11 intrebari pentru alegerea meseriei

[ARTICOLUL de DUMINICA]

McKinsey a publicat un articol despre neadaptarea lucratorilor la piata muncii.Il puteti citi aici
 Ideea de baza pe care o publica ei si o resimt eu (ma simt important cand rezonez cu cate o idee globala) este ca in orice recesiune apar joburi care nu se pot ocupa din lipsa calificarilor. Pe de alta parte, exista milioane de someri care nu isi pot gasi un job care sa le asigure existenta.
Trecem de la o secolul vitezei la secolul informatiei. De la Mass Production, la Mass Customization.
Prioritatile si  cererile de la un job se schimba in mod constant. E necesara experienta, in aceeasi masura in care e necesara adaptabilitatea.

Voi lista mai jos cateva intrebari utile pentru a va alege o meserie. Inteleg prin meserie un tip de ocupatie pe care sunteti gata sa il faceti macar 10 ani.

 1. Vreau sa raman in zona in care m-am nascut?
 2. Imi place sa invat?
 3. Am un vis pe care sa il implinesc?
 4. Am un model in viata? (Englezii il numesc role model)
 5. Vreau sa am independenta a deciziilor?
 6. Imi plac mult banii?
 7. Exista joburi destule in domeniul pe care mi l-am ales?
 8.Vreau notorietate?
 9. Am vreun prieten/cunostinta/ruda care sa imi explice cum e, de fapt, ce imi doresc eu?
10. Dau vina pe stat, de obicei, atunci cand nu merge ceva?
11. Cu ce esti diferit de ceilalti?

In martie-aprilie 2012, voi incepe o serie de prelegeri publice si gratuite pe aceeasi tema: alegerea unei meserii, obtinerea unui job relevant. In 2 saptamani voi anunta prima locatie si data prelegerii. Ramaneti pe aproape!

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Cine investeste in educatie castiga pariul cu viitorul

In Ziarul financiar apare un articol al lui Bogdan Georgescu care trateaza problema investitiei in educatie: In asteptarea lui Superman.

Rezumat in cateva cuvinte, Bogdan Georgescu propune un model al implicarii elitelor in educatie, cu scopul formarii unui viitor mai bun. Gasesc asta o idee grozava si o alatur unui comentariu pe care l-am primit pe blog: cine ar trebui sa faca o strategie si ce sa facem cu industria de IT.

Indraznesc un raspuns, pe modelul All ingenious is simple : comunitatile locale ar trebui sa se implice in definirea unei strategii locale. Oamenii buni ar trebui sa nu mai stea ascunsi in companii (multinationale sau nu), iar cei care traiesc aiurea or colea pot folosi internetul pentru a se implica cu idei in comunitatile din care provin. Comunitatile de profesionisti implicati pot face mai mult. Initiative nu neaparat scumpe, cum ar fi Drag de Iasi, a Fundatiei Comunitare Iasi pot porni mecanismele ce ar putea dezvolta lucrurile.

Risc cateva pareri despre cum ar trebui sa arate industria IT si ce ar trebui sa urmareasca in educatie aceasta industrie.
1. Companiile locale ar trebui sustinute de guvern pentru a adopta tehnologie
2. Business-ul de tip nearshore, offshore si externalizare ar trebui sa nu fie dominante pe piata
3. Industria locala de IT ar trebui sa foloseasca fonduri structurale pentru a creste structura competentelor
4. Sunt necesare mai multe produse Made in Romania
5. Sunt necesare competente de administrare de produse sau linii de produse in zona IT. Sunt cateva exemple fericite: Softwin cu Bitdefender, Arobs cu Smailo, Evolio cu tabletele lor. Sper sa continue.
6. Patronatul din industrie sa continue coagularea unor puncte comune de vedere
7. Implicarea mai agresiva in educatie prin facilitarea cursurilor tinute de profesionisti pe tehnologii cautate
8. Sustinerea cercetarii prin parteneriate (care sa includa si accesul la fonduri europene)

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Guest post de la fiul meu

Matei vrea sa publice deja, la 5 ani

MATEI MANOLE
GABI
MANOLE
G
CANAPEA
PERNA
STICLA
PAHAR
MORE PLEASE
MENTOL
MAMA    VREAU CINA
TATA  VREAU

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Team velocity [3] - the entry points

Teams are for the members what are highways for the cars. It makes no sense to have highways unless there are cars to use it. There are different types of cars, different age and different journeys to take on the highway. There are as well different types of human beings, with different skills and interests, they have a huge range of interests and career perspectives.

I am speaking now about entry points and exit points. When designing a team, a manager should consider, besides others, two main aspects : how to integrate a new team member and how to cope with the leave of an experienced one. This things are critical in order to cope well with the change.

I will call entry points the way a new team member is introduced in the team. There are a few things to consider in order to enable the team member to act.
First, you need to choose a profile compatible with the values of the team. A little chemistry has to exist in order to have good start. Team members have to share the values and, ideally, to find common interests. The professional interactions are easier when people like each other, discuss about subject they are interested outside of business hours. Sharing same values makes less probable to have conflicts based on principles and the organizational culture is better adopted.
Having compatibility ensured, the manager should take care that the introduction is as smooth and fast as possible. The initial training phase has to be careful planned, disseminating the right amount of information, in a professional manner. No matter the seniority, there are information that has to be digested, methods to be adopted. Also, there is a good practice to increase gradually the complexity of the tasks. Assigning very complex tasks, from day 1, makes the saying "swim or die" really concrete and one might loose valuable team members that simply don't cope well with such environment. People do need success stories to be motivated and enjoy their time when do not need to overcome an initial failure.

Smooth interactions between team members improve performance. This is another important topic to consider when introducing a new team member. You should facilitate interactions: organize team meetings, some lunch or dinner together. Moderate dialogues, be there for the newbies and your effort will be rewarded soon.

Last , but not least, keep things in order. Good habits are to be shared. Information is replicable by anyone in the team and discipline is a value that should be shared by every team.

A good entry point on the highway ensures that you can speed up without other constraint than the power of the engine. A good entry point in a team ensures that each team member can live his career up to his maximum potential.



Read also:
                 Team velocity [1] - the idea
                 Team velocity [2] - the relation between the mission of the team and its velocity

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tools for tests

Test is fun, just think for a second.
I proud my self to be an software developer, much more than an manager. I had hard times to think about me as a tester. I know quite a lot of people who dis-consider this activity. I understand them well, as I like a lot how one colleague who systematically try to avoid running documented tests.
Best colleagues I had in the university hated to make tests for others. This is also ok.

But the most efficient software developers I met had a great method to test their work. And this is crucial to deliver from the first time a great result.
Countries like India, Romania, Vietnam and many others (I hope) deliver a lot of test activities. A quarter of these are worthless logs to match the demands for SPICE, CMMI, internal and external audits. One of the reasons is that the test activities do not look for bugs outside of code.
One says that the tailor measures even 7 times, before he cuts once.
Evaluate your toolchain and check whether you are ready to cut, that is to write your tests for developing your software.
I reckon a few criteria in this respect, whether the toolchain meets your needs for productivity.
How much training you need before starting to use the tool chain?
I hate the tools which I cannot use in basic form in maximum two days. If the toolchain is too complicated, than the creativity and knowledge work is concentrated in avoiding the traps of the tool instead of improving the product. It is a decision of the manager, who has a great impact in productivity.
One could say that sophisticated tools are more powerful. Yes, indeed. Might be. But I dont have the time to master such a tool in today's ever-changing environment.

How much out of total time of development is spent in setting up the mocks, stubs, in one word - to create the test environment?
 I don't know many software developers who enjoy setting up tools and scripts. These guys you can find in other IT areas, but not in development. On the other hand, it is highly expensive not to automatize this step and use the skills of developers in setting up the environment. If the tool is requiring this setup every time, than is not the right tool.
It is not necessary to be a sophisticated tool in order to meet your needs. Remember, all ingenious is simple (Thanks, Andrey for the saying).

I see as very productive tools like JUnit, CppUnit, Cute. I've also worked with RTR from IBM, a little bit of Tessy, as accredited tools. I have tried in my team some solutions based on Ruby, XML, C++ and my conclusion is that the best way is the one with less investment. Don't try to save the world. Save your team's time instead.

Is it possible to re-run the test cases in one year from now, with minimum effort?
Re-use is the buzz word these days. I would love to reuse the tests, not only the code.


Who can maintain the environment?
Do I need specialist to make things working? Do I have to pay a company to make this special setup?
This is a question to be answered for projects lasting more than 6 months.

What do I need?
It is often the case when engineers give up to their geek impulse and adopt a fancy and expensive tool, without the need of its power. It's like buying a BMW 745d for commuting to next city, when you earn 30% of its value in one year.
Having a good tool, without a big investment is the biggest benefit.

How confident am I in the test approach?
All customers will speak highly about you when you deliver just minor patches, instead of big design updates. Testing is one key aspect to care about when you plan a new product.

Please comment these thoughts and add your approach.

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Pygmalion smiles

Schimbarea incepe cu fiecare dintre noi. Si poate fi o schimbare in bine.

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Sistemul de invatamant in Finlanda - SECRETUL SUCCESULUI

Am primit prin email, de la un prieten, textul de mai jos. Nu stiu cine este originatorul, dar ii multumesc.
Chiar daca e in joaca, pare a fi ceva adevar in asta.


SECRETUL  FINLANDEZILOR 
De ce este atit de obisnuit ca in Finlanda, un adolescent normal sa termine primele 12  clase cu medii excelente, vorbind o engleza perfecta si citind o carte pe saptamina? 
07:45
- Saili (15 ani) asteapta autobuzul urban care il va lasa la poarta scolii (nu exista autobuze scolare).
Autobuzul trece la fiecare 5 minute.
Finlandezii incearca sa-i faca pe fiii lor sa fie independenti de mici.
Pe foarte putini dintre ei, parintii lor îi duc cu masina pina la scoala.
Biletul este subventionat de catre municipalitate.
Conform legii, niciun elev nu poate locui la mai mult de 5 km de scoala. In exterior, instalatiile scolii dau o impresie spartana.
Niciun muc de tigara, nicio hirtie pe jos, niciun grafitti pe ziduri.

09:15
- Orele de 45 de minute.
Finlandezii mizeaza pe studiile de limba materna, matematica si engleza. 75% dintre materii sunt comune in toata tara . Restul il alege scoala, in  acord cu profesorii, parintii si elevii.
Orele sunt scurte, intense si, mai ales, foarte participative. In interiorul scolii, curatenia este si mai evidenta.
Totul pare recent dat in folosinta. Pe banci si pupitre nu sunt semne, si nu se scrijeleste nimic.
Scoala este publica si, bineinteles, gratuita, dar cu instalatii demne de un colegiu "scump" din Spania.
Salile de cursuri dispun de ecrane gigant de plasma cu TV in circuit inchis, acvariu de 200 de litri cu pesti tropicali, bucatarie completa, dispozitive audiovizuale, aer conditionat, multe plante.
Fiecare doi elevi au cite un calculator.
O duzina de masini de cusut in sala de croitorie, aparate de sudura, scule de timplarie, schiuri... O sala de sport acoperita, un auditoriu pentru orele de teatru si o sala de mese cu autoservire.
Cartile sunt gratuite, materialul scolar e gratuit, mincarea e gratuita. 

12:00
- Mincare calda, nutritiva si gratuita.
Saili are o jumatate de ora pentru prinz, la restaurantul scolii.
Legea finlandeza obliga ca meniul sa fie gratuit, nutritiv, si cu multe feluri de salate si fructe.
Se bea apa sau lapte. Costurile le plateste municipalitatea fiecarui oras.
Daca orele se prelungesc pina dupa amiaza, scoala are obligatia de a oferi o gustare elevilor.

16:05 
- Inapoi acasa, Saili joaca hockey cu fratele lui mai mic.
Nu exista delincventa, strazile sunt sigure.
Cind se lasa seara, Saili si fratele lui, care au invatat sa gateasca la scoala, pregatesc cina pentru parintii lor, daca acestia intirzie la serviciu.

18:30
- Cina si   sauna (aceasta, de 3 ori pe saptamina)   sunt momentele in care familia se afla impreuna.
Se converseaza mult, mai ales despre proiectele copiilor, dorintele, progresele si nevoile lor.
Dar in aceeasi masura, se fac si planuri de vacanta pentru toata familia, in comun.

20:15
- Temele si la culcare.
Copiii finlandezi au foarte multe teme de casa, desi Saili le termina rapid, intr-o ora sau doua, pentru ca de-abia asteapta sa se urce in pat si sa citeasca Harry Potter in engleza.


Pentru Saili, scoala este ca un serviciu.  
- "Daca un copil doreste sa studieze, poate sa ajunga medic sau judecator sau inginer, chiar daca familia sa este una saraca".
- Educatia fiecarui copil costa statul finlandez 200000 de euro, de la gradinita pina la absolvirea unei universitati.
"Sunt banii cel mai bine folositi din impozitele noastre".
- Studentii platesc doar cartile si mincarea (2.50 euro la restaurantul facultatii).
Apoi, statul îi ajuta sa se emancipeze dindu-le subventii pentru inchirierea unei locuinte si primul salariu.
- Elevii au un respect total fata de profesori, si se vede in orice moment politetea in relatiile dintre ei.
 Nu poarta uniforme, dar sunt intotdeauna simplu si corect imbracati si pieptanati.
- Intr-o scoala din centrul capitalei Helsinki , sau dincolo de Cercul Polar, nivelul este acelasi.
Sistemul educational nu este elitist si nu urmareste producerea de genii, ci atingerea unui nivel general mediu cit mai inalt.
- Presedinta Finlandei, Tarja Halonen, licentiata in Drept si profesoara:
"Cind îi cert pe studentii mei, le spun ca irosesc banii contribuabililor".
- Nu exista repetenti, desi nu exista decit o singura oportunitate de a lua un examen, "pentru simplul motiv ca viata insasi nu se traieste decit o singura data".
Se studiaza pina cind se ia examenul, dar promovarea in anul urmator este automata.
- "Ziua de lucru" a lui Saili este intensa, de la 8 pina la 3.
Orele sunt insa scurte, de 45 de minute. Una dintre recreatii se petrece obligatoriu afara, in aer liber.
Se stimuleaza rationamentul critic inaintea memorizarii mecanice.
Orele sunt relaxate, cum ar fi cursurile de dansuri de salon, teatru, arta digitala, coafura, arte martiale, hockey, schi de tura, gastronomie, primul ajutor, dulgherie, mecanica sau muzica.
Elevii cinta la vioara, chitara electrica sau la ce prefera.
Si, inca odata, se incurajeaza gindirea critica si se discuta.
- "Saili inca nu s-a hotarit ce vrea sa faca mai incolo. Chimie, medicina veterinara sau creatie de jocuri video.
Il intreb daca este fericit. Fara sa clipeasca, imi raspunde - " da." 

Dar exista un secret:

Pe la anul 1600 s-a legiferat ca cine nu stie sa scrie si sa citeasca nu are voie sa faca copii!!!

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Team velocity [2] - the mission influences the velocity of the team

 As we have spoke last week, I come again to this subject of team velocity.

This week, more about the relation between the team's mission and velocity of the team members.

You may know that each team suppose to have a mission,  a reason to exist. Some teams are designed to generate new products. Some to run extended projects. Others to do average jobs. Depending on this mission, my opinion is that teams have already different velocities. A team to deliver constantly innovation will certainly have a higher velocity than the one responsible to maintain a plant.
Each team can ensure a broader on limited development path for its team members, without being a better or worse team. A better team is the one who can ensure a great development for a team member, without the need to change roles to often. The team itself can be organized in a way that knowledge is constantly exchanged, new challenges are introduced gradually and experiences are created in order to deliver better the results expected.
Let's take one example: John Smith is an excellent developer, mastering Linux kernel development. The team of John is a small team of 7, working for various platforms. Now, it is introduced Android and there is another good developer (Peter Horn) who has some experience already in porting Android. Of course, Android is based on Linux. What option does it have the team manager? One would be to put Peter in charge and give him some support from a junior developer. Another one to put John in the same position. I would put both in this task and give them complementary tasks. This way, John can increase his experience in Android and avoid some of the traps of porting *nix operating systems. On the other hand, Peter has a fairly good partner and could deliver fast, learn something new and satisfy one of the experts' needs: belonging to an exclusive group.

Team manager has the duty to adjust the velocity of each team member, in order to cope with continuous changes in the business development. Some team members may complain in certain situations and might be the need to change this speed. Other times, the velocity of the team might hinder the individual development. If there is a great talent, some alternatives has to be provided. For the normal persons, it has to be assessed if there is the need for backup immediately or the risk of fluctuation is limited. Discussing often with the team members about their perceived development needs is decreasing the demotivation and gives the manager the opportunity to cope with fluctuation risk. Additionally, he can make internal changes to optimize the results and facilitate the thrive of team members.

Senior team members, even they might be high on the development scale, still expect a progress. The challenge is to find this way.
Some of them look for new challenges in the technical field, other need to make a change to a managerial position, others would like to take more responsibility for an internal research project. There are many items that are perceived as progress and this are regarded differently by each of the team members. The more you can understand what moves ahead the team member, more you can adjust the setup of the team.

Managers have also to communicate their expectations and intentions in the setup of the team. The colleagues have the chance to choose if this enough for them or they need to make a change. They are still committed to the team, but they are showing their unhappiness. Might be contradictory, nevertheless the results are timely delivered and the transition to other team is made smoothly.

The adjustment of roles cannot be easily done. It's always a challenge.
Please remember an older post about choosing to be the "boss", if you think is to complicated.

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Sa protestam impotriva ACTA - viata noastra nu trebuie supravegheata

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Dare to change

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