From College Campus to Corporate Climate

When the last days of your college life approach and you are about to graduate, the most prominent thought that would be playing on your mind is about getting your first job. While students begin to get nostalgic about their last days at college and stat cherishing the memories of time spent at college, the pre-dominant remains about starting their career. It is the most important stage of life where a completely new beginning awaits you. The fun and carefree time of the college life would be replaced by the responsibility and worries of finding a job. The friends and the chit-chat with them would soon be replaced by colleagues and professional talk. The college canteen environment would soon be replaced by to-the-point office environment.

So, how do you cope with this transition to get settled in your first job? This is a question that every student encounters when he/she begins the career path. With a little help and advice, you can settle down well at your workplace even without any experience to boast about. You might have to restrain yourself in the beginning but that does not mean that you become a different person. Your workplace will be the place to shine your personality and hone your existent skills. If you use the opportunities presented at the workplace well, you will really succeed in making a mark on your first job.

At college, you were expecting to absorb knowledge and you spent years doing just that. Tests and exams were conducted every now and then and based on your understanding and knowledge you were judged. At your professional life, you would be expected to put that knowledge to practical use and how well you can do that will define your success at your job. Tests would not be occasional. In fact, everyday would be like a new test and your performance and conduct would be under the scanner each day by your seniors and supervisors. There may not be any formal exams but you would be working under tight deadlines most of the time and there would be little scope of error as your work would also impact the work of others if you are working in a team. Welcome to your first fresher job.

Now, to make the right first impression in your first job and to live up to that impression you would need to pump in a lot of effort initially. A little advice can help you here as you would be na've first. These small tips might sound insignificant but the fact remains that they will go a long way in cementing your position in your first job. These tips are about your general behavior and conduct at office and are not work-specific so they can apply to all fresher jobs across industries.

The first golden rule is that you remain punctual. Always arrive at the workplace on time. If you are seen as a latecomer, you might lose initial respect in the eyes of your boss and co-workers. Stick to a fixed lunch hour and do not spend too much time taking breaks. Do not be seen around wasting time on personal calls or just chatting away. Second ting that you keep in mind is to dress appropriately. If there is a particular dress code at your workplace, follow it strictly. If the dressing sense is relaxed, make sure you still dress up decently and not like you are going to a college. Don't wear too casual or holiday-mood kind of clothes.

Another important thing that you must remember is that listening is a bigger virtue than speaking. So, listen, listen and still listen more. Don't start throwing in your suggestions and comments till you have fully understood how things work at your office. Learn the rope of the game and observe as much as you can to understand how things have been working so far. If you start suggesting changes from the word go, you might come across as a threat to your fellow workers. So, be mindful of that. Avoid office gossip and mind your manners and etiquette at all times. Look around for a mentor under whose guidance you can learn and prosper in your career. Be inquisitive and ask questions to learn more. There is no harm in asking relevant questions. Following these small tips, you will get settled in the corporate culture and get a good head start for yourself. Thus, your first job will become a perfect launch pad for your career.

Lack of computer science engineers big challenge for IT

Bangalore: The IT sector has been hiring engineers from other engineering disciplines due to lack of computer science engineers in the country and this is probably one of the main hindrances to the growth of the Indian economy. NR Narayana Murthy feels the the growth of the IT sector is getting limited because of this.

Infosys hired 20,000 to 22,000 people from non-computer science backgrounds last year. "Today, by and large, majority of the engineering graduates that we take come from non-computer science backgrounds. We have electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and civil engineers. Given that this country is on high economic growth path, we have come to a stage where we should take only computer science people and we don't take away engineers who can build factories, dams and power plants," said Murthy at the tenth Annual Convocation International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B).

Murthy feels that there is a need to chalk out a plan to facilitate opportunities for state governments, the Central government and other inter state institutes to start more institutes which would focus on technical education.

Top 10 IT certifications in demand

Bangalore: IT certifications have always been popular among IT pros to bag the right job or seek the right jump. With the economy back in green, IT jobs too are back. Keeping this in mind, technology research firm Foote Partners recently listed IT certifications that could be considered "hot" in the coming months.

VMware Certified Professional: With virtualization technology becoming hot, it is little surprising that VCP program is in demand. Research shows that enterprises often face lack of required expertise specific to virtualization.
Certified Information Systems Auditor: CISA is a professional certification for Information technology audit professionals sponsored by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). Candidates for the certification must meet requirements set by ISACA.

GIAC Security Audit Essentials: This is for professionals planning to enter the information security industry who are tasked with auditing organization policy, procedure, risk, or policy conformance.

Certified Information Security Manager: CISM is a certification for information security managers awarded by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

Check Point Certified Security Expert: Designed for experienced security professionals, Check Point CCSE certification is claimed to be one of the most respected vendor-specific security certification. CCSE is an advanced Core security certification built on CCSA NGX, confirming in-depth skills and expertise in managing and supporting Check Point products.

Check Point Certified Security Administrator: Another Check Point-specific certification, CCSA aims to validate a security administrator's ability to maintain day-to-day operation of vendor's security solutions and ensure secure access to information across the network.

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (Security): MCSE certification provides an individual's skills in designing, implementing, and administering infrastructure for business solutions based on Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server.

Certified Wireless Security Professional: CWSP is claimed to be an advanced level certification that measures the ability to secure any wireless network. A wide range of security topics focusing on the 802.11 wireless LAN technology are covered in the coursework and exam, which is vendor neutral.

GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst: GCIA is an information security certification entity that specialises in technical and practical certification as well as new research in the form of its GIAC Gold program. SANS Institute founded the certification in 1999.

Cisco Certified Network Professional: Another vendor specific certification, Cisco Certified Network Professional or CCNP aims to validate the ability to plan, implement, verify and troubleshoot local and wide-area enterprise networks and work collaboratively with specialists on advanced security, voice, wireless and video solutions.