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ICT and the Professional

ICT and the Professional. Introduction. This presentation is about:. “the personal qualities and general characteristics necessary for a person working effectively within the ICT industry and as part of an ICT team”. It’s NOT about ethics/codes of conduct which are covered in ICT4.

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ICT and the Professional

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  1. ICT and the Professional

  2. Introduction • This presentation is about: “the personal qualities and general characteristics necessary for a person working effectively within the ICT industry and as part of an ICT team” • It’s NOT about ethics/codes of conduct which are covered in ICT4

  3. Working with ICT • What sorts of jobs are available working with ICT? • Can broadly be categorised as: • Development personnel • Analysts and programmers. People responsible for designing and producing new systems • Operational personnel • Computer operators and support personnel. People who use the systems and keep them running

  4. Qualifications • There are many professional qualifications available that allow the ICT professional to demonstrate their technical competence or specific skills within a particular field • Often though it’s personal qualities and general characteristics unrelated to ICT that allow an individual to progress within the ICT industry Note: This is the key point in this presentation! Qualities can be as important as qualifications!

  5. Personal Qualities?

  6. Communication Skills • Good communication skills are essential • These skills will include both oral and written communication • Need to be able to discuss problems/solutions with clients who may be “technophobic” (oral) • May need to produce clear and concise documents for others e.g. feasibility studies, technical guides etc. (written)

  7. Teamworking • Teams are most effective when each team member is sensitive to the needs of the other members • Effective teams will be cooperative and share ideas openly • Only possible if each member is a “team player” i.e. able to listen as well as contribute • Most ICT projects are now managed by teams

  8. Management Skills • Project leaders don’t need technical skills! • They have people working for them who have the necessary technical skills • Their role is to manage people and resources effectively • May include managing schedules or motivating employees

  9. Flexibility • Many ICT professionals need to be flexible about both the hours they work and/or their place of work • ICT support workers for critical projects may need to “on call” when they are not in the office e.g. in case of technical problems outside office hours • International software support workers may need to work “anti social hours” to answer queries from customers in different time zones • Hardware support employees may need to visit clients “on-site” anywhere in the country (or aboard)

  10. Some employers ask workers to take aptitude test to prove they have these skills Problem Solving • An analytical approach to problem solving is essential in almost all ICT careers • Employees should be able to tackle problems systematically • May be in the design of ICT systems e.g. programmers, analysts etc. • May be in operations e.g. end-user support, after sales service

  11. Creativity • The ability to think innovatively and creatively is a very important quality in some ICT careers • A web designer will need to have a strong sense of creativity to produce new and visually exciting sites • Programmers and project managers may need to think of new ways of doing things to utilise resources

  12. Attention to Detail • This is a particularly important quality in programming which requires precision. Seemingly minor deviations from designs can have very unpredictable effects • It is also important in data entry where incorrect data entry will affect the quality of information output (remember GIGO?)

  13. Integrity (Honesty) • Employees in the ICT industry may have access to sensitive information (commercial and personal) • It’s important that they are trustworthy and don’t misuse their position • The BCS (British Computer Society) has a code of conduct for ICT professionals which lays out rules they are expected to follow. This is covered in ICT4 but includes things such as: • Rejecting bribes • Avoiding situations that lead to a conflict of interest

  14. Exam Tips • At most you’ll usually be asked to name and/or describe FOUR personal qualities • Make sure you give an example to illustrate each quality described in your answer • Make sure the qualities you choose relate to the question i.e. certain qualities will be more relevant to a project manager than a web designer and vice versa

  15. Revision Tasks • Use your textbook and Internet sources to make notes on the desirable personal qualities and general characteristics of an ICT professional • Complete the worksheet “Working in the ICT Industry”

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