Tutorial Blog 4: Information Systems Career Information

With all of these new skills we have learned over the course of the spring 2011 semester in ISM3004, we have yet but vaguely touched the surface of the information systems universe. If you’ve been moved at all maybe you are considering a potential career in information systems. If you are contemplating a career in information systems let’s review a few of the many potential career and occupational paths in the information systems industry.

The world of information systems is overflowing with thousands of different jobs and occupations. I am going to do my best to break down these numerous jobs into a few different categories in order to better explain and give you a more functional idea of what type of jobs are out there for the aspiring information systems enthusiast. 

We can start by breaking down information systems into 7 major work sectors. These 7 sectors are listed below.

1.       General business and government organizations and their IT departments
2.       Computer equipment field
3.       Computer software field
4.       Computer service and repair field
5.       Computer sales
6.       Computer education and training field
7.       IT consulting

Within these 7 sectors there are usually 6 different work related fields that are areas of specialization but can be encompassed by any of the 7 sectors listed above. These 6 fields of specialization are

1.       Management
2.       System development and programming
3.       Technical services
4.       Operations
5.       Training
6.       Security

REASONS FOR SEEKING EMPLOYMENT, AND STATISTICS IN THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS WORLD

The information systems world is a very lucrative and rewarding employment sector to venture into and develop a career in. As portrayed in the table below computer science majors first job offers salary is on average higher than all of the other majors portrayed.

Major	Average Offer
Computer Science	$61,110
Economics	$51,062
Finance	$48,158
Accounting	$48,020
Business Administration/Mgmt Marketing/Marketing Mgmt	$46,171 $41,506
English	$35,453
Sociology	$35,343
Visual and Performing Arts Psychology	$35,073 $34,095

(Data gathered from http://www.winthrop.edu/cba/economics/default.aspx?id=9833 , Table is an original creation, created with Microsoft word)

A study by CareerCast.com evaluated 200 professions back in 2008 and in the top 20 best jobs which were selected based off of environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. Within the top 20 jobs list were three different jobs involving information systems, those jobs were; #5 Software Engineer, #6 Computer Systems Analyst, and  #18 Computer Programmer (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123119236117055127.html).

If your having a tough time grasping the gargantuan world of Information Systems and the many jobs within the field the video below is a great informative easy to understand tool that can be used to facilitate your knowledge and search for information about the Information Systems/Technology career field.

 

(Video is not mine, it can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgWnhS5WyfM&feature=related, It is being used for educational purposes)

For many of us getting ready to embark upon the treacherous journey of life and real world job hunting finding a job can be intimidating and job security / availability can be very intimidating. Many industries and careers are being overrun and phased out by computers or being outsourced or just eliminate din general. Security and comfort within a certain career field is somewhat uncommon within the majority of occupational fields, however it is projected that the information systems/technologies career field is in the process of taking off on a track of exponential growth and a end is nowhere insight, meaning for all of us I.S. / I.T. / Computer majors are in for a lucrative, growing, fast paced job market with a strong since of job security due to the high demand for our talents and abilities.

(Not my original image, image can be found athttp://is.njit.edu/academics/undergraduate/bsbis/bsbis-careers.php) 

A career in Information systems has many potential career paths. I hope that this post has opened your eyes an narrowed down any potential specified jobs that you might be interested in. With statistics chronicling salary, industry growth, and a simple breakdown of the career field, I hope the information provided will be able to ensure your decisions to pursue a potential career in IS/IT.

Secure Email Project

I completed all of the secure email training. After completion of the training I proceeded to complete the Secure Email Project. Below is the screenshot of my Thunderbird inbox containing the digitally signed and encrypted email that Dr. Means sent.

My Thunderbird Inbox sub-folder containing both the encrypted email response as well as the digitally signed email response.

Take EliteFitness.com as an example, they have recently implemented their own secure encrypted email server for their clients. Within the article EliteFitness.com explains all the pro’s and con’s to utilizing secure encrypted email account such as, protecting you against identity fraud, eliminating the threats of stalkers monitoring your movements, and last but not least the secure encrypted email server that is mentioned within the article also will protect you against the FBI’s information gathering technology known as Carnivore.

The article also goes into detail about how to effectively utilize the secure encrypted email service that is provided by EliteFitness.com. It discusses its new spam control / protection and it allowed-block list features provided by the company.

EliteFitness.com has taken the leap to provide proper security for its client by making secure / encryption protected email server readily available. This project has opened my eyes to technological protection that is a must within the fats rising world of business computing.

The article can be found at: http://bodybuilding.elitefitness.com/use-elitefitnesscom-secure-encrypted-email-privacy-and-spam-control?s=0299d7bebed47c7f5852cd2840bac98a



Avatar

While searching for a tool to help facilitate in the creation of my avatar I observed and dabbled in a few different avatar creation programs. After experimenting with Simpsonize Me (http://simpsonizeme.com/), Meez (http://www.meez.com/), Dopple Me (http://www.doppelme.com/) and Tiz Me (http://tizme.net/CreateStart.aspx), I came to the conclusion that I would utilize the most user friendly avatar program in regards to my personal preference. I decided to use Tiz Me due to its user friendly program.

The avatar creation tools were fairly easy to use and went into pretty deep detail. You could alter your avatars skin tone, hair style, hair color, eye style and color, freckles, facial expressions, clothes, footwear, and you were also able to add an abundance of accessories. Overall the avatar creation process was a fun interactive learning process that I’m sure one day will help me in some way, shape or form.

Tutorial Blog 3: Selecting the Internet Service Provider That Best Fits You

The Internet can be a large intimidating unknown force to face without the proper knowledge and guidance. If you don’t currently have internet at your personal disposal I.E. house, apartment, or phone, then this lesson might just help you out. Maybe you’ve started on the long and dangerous adventure that we know as life, and you on your own away from mommy and daddy and you have to become a responsible adult now. You may possibly be and older adult and have finally decided to get caught up with technology. If you fall in any of these categories then this blog post is for you and will be a quick and easy educational lesson on what different types of internet connections are out there, along with those connection types pro’s and con’s, as well as list some of the top internet service providers. Let us jump right in and get started.

To start out we will get you a little more affiliated with the four basic different types of internet connections. Below is a list of those four connectivity types. We will list the types from oldest to newest.

1.      Analogue (Dial-Up)

2.      Cable

3.      Tier Carrier

4.      DSL

I will now explain some of the pros and cons about each internet connection.

1.      Analogue (Dial-Up)

Analogue also known as Dial Up is one of the first internet connections that became widely available. It is very much price efficient as you can find some Analogue (Dial-Up) services for free. Dial Up utilizes a phone line and an ISP (Internet Service Provider) in order to deliver the internet to you. Sometimes computers have a port for a Dial-Up phone line and sometimes they don’t if they don’t you would have to acquire a modem to route your  internet through.

PROS:  The biggest pro to having dial-up is it is very cost efficient. You can find dial-up for services for very cheap and sometimes even for free.

Cons: Dial-Up has a few cons. Dial-Up is extremely slow and delivers poor quality internet. It also ties up a phone line potentially disabling your landline phone services. Also due to the low cost it sometimes does not come with the perks of some of the other connections such as virus and spyware blockers.

A visual example of how Dial-Up works

Picture from http://www.mwcomputersolutions.com/index.php?page=dialup

2.     Cable

Cable internet connects to the internet via a television cable line to a modem to your computer. The cable internet connection uses television channels for data transmission. Coaxial cables are used for this type of connection which has a larger bandwidth in turn providing a fast internet connection.

PROS: Cable internet is fast and provides good quality internet. Cable internet is also highly reliable. Unlike Dial-Up Cable internet does not tie up your phone line.

CONS: Cable Internet can be a bit pricier than dial-up. Not all areas have cable internet access. Also depending on how many people are utilizing the cable internet in your area internet speed can fluctuate.

An example of a cable internet connection and the way it works.

Image provided courtesy of http://www.computertroublesolver.com/Network-Basics.html

3.     DSL

DSL uses copper telephone wires and does not require dialing into an ISP. DSL is always on. DSL is the most popular internet connection used for both commercial and personal use. DSL utilizes phone lines in order to connect to the internet.

PROS: DSL is the most reliable connection on the market. DSL is a very fast internet connection. DSL allows the user to use the internet and the phone at the same time. DSL is a securer connection than Cable because consumers use their own private telephone lines which usually no one else is on.

CONS: DSL is only available in heavily populated areas. Also the further your area of connection is away from the headquarters the weaker and weaker your internet connectivity is.

An example of a dsl set up.

Picture courtesy of http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~bb02956/.

TOP TEN ISP’S 2011

1.     Earthlink

2.     AOL

3.     Comcast

4.     MSN

5.     Net Zero

6.     Verizon

7.     A T&T

8.     Juno

9.     Qwest

10.  ISP.com

HELPFUL LINKS

·       http://www.dsl-isp-guide.com/pros_cons_of_dsl.htm  DSL Guide

·       http://isp-review.toptenreviews.com/   A detailed top ten ISP review

·       http://www.computertooslow.com/internet-connections.asp  A website chronicling all the different types of internet connectivity.

Hopefully this blog helps you in your search to find the appropriate internet service provider.

Database Project - Microsoft Access

I recently completed the Microsoft Access Database Project on the 23^rd of March 2011. During this project I acquired a few of the necessary foundational tools needed in order to successfully navigate and effectively utilize Microsoft Access. Throughout the project I learned how to create and name/rename a new table as well as assign a primary key. I learned how to check and alter the field data type, add a description to the field data type, and enter new information to the table. Some more valuable information I learned while completing this project was how to create a query and how to alter the query in order to return only certain information as well as crafting the query to order the data in a specific way. I also had the opportunity to learn how to create and name a form within access. During the section on forms I learned how to alter what fields show up on the form, how to assign something to “read only” i.e. not editable, and I also tested the form by entering in two new sets of data. During the last section of the project I focused on reports. While working on the reports section I learned how to create and name reports, assign data sets to the report, grouping and sorting the information within the report, altering the report so that all fields are present and on one sheet of paper after being printed, and adding a footer. I had never worked with Microsoft Access before, after completing this project I now have added a very diverse and adaptive tool to my arsenal.

I think there a few possible ways that we can enhance the overall functionality of this database. One thing that we could do to make this a little more functional would be to collect the members phone numbers and add phone numbers field to the data. Also on the “New Member Form” It was never stated to change the header on that form from “Members” to “New Members Form” the only thing we were told to do that was remotely close to this was naming the form “New Members Form” but nothing as far as changing the header, the header “Members” doesn’t make any sense? Why would you label a form for new members as members? It does not properly describe the form, which is for new members. The form could also include a field for a phone number. I think it would also be helpful to group the ex-members that have left within 6 months by gender so we can more effectively analyze the data. Besides those few minor details I think the project was formatted well and very much functional.

Support The Wounded Warrior Project

I was asked to create a presentation supporting a philanthropic organization and their efforts. Jones Co and Consulting chose to support The Wounded Warrior Project.

When I created this presentation I tried to format the work so that it had a logical flow. I started with a sentimental touching picture and a traditional patriotic compilation of Amazing Grace. From there I stated a “wow fact”. After the “wow fact” slide I stated a powerful quote pertaining to the situation and continued to discuss the history of The Wounded Warrior Project. Soon thereafter I had a slide describing the company’s mission and vision statement. After the mission and vision statement slide I had a slide discussing the many ways in which The Wounded Warrior Project helped the wounded warriors. After that slide I created a slide describing the different ways we as human beings can contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project, shortly followed up a by a contact information slide. I feel like it flowed well catching the audience’s attention off the bat and following up with a description of the company and what they do along with how the company helps the wounded warriors out and how we can get involved, followed up by a contact slide.

I could have improved this presentation by possibly answering and elaborating on a few more possible questions. During the slide discussing the history of The Wounded Warrior Project and the slide discussing the different ways to get involved I feel like I could have been a little more elaborative. There were a lot of information and potential questions that could have been covered. I felt like I covered the most important topic and potential questions though.

During the presentation I utilize a couple of wow facts in order to grab the attention of the audience as well as a quote pertaining to the topic that really stuck out. I also used some media “Audio” in order to capture the audience. During the presentation I asked one key question to spark the interest of the audience. I feel like the flow and organization of the presentations set the context and made the presentation clear and concise. All of my claims are validated within the source document. However I could have done a better job relaying that within the actual presentation. I avoided unreasonable claims. I also didn’t create too much clutter within the presentation. I did however read the quote off of one of my slides. All of my other slides somewhat outlined what I was actually talking about. I said it and then showed it.

Overall I really enjoyed this project. It really opened my eyes to copyright laws and gave me some up close personal experience dealing with the copyright laws. I utilized PowerPoint. Within PowerPoint I utilized slide transitions, along with adding pictures and audio, not only audio I created via PowerPoint but audio I downloaded from the public domain. I utilized Author Stream in order to upload the presentation. These are the majority of the skills I learned while completing this project.

The Wounded Warrior Project Presenation URL
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/cedrickylejones-874939-the-wounded-warrior-project/

Tutorial 2: 8 Ways to Captivate and Mesmerize Your Audience During a Presentation

“Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.”

-Dale Carnegie

Losing the attention of your audience is something that can completely undermine and destroy the focus and intent of a presentation. Any information you want or need the audience to process and decipher could potentially be lost due to lack of attention

As portrayed above we see that the foundation of a successful presentation is in capturing the audience’s attention, captivating them and mesmerizing them. In order to grab your audience it has been proven that you must do this within the first 30 to 60 seconds. If you don’t capture your audience’s attention in the first 30 to 60 seconds you could have potentially lost their attention for the entirety of the presentation.

I will now give you a few quick and easy tips on how to take control of your audience, captivate them, mesmerize them, as well as getting them actively engaged in the presentation. I will guarantee you that they will leave your presentation well cognizant of the information you put out and thirsting for more.

8 WAYS TO CAPTIVATE AND MESMERIZE YOUR AUDIENCE DURING A PRESENTATION.

v  Ask a question

By asking a question you are directly engaging your audience. It can also keep the audience actively engaged by keeping them on their toes. The audience could potentially pay more attention because of the possible chance of being asked a question.

v  Tell a story

When you tell a story in order to captivate the audience you want to be able to make the story relevant to the audience and the presentation. This will trigger the audience’s interest in the topic and presentation. Proverbs or aphorisms are great historical and time proven tales that could work out for your purpose.

v  Crack a joke

Be wary of this one, if you can pull it off this is a great way to break the ice and grab the audience’s immediate attention. By preforming this and pulling it off it will also put the audience in a good mood. Just be sure to take into consideration that with this tip you either pull it off and it’s great, or you encounter an epic fail and all is lost.

v  Use a quote

Quotes are a great way to capture the audience. Be sure when you use a quote to state who said the quote out of respect. Also you want to make sure the quote relates to your presentation.

v  Unveil a dramatic statistic

This is an awesome and powerful way of capturing your audience. You want to make sure the statistics you use are verifiable and solid, and can relate to your presentations information. The more staggering of a statistic you make the more captivating your presentation becomes.

v   Use media, audio, video

Utilizing media, audio, and video is a great way to capture your audience. It’s something loud and different from the typical boring standard presentation. You want to make sure your media relates to your topic and is appropriate for the type of audience taking everything into consideration.

v  Build credibility

This can be a great tool within a presentation. When you start building your credibility be sure not to overdo it or get out of hand. I’m sure we’ve all had those professors that talk about themselves for ¾ of the class and we all can’t stand it. So when you do this be sure to talk about your personal experiences relating to your topic in order to build credibility and don’t overdo it.

v  Introduce an analogy or metaphor

Analogies and metaphors are great to gain the audience’s attention and get those creative juices flowing, it really gets them thinking. These tools are especially helpful when presenting tough or challenging information.

Below is a great example of a piece of public speaking by Craig Valentine that reaches out and grabs you in the first 30 to 60 seconds.

Video is from YouTube.com and is not mine. Video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/makelovecool#p/a/u/0/h3_g876l4EA

All of these tips are great tips for really adding that opening bang to your presentation, speech or what have you. However there are many more tips and tricks out there listed below are a few websites that have some great information regarding tips and tricks for spicing up your presentation.

1.      http://www.speak-first.com/news/presenting-with-a-bang.aspx

2.      http://www.tero.com/engaging.html

3.      http://top7business.com/?Top-7-Tips-for-a-Successful-Presentation&id=88



Hopefully these tips will aid you in the pursuit of an engaging, captivating, and mesmerizing presentation. Best of Luck in all future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Cedric K Jones

Excel Project

The Excel Project was a great learning experience. We received a file containing raw data pertaining to an exercise study. We were directed to reformat the data so it would be more aesthetically pleasing, comprehendible, and show a comprehensive analysis of the data. Due to the reformatting the data will be able to be printed out in an effective and comprehendible manner.              

I utilized many different skills during the reformatting and analysis of the Excel Project. During the reformatting portion of the project I learned, used and practiced naming and renaming sheets, formatting fonts, centering, adjusting adding and removing rows and columns, applying freeze panes, applying and using the formula tab while creating different formulas, adding and subtracting decimal points (formatting numbers), and preparing the document to print.

In the second portion of the Excel Project I worked with pivot tables. I was directed to create to different pivot table analysis charts. One chart was on the “Target Heart Rate Being Achieved” and the other chart was on “The Average Heart Rate Increase” both had variations of male and female. During the creation of these pivot tables I learned how to select and insert the proper column and row headings within the table, as well as insert the proper data within the table. I also learned how to add and subtract decimal places within the pivot table (number formatting), as well as group different categories within the pivot table.

My Average Percent Increase pivot table

All in all this project was a great learning experience with a bit of real world work force application which was very helpful.

Tutorial 1 : A Quick and Easy Way to Avoid Plagiarism

A national survey published in Education Week found that 54% of students admitted to plagiarizing from the internet; 74% of students admitted that at least once during the past school year they had engaged in "serious" cheating; and 47% of students believe their teachers sometimes choose to ignore students who are cheating. “Facts about plagiarism” Plagiarism.org. Accessed January 29, 2011 http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_facts.html

As viewed above plagiarism is a fairly large problem within our education system. Sometimes we might unknowingly plagiarize and sometimes we might deliberately plagiarize. Either way plagiarism results in a direct violation of academic integrity. Academic integrity violations are something that we as citizens of the academic world do not want on our record or on our conscious.

Academic integrity violations such as plagiarism can result in punishment. These punishments have varied depending upon situation. I’ve read about students being given an “F” on the assignment all the way to the student being expelled from the Academic institution. In the working world plagiarism can be combatted with punishments such as fines, potential misdemeanor or felony charges and up to 1 year in jail, all dependent upon the state and severity of the offense.

With this being said there are ways to protect ourselves and make sure that we don’t violate our integrity and don’t run into these problems. There are a few great sites that help us not only learn about plagiarism, but help us combat it amongst our own compilation of work. A few great website’s that have tons of information and facts / tips regarding plagiarism are http://www.plagiarism.org/index.html , http://www.turnitin.com/static/index.php , http://www.ithenticate.com/ , http://www.writecheck.com/static/home.html, and one that all of us as undergraduates should be interested in http://www.turnitinadmissions.com/index.html , which articulates and helps pinpoint plagiarism in application essays for graduate and undergraduate programs.

I will now teach how to access and effectively use the website http://www.duplichecker.com/ a quick free plagiarism checker that can be utilized in a matter of minutes.

A few things you will need.

1.      A computer with internet capability

2.      An electronic copy of your document, preferably in word document format.

3.      The ability to copy and paste.

v  Step #1: Open you computers web browser.

v  Step #2: In the address bar enter the web address http://www.duplichecker.com/

v  Step #3: Hit the “Enter” key

v  Step #4: After hitting the enter key you should have been directed to the http://www.duplichecker.com/ home page.

v  Step #5: After being directed to the Dupli Checker homepage scroll down to the “Please Enter Your Text Below and Search” Text Box

v  Step #6: using the copy function on your keyboard or mouse copy your document and paste it in the text box, OR you can use the browse button to locate your document on your computer and upload it into the text box that way.

v  Step#7: After the text is uploaded OR pasted in the text box hit the search button at the bottom of the page directly under the Yahoo add. After hitting this button the Dupli Checker will return your document to you with any potential plagiarism threats. From there you can decide to alter your document however you wish to.

That is the easiest, cheapest, quickest and one of the most effective ways to make sure your not committing an act of plagiarism. I hope this information will help anyone and everyone in there quest for education and knowledge.

Above: Dupli Checker homepage