Rick Shurtz: The job market is uncertain now. We are seeing a changes in hiring practices and priorities as large firms consolidate and small firms struggle to stay on top. But there are opportunities. The key for those seeking employment is to provide a unique combination of skills and experiences. Then you can be hired to wear "two hats" and are viewed as cost effective. Finding that illusive combination is the challenge.

Baltimore, Maryland: My son is a high school junior with a strong interest in computer programming. Currently, he wants to enter college in Fall 2004 majoring in computer programing. The question, is this too narrow a field to major in to be marketable in 2008-10? What college majors and courses do you recommend?

Rick Shurtz: You are right. Computer programming is too narrow. He should consider combining his programming interests with business. The technology that is feuling the e-business marketplace is important as businesses try to become more efficient. The days of the pure technology play are limited. We need technologists who understand how to help a business achieve a sustained competitve advantage. He could also consider going into the security field (either encryption or information assurance). That need will continue strong.

Washington, D.C. : DO employers weigh education at all??
It seems that experience is the only thing that matters so why even get a degree? What kind of consideration is given to master's graduates or Ph.D. graduates who may not have as much experience as someone with just a BA because they have spent more time in school?

Rick Shurtz: Both actually matter, but a different times during your career. You can probably over come experience problems by working part-time while in school and by selected class projects that are relevant and important to your desired field of employment. You need to develop a portfolio projects while in school. If your education is not relevant to your ultimate employment objectives, then it won't compete with experience. Ultimately, your advanced degrees will help you gain promotions to higher levels....but only after you gain the hands-on competencies with on-the-job experience. We have many folks returning to school to get the degree so they can be promoted.

Ashton, Md.: How would you advise managers in leading a younger team member who is very talented in terms of technical skills, but who is inexperienced at performing as part of a team?

Rick Shurtz: This is the classic problem. Young techies who cannot work in a team or manage projects effectively. I would sit with him/her and work out a career advancement path that includes education in both soft skills and hard skills. You have an opportunity to be a mentor and help him/her grow to full potential. Once he/she understands that you are there to help, the non-technical guidance will be accepted.

We address these very issues in all of our technology courses (both at the graduate and undergraduate level). Team building has become an integral part of the our program for the very reasons that you outlined.

Silver Spring, Md.: What programming skills do you predict will be important over the next year or few years? Have you seen any trends?

Rick Shurtz: The skills that support distributed database systems that are used to streamline business: data-driven web design, interface standards (XML, CORBA), SQL database (Oracle, MSSQL, Sybase) manipulation, middleware (used to connect dissimilar, legacy databases). These core technologies uses Visual Basic (for MS system)and Java (for non-MS systems). Understand the entire system design process (both top-down and bottom-up). Object oriented programming languages with reusable modules and standard API's will dominate. Combine your programming skills with business insight and acumen....

Washington, DC: Hi, I am currently in grad school. However, there are employees here with less education and less experience than I, but with higher salaries and positions. Outside of leaving the company, what can I do to close this disparity?

Rick Shurtz: Work hard and select projects that will give you the ability to acquire a unique set of skills. View your job as a stepping stone and a learning opportunity. If you select your projects well and accummulate knowledge effectively, you value will grow quickly. If your company doesn't recognize it someone else will. I call this approach Knowledge Planning. Define an objective and then get the knowledge you need to meet your objectives.

Voorhees, New Jersey: Would it be realistic to expect to get hired at age 55 for a help desk position?

Rick Shurtz: Probably not, if you don't bring anything else to the table. However, your experience and mentoring skills may allow you to train, montivate, and manage help desk personnel. Many organizations need good technical managers. Perhaps you could take that route. Start at the help desk with the goal of moving up. Your maturity and dependability may be refreshing. Bottom line, packaging is the key....

Silver Spring Md.: How much college training do you need to become a Web Designer?

Rick Shurtz: You need to understand the elements for front end design...HTML, Javascript, graphics, flash. For backend design, you need databases and database programming, Visual Basic or Java. I would recommend that you get some server or network training so you are a combo package...network engineer and web developer. Our most successful placements have involved this combo.

Dupont Circle, Washington D.C.: What do you see as the future for new media and internet? What kinds of skills will be important? What about content production?

Rick Shurtz: The action is no longer e-commerce. It is e-business. Distributed databases, browser application interfaces, data-driven websites. Content is now databases with format performed on the fly. Writers and communicators are always needed. I would try to combine business and IT in a fashion that excites you.

Washington, DC: I will be graduating from college in two years. Will the recent recession and layout of skilled tech employees impact my chances of obtain an entry level job? What do you foresee in the near future for the tech industry: will supply be more than demand?

Rick Shurtz: You need to join user groups and to develop a portfolio of projects that you can talk about. Attend industry conferences and meeetings. Network and meet people. Read "What Color is your Parachute" and follow Dick Bolles suggestions. You should have not problems...unless you follow the deadly route of only sending resumes.

Develop a combination of skills. Business likes technologists who understand business, can write, have good verbal communications skills, can work in teams. All of the activities outlined about, allow you show your soft skills and get you noticed.

Temple Hills Md.: I have recently set-up a fail-over disaster recovery plan that my last company implemented. This was a business continuity plan for Network Operations. Is there a need out there for people with this background. If so does your firm know of any projects?

Rick Shurtz: Disaster recovery is important. Combine it with Information Assurance or Security for an attractive combination. There should be opportunities with the new Homeland Security Department. You will need a clearance.

MCSE & CCNA ads: I was considering in taking these classes from listening to the radio ads. Can you really make over $70K with just the certs as the ads kind of implied? I found it hard to believe, especially when there aren't much jobs around.

Thanks.

Rick Shurtz: Absolutely not. Certification only will not get you anything. Simply passing a multiple choice test is not proof that you can install and maintain a network.

You need real competencies. You need to have the ability get the job done. If you can prove that you are able to deploy and maintain a network, you may be able to earn 70K.

Certification mills that make those promises are a disservice to the industry...buyer beware.

Upper Marlboro, Md.: I'm a recently laid off Telecommunications Administrator. Looks like telecom. is dead right now. I have some computer networking experience but all in Novell Netware. Looks like everything is MS now. I'm starting to think I'm going to have to rely on my old litigation legal secretarial experience or break into small law office management which I have some experience with. How do you feel about telecomm. these days?

Rick Shurtz: Telecomm is flat these days. E-business is moving up, but that may not be your best option. Levaging both your legal experience and your IT experience is smart. You may have a unique combination that would be appealing to a law firm. That is probably you best bet. Check out the software packages that are most popular with law firms and do some crash studying. Then hit the streets and survey a few firms (using the surveying methods outlined in What Color is Your Parachute).

Sterling, Va.:

Do you think or feel in the Washington DC area, people with Java experience has more chance to find jobs than people with MS technologies like Visual Basic or ASP ? What would you suggest a person with around 5 years Microsoft technologies experience to make the job searching easier ?

Thank you very much.

Rick Shurtz: I would learn both JSP and ASP. PHP is also up and coming. It is very easy to learn. They both execute simple database commands. I would also learn basic SQL commands (use MySQL). Develop a suite of back-end skills that includes both data driven website and database configuration. Create your own website (ASP, JSP, or PHP). You may also want to expand your knowledge envelop with some e-business courses. There are some excellent options at both the graduate and undergraduate level.

Buenos Aires, Argentina: What is your opinion about networking technologies? Which skills are going to be required in the future (2-5 years)?

Rick Shurtz: Security, Data Assurance, WAN Infrastructure. These are particularly important in emgerging markets.

Alexandria, Va.: Hello Lisa,

I have certifications which cover a large area of IT skills including Web Design, programming, and systems administration. Do you think that by listing all of these skills for a job which only requires skills in a particular area hurt my chances of looking attractive to potential employers?

Thanks for your answer

Rick Shurtz: You need to meet people face-to-face. Get "What Color is Your Parachute" by Dick Bolles. You will learn how to focus on solving the problems of your potential employers to make your skill set relevant.

As far as the resume, I would focus on demonstrating your ability to solve problems, to manage projects on-time and on- budget...and make the resume less of a litany of certs. Focus on what you have done, rather than the certs you have passed. When I interview someone, I feel the more they emphasize certs, the less they know.

Virginia: Could you expand on "writers and communicators are always needed?"

Rick Shurtz: Developing content for the website is as important as creating the graphical shell that will contain it. We have frequently placed far to much emphasis on snappy design and not enough on content. The ability to synthesize a concept so it is quickly grasp is not trivial. If you have that ability, it will alway be demand. There are to few communicators in the web arena, and too many programmers. Someone who can do both is golden.

Washington D.C.: Hello.

I'm currently a developer with a small Internet development company, and I'm currently searching for a new job that will, among other things, offer a compensation for concomitant with my skillset (5 years expertise in Java and Oracle among other things).

My concern, however, is that my resume is often overlooked because as far as my education is concerned, I have no computer science background, and only has a BA. I do not feel I have the time or financial security to go back to school yet, and the fact of the matter is I'm a more efficacious developer than a lot of these jokers that get out of school with computer science degrees and only know how to do what they learned in their little class projects.

I'm wondering, as I send out my resume and interview, is there something I could do to distinguish myself by my five years of experience? Is there a more effective approach to take in finding prospective employers? Or is the problem not as bad as I'm making it out to be?

Rick Shurtz: I don't believe you have a problem. Clearly you can write and communicate. If you have a few successful projects under your belt and can talk convincingly about them, you'r fine. If you can manage and motivate employees, you are in a good position.

You need to get out and meet people (outside of a job interview). Attend conferences, present papers, join user groups, survey (as in What Color Is Your Parachute). Your basic skill set will come throught loud and clear. Some of the best technical managers I have ever met had Liberal Arts Degrees.

Somewhere, USA: You talk about experience. I'm in my early 50s. When I was lookiing four years ago I felt the discrimination. I'm ready to look again. What should I expect? Thanks.

Rick Shurtz: Packaging is the key. Read "What Color is Your Parachute" During the surveying process, you experience will be a real advantage. Dot.com kids who lost millions because they could not manage are no longer in vogue.

Sterling, Va.: How would you suggest one address a stated requirement that one be a US citizen? Does one just state it in the cover letter directly ('I am a US citizen') and if so, should it be a separate paragraph or would it fit better within a paragraph of other general requirements ('I am a US citizen with a bachelor's degree...')?

Thanks for the suggestions.

Rick Shurtz: I would add a line to the resume. One sentence in the letter would be OK too.

Mount Airy, Md.: I am looking for an entry-level web developer position. I have 2+ years part-time and freelance experience using UNIX-based web development tools such as PERL, PHP and MySQL. Unfortunately, most jobs that I would like to apply for require experience with Windows-based development tools. What is the best way to procure an entry-level job when your skills do not exactly match the job descriptions?

Rick Shurtz: Focus on your ability to learn quickly and on successful projects. Demonstrate through past performance that you could tackle difficult assignments, learn what was needed, and then met the goals. You should have a convincing portfolio to show. Include some of your code (well commented). I would also create some simple ASP pages, linked to a MySQL database. With your experience, you could do that in a weekend and post it to the web.

Alexandria, Va.: I work for a web development company that is a little over 1 year old. My hours are tough--I work 10+ hours a day. It didn't bother me when the company was first starting out, because I felt that I was contributing a great deal to the company and I received positive feedback from my supervisors. Now, even though I have the same commitment to the company, I am not getting the same satisfaction. I feel like the company does not consider me high on the priority list, why should the company be my top priority. Do you think I should confront my supervisor or just look for a new position?

Rick Shurtz: Take charge of your career. Decide what you want to do and what you need to know to get there. Use your current job to learn new skills and expand your knowledge base. I call this Knowledge Management. In other words, you must get something from your job other than money.....You may ask to move to other positions in the company to expand your skill mix.

I would also ask your supervisor to help you develop a career development plan that included job rotations and training. Involve him in your development. You will make his job easier. Don't take the current situation personally, but make certain you are heard.

Washington, D.C. : My sister was in the military and has since gotten out and is having the hardest time finding a job. She is getting real depressed because of the hard time she has in locating a job- any job she does not want much more than a secretary after 10 years of Naval service.

What can she do?

Rick Shurtz: Have her get "What Color is Your Parachute" by Dick Bolles. She needs to read it and do the excercises. Many of those techniques were developed by John Crystal to help military retirees transition to civilian society. Sending out resumes only will not work.

Alexandria Va: What are the key things to keep in mind when you are managing a small team in a small company? We are like a family at this small start up that I work in and I don't' want to jeopardize that. How do I maintain that cozy atmosphere and still be an effective boss?

Rick Shurtz: Communicate your overall corporate objectives clearly. I would read the books: "Built to Last" and "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. We use them in our Entrepreneurial Leadership course. They focus on visionary leadership.

Arlington, Va.: I have two bosses: my direct supervisor, who's about my age and level of experience, and the general manager in my department, who is slightly older and a lot more experienced. I greatly admire the GM and we seem to get along really well. Lately, I have the impression that my direct supervisor is going against every idea I give in meetings and is being bossier -- she used to be friendly. I suspect that my being outspoken, added to my qualifications and friendship with the big boss, are making her insecure. I don't want her to feel like I'm a threat to her and I've always respected her as my supervisor. How do I deal with this?

Rick Shurtz: Make certain that your success makes your direct supervisor look good. If you can structure an environment where your success will reflect well on your direct supervisor all will be OK. Emphasize to the GM that you direct supervisor is doing an excellent job of helping you develop. This is a common problem that can be solved with diplomacy.

Arlington Va.: I have a micro-managing boss. I feel like I could use some freedom in my job but I'm also new to the workforce so sometimes I feel that I'm not qualified to have her let go of me a little. I'm bored with what I do but at the same time, I feel that since she's in every little thing that I do bossing me around that I'm not qualified to conduct my own work as I think it should be done. Do you think that is true or is it that her telling me what to do all the time is stifling and brain-draining?

Rick Shurtz: Be patient and keep learning. Always accept responsibilities and be there when they really need you. Make certain that you are always adding bullets to your resume (i.e. additional accomplishments). At some point moving on will make sense.

Bowie, Md.: I am a Business Development Mgr. for an IT Company. I recently left a company that I worked at for 2 1/2 yrs. I left for better compensation. After 30 days at this new company the VP that I reported to turned out to be a big disappointment. He sexually harassed me and managed by intimidation. To make a long story short I'm no longer there after only 30 days. I'm job hunting again, how do I explain to my future employer without sounding bitter and unreliable.

Rick Shurtz: I would simply say that you left for a new opportunity. When you started, the job was not what had been promised. So, you decided to cut your losses and move on quickly.

Washington, D.C. : If you had to choose between Quark Express and Adobe Indesign, which would you choose?

Rick Shurtz: I started with Quark many years ago. It is losing market share now and Adobe is moving up. However, check with the firms you are targeting. There are some real Quark advocates out there and they may never change.

Jobs: Sorry we're out of time. Thanks to all who participated.

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