Apr-06

Feature Articles

Certification Feature
Self-Taught or School-Taught: The Best Study Options
Ed Tittel
Certification training comes in many shapes and sizes, but overall there are two basic categories: self-study and directed study. From books to classrooms, we take a look at the most effective options—and their effect on your pocketbook.

Job Roles Feature
Career Perspectives for Computer Administrators
Rob Kolstad, Ph.D.
More than three quarters of a million U.S. workers can rightly call themselves computer administrators. Whether it’s individual PCs or corporate networks, these IT pros have what it takes to keep systems up and running.

Techniques Feature
A Foot in the Door: IT Job-Search Strategies
Cari McLean
If you’re looking for IT work, you need to know how to find the best openings out there–and that often means going beyond the job search engine and your local help-wanted ads. This month, we look at some of the pros’ top techniques for uncovering potential work.

Columns

Tech Careers
The 21st Century Reference Check
Katherine Spencer Lee
One of the first steps a job seeker takes when preparing for an interview is to look for information about the employer on the Web. It shouldn’t be a surprise that companies are beginning to take a similar approach for job candidates.

Consultant’s Corner
Start Well, Finish Fast
David Garrett
How you start a project can predict how you finish it—if you finish it at all. The right planning and project design can stave off failure.

Virtual Village
Belly Up to the Bar

Data Stream
Data Stream News & Notes for Certified Professionals

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The Future Face of IT
Brian Summerfield
If you read enough reports and analysis predicting the state of the IT workforce in the coming decades, your outlook on the future of the industry might sour. But the map isn’t necessarily the territory.

Departments

Interface
Texas Instruments: Providing Avenues for IT Advancement
Cari McLean
With a 75-year history, Texas Instruments is definitely not the new kid on the high-tech industry block. Find out more about what it takes to work in the company’s IT Services organization–the foundation of the company’s overall success.

Inside Certification
CompTIA Project+: Project Management to the Forefront
Lisa-Ann Barnes
Project managers are in high demand across multiple industries these days, and the IT sector is no exception. CompTIA’s Project+ certification offers a first step into this field for those who want to apply best practices in real business settings.

Specialty Certification
PMI’s Project Management Professional Certification: Raising the Bar
Denny Smith
The Project Management Institute certified its first Project Management Professionals in 1984, when 43 individuals passed the exam. Learn how this credential has evolved to certify professionals who have the knowledge and skill to manage projects successfully.

Resources

Editor’s Letter
Certified Respect
Tim Sosbe

Community Features

Career Development
Interviewing Techniques: Impressing Your Potential Employer
Sarah Stone

CRM & E-Commerce
The Art of Designing an Enticing Site
Patrick Evans

Database
Emerging Database Players
Kellye Whitney

Development & Design
Software Management and Distribution: Creating Updates and Patches
Pavel Shamsutdinov

Help Desk & Support
Working with End Users Toward an Effective Solution
Brian Summerfield

Independents