The Value of Capstone Projects

Joel Spolsky, CEO and co-founder of Fog Creek Software, writes about the value of Capstone Projects for college computer science students. While I disagree with some of his peripheral points, I agree that a capstone project or course certainly holds great value for the student and his or her potential employer.

The LCCC Business Division Computer Information Systems curriculum has included a capstone Systems Development (CISS 247) course since at least 1981 (when I took the then equivalent course). CISS 247 addresses exactly the issues Mr. Spolsky talks about - "working on teams, scheduling, estimating, debugging, usability testing, and documentation."

Professor Huffman, who teaches the CISS 247 course, does a great job of identifying and organizing real and challenging I.T. projects from the LCCC campus and surrounding community. Student teams are each assigned a project and a mentor who is familiar with the project (typically an LCCC faculty or staff member). The teams then have until the end of the semester to complete their projects and present their work to their peers and the LCCC campus community.

I have worked with several CISS 247 project teams and they have all indicated that 1) the course was the most challenging course they have ever taken in college, and 2) they learned a lot about meeting deadlines, working with other people, and utilizing what they have learned in their other college courses.

It is definitely a plus to see that LCCC has for a long, long time been providing very valuable student experiences that Mr. Spolsky indicates that many larger, more prestigious institutions have largely igonored.

CNN Money "50 Best Jobs in America"

I.T. and Business careers are very well represented in this recent CNNMoney.com list/article. By my estimation, 22 of the 50 top jobs are either directly related to or have roots in L.C.C.C. Business Division degree programs:

1. Systems Engineer (this title can mean many different jobs - I view it from the I.T. Systems Analyst perspective)
5. I.T. Technology Project Manager
6. C.P.A.
8. Computer/Network Security Consultant
10. Sales Director
12. Software Developer
16. Software Product Manager
17. Business Analyst, I.T.
20. Human Resources Manager
21. Senior Financial Analyst
26. Marketing Manager
28. Technical Writer
29. Finance Director
30. Telecommunications/Network Engineer
31. Director of Communications
32. Hotel General Manager
34. Account Executive
39. Computer Software Program Manager
40. Applications Systems Analyst
41. Senior Internal Auditor
47. Product Marketing Manager
50. Outside Sales Representative

And, in three different "Top Ten" Lists:

Most Job Growth:

1. Telecommunications Network Engineer
2. Systems Engineer
5. Senior Financial Analyst
6. Business Analyst, I.T.
7. Software Development Director

Top Pay:

5. Sales Director
7. Finance Director
8. Software Architect

Least Stressful:

4. Software Developer
5. Technical Writer
6. Telecommunications Network Engineer
8. Software Architect

Training Time- Series 10

Training Time Series 10 will enhance the skills of new managers, mid-level managers, administrative professionals and anyone who wishes to gain technical and administrative skills to make their jobs easier and more efficient. We provide various options for attendance, whether it is by half day or the entire day of events. Morning and afternoon sessions are three hours each. Plus, you will learn about what the college has to offer employers as well as a preview of our next Training Time, which will be winter, 2010.
The upcoming Training Time on Friday, October 30 will offer Excel Basic 2007 in the morning and Time and Organizational Management in the afternoon. Full day including lunch and handouts is $125 and half day is $79 per person. For full information and registration options: www.lorainccc.edu/trainingtime.

Continuing Education from the Business Division

Continuing Education from the Business Division
The Business Division provides employers, students and individuals from the community access to continuing education courses. Courses and programs can be short term in length, such as an 8 hour training in MS Office products or soft skills such as supervisory training to longer term programs in various IT areas such as The IT Support Program. The Division offers open enrollment courses and programs all year long and can also provide customized training for employers in various business and IT skill training. Degreed students also take our courses after graduation and while in the workplace to continue their professional development. Also offered are online courses from Ed2Go and LearnKey.

Check out our websites:
Open enrollment courses: www.lorainccc.edu/ceb
Employee Services and training: www.lorainccc.edu/atwork
Ed2go: www.ed2go.com/lorain
LearnKey: www.lccc.onlineexpert.com

Contact information:
Lori Peters, Training Manager, lpeters@lorainccc.edu
Carrie Hering, Administrative Assistant, chering@lorainccc.edu

Cloud Computing May Need a Pause to Think

The recent Sidekick outage in which user data was lost, at least for a period of time, will likely cause corporate and organizational users of cloud computing to take stock in a number of questions, well beyond data loss. Who has jurisdiction of my data, how does the provider's business continuity plans fit into mine. An overall assessment of risk vs benefits will likely be a highlighted topic and bring this new trend out of the clouds.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/101909-microsoft-balmer-sidekick.html?page=1

Migration to IPV6 Might Actually Happen

A recent announcement from CISCO about new features in their carrier grade router products which will support the transition from IPV4 to IPV6 may be the harbinger of IPV6 in earnest. It is estimated that there are only 700 days left to the allocation of the last IPV4 block. From that point only addresses that providers have in inventory will be available.

With these new products, the continued growth of mobile and sensor oriented products, the Internet community will likely be pushed to start the migration to IPV6 in earnest.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/101309-cisco-ipv6-migration.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_pm_2009-10-13

Educating the Net Generation

Free E-book online

via @finiteattention on Twitter

The Chef's Garden

Earlier this week, members of the Business Division Faculty visited The Chef's Garden.

From their site:

The Chef’s Garden® is the leading grower of artisanal products in the United States for the world’s top chefs. We are currently growing more than 600 varieties of vegetables, micro greens and herbs in seven different stages of growth to enhance any plate. We currently grow 87 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, a multitude of root crops, 300 different types of Micro Greens, Micro Herbs and flowers, and many experimental crops that provide you with the newest products around!

Frankly, I did not now what to expect prior to the trip. The tour was both inspirational and fascinating on so many levels.

First of all, it is a testimony to the hard work, perseverance, vision and entrepreneurial of the Jones family, which allowed them to bounce back from adversity to create an amazing and innovative business.

from their website:

After the loss of acreage in the 1980s following a severe hailstorm, Farmer Jones and his sons made a decision to do things a little bit differently. Conventional farming was out, and growing responsibly for quality instead of quantity was the direction the family took.

During the tour, I was struck by the knowledge, hard work, care and planning that went into every step of the process. Their website contains A REMINDER OF THE CHEF’S GARDEN BELIEFS

The Family Farm – We believe in preserving and protecting small farms and American farmland for the prosperity of future generations.

Sustainable Agricultural Practices – We practice classic farming techniques that begin by continually replenishing the soil that is the foundation for our products.

“Growing Slowly and Gently in Full Accord with Nature”®,-  Sustainably grown, our product provides optimum flavor and nutrient levels necessary for a healthy America.

Superior Food Safety – Adherence to food safety standards is our top priority as evidence by our “Superior” ratings from HACCP, Primus Labs and the American Institute of Baking.

Research and Development – Innovation and new product development helps us remain the leading the leading grower of artisanal products for top chefs  worldwide.

Chef and Farmer Concept™ – Our tenacious dedication to being the Chef’s personal farmer builds a great synergy between us.

Earth to Table™ – Ours is a “growing inventory” that is hand-harvested to order and delivered directly to you to assure the freshest, most flavorful produce available . . . along with the added benefit of prolonged shelf life.

At every point of the tour, I saw that they truly practice what they preach.

For me, the biggest lesson was seeing how they live up to their beliefs. They do so by combining traditional practices with modern, innovative ideas. For me, as a technologist, it is easy to characterize people or businesses as either old fashioned and traditional, or modern and hi-tech. After all, in my field, 10 years ago seems like ancient history. Our tour was an excellent reminder for me that one does not have to choose between cutting edge and traditional practices. The best results can be achieved when one is open to a range of ideas and applies them in an innovative way, regardless if the idea came from 100 years ago or from today.

I want to thank the Jones Family and the employees for a wonderful afternoon. It was a very valuable learning experience that was very enjoyable.

Interesting Quote from FREE

Thought Provoking Quote from Chris Anderson's FREE

"... a technologist's job is not to figure out what technology is good for. Instead it is to make technology so cheap, easy to use, and ubiquitous that anybody can use it, so that it propogates around the world and into every possible niche. We, the users, will figure out what to do with it, because each of us is different: different needs, different ideas, different knowledge, and different ways of interacting with the world.

This reminds me of hearing about David Bowie and Brian Eno recording with early synthesizers in the 70's. They felt the presets did not sound very good, as the engineers that made them tried to emulate traditional instruments. They felt that they made breakthroughs when they just started experimenting and exploring the potential.