I am asked with regularity how I ended up doing the job I do in Information Technology. Mainly these questions come from lower paid and lower skilled workers who seem to be considering a new career path; one with more opportunity and better pay. Since I applaud anyone who tries to make their lives better for themselves and their families, I will give you an idea of how you can be like us at Stonetree. If there is a theme to this post, it is that there is nothing that I know that you can’t learn. I do not possess out of the ordinary mental powers which means that most average adults could be a very competent IT professional with some work.

The first IT myth that I have to dispel is that a degree in “Computer Science” has anything to do with actual computers. This is the most poorly named degree in the history of academics. The reality is that it is a combination of software programming and electrical engineering. It is an extremely rigorous course of study that requires competency in advanced math and science. Students who graduate with degrees in computer science often end up working at Intel, Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, etc. Many are recruited starting in the middle of their junior year! If you can handle that course of study then it is well worth the effort, but that degree will not produce an IT professional like we have at Stonetree.

The second myth I will dispel is the idea that your previous career choice or college degree will prevent you from becoming an IT professional, or put you at a disadvantage against your peers who made a different choice. Not true! One of our most senior professionals earned his degree in exercise science. One of our other folks runs a full time photography business. IT is one of the few careers where everyone who is new is basically starting at the same level. In fact, some backgrounds in business or communications may be looked upon favorably as your career progresses.

Now that you know that you could do it if you were willing to take the risk, how do you get started? Everyone has a different story, but we all had to start out at the bottom of the ladder doing end user support. In order to snag that job, I recommend getting your feet wet with the Comp TIA entry level certifications. Once you have studied the books and passed the tests, an employer may feel confident that you could do the entry level job where you can polish your skills and grow as a professional. Microsoft also has a set of entry level certifications which are a little more rare than the Comp TIA track, which may help your prospects of landing that crucial first job. I would avoid going to IT programs at “for profit” colleges. If they have a commercial with testimonials from students saying how they landed a job in IT after a couple of years in school – avoid it like the plague. Those institutions will normally land you in the same entry level job as everyone else, except with a huge debt load.

There are two other critical traits that you have to have in order to be successful in this career. Luckily, both can be learned if you are not naturally inclined to them. You must have a willingness (and a thirst) to learn, and you must pay attention to detail. With those two traits, there is truly nothing that I know that you can’t learn.  We need good people in this field now more than ever and the career prospects for IT professionals is very good. This field is expansive, if you grow bored you can port your skills to a different IT focus and do a completely different job. If you have an interest in IT, take a look at the links I leave in this post and good luck. Don’t hesitate to comment with questions.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-windowsclient.aspx – Microsoft Entry Level Certification Program

http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified/certifications/a.aspx – Comp TIA Entry Level Certification Program

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos306.htm – Career outlook for where you will probably start in entry level IT, customer support.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos305.htm – Career outlook for IT professionals like the ones we have here at Stonetree. This is not where you will start. This is where you are trying to get too in your career.

Microsoft just released the public beta of there venerable Internet Explorer product, now in iteration number 9. ZDnet did a quick and dirty hands on shakedown of the new browser and it was pretty positive. Internet Explorer 8, the current release, was released a bit before Windows 7 came out and is also a fine browser, due in large part to the competitive pressure of other excellent browsers like Mozilla’s Firefox and Google’s Chrome.

Not surprising to anyone in the industry, IE9 will not be supported on the Windows XP platform. Windows XP is in what Microsoft dubs “extended support phase” which means they will continue to release security and stability updates for free, but will not develop any new features or new technologies for what is now a nine year old operating system. Microsoft really struck out with Windows Vista, which helps explain why Windows XP is still deployed in massive numbers among business and home users. However, Windows 7 has been around for about a year and there have been little to no real criticism of it and huge heaps of praise from longtime PC users, as well as begrudging respect from Mac OS aficianados who witnessed Microsoft release an OS almost as stable as their own.

Microsoft is relying on new PC sales, which have been strong despite the global economic downturn, to phase out Windows XP organically. We can expect to see more of this behavior from Redmond over the next two years while Windows XP starts to die out in favor of new PCs with new hardware. For this IT pro, this has been a long time coming. While Windows XP has been a dogged platform for business and play, retirement suits it, its time for fresh OS blood.

Eleven in the morning and already bustling

I have to admit that having heard the news that Microsoft was opening a retail store in the Park Meadows mall, I was more than a bit skeptical that this might end up another Microsoft “Bob” moment. First, lets understand some key elements of where the Redmond software giant’s business is right now. It’s stock price is lower than both Apple and Googles’, over the last several quarters it has lacked the media blitz frenzy that has surrounded the release of the iPad and iPhone 4, as well as competing phones by Motorola and HTC running Google’s Droid software; which is now on version 2.2. With little to no fanfare, Microsoft has released Windows 7, Exchange Server 2010, Office 2010, Sharepoint 2010, and Microsoft Server 2008 R2; all of which were critically regarded very well. In the first quarter of 2010, Windows PC sales outpaced sales in the first quarter 0f 2009 by a whopping 27%. Keep in mind in the first quarter of 2009 PC sales were fairly strong for recession economics and outsold its only competitor, Apple, by a very wide margin.

Why then, is Microsoft’s share price lower than it’s two main rivals? Microsoft is beginning to think that selling its Windows 7 software through a major manufacturer like Dell or HP, or a big box store like Best Buy, removes a personal element that Apple Store customers enjoy. I think they have a point. Microsoft is kind of like a cloud that hangs over Dell and HP, they don’t actually make computers, unless you count the XBox game console. If you want personal service, you often have to go to your local PC repair depot, or drop your PC off at the geek squad where before they even look at your computer, they will (annoyingly) try to sell a support contract or extended warranty or whatever. Wondering how this would take shape with a Microsoft flare, I got in my car and drove down to the Park Meadows mall to have a look for myself.

First of all; before the Apple fanboys begin to complain, Microsoft has totally ripped off the Apple store from the Answer Desk (Genius Bar) to the under 25 hipsters waiting to answer any question that comes their way. They ripped it off properly. The Microsoft Store is large and spacious, plenty of room to move about with lots of eye candy on display for sampling. I found Dell’s answer to the Mac Book Air; which has been on the market for over a year but has not gotten any press:

Traffic was high today. Unlike the Apple Store, even though it was crowded it was not claustrophobic; the store is at least double the size of an average Apple Store. Including PCs and laptops, they had Windows Mobile phones by HTC, XBoxes, hundreds of accessories, software, game titles, and Windows 7 Kiosks showing off Microsoft 7′s multi-touch capability. If you are waiting for this, don’t call Redmond. We are waiting for Samsung or someone else to make a monitor capable of multi-touch.

MS's version of the "Genius Bar"

Why would you buy a computer here instead of Best Buy or directly from Dell or HP? I spoke with one of the answer desk guys and they told me that unlike those retailers, when you buy a PC here, an answer desk tech will go through with you exactly what you want on the computer. Pretty much any software title is available (of course you have to buy it!) for you to chose from. Bring your old PC in for them to migrate. Once they get all this information they will install a fresh copy of Windows for you, install your purchased software, and migrate your data from your old PC. You don’t have to worry about silly Dell or HP software, or a 60 day trial of Norton; they will only install what you tell them too. Not a service I would take advantage of, but I would send my mother there.

The ultimate question is, will this work? I have no idea, I think that Microsoft is wise to try new strategies to remain relevant. However, I think that they would be just as well to reinvent microsoft.com to make it quick and painless to purchase and install software. They could also try selling Dell’s and HP’s through microsoft.com. One of my principle complaints about the Apple Store is that when something went wrong (and they do), you had to go to the Apple store. I don’t have time for this, ship me the part and an instruction sheet and I will forget that the thing broke. In all seriousness it seems like this is a plea from the dozens of manufacturers who rely on Microsoft as their platform. In the Apple Store all you get is Apple. You might as well subtitle “Microsoft Store” with “Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Sony, HTC, and Samsung too”.

Bottom line, I will still do my shopping online. Although, I may pop in from time to time to check something out before I decide to purchase something, and in that case I will by probably buy said product from the Microsoft Store. This is exactly the behavior PC makers are trying to capture.

Microsoft Drops Gold and Certified Levels and Embraces “Competencies”

Partners, get ready—there are big changes coming in programs from channel players Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle. IDC’s program director for the software business solutions group explains what it means to you.

By Colleen Frye

Darren Bibby is program director, Software Channels Research, with IDC’s Software Business Solutions Group. Before joining IDC, he managed channel programs for Microsoft Canada, including the Microsoft Partner Program. He spoke recently with writer Colleen Frye about changes in Microsoft’s and other comprehensive vendors’ partner programs that are moving toward specialization, and what opportunities that may create for the channel.

ChannelPro-SMB: What should partners expect from Microsoft this year?
Bibby: This is a very big year for Microsoft and its partner base. They promised that by October 2010, which was well over a year’s time for partners to prepare, they’d be getting rid of the gold and certified levels in the program. The new levels will only be based on “Microsoft Competencies,” or areas of expertise for partners. And you can get a Competency or an Advanced Competency designation; there will be 20 to 30 competencies in total. This is a very big change for partners, to really show Microsoft and their customers their true specializations. And this is a big revamp in the program for Microsoft. Now they’ll have 30 mini programs under one consistent umbrella.

ChannelPro-SMB: What is the upside/downside for Microsoft partners with this change?
Bibby: There’s going to be a clearer recognition of their abilities. The fact that partners will be recognized based solely on competency makes it easy for customers to know what partners are good at, and Microsoft salespeople will know what a partner is good at; they’re often looking for the best partners to bring on road shows and the like. So having a competency as key way to be recognized should be useful.

The downside is almost the same thing—it’s going to be difficult for some partners to explain their relationship with Microsoft if they have many competencies. From what I’ve heard from partners, they think it’s a good idea to specialize, but the downside is they’re worried about how awkward it might be to explain in the future. But Microsoft gave 15 months’ notice for partners to figure it out.