Merry Christmas from Blacks Gone Geek

Merry Christmas from Blacks Gone Geek

Dear Blacks Gone Geek Community

Blacks Gone Geek is run by a group of IT professionals who donate their time and energy for the greater good of mankind.  At Blacks Gone Geek our mission is clear: We want to promote career advancement for African Americans in IT.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but 2011 has been somewhat of a quiet year because I’ve been devoting 100% of my time to my own job search. It’s been challenging to say the least and an emotional roller coaster on any given day.

News flash. Due to a tough economy and an influx of competition, job search has significantly changed. My job search been a learning opportunity and of all the job search tools and techniques I’ve learned, I can truly say, without a doubt, that learning the true meaning of FAITH has been a blessing in disguise. Thank you Lord!

And thank YOU for continuing to collaborate with us to grow our online community of people helping people to advance their careers. I see a bright future ahead! 2012 is shaping up to be a banner year, so you can expect to hear more from us as this exciting and prosperous new year unfolds. 

On behalf of all of us at Blacks Gone Geek, Merry Christmas and a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Milt Haynes, Founder

Blacks Gone Geek 

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2012 IT Job Outlook - Blacks Gone Geek Readers Poll

2012 IT Job Outlook - Blacks Gone Geek Readers Poll

The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 8.6 percent in November 2011. The number of unemployed persons, at 13.3 million, was down by 594,000 in November. This data was reported by the Economic NewsRelease of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Don’t believe the hype!

It’s your opinion that matters. What do you believe? Do you believe the job market is getting better?

In light of the current economic climate, how do you see thejob outlook for technology workers in 2012? What is the one thing that technology workers and job seekers must do in order to successfully advance their careers in 2012?

Please click the link below to take a short 5-minute survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012_IT_Job_Outlook

Survey closes 12/23/2011. Please take action today!

What is the Wisdom of the Crowd?

The wisdom of the crowd refers to the process of taking into account the collective opinion of a group of individuals rather than a single expert to answer a question. Join the experiment. Join the discussion on Blacks Gone Geek to share your observations and recommendations

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Chronicles of an IT Job Seeker: I passed the CBAP!

Life is full of ups and downs and being unemployed is like riding an emotional roller coaster. One day things are looking up and you’re in a world of bliss. Other days just don’t go as well. If you’re a job seeker you’ll know what I mean. Does anybody handle rejection well?

“Life is full of ups and downs. The trick is to enjoy the ups and have courage during the downs.”

When I took a Business Analysis course at Microtrain this past summer, I decided to pursue CBAP® certification. CBAP® recipients are the elite, senior members of the Business Analysis community.

Like the PMP, it’s a very rigorous process to apply. You need at least 7500 hours of hands-on Business Analysis experience in the past 10 years, a minimum of 21 hours of Professional Development and two references from a career manager, client or CBAP® recipient. Then you have to pass the exam!

The CBAP® exam is 3.5 hours long and consists of 150 multiple choice questions with four possible answers to select from. Some questions are based on "comprehension" (e.g., definition, recall, etc.) and others are based on "situational analysis" (e.g., given a scenario, which is the best course of action) where the applicant must do a bit of analysis to arrive at the answer.

CBAP®/CCBA™ Certification and Preparation: Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.watermarklearning.com/cbap-faqs.php

I like practice exams and I went with Watermark Learning. Their CEO, Elizabeth Larson, gave a talk at one of our PMI meetings. Elizabeth was a lead contributor to the A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (PMBOK® Guide), 4th edition (Collect Requirements) and to the A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide) 2nd edition chapter Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring. She knows her stuff!

Test Prep: I spent a lot of time on my iPad taking practice exams and it paid off. I liked the immediate feedback from right and wrong answers and the references to the sections and pages in the BABOK. I kept taking the practice exams and re-reading sections of the BABOK until I consistently scored in the high 90’s. This took about 100 study hours over a 4 week period.

Test day: I spent about 2 hours on the 3 ½ test and when I hit the “submit test” button, this is what came back.

Castle Worldwide: Results for MILTON HAYNES

Test Name: Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®)

Test Taken: November 19, 2011

Congratulations!

On behalf of the IIBA Certification Body, we are happy to inform you that you passed the CBAP® Exam. Thus, we are delighted to grant you the Certified Business Analysis Professional designation.

Today is a good day!

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Milt Haynes is an accomplished IT Executive with extensive experience establishing and leading IT organizations responsible for business transformation, PMO management, program management, supplier management, organizational change management and IT service management. His professional experience spans a variety of industries including life sciences, pharmaceuticals, medical products, nutrition products, telecommunications R&D, insurance, technical consulting, manufacturing, stock exchange and banking.

 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/milthaynes

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Job Seekers Forum-November 21, 2011-Staying Energized!!

LOOKING FOR A JOB IN A TOUGH ECONOMY If you have been looking for a job over 3 months with no results it may be time to do something different! The key to finding and keeping work in tough times is the same as in good times: take action. Economic uncertainties and fluctuations make it especially important for job seekers to learn how to conduct an effective search and to be actively engaged in the process. If you are looking for an internship or a full time position, you must be proactive. Don't procrastinate! Everybody needs help.

Join the job seekers forum today!!

Agenda:
Introductions
--Come prepared with your 30 second elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics:

--Staying
Energized!!

--Q&A

Bring your tough job search questions to the meeting.

Roundtable:
--Landings

--Upcoming career fairs and networking events
--Training Opportunities

--Special Interest Groups

Date: Monday, November 21, 2011

Time: 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Central Standard Time ** New Time **

Time: 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time ** New Time **

Dial-in Number: 1-940-287-4000 (Texas)

Participant Access Code: 671366

For more information:
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

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Chronicles of an IT Job Seeker: Staying Energized!

Running a job search is like running a project. You’ve got project objectives (e.g. land a job you like with the pay you want in the shortest time possible); and you’ve got a budget and expected time to completion. Just like project managers have the PMBOK methodology to guide the way, job seekers have The Pierson Method (http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/08/chronicles-of-it-job-seeker-pierson.html)  a job search methodology that’s scientifically proven to be over 20% more effective than the traditional job search methods.

But there is another side to job search that’s even more important. It’s a positive mental attitude that makes all the difference in the world! How can you stay positive? How do you stay energized? It’s not easy when we see so much negativity around us. Just watch the news on TV and you’ll understand what I mean. Couple that with the constant rejection job seekers receive every day and you will begin to see how hard it is to stay positive.

What can you do to stay energized? Feel like the Energizer Bunny and adopt a never quit spirit. Keep going and going and going! (http://www.energizer.com/energizer-bunny/Pages/bunny-history.aspx) Feel like a Timex watch. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking! http://youtu.be/_7AB0IMQWMc

Check out Napoleon Hill’s Thought for a day.

There always remains an opportunity to make a new start.

Though it may not seem so when you first encounter a serious blow, you can never lose two of the most important assets you have. These are the power of your mind and your freedom to use it. Once you have turned them to understanding what laid you low, you can begin forming new plans. You may not have the money you once had; you may lack the allies you had cultivated. But you still have the benefit of a universe that eventually rewards honest effort, as well as gaining the experience of mistakes you will never make again. Remember, no matter where you are now, whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve. Protect the most important thing you have.

How do you stay energized?

Looking for more inspiration? Here’s the link to the BE POSITIVE web page on Blacks Gone Geek. http://blacksgonegeek.org/BePositive.aspx.

Upcoming Meetings

10/21/11 Blacks Gone Geek Live! at the BDPA Chicago Program Meeting

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/10/careers-in-technology-and-much-much.html

10/24/11 Job Seekers Forum - How to avoid the resume black hole

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/10/job-seekers-forum-how-to-avoid-resume.html

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