Passion - definition: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.
Do you have Passion for your job? If not, should you? Is it too much to hope for to have a passion for your work? What gives someone that passion?
I have seen fast food workers, construction workers, ditch diggers, etc... with passion for their work. People with jobs that I think would suck. They may suck but to them the job is their passion.
You can just tell when you meet someone like that. They give you that extra effort, that smile when they hand you your food at the drive through window, or that extra spring in their step when they dig the ditch.
What is it in me that always wants more? I have a great job and make lots of money, but I feel like I'm never satisfied. Always striving for that next step. I must not have found my passion yet.
Are you like me?
What do you think? Write me a comment, I would like to know what you think.
10/29/2007
Java Developer
CIBER Memphis is currently recruiting for Java Developers in Charleston, SC.
Required Experience:
- A minimum of 2 years experience in software design and development
- Application development against a relational database (preferably Oracle)
- Object oriented design and development
- Fundamental understanding of distributed architectures
- Bachelors Degree required, Computer Science or Computer Engineering preferred or equivalent experience
- Direct experience in EDI development would be a major plus but not required.
Responsibilities:Candidates will be writing maps, taking and translating data into proprietary format.
About CIBER:CIBER, Inc. (NYSE: CBR) is a pure-play international system integration consultancy with superior value-priced services for both private and government sector clients. CIBER’s global delivery services are offered on a project or strategic staffing basis, in both custom and enterprise resource planning (ERP) package environments, and across all technology platforms, operating systems and infrastructures. Founded in 1974 and headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo., the company now serves client businesses from over 60 U.S. offices, 20 European offices and four offices in Asia. Operating in 18 countries, with 8,000 employees and annual revenue of approximately $1 billion, CIBER and its IT specialists continuously build and upgrade clients’ systems to “competitive advantage status.” CIBER is included in the Russell 2000 Index and the S&P Small Cap 600 Index.
Send resume to jlesher(at)ciber.com
Required Experience:
- A minimum of 2 years experience in software design and development
- Application development against a relational database (preferably Oracle)
- Object oriented design and development
- Fundamental understanding of distributed architectures
- Bachelors Degree required, Computer Science or Computer Engineering preferred or equivalent experience
- Direct experience in EDI development would be a major plus but not required.
Responsibilities:Candidates will be writing maps, taking and translating data into proprietary format.
About CIBER:CIBER, Inc. (NYSE: CBR) is a pure-play international system integration consultancy with superior value-priced services for both private and government sector clients. CIBER’s global delivery services are offered on a project or strategic staffing basis, in both custom and enterprise resource planning (ERP) package environments, and across all technology platforms, operating systems and infrastructures. Founded in 1974 and headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo., the company now serves client businesses from over 60 U.S. offices, 20 European offices and four offices in Asia. Operating in 18 countries, with 8,000 employees and annual revenue of approximately $1 billion, CIBER and its IT specialists continuously build and upgrade clients’ systems to “competitive advantage status.” CIBER is included in the Russell 2000 Index and the S&P Small Cap 600 Index.
Send resume to jlesher(at)ciber.com
10/18/2007
Job Listings: Cracking the Code
I thought this was a great and helpful article by Mary Lorenz of CareerBuilder.com.
Job Listings: Cracking the Code
Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com writer
If you’ve ever looked at a job listing and thought, “I’d be perfect for this job, if only...,” you understand the discouragement a lot of job seekers feel.
When it comes to meeting the qualifications for a job, is there any flexibility? That depends on the employer, but in most cases, the answer is yes.
Certainly, it helps to understand how your own experience and needs match up to what the employer wants and is willing to offer, which isn’t always an easy task, thanks to the obscure language typical of many job listings.
Here are some common job listing terms and what they really mean for job candidates.
“Preferred skills” and “Required skills”
“When a job listing says ‘required,’ it’s a lot firmer. Employers are trying to narrow the field,” says Tom Allen, director of career services at DeVry University in Decatur, Ga. A skill that’s listed as “preferred” is not necessarily essential for a candidate to have. In today’s competitive world, however, it’s unrealistic for employers to expect to get a candidate who meets all of their requirements, and employers may relax some of those requirements for a candidate who meets at least most of the requirements. “If you meet 50 to 60 percent of the qualifications, that’s probably not enough,” Allen says. “But if you’re pushing past 80 percent, you’ve got a good shot.”
“Command of” and “Working knowledge of”
If you have “working knowledge of” a certain program, you know the basics of how to operate that program; if you have “command of” a program, you have enough experience with it to be able to explain how it works and use it for more complex projects or a higher level of work.
“Entry-level” and “Experienced”If a job posting indicates it’s an entry-level position, employers are typically looking for someone who has been out of college up to two years, Allen says. “Experienced” candidates usually have been working for three or more years in the industry or have graduate degrees, which can account for some work experience. And then there’s the little matter of payment…
Confused by the terms like “competitive” or “scale”? When it comes to salary, research is essential. Online search sites like CBsalary.com provide the average salary for one’s profession, city and level of experience. By figuring out what the “competitive” salary for that job is, candidates can figure out their worth and put up an asking price that’s fair to both themselves and employers. If an employer asks for salary requirements, Allen says it’s preferable to avoid it altogether, because if you name a salary that’s too low, you are selling yourself short; but if you give too high a number, you can automatically take yourself out of the running. The best way to avoid providing a requirement is to give a range – one that you can live with. Again, do your research beforehand.
There’s less wiggle room, however, when employers ask job seekers to provide salary histories. Because employers can easily verify a candidate’s history, it’s best to be up front about that, says Allen, who’s known some employers ask to see copies of W-2’s.
If you’re still unsure as to whether your skills match a certain job or whether you’d fit in with a company, Allen advises getting an inside opinion. Try to network within the company or the industry in order to meet people who can answer your questions or advise you. Learning all you can about a company’s culture and the job itself is critical to any job search. Do your research and you’ll have an edge over others who are competing for the same position, because you’ll be prepared and confident come time for the interview, Allen says. “If you play sports, you practice and train to have as sharp an edge as the other athletes,” he says. “Competing for a job is no different.”
Job Listings: Cracking the Code
Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com writer
If you’ve ever looked at a job listing and thought, “I’d be perfect for this job, if only...,” you understand the discouragement a lot of job seekers feel.
When it comes to meeting the qualifications for a job, is there any flexibility? That depends on the employer, but in most cases, the answer is yes.
Certainly, it helps to understand how your own experience and needs match up to what the employer wants and is willing to offer, which isn’t always an easy task, thanks to the obscure language typical of many job listings.
Here are some common job listing terms and what they really mean for job candidates.
“Preferred skills” and “Required skills”
“When a job listing says ‘required,’ it’s a lot firmer. Employers are trying to narrow the field,” says Tom Allen, director of career services at DeVry University in Decatur, Ga. A skill that’s listed as “preferred” is not necessarily essential for a candidate to have. In today’s competitive world, however, it’s unrealistic for employers to expect to get a candidate who meets all of their requirements, and employers may relax some of those requirements for a candidate who meets at least most of the requirements. “If you meet 50 to 60 percent of the qualifications, that’s probably not enough,” Allen says. “But if you’re pushing past 80 percent, you’ve got a good shot.”
“Command of” and “Working knowledge of”
If you have “working knowledge of” a certain program, you know the basics of how to operate that program; if you have “command of” a program, you have enough experience with it to be able to explain how it works and use it for more complex projects or a higher level of work.
“Entry-level” and “Experienced”If a job posting indicates it’s an entry-level position, employers are typically looking for someone who has been out of college up to two years, Allen says. “Experienced” candidates usually have been working for three or more years in the industry or have graduate degrees, which can account for some work experience. And then there’s the little matter of payment…
Confused by the terms like “competitive” or “scale”? When it comes to salary, research is essential. Online search sites like CBsalary.com provide the average salary for one’s profession, city and level of experience. By figuring out what the “competitive” salary for that job is, candidates can figure out their worth and put up an asking price that’s fair to both themselves and employers. If an employer asks for salary requirements, Allen says it’s preferable to avoid it altogether, because if you name a salary that’s too low, you are selling yourself short; but if you give too high a number, you can automatically take yourself out of the running. The best way to avoid providing a requirement is to give a range – one that you can live with. Again, do your research beforehand.
There’s less wiggle room, however, when employers ask job seekers to provide salary histories. Because employers can easily verify a candidate’s history, it’s best to be up front about that, says Allen, who’s known some employers ask to see copies of W-2’s.
If you’re still unsure as to whether your skills match a certain job or whether you’d fit in with a company, Allen advises getting an inside opinion. Try to network within the company or the industry in order to meet people who can answer your questions or advise you. Learning all you can about a company’s culture and the job itself is critical to any job search. Do your research and you’ll have an edge over others who are competing for the same position, because you’ll be prepared and confident come time for the interview, Allen says. “If you play sports, you practice and train to have as sharp an edge as the other athletes,” he says. “Competing for a job is no different.”
10/12/2007
American Youth
I have a 15 year old son. His future plan for a career is to be a video game developer. This is a pretty lofty dream considering that every other American kid has the same idea. The competition is going to be tuff. He also doesn't realize that the people that will get those positions are the youth that spend their time studying math and science. The video game players will be the ones working at McDonalds. Video games are playing a more detrimental role on American youth then weed ever has. Like weed, Video Games are a waiste of time. Do youth in India and China spend the majority of their time playing video games? I doubt it. America's future competitive advantage in industry and commerce is at stake.
10/11/2007
How Polarizing Job Scene Squeezes Middle
David Wessel of the Wall Street Journal has an article today about the job market for the middle class. He tells how the there is a demand for highly educated employees and for low educated service industry employees, but no demand for factory or unskilled office workers. It's no surprise that the average middle class job has changed over the past decade. Factory jobs and low skilled office jobs are going away, if they haven't already.
When I first started at ciber, there was a bookkeeper that was recently let go. The company had gotten Peoplesoft and that bookkeeper was not needed anymore. People, keep educating yourself and upgrading your skills. You just have to keep up with the changing work place.
10/08/2007
Fwd: You're Invited to a Microsoft Event in Memphis
MICROSOFT is having an event in Memphis:
Memphis, TN Thursday, 11/01/2007 Theater - Malco Paradiso
Spend the day with the most experienced IT pros and developers in your local area. Join us for a free, half-day of live learning with plenty of time to meet and trade stories with your peers. Best of all, you'll leave with a complimentary toolkit* that's packed with the hottest technical resources around. These are hands-on tools that you can immediately put to work. Take your skills to the next level with MSDN and TechNet Events. Register today.
TECHNET EVENTS
BUILD YOUR SKILLS, BUILD YOUR FAN CLUB with TechNet
Events
- Prepare for better performance with new tools and rich technologies for IT pros.
- We'll explore how Forefront™ Security and System Center can help you transform a less-than-effective IT environment into a secure and well-managed model of efficiency.
- We'll also take a look at how the next generation of networking features in Windows Server® 2008 and Windows Vista™ can cut costs and deliver a faster, more reliably connected experience.
- TechNet Events are free, live sessions that give you the latest technical innovations and plenty of time to swap stories with your peers.
SESSIONS INCLUDE:
- Optimizing your IT Infrastructure with Microsoft Forefront™ and Microsoft System Center
- Next Generation Networking with Windows Server® 2008 and Windows Vista™
MSDN EVENTS
MEET YOUR FELLOW MASTERS with MSDN Events
- Join like-minded coding fanatics for a free, half-day of learning with MSDN Events.
- You'll see how LINQ gives you the power to query just about anything and how to build a rock-solid messaging infrastructure with Windows Communication Foundation.
- We'll also explore Microsoft Silverlight™ and learn how to develop rich, interactive applications with Visual Studio® and Expression® Blend.
- Connect with your peers and take your coding skills to new heights at these live sessions in your local area.
SESSIONS INCLUDE:
- New Thinking in Data with LINQ and Visual Studio® "Orcas"
- Building an Effective Messaging Infrastructure with WCF
- Light up the Web with Microsoft Silverlight™
10/05/2007
WSJ.com - Employment Rebounded in September As August Decline Was Revised to Gain
Latest employment numbers. It's important to track this so that you can make career transistions correctly and timely.
Employment Rebounded in SeptemberAs August Decline Was Revised to Gain
By BRIAN BLACKSTONEOctober 5, 2007 11:36 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. employment rebounded last month on robust public education and other service-sector hiring, and August payrolls were revised sharply higher, providing further evidence that while the U.S. economy may slow a bit due to the housing crunch, it is likely to skirt an outright recession.
The figures, which included an acceleration in wage growth, will likely force investors to rein in hopes for further aggressive easing by the Federal Reserve.
Nonfarm payrolls rose 110,000 in September, the Labor Department said Friday. Just as important, August was revised to an 89,000 rise from a previous estimate of a 4,000 decline.
That drop had been seen by Fed watchers as a catalyst in the Fed's surprisingly aggressive half-point federal funds reduction last month, its first in over four years.
Still, many economists thought that report had overstated employment weakness since it included a big drop in state and local government education payrolls, which was widely expected to be reversed.
The September report included benchmark revisions for the year ended March 2007. Those revisions showed that employment was 297,000 less than previously thought.
The unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage point in September to 4.7%.
Average hourly earnings increased $0.07, or 0.4%, to $17.57. That was up 4.1% from a year earlier, suggesting tight labor markets are starting to put some upward pressure on wage growth.
September payrolls topped Wall Street expectations of a 100,000 rise. A report Wednesday from Automatic Data Processing and Macroeconomic Advisers that attempts to track the government figure, as well as recent jobless claims data, had pointed to modest gains in employment.
Forecasters in the Dow Jones Newswires survey had expected a 4.7% unemployment rate and 0.3% rise in hourly wages last month.
Despite signs that the economy expanded more than 3% last quarter, financial markets nonetheless have until Friday expected the Fed to lower the fed funds rate one-quarter point, to 4.5%, when it meets Oct. 30-31, and are pricing in another quarter-point reduction by yearend.
The Fed's rate moves so far have been spurred by the threat posed to the economy by housing and credit-market difficulties and not current data, which have held relatively firm.
The Fed may have cut interest rates in September even if August payrolls had been strong, St. Louis Fed President William Poole said last week, though he conceded that it "would have increased the communication challenge." In the Sept. 18 policy statement, officials omitted their longstanding reference to high resource utilization -- a nod to the tight jobs market -- as an inflation risk.
One bright spot for the Fed in Friday's report was the downward revision to March 2006-March 2007 job growth. That implies productivity was stronger in 2006 and early 2007 than once thought, suggesting the economy can grow faster without inflation.
The Labor Department said hiring last month in goods producing industries fell by 33,000. Within this group, manufacturing firms cut 18,000 jobs. Construction employment was down by 14,000, the fifth decline in six months.
Service-sector employment jumped 143,000. Retail fell by 5,200. Business and professional services companies' payrolls rose 21,000. Education and health-services employment advanced by 44,000. Leisure and hospitality rose 35,000, while the government added 37,000 jobs, on top of August's revised 57,000 gain.
The average work week was unchanged at 33.8 hours.
Employment Rebounded in SeptemberAs August Decline Was Revised to Gain
By BRIAN BLACKSTONEOctober 5, 2007 11:36 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. employment rebounded last month on robust public education and other service-sector hiring, and August payrolls were revised sharply higher, providing further evidence that while the U.S. economy may slow a bit due to the housing crunch, it is likely to skirt an outright recession.
The figures, which included an acceleration in wage growth, will likely force investors to rein in hopes for further aggressive easing by the Federal Reserve.
Nonfarm payrolls rose 110,000 in September, the Labor Department said Friday. Just as important, August was revised to an 89,000 rise from a previous estimate of a 4,000 decline.
That drop had been seen by Fed watchers as a catalyst in the Fed's surprisingly aggressive half-point federal funds reduction last month, its first in over four years.
Still, many economists thought that report had overstated employment weakness since it included a big drop in state and local government education payrolls, which was widely expected to be reversed.
The September report included benchmark revisions for the year ended March 2007. Those revisions showed that employment was 297,000 less than previously thought.
The unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage point in September to 4.7%.
Average hourly earnings increased $0.07, or 0.4%, to $17.57. That was up 4.1% from a year earlier, suggesting tight labor markets are starting to put some upward pressure on wage growth.
September payrolls topped Wall Street expectations of a 100,000 rise. A report Wednesday from Automatic Data Processing and Macroeconomic Advisers that attempts to track the government figure, as well as recent jobless claims data, had pointed to modest gains in employment.
Forecasters in the Dow Jones Newswires survey had expected a 4.7% unemployment rate and 0.3% rise in hourly wages last month.
Despite signs that the economy expanded more than 3% last quarter, financial markets nonetheless have until Friday expected the Fed to lower the fed funds rate one-quarter point, to 4.5%, when it meets Oct. 30-31, and are pricing in another quarter-point reduction by yearend.
The Fed's rate moves so far have been spurred by the threat posed to the economy by housing and credit-market difficulties and not current data, which have held relatively firm.
The Fed may have cut interest rates in September even if August payrolls had been strong, St. Louis Fed President William Poole said last week, though he conceded that it "would have increased the communication challenge." In the Sept. 18 policy statement, officials omitted their longstanding reference to high resource utilization -- a nod to the tight jobs market -- as an inflation risk.
One bright spot for the Fed in Friday's report was the downward revision to March 2006-March 2007 job growth. That implies productivity was stronger in 2006 and early 2007 than once thought, suggesting the economy can grow faster without inflation.
The Labor Department said hiring last month in goods producing industries fell by 33,000. Within this group, manufacturing firms cut 18,000 jobs. Construction employment was down by 14,000, the fifth decline in six months.
Service-sector employment jumped 143,000. Retail fell by 5,200. Business and professional services companies' payrolls rose 21,000. Education and health-services employment advanced by 44,000. Leisure and hospitality rose 35,000, while the government added 37,000 jobs, on top of August's revised 57,000 gain.
The average work week was unchanged at 33.8 hours.
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