Preparing for Life After College

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Preparing for Life After College

• Nine months and counting

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• Tara Strobel
• Currently working on Mid-Tier Development and
  Testing
• BA Computer Science, Minor in MIS, Interactive
  Media, Business
• Chris Fahey
• Currently working on User Interface Development
• BS Computer Science, Minor in MIS, Business
  Certificate
• Kevin Owocki
• Currently working on Mid-Tier Development
• BS Computer Science, Minor in Physics, Philosophy

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7 Most Important Points Learned in CIS475

• Application Development Process / Project
  Lifecycle
• Teamwork, Teamwork, Teamwork.
• Project and Time Management
• Adaptability to Change
• Design Diagrams, Design Models and Documentation
• Milestone Presentation Techniques and Etiquette
• When interviewing, the stories drawn from CIS475
  experiences can demonstrate teamwork, leadership,
  time management, flexibility, etc.

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Surviving CIS475 Choosing Your Team and Project

• Diversify the strengths and weaknesses within
  your team
• Documentation
• User Interface
• Mid-Tier Coding
• Networks (if applicable)
• Databases
• Team Management
• Coordinate schedules
• Group meetings
• SubGroup meetings
• Select a project that interests you and your team
• Define a reasonable scope for your project as
  soon as possible
• Begin with a narrow scope

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Surviving CIS475 Working With Your Team

• Maintain an open mind throughout the project
  lifecycle
• Combine individual ideas to form the best
  solution
• Utilize Project Management Tools
• CVS
• Eclipse or NetBeans
• Wiki
• Do Not delegate one team member to do all of the
  work
• Take advantage of paired programming
• Keep your documentation up to date!

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Surviving CIS475 Managing Your Project

• Use the Application Development Process as a
  guideline to set milestones for your project
• Set aggressive yet realistic goals for your
  project.
• Stick to those dates!
• Update documentation regularly. Make sure that
  every team member is up to speed
• Communication
• Wiki
• Email / Yahoo Groups
• Telephone
• Create test cases BEFORE you begin coding your
  project.

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Surviving CIS475 Dealing with Project Setbacks

• Maintain a positive attitude!
• Meet with Professor Leipold
• He is very helpful we are not just saying this
  because he is in the room!
• Share your concerns and ask questions
• Use Visual Aids
• Just remember, setbacks are inevitable. Plan
  accordingly.

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Surviving CIS475 Professionalism

• This project mimics IT project development in the
  real-world and hence it demands professionalism
• Email etiquette especially with Professor
  Leipold
• Documentation structure, readability,
  consistency, and accuracy
• Team relations
• Professional Presence in your Presentations
• Dress appropriately
• Be prepared! Know your slides and practice ahead
  of time!
• Eye contact Talk to your audience, not to the
  projector screen
• Know your projects strengths and weaknesses and
  be prepared to answer questions about them.

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Our Real-World Experiences

• Team Structure
• You do not get to pick your team
• People transfer and rotate between teams
• Design Models and Diagrams, Documentation
• The importance of documenting every aspect of IT
  development
• Changing Requirements
• Coding in a Team Environment
• Working off of other programmers code
• Agile programming
• Strict guidelines, timelines, and practices

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Preparing for the Real-World

• Networking
• Ask questions, attend career events, contact
  potential employers
• Maintain professional contacts within the
  university
• Actively participate in eRecruiting
• Attend Recruiting Events
• Job Jamboree on September 26th
• Interviewing (research employer, follow up with
  them, take initiative!)
• Prepare Professional Documents
• Cover Letter, Resume, Follow-Up letter,
  Writing/Coding Sample, etc.
• Start Early!

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Advice from Us

• Prepare interview stories to back up your
  strengths. Use your experiences from CIS475!
• 30 Second Commercial
• Know what you want to do
• If you dont, cater your career goals towards the
  interviewer. You are interviewing with that
  Company for a reason!
• Speak with Professors, Advisors, Mentors about
  potential career opportunities
• Enjoy your senior year!

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Vanguard

• No-load mutual fund company.
• Serves individual shareholders and
  institutional clients.
• Established in 1975.
• Owned by fund shareholders, not by outside
  stockholders.
• Over 11,000 crew members in three U.S. sites
  PA, NC, AZ.
• International operations in Europe, Japan, and
  Australia.

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Preparing for Life After College

• Nine months and counting

Questions?
Mary Ann Fornarolmary_ann_fornarol_at_vanguard.com
Chris Faheychris_fahey_at_vanguard.com Kevin
Owocki kevin_s_owocki_at_vanguard.com Tara
Strobel tara_strobel_at_vanguard.com
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Professional Presence
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Attitude and behaviors

• How am I appearing to others?
• How do I approach coming to work each day?
• What impressions might others have of me when
  they see me during the business day?
• What do my facial expressions say to others when
  I am faced with an unfamiliar situation?
• What impressions do people have of me as a
  positive (or negative) person?

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Negative impact on professional presence

• Matt always has at least two folders overflowing
  with information at every meeting he attends.
• Arlene notices that Malcolm mispronounces her
  name even after 5 weeks of working together.
• Mario frequently sits quietly in meetings, taking
  notes but not speaking up.
• Over the past few months, Leos cell phone has
  been ringingeven when he is not at his desk.

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Etiquette

• Maintain eye contact.
• Avoid interrupting someone.
• Arrive on time.
• Respond to telephone calls and e-mails within
  24 hours.
• Dress professionally.

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Verbal communication

• Understand that tone of voice has more impact
  than the words.
• Keep voice mail messages short.
• Avoid filler words such as um or ah.
• Avoid slang.
• Be cautious of jokes or special lingo.
• Use correct grammar.