The subject of the responsibilities and success strategies of technical professionals is very broad and can be approached from many directions including:
lifelong learning
using information in a responsible manner
communication skills
teamwork, problem solving, and management skills
literacy in the digital age
demands of the workplace
expectations of employers
job forecasts
essential skills for specific positions
work ethic
career planning
Rather than try to cover every possible facet of the subject, it may be best to narrow the focus to only one or two approaches. Information about these topics can be found in books, magazine and journal articles, and Web sites.
A good starting point for researching important work skills, expectations of employers, and success strategies is SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) Web site. According to the site, "In 1990, the Secretary of Labor appointed a commission to determine the skills our young people need to succeed in the world of work. The commission's fundamental purpose was to encourage a high-performance economy characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment. Although the commission completed its work in 1992, its findings and recommendations continue to be a valuable source of information for individuals and organizations involved in education and workforce development."
Students may wish to review references provided in the course syllabus as another starting point for research. Check to see if any of the books listed are available from the campus LRC or local public library. These books or others on similar subjects may be found in the library’s catalog under subject headings such as:
Engineering – Vocational guidance
Technology – Social aspects
Information technology--Vocational guidance
Computer industry--Vocational guidance
Law enforcement--Vocational guidance
College graduates--Employment
Job hunting
Internet industry--Vocational guidance
Architecture--Vocational guidance
Electronic data processing--Vocational guidance
Computer science--Vocational guidance
Engineering--Vocational guidance
Art--Vocational guidance
Career changes--Handbooks, manuals, etc
Vocational guidance--Handbooks, manuals, etc
Résumés (Employment)
Career development
Occupations
Employees--Rating of
Suggestions for utilizing online books
The ITT Tech Virtual Library provides access to many online books on management, communication skills, career planning, problem solving, presentation skills, time management, vocational guidance and other business skills topics.
Before using the Virtual Library's Catalog to look for books on these topics, please visit the Books24x7 and Ebrary pages to familiarize yourself with the features of these collections. To do this, select BOOKS from the Main Menu of the library and then each collection in turn. This initial visit to these sites establishes your bookshelf and is required prior to utilizing the online books. At the Ebrary site, follow the steps to download and install the Ebrary Reader.
Return to the Main Menu of the library and select LIBRARY CATALOG from the menu on the left side of the page. Enter keywords using the basic search screen or click on Advanced Search for additional search functions. Records for books matching your search terms will be returned for your review. Select any title to see the complete book record; click on the 'Click here to read' link to begin reading the online book.
Suggested keywords include the subject headings from the previous page as well as:
employment
management
interpersonal communication
success
career development
problem solving
presentations
time management
vocational guidance
leadership
teams
business communication
workplace
When searching the Library Catalog, you can easily retrieve all books on a specific subject by clicking on the hyperlinked subject headings in the book record. If you prefer, you can choose to use either Ebrary's or Books24x7's search function. This will allow you to search within books for keywords or concepts.
Suggestions for utilizing online magazines and journals
Magazines and journals offer a wealth of perspectives on the topic of technical professionals. To find articles related to responsibilities and success strategies of technical professionals, please select PERIODICALS from the Main Menu of the library. 'Periodical' is a term used to describe any publication that is published at regular intervals. Magazines, journals, and newspapers are all considered to be periodicals.
On the PERIODICALS page, you have the choice of using several different periodical databases that include articles from thousands of magazines and journals. The advantage of using the periodical databases is that you can access many articles from many sources with a single search. ProQuest's ABI/INFORM and Ebsco's ACADEMIC SEARCH ELITE are good starting points for this topic. We recommend that you try several searches using various keywords. For example, try combining some of the keywords suggested below:
workplace
skill*
work environment
learn*
employ*
expectation*
accountability
professional responsibility
competencies
career development
resumes
job hunting
employment porfolios
employment interviewing
work skills
workplace literacy
vocational qualificatiions
occupational training
workforce
value
* Using the wildcard symbol * will allow the search to find both singular, plural and other alternate endings (for example, employ* finds employer, employee, employability, or employment)
When you find a helpful article, take a look at the subject terms that could be used for additional searches.
Suggested Web sites
Listed below are some Web sites that offer information relevant to responsibilities, success strategies, expectations, and skills of technical professionals:
A report on literacy in the digital age by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
Part of the U.S. Department of Labor portal, Career InfoNet offers links to information about career development from various sources. Click on "What it takes" to search for information about specific occupations. Click on "Skills Center" to learn how skills relate to occupations and how skill levels are measured.
Online articles and information related to career planning from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
A report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
O*Net Online, sponsored by the U.S. Dept of Labor, is a database which provides information on skills, abilities, knowledge, work activities and interests associated with over 950 occupations.
A nationally recognized source of career information, this source describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.
The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) reports the results of discussions with employers and workers undertaken to "define the skills needed from employment, propose acceptable levels of proficiency, suggest effective ways to assess proficiency, and develop a dissemination strategy for the nation's schools, businesses, and homes"
"With CompTIA's TechCareer Compass, you can look up a job title to see its critical work functions, required skills, and alternate job titles you may be interested in." Job concentration areas include Database Development and Administration, Digital Media, Network Devices, Network Infrastructure, Programming, Technical Writing, and Web Development and Administration.
Additional online information can be found using topical keywords in any of the popular search engines. Search results will include Web sites with many different opinions and perspectives so be sure to evaluate all Web sites for accuracy, reliability, and authority. Some suggested search terms are:
search: +expectations +employers
search: "technical professional" +learning.
search: "job skills" plus a specific job title.
or use keywords suggested on previous pages of this research guide.
For further information about researching this topic, please consult your instructor, the campus LRC staff, or send questions to the Virtual Library's Ask a Librarian service.