What is a career?

What does it really mean to make a career? Is it to advance within the company's hierarchy? To earn a lot of money? To create something of value? Perhaps to get more responsibility? Or just feel that you like your job? There are as many answers as there are people with jobs.

At Wikipedia the definition of a career is:

"A career is mostly seen as a course of successive situations that make up a person's occupation. One can have a sporting career or a musical career without being a professional athlete or musician, but most frequently "career" in the 20th century referenced the series of jobs or positions by which one earned one's money. A person's worth is often measured by the career success or failings"

I believe that we nowadays have a broader interpretation of the concept. One can advance both horizontally as well as vertically within an organization. Even if the desire to make a career often is seen as something evident it is more about the importance of the work enhancing life, it should be self-developing and not the least a pleasure! It is also about reaching a balance between the professional life and the personal life.

Personally I see my career as a journey where the goal is to:

• Reach my full potential


• Continously develop my competence


• Grasp all opportunities and make the best out of them


• Reach my goals


• Feel that I am having fun along the way

THIS is what a successful career is for me!

What does career mean to you? Please write and share!

It doesn't get any easier...

Easy peasy:



A bit of wisdom found on the Internet. Liberating in all its simplicity.

Spacewalk for Christer Fuglesang

Christer Fuglesang is the first Swedish austronaut and he's currently circling around the globe far far above us in space on the International Space Station. This is Fuglesangs second trip, the first one being in December 2006.

Back then I was really hooked to the whole thing. I was constantly logged into the NASA webtv-site and could both hear and see live what they were up to. The most interesting part was when Christer Fuglesang went on his spacewalks and I could actually hear his com-radio as he completed his mission (he even threw in some Swedish probably as a treat to us fellow countrymen :)). Who could have believed even ten years ago that this would be possible?

Well, if you missed it in 2006, you will get another chance. Tonight, that is Thursday at 23.13 (Swedish time) Fuglesang will commence his 6 hours and 30 m minute spacewalk. I don't know about you but I will certainly see some of it!

* NASA TV

* Fuglesang on Twitter

* Fuglesang - official website

PmPrepCast

I have as of today watched the first 36 episodes of the PMPrepCast (the video podcast helping me for the PMP exam). The nice green color represents finished episodes, and though it might not be easy to see, it also states that I have successfully managed to keep my deadline of watching all the episodes on the first page in August. Phew! Just made it.

36 down, 81 to go! :)

Funny Friday

Here's a friday treat for all the gamers out there, well and everyone else btw. Enjoy!

Scholarships for unemployed Project Managers

ESI International has started a scholarship fond aimed at unemployed Project Managers in the EES countries. The fund contains over 3 million Swedish crowns and applications are to be sent in between 1st of September until December 31 (or until the fund is emptied).

The aim of the scholarship is to cover the larger part of the cost for up to 3 educational courses for the successfull candidates, thus improving their chances to receive employment.

More information can be found at the Swedish PMI Chapter, and at the ESI webpage. (Unfortunately all the information is in Swedish, but I will try to dig up some english pages)

PMP Study Materials

Ok, so I have decided to pass the PMP exam. Easy? Not exactly. The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions to be answered over a 4 hour period. The topics covers a wide range of subjects from the PMBok Guide (shown to the left below), i.e the Project Management Framework in use here. The book itself is, sorry to say it, a snooze. There is no way any sane person can honestly say that they have read it from cover to cover without their eyes drooping. This is a wellknown fact within the pmp community. Instead, the PmBok Guide should be seen as a reference book which you continuously come back to during your studies.

Hence, I need to look elsewhere for material which will make me PMP-exam ready. I have settled for three additional study resources:

* "The PMP Exam - How to Pass on your first Try" - by Andy Crowe. The book is really intuitive and easy to read and understand. The author guides you through the heavy material and gives valuable tips for the actual exam. I can higly recommend it! It also comes with a 2 week trial for a website which offers online preparation exams.

* "The PMPrepCast" - by Cornelius Fichtner. This is a Video Podcast with over 30 hours of material. For me this is a lifesaver on my 3 hour daily commute. I have to date gone through almost 30 episodes and can only give it two thumbs up! Cornelius also hosts a very popular Project Management Podcast which also is very educational for Project Management Professionals.

* "PMP Exam Prep" - by Rita Mulcahy. I haven't bought this book yet, but from what others have said, this is also a must have when it comes to the preparation materials. I will have to get back to you on that one. But I intend to order it any day now from Amazon.

The PMP Exam requires a lot of studying...

PMP Certification

During the spring of this year, I was trying to figure out the best way for me to further enhance my Project Management skills. I knew that I had a solid base with both educational experience from the university as well as having worked as a Project Manager in the past. However, during a conversation with my elder brother (also a Project Manager) I learned of something called the PMP certification. The Project Management Professional certification is a credential given by the Project Management Institute, PMI, to skilled professionals in the field of Project Management.

My brother had then just recently passed his PMP exam and highly recommended this certification. It would both give me a deep understanding of a commonly used Project Management framework as well as function as an official statement of my knowledge level. Said and done, I did some research of my own and came to the conclusion that the PMP certification was my next goal in my professional development. Just before the summer I obtained all of the material that I will need, and two weeks ago I started my journey towards my PMP exam. It will take a couple of months, and a lot of hard work. But I am determined to succeed and will of course discuss my progress (or lack thereof) here on TechGirl. Wish me luck!

Back at work

Vacation is over and I'm back at work. Filled with new energy and lots of ideas for the coming months I think it is time to get the blog up and running again. My search for a Wordpress theme has begun, and I have some idea on how I want the design to look. Also the new TechGirl logo is coming along, and not the least I have found the webhotel I will be using. In other words, work is progressing! I also found out that I got accepted to the university course about blogging to which I applied to in April. This is going to be really exciting as well as educational. Fits perfect in timing as we will learn about Wordpress for example. Life is looking pretty good! :)

TechGirl back after the summer

We're already in the middle of June and the summer has really made an appearance here in Sweden. Blue sky, warm breeze, and I'm stuck at work for another three weeks. I'm working on a task which needs to be finished before I go on vacation. So I'll digg in and just get it done. Otherwise I will try to solve it in my head whilst I should be lying on a beach working on my tan :)

As the keen reader might have seen, the updates on the blog have been somewhat scarce. This is not due to lack of inspiration but on the fact that I am doing a lot of "behind-the-scenes" work. All these things will be implemented after the summer, such as:

* Moving the blog to WordPress, which in turns mean that I need to master it first and make the necessary technical preparations.
* The move also brings with it the creation of a new theme and design, hence my CSS skills needs to be brushed up.
* The design-phase also involves my Twitter-account since I am somewhat allergic to the default alternatives.
* The presentation of a fun and exciting, secret project which I hope will take this blog to the next level.
* And not the least, reading up on other blogs and getting the necessary inspiration for finding topics to blog about for years to come :)

On top of this I am working full time, writing on my thesis, planning for my upcoming PMP studies, having a social life and waiting eagerly for the 15th of July when I go on vacation. So check back in August when TechGirl will start again! Have a nice summer!

Our summerhouse in southern Sweden, my favourite place in the world.

Where you will be able to find me....

Political history is written in Sweden

Sunday June 7th will probably be remembered as the day when the young population of Sweden clearly demonstrated that it is possible to make a political difference. Sunday June 7th was the day for the election to the Swedish representation in the EU parliament. The widely debated Pirate Party scored a whooping 7.1% in their first election ever which some claim may be a heads up for the election for the Swedish government in 2010.

What I feel is most interesting about this is the fact that the party has done what other parties have failed in the past: to mobilize the young generation who has a lacking interest in the politics which governs our lives. Say what you will about one-question political parties, their ability (or lack thereof) to actually be able to lead the country if they make it into the swedish government. They have awakened the realization that if you believe in something, and actually vote, you can make a difference. That my friends I believe is the most important lesson of all.

Swedish Pirate Party headed to European Parliament [eng]

The Swedish Pirate Party - official webpage [eng]

Working from home

Sometimes it's really handy to work in the IT-business. Like today, when a cold has kidnapped my voice and given me a cough and runny nose. I don't have time to be sick. There's tons of stuff at work that needs to be done. So what do I do? I curl up into my bed, armed with hot tea and my laptop. Telephone-conferences, e-mail and instant messaging served as my tools for the day. Perhaps this strategy would not be effective in the long run, but on occasion it serves its purpose, like today:

1) I did not have to take out a sick-day
2) I also did not spread my germs to my friendly colleauges at work :)
3) I got the chance to go through that "to do"-list which normally has a tendency to get ignored in favour of more accute work.

Now, as my working-day is officially over I will continue recooperating from the couch watching re-runs of the "West Wing".

Integration

If you work in the IT-industry "Integration" is one of those buzzwords you just can't avoid running into. Intregration can however be found in nature as well. Look at this tree just outside my office which takes this aspect to a whole different level :) And yes, it is one tree with two different flowers. It's somekind of gardener-trick. Pretty cool ey?

Certified Scrum Master

Earlier this week I attended a Scrum Master course in order to become a so called "Certified Scrum Master". During 2 days in a workshop like manner we got the opportunity to discuss software development from different points of view and also do some hands-on exercises.


In reality, the principles of Scrum are very easy. You have the Product Owner, who's responsibility is to create and manage the Product Backlog. The Product Backlog is a prioritized list of all functions which are wanted in the product. This is a living document and changes as work progresses.

Next we have the The Scrum Master who's responsible for guiding and protecting the team, i.e a technical project leader of some sort (although it's not correct to use this term).

The Scrum team consists of +/- 7 people preferably with different skills such as programmer, tester etc.

The Scrum framework itself centers around a Sprint. A Sprint is a repetitive cycle, ~30 days, in which the team does its work. It starts with Sprint Planning in which the team chooses and estimates the amount of work which is to be done in the Sprint. During the Sprint the Scrum Master holds Daily Scrum meetings with the team and asks 3 simple questions:

1) What have you done since yesterday?
2) What will you do today?
3) What is hindering you?

During the Sprint no one is allowed to disturb the team and come with additional work requests.

The Sprint ends with a Sprint Review in which the product increment is demoed and discussed. This is followed by a Sprint Retrospective which functions as a lessons-learned session.

This all sounds very simple. Is Scrum some magical "fix-it-all" method then? Well no. However, Scrum adheres from the only certain thing about software engineering: That we do not know what the product will look like in the end. So if the "target" is moving then it is appropriate to adjust your work accordingly along the way. This is a very different approach from the more traditional Waterfall model in which development is looked at as iterative, but straight-forward phases such as planning, design, coding, testing and integration.

The more realistic view on how software development works in reality is the main reason why I believe Scrum may be a good choice. Continual adaptation to the current circumstances as well as the opportunity to vent all potential problems. This is the aim of the Daily Scrums. Any problems and hinders needs to be brought to the Scrum Master for him/her to fix.

Although I now have a new title to use on my CV and more knowledge about Scrum it will take actual experience before I can say much more about it. Scrum may not be appropriate in all organizations and projects, but I intend to give it a try in my current work and see where it will take me. I'm looking forward to it!

Web 2.0 in 5 minutes

Since I've entered the world of blogging and social media I have begun to read more about its impact on the way we live our lives online. This video shows in an easy and fun way what it's all about.



Web 2.0 in 5 minutes by Michael Wesch

Evaluation framework for Open Source CMS

The above title is the subject of the master thesis which I am writing currently. In little more than a month I will need to present a complete paper for judging. Since I am working fulltime during weekdays it leaves evenings and weekends for this fun activity. Tired? Yes. Interesting? Yes. It was when I came in contact with Drupal last year which I began to see the potential of CMS's. Now I am also looking at Joomla and Wordpress and trying to learn as much as I can. By drawing on the experiences of others and the theories of CMS and usability I hope to come up with a framework which can be used when choosing between different Open Source Web-based CMS's.

Studying requires a lot of books

IBM on Jeopardy

IBM have created a computer which is going to compete in the television show "Jeopardy". Talk about artificial intelligence! The "IBM contestant" will have to obey the same rules as its human competitors i.e respond with a question, no internet connection or other kinds of aid. In addition it will need to be able to pick up on verbal speech variations such as irony, jokes etc. I am really looking forward to seeing this thing in action!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/technology/27jeopardy.html

Imagine Cup 09

Found an interesting programming/developer competition called Imagine Cup 09. Sounds like fun! Latest date for application is May 20.

From the competition regulations:

Your entry must be a fully functioning and implemented software application (i.e., visions for a software application or software applications that are not fully developed are not eligible) that includes all of the Required Elements listed below and at least one (1) of the Optional Requirements listed below.

Required Elements

• Your entry must address a social cause connected to the Imagine Cup 2009 Theme: "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today".
  
• Any presentation or documentation that is a part of your entry must be in the English language. If a translator is needed, you will have the opportunity to provide one.
  
• Implementation or consumption of a XML Web Service;
  
• .NET Framework 2.0 or later;
  
• Visual Studio family (Express, Standard, Professional, or Team System) for development

If you decide to compete give me a notice and I will post it on the blog!

Inspirational IT- girl event

On April 23 I attended an event targeting female IT-professionals in Sweden. Through some role-playing and an engaging workshop, led by career-coach Susanne Dahlérus, we were given the opportunity to reflect on our careers.

It was surprising to hear that most of us create mental boundaries which affects our actions in life. It’s therefore important to keep an open mind and have the courage to think and dream in new ways. We need to control our own “truth” and plan our career accordingly.

The aim of the exercises was to make a one year plan, and commit then and there the first step to making it a reality. I too made my own reflections, looking to my personal hopes and goals in my professional journey. Exactly what that goal entails will be covered in this blog in due time. In one year, on April 23 2010 I will look back and hopefully see that I have been proactive and taken every opportunity to growth and development.

An interview with the career-coach Susanne Dahlérus [swedish]

Welcome to TechGirl

As a devoted reader to IT related blogs from all around the world I realized one day that there were few female blogging colleagues. This inspired me to start one myself! So who is TechGirl then? TechGirl is an Application Developer and Project Manager with an interest of all aspects of the IT-world and closely related businesses , music, books, movies and much more. I live in the beautiful city of Stockholm, Sweden.

My goals with this blog are to:

• Be up to date with the latest news from the world of IT

• Share my experiences from my life as an IT professional as well as learn from others

• Network with IT professionals on a global level

Shopping

I love buying new techy gadgets and playing with them. Todays catch was a mix of business and pleasure.

• External harddrive – Lacie 1TB (I still remember when I was excited about a 20GB HDD…)

• Media player – Creative Zen X-Fi, 8GB (perfect for hours of daily commute with nothing do to)

• Laptop case – It’s always good to protect your precious laptop

Certified Scrum Master - course

Scrum is an agile development method which I have been interested to learn more about for quite some time now. Today I signed up for a two day course in May which will earn me the title of "Certified Scrum Master" and more importantly the knowledge of how to apply it in my daily work. As a prerequisite to the course I need to read the book ”Agile Software Development with Scrum” by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle. Should be very interesting!


http://www.scrumalliance.org/ [english]
http://www.controlchaos.com/ [english]

IT-Girl, Inspiration for girls in the IT-business!

Timing, Focus, Power-babes, Inspiration, Courage and Energy. These keywords summarizes the IT-Girl event hosted by IDG [swedish] today.

50 energetic women working in the IT-business got together to listen to and be inspired by a career coach and network with each other.

Alltogether it was a very interesting and rewarding evening!
(More details will be published during the weekend)

TechGirl goes Live April 23

Much is happening behind the scenes and the final details are being hammered out as we speak. Stay tuned for April 23 when the TechGirl blog will come alive. Why April 23 you say? Well, you will just have to wait and see! But I can reveal that I will be covering an event that embodies everything I want TechGirl to be about.

So my friends only 8 days left. Follow me on Twitter if you can't wait that long! :)

Twitter

Cool, just added Twitter to the blogg. Nice little feature.

Getting the ball rolling...

Well, I have spent a couple of hours playing with this website. I think I've gotten the hang of it. Now I only need to fill the blog with lots and lots of interesting postings...piece of cake :)

A new beginning

First post of this new blog. Let the game begin...