-----Original Message-----
> From: Bill L. Behrendt [mailto:bill.behrendt@cgiusa.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2000 5:02 PM
To: patrick.lynch@cgiusa.com
Subject: FW: i need help fer a project.



Wow. This is not a small request.. but I'll try my best :o)
Hope this helps! It is huge!


1)	what exactly does an information systems programmer/analyst do?
It's not easy to pin it down, exactly. The term is so broad in scope that it
covers literally hundreds of different jobs. I, personally, have the title
"Consultant". That means that I do "computer stuff for other companies".
What I do any given point in time can range from learning new techniques,
software, programming languages to writing programs, designing databases,
configuring a system, troubleshooting why my laptop doesn't work, asking
Major Patrick Lynch to figure out why my laptop doesn't work and writing
emails to students looking for information about what it is exactly that i
do.... :o)

2)How did you decide to do this kind of work?
I kind of fell into it. I had an opportunity in High School to use some
ancient technology called a teletype which was hooked up to a computer via
telephone. As in you dialed the phone and set the hand piece into a cradle
and the two 'talked' over the phone at about one tenth the speed of a
really, really slow Internet connection. The first modem. Anyway...I  ran
some tutorials, which printed for about 2 hours; these I took home and read
over a weekend. I wrote my first HP BASIC program on the following Monday.
It just seemed so easy.......

3)	what do you consider the advantages and disadvantages about your work?
Hoo, boy. This can get me in trouble if I'm not careful...
Advantages:
     I can brag that I develop web sites and software for personal
computers.
     I get to work with some new software and other computer tools before
the general public even knows about them.
     I'm at the leading edge, sort of, of technology.
Disadvantages:
     I'm at the leading edge, sort of, of technology. (yep - that can be
both an advantage and a disadvantage - It is 'cool' to be able to use it,
but it is a pain in the neck to keep learning about it constantly)
     I have to study almost everyday to keep up with the technology.
     Some projects take so long that I can't possibly keep up with all the
new skills I need to learn.

4)Is it easy to get a job in your field? and what are the qualifications
needed?
It is rather easy to find a job in "IT" (Information Technology), provided
you have the right qualifications.
The right qualifications include, of course, some technology "know-how";
more important is the ability to learn (and learn fast). For instance, you
can find plenty of jobs writing Web Pages. However, just plain HTML (the
basic web-page language) is no longer good enough: things called VBScript
and JavaScript are required knowledge, too. Just 18 months ago, these two
scripting languages were optional, 'nice-to-haves'. Now, you probably can't
even find an entry-level position without them.

It is harder to get an entry level job, as most employers rate experience
very highly. A college graduate with no experience is likely to have to look
twice as hard as a person with one year's actual, hands on experience.

5)	Can you recommend anyone else i can talk to?

6)How long do you usually take on typical projects and what are the steps
you take?
It's hard, again, to be precise. There really are no 'typical' projects in
the IT world. I have been on projects as short as 3 weeks, and as long as 15
months. Probably, the statistic mean is somewhere around 5 to 6 months.
The steps to be taken, however, are generally the same. There is something
called "SDLC" (Software Development Life Cycle) which we always try to
follow. I won't go into the full-blown version here.

The basic steps needed, though are that someone needs to decide what it is
they want the project to accomplish. (And believe it or not, this step is
the most often overlooked). Detailed analysis of what the program or
computer system should do is written down. The next step is to make sure
that a project like that is feasible. Usually this step requires a lot of
time and review. We need to make sure that the project isn't going to cost
millions of dollars only to provide some small benefit.  For instance, no
one wants to spend $100,000 creating "a program to view globally available
information using the http protocol" when all you have to do is download
Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer for free!

After making sure your project is feasible, you have to make sure that the
money is available for the project. This usually means doing the previous
step all over again, with even more detail. Yes. It is the boring part. But
especially in Consulting, this is the 'make it or break it' step. Some
business may have allocated $95,000 for this project, so we need to make
sure, 95% sure, that the project can be done at that price.

At this stage, we know at a very tiny, nit-picking level what the project's
goals are: what the program or computer system is supposed to do. Now the
fun part begins: building the system or program. This could include buying
the hardware and/or writing the software.

The next-to-last, interactive stage happens: QA Testing. Quality Assurance
testing is extremely important to make sure that all the details of what is
supposed to be done is, in fact done by the program or computer system.

When QA is satisfied, the final phase is called Roll-Out. This is where we
train the users of the system and actually put the program or system into a
live situation, called Production Mode.

Whew! That may be way more than you wanted, but there it is. As a
Consultant, I may be asked to step in and do any or all of those steps of
the SLDC.

7)How much do you make? How long have you worked as such? how does an entry
level position pay?
I could tell you, but then I'd have to send you to a foreign country... :o)
In the Midwest United States, salaries for what I do, for a person with my
experience, working as a Consultant, range from $50,000 to $75,000 per year.
I'm making something in between those two numbers. I have been in the "IT"
business since 1981 - 19 years. Entry level positions for the Midwest are in
the range $35,000 to $40,000 for people with at least a year experience.
"Commensurate with experience" is the usual phrase, meaning they'll pay more
for more experience and pay less for no experience. Experience is typically
proven by a list of projects worked on with references to the Project
Manager.

8)Who do you work for and what is your role there?
I work for CGI Information Systems, Kansas City Office. I am a Consultant.
(Consultants are really just information system programmers, analysts,
database administrators and all around good people.)

9)How long do you work and what is your typical day?
This varies by project, of course. I am generally required to put in 8 hours
a day, 5 days a week like most workers. Sometimes a project will enter
"crunch mode" where I might put in as much as 60 hours a week or more. I
think my personal record is around 69 hours, working 12 to 16 hour days. But
that happens infrequently - usually at least once a year, average of twice a
year. Some people work for companies where crunch mode never goes away. I
don't think I could handle that!

10) how long do you have to study to become an information systems analyst?
We never stop studying. We'd be out of work within 6 months. Sad, but true.

-----Original Message-----
> From: Patrick G. Lynch [mailto:lynchpat@idir.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2000 3:34 PM
To: bill.behrendt@cgiusa.com
Subject: FW: i need help fer a project.




Patrick G. Lynch

-----Original Message-----
> From: 	Enoch Kim [mailto:mentlkse911@yahoo.com]
Sent:	Monday, May 29, 2000 5:25 PM
To:	megami@ML.usagi.org
Subject:	i need help fer a project.

is anyone her a computer information systems programmer/analyst? im working
on a career project for my high school english class and i was wondering if
any one of you could answer some questions.
1)	what exactly does an information systems programmer/analyst do?
2)How did you decide to do this kind of work?
3)	what do you consider the advantages and disadvantages about your work?
4)Is it easy to get a job in your field? and what are the qualifications
needed?
5)	Can you recommend anyone else i can talk to?
6)How long do you usually take on typical projects and what are the steps
you take?
7)How much do you make? How long have you worked as such? how does an entry
level position pay?  8)Who do you work for and what is your role there?
9)How long do you work and what is your typical day?  10) how long do you
have to study to become an information systems analyst?
please try to answer today or tommorow for the project
is due in a couple of days