The BDPA Insider - January 30, 2011
What better way to start the day than with your weekly message from BDPA!
In this issue:
BDPA Today – February 2011 Online Edition
The Hot IT Skills of 2011
5 Tips on Getting a Job When No One Wants you
Always Begin With Self-Assessment
The Ultimate Guide to Job Searching
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Upticks in Demand for Technology Surge
ITSMF and HITEC to Host IT Symposium
Government 2.0
2011 National IT Showcase
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RECENT UPDATES: Washington DC
BETF-Blog Readers, would you like to see information about programs and services being offered all over BDPA nation? Here are some recent newsletters issued from around the country:
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We celebrate the 15th anniversary of the 1996 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship this year. BDPA Detroit chapter took home the gold medal that year. However, there was a scrappy team from Richmond, Virginia in the national HSCC championships that year. The members of that team were Sunday Jones, Anton Luddington, Khalif Oliver, Deneen Webster and Joi Younger. The BDPA Richmond HSCC team finished in 5th place ... the highest finish in the history of the chapter.
We asked Khalif to share his reflections on BDPA and his HSCC training. Here is what he had to say:
We asked Khalif to share his reflections on BDPA and his HSCC training. Here is what he had to say:
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Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Where Are Blacks In Technology? by Kai Ajala Dupé
Does your family have a technology plan? Next month is National Black Family Technology Awareness Week (February 13 – February 19). In light of that, I began wondering how many black families actually have a household technology plan. Many of us have plans for everything in our household. Why not a technology plan?
We have budgets, which is nothing more than a plan for your money. We have health plans. Some of us spend a great deal of money monthly for expensive gym memberships in attempt to stay in shape and lead a healthier lifestyle. But how many of us have a technology plan?
We have budgets, which is nothing more than a plan for your money. We have health plans. Some of us spend a great deal of money monthly for expensive gym memberships in attempt to stay in shape and lead a healthier lifestyle. But how many of us have a technology plan?
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Tech news, events, social comments and BDPA local and National information.
Five finalists have been chosen in a federally sponsored contest to create the next generation of hash algorithms for IT.A federally sponsored contest seeks to develop next-generation hash algorithms. One of five new algorithms, chosen from among an original field of 64, will be used for everything from storage access to cryptography—making it a key instrument in the toolbox of modern IT organizations.
Hash algorithms improve data storage access times, provide random number generation, ensure the authenticity of digital documents—from digital signatures to authentication codes—as well as streamline cryptographic applications. The contest winner will augment the hash algorithms currently specified in Federal Information Processing Standards Secure Hash Standard, authorizing a third-generation of Secure Hash Algorithms (called SHA-3).
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The Central Illinois chapter of Black Data Processing Associates will sponsor an information technology showcase Jan. 29 at Heartland Community College’s Workforce Development Center, 1500 W. Raab Road. The free event is open to students and community members.
“This event is for more than just minorities,” Javelin Lawrence, vice president of BDPA, said in a statement. “We hope to attract any and all high school students in McLean County who are interested in developing and sharing their IT expertise.”
Read the rest of the Pantagraph article here.
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by Deborah Chambers-Chima
I must start this post acknowledging that I have not written to my group of leaders in awhile.
Why? I lost my mojo for encouraging leaders to show up and demonstrate your ability to collaborate and communicate with passion. I have spent a 30 year career encouraging and supporting leaders who desire to demonstrate a collaborative leadership style for the purpose of working effectively with other people to get the job done.
Yet, I am finding that those same good leaders are losing their jobs like mad. So as a leadership expert, it makes me wonder what does it really take to have a successful career in this new mad world that has been created over the last couple of years?
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by John Hoffler
Dice.com just released the results of their salary survey of nearly 20,000 IT professionals taken last fall. You can see a summary of the results on eWeek. This survey is self-selecting, but I think you can still draw some conclusions from the results, one of the main conclusions being that you need to know Java.
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No matter how many people say that it is a candidate’s market out there, it sometimes feels like no one wants you – especially if you aren’t entry level anymore, but aren’t quite mid-level yet either.
If you are a year or two out of college, you are switching careers, or you have taken a break since your last job, chances are it is going to be tough finding a new job. Before coming to FastUpFront, I worked for a few years as a recruiter. I know that recruiters don’t like these types of candidates so much, and that you might need to look at alternate avenues – job boards cheapen you to prospective employers and recruiters will ignore you.
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Everyone who is on a job search has different preferences however, for practical reasons, your job search can’t be longer than what is reasonable. Unfortunately, many job seekers aren’t aware of the intricacies involved in the recruitment process of any organization which can result in longer job search lead times. The second unfortunate thing is that a good percentage of these job seekers have wrong ideas, or worse yet, overestimation of their skills and abilities. This can result in total failure at the prescreening stage.
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If you've recently lost your job or are considering making a change, you may want to jump right into your job search. But before you start, you need a plan. Have you thought about these first steps?
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The iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) is a bold new project headquartered at the University of Pittsburgh with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. i3 is a series of summer institutes and projects designed to introduce all undergraduates, regardless of class standing.to the challenges and opportunities available within the Information Sciences. i3 aims to create the next generation of leaders to ensure that the Information Sciences discipline and professions reflect the face of the population. Our field needs the full spectrum of perspectives and creativity to address society’s needs.
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New Web site GoBlackbook.com Hopes To Be The New Tech Hit
By: ANN BROWN
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
GoBlackbook.com is looking to become the place where black professionals meet and mingle. And while principals of the recently launched site say it is not comparing itself to Facebook or LinkedIN, they want to become THE place for blacks to network. Launched just a month ago, the Chicago-based site boasts nearly 50,000 members, says founder/CEO James Parker.
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Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.
Early bird registration for $350 now open!
Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!
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