Certification - November 2008 - (Page 53)

Recognizing When Volunteering Is Right for You for the company’s bottom line — and therefore they don’t merit involvement from senior executives. Further, as the technology community evolves, the type of opportunities available change. For example, the number of entry-level or low-experience contracts published to public job sites has exploded in recent Not all professionals are excellent volunteering candidates. Often, after completing trade school, college or technical certifications, professionals need compensation to pay off loans or simply to move forward in their careers. Many types of volunteering offer little to no income and therefore may be unsuitable. In these cases, the professional may lean more strongly toward contracting. Contracting offers the opportunity to obtain sustained compensation for professional services but may not be quite the development experience that a more open-ended, mentoring-focused opportunity that an internship will proffer. Further, more experienced professionals might find that their career trajectories are harmed if they engage in volunteer work. From the perspective of a recruiter considering the candidate’s resume, a professional position followed by a volunteering opportunity could be seen as a step backward, potentially indicating previous poor performance. Not all professionals are excellent volunteering candidates. Often, after completing trade school, college or technical certifications, the professional needs compensation to pay off loans or simply to move forward in his or her career. years as firms recognize that engaging contractors is a way to obtain IT or development assistance without incurring additional head count. Also, as the popularity of open-source licensed applications has proliferated, so too have the opportunities to contribute to these products. Young IT professionals have plenty of opportunities to log in time with new technologies and build hands-on experience. A professional willing to be patient, find a volunteer opportunity that matches his or her ability and accept lower levels of compensation may find a tool to build a base of experience in the hopes of securing a more extended, full-time position in the future. 8 Wayne Anderson is a highly certified instructional consultant and the certification lead for Avanade, a global Microsoft consultancy. He can be reached at editor@certmag.com. To avoid this perception, the experienced candidate will need to ensure that the volunteering position is no less senior than his or her last position, implicitly indicating that he or she has continued to apply relevant field experience in the new opportunity. The Challenges of an Evolving Industry The challenges of a tough economy affect the funding available for extended volunteer opportunities at an organization. Some organizations are scaling back their investments in or temporarily eliminating professional internships. That’s because internships are supported by the notion that the organization potentially is investing in future full-time employees, and when funding internally becomes tight, these programs don’t directly offer a high-value outcome November 2008 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE 5

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification - November 2008

Certification - November 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Tech Careers Dear Techie Virtual Village Data Stream Academic Connection Troubleshooting What We Like Look Ahead The Gender Gap: IT Lacks a Woman’s Touch IT for Free: Volunteering Today Interface Technical Architect: Learning, Growing, Innovating Inside Certification Endtag Ad Index

Certification - November 2008

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