeronautical eng 89.1 5.8 5.1 17.1 45.0
Chemical eng 83.1 9.6 7.3 18.9 45.7
Civil engineering 95.7 3.0 1.3 6.3 43.0
Electrical eng 87.3 8.6 4.0 13.2 45.0
Elect/Comp eng 78.3 11.7 10.0 14.0 43.0
Mechanical eng 89.5 4.8 5.8 9.4 44.0
Mining engineering 98.8 1.2 0.0 7.5 63.0
Other engineering 86.9 7.7 5.4 17.7 44.0
Surveying 95.4 2.0 2.6 11.5 40.0
Dentistry 95.0 0.8 4.1 10.2 65.0
Health, other 81.9 4.3 13.8 26.6 40.0
Nursing, initial 96.2 1.0 2.8 5.3 38.0
Nursing, post-initial 94.0 1.3 4.6 4.2 38.0
Pharmacy** 98.7 0.9 0.4 17.7 30.0
Medicine 98.3 0.6 1.1 13.1 48.0
Rehabilitation 90.0 3.1 6.8 13.3 41.2
Law 88.4 6.2 5.4 22.6 41.0
Law, other 84.6 6.1 9.3 17.4 38.0
Computer science 73.7 13.6 12.7 17.8 39.9
Life sciences 71.3 9.9 18.9 46.2 38.0
Mathematics 72.6 14.5 12.9 50.7 42.0
Chemistry 84.7 5.1 10.2 55.3 38.0
Physics 78.9 9.0 12.0 50.9 40.0
Geology 87.4 4.2 8.4 39.2 42.0
Veterinary science 94.0 3.6 2.4 6.7 37.0
153
Appendix 2
Michael Page International salary tables
154
155
156
Appendix 3
About TAFE certificates and diplomas
TAFE courses are rated within the Australian Qualifications
Framework (AQF). The AQF rating shows that the course adheres to
a standard governed by the Australian Quality Training Framework
(AQTF). This national framework standardises the educational level
represented with the various certificates and diplomas provided by
RTOs (Registered Training Organisations, such as TAFE colleges) and
ensures that the qualifications they issue meet standards and are
recognised nationally.
Certificates
Certificates range from level I to IV. Certificate courses usually relate
to different levels of skills within an occupation.
Certificate I
Certificate I courses teach the foundation skills required in some
industries, and are often the stepping stone to further qualifications.
Certificate II
Certificate II courses provide preparation for employment and/or
apprenticeships. They may also include traineeships with an on-the-
job component.
Certificate III
Certificate III courses teach well-developed skills in a range of
occupational areas. Certificate III courses are roughly the same level
as the former trade certificate courses offered by TAFE NSW.
Certificate IV
Certificate IV courses teach supervisory skills and advanced technical
skills which may build upon skills acquired in the workplace, a
Certificate III course or equivalent.
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158
Appendix 4
Oracle certification
Job title Certification track guide
Database Administrator Oracle Database 10g DBA OCA
Oracle Database 10g DBA OCP
Oracle 9i DBA OCA
Oracle 9i DBA OCP
Oracle 9i DBA OCM
Special Accreditation: Managing Oracle 9i on Linux
Application Developer Oracle Forms Developer OCA
Oracle Forms Developer OCP
Internet Application Developer Rel. 6i OCP
Web Administrator Oracle Application Server 10g Administrator OCA
Oracle Application Server 10g Administrator OCP
Oracle 9i AS Web Administrator OCA
■ Database Administrator
■ Web Administrator
■ Java Developer
■ Portal Developer
■ Developer
■ Business Intelligence Developer
■ Data Warehouse Analyst
■ Data Warehouse Administrator
■ Functional Implementer
■ Technical Consultant
159
■ Database
■ Application server
■ Development tools
■ E-Business
■ Collaboration
■ PeopleSoft Enterprise
■ JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
■ JD Edwards World
■ Retek
160
Appendix 5
Sample job advertisements
-
C#/.NET Developer
• Mid Level .Net Developers with min. 2 years exp. of
C#, working on large custom apps developments
• Financial organisation: $60–90k package
• Our client is based in central Melbourne
Our client, a leading financial organisation has several opportunities
for exceptional .NET Developers to join their growing team on a
permanent basis.
The responsibilities of this role will include systems design,
development, producing code and technical specifications, system
testing and writing documentation.
To succeed in this role, it is important that you have an excellent
track record in developing medium–large applications for major
corporations. You will be required to have the following skills:
- A mininum of 2 years experience in C#
- At least 2 years commercial experience in any of the following
languages-.Net/Java,C++ or VB6
- Strong skills in RDBMS – Oracle is preferred however SQL Server
or Sybase SQL skills will also be considered
- Experience with web and windows based GUI’s.
- A Bachelor degree (preferably in IT)
- Previous work experience developing in medium – large organisations.
- Excellent communication skills
This role would suit an individual with excellent teamwork skills, who
can think on their feet, is willing to go the extra mile and has the
ability to work under pressure.
If you have the right skills and experience for this role, please click
the ‘Apply’ button below, or email your résumé to:
michelle.jones@jobs.com.au
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162
Appendix 6
Sample résumé
Terry Sample
121 Lyons Crescent Age: [optional]
Matraville NSW 2412 Date of Birth: [optional]
Daytime Tel: 02 9561 4564 Nationality: [optional]
Evening Tel: 02 9564 2564
Email: t.sample@email.com
PE RSON AL PRO F I L E
Qualified and experienced business analyst with experience in financial services, healthcare, and
manufacturing sectors. Solid career professional with demonstrable track record of success in major IT
project implementations for a variety of organisations across a number of environments.
SKI L L S
Skills in working with programmers in various environments including COBOL, Fortran and more
recently J2EE and related. Knowledge of RDBMS, Oracle Financials and related technologies.
Knowledge of client-server technologies, network management and financial IT practices.
Knowledgable about accounting practices and terminology, unit trusts, superannuation legislation,
Financial Services Reform Act and related issues.
C ARE E R H I ST O RY
E D U C AT I ON AN D Q U A L IFIC AT IO N S
Appendix 7
Sample cover letter
Terry Sample
121 Lyons Crescent
Matraville NSW 2412
Daytime Tel: 02 9561 4564
Even Tel: 02 9564 2564
Email t.sample@email.com
6 January 2006
Mr Mark Smith
Senior Consultant
ABC Recruitment Solutions
242 George St Sydney NSW 2000
Dear Mr Smith
Most of all, I am a committed professional with the skills and attributes the
job requires, and a strong determination to achieve an excellent outcome for
my employer.
Yours sincerely
Terry Sample