Lesson 1 Introduction CIS 58.57 Efolio

LESSON 1 - INTRODUCTION

lesson objectives

class overview
check in
explore website
set class goals
reading and resources

class overview
The Internet, with its growing power and ubiquity, can be a powerful tool for people trying to get their first professional job, change positions, or re-enter the job market. This course is designed to assist students in the process of utilizing the Internet to secure a position. Students will create an online portfolio and explore job placement resources on the Web.

A web savvy 'netizen' can seek out the perfect job, create, post and advertise a resume, and carry on true networking that's impossible in the physical world. Alternatively, a person without the proper net skills can waste a lot of valuable time getting lost in a maze of job banks and creating a bad representation of themselves that few potential employers will see and even fewer will bother looking at.

You don't have to be looking for a web or even computer-related job to use the net to your advantage. As with other projects, in order to take advantage of this vast employment network, it's best to break down the process into manageable steps. The general philosophical path we'll follow throughout this course is based on these steps:

Become familiar with the territory

Identify your goals

Target specific fields or employers based on your goals, talents, and the results of your research

Create a presence on the Internet that reflects your goals and is in sync with those targets

Promote your presence while preparing for a successful interview

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check in
An important part of beginning an online course is "checking in". In a traditional classroom you simply say "here" when the teacher calls roll. Online it's a little trickier. To check in to this course you must fill out an online form. Here's the link to the form:http://online.santarosa.edu/section/?7842

After completing the check in process you will receive an email message confirming your acceptance into the class. If you don't receive the confirmation of submitting your check in, please contact me via email:adream@sonic.net .

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explore the website
One of the most important pages at this Web site is the initial orientation information on the Start Here page. Review it and then return to this lesson and continue the lesson.

Set aside 30-60 minutes and begin to explore the website.

The Start Here and Syllabus pages contain vital information regarding class policies, grading, and lab facilities, so please review them carefully. As you click around, if you find a page or a link that's not working please send me a note, and include the following information:

the URL of the page where you found the bad link

the general location on the page (top, middle, bottom, etc)

the TEXT of the link, so that I can find it easily

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set class goals
Before you start putting up web pages and searching job boards you need to take a hard look at where you are, and where you want to be. This week you will begin to set some goals for your online career search.

Review the online articles listed below in the Reading and Resources sections.
Based on your research, develop goals for what you hope to accomplish in the class -- see Assignments page for more details.

As you work through the reading materials, I suggest you attempt to answer the following questions:

What Do You Want to Do?

Web & Multimedia Specialist

Web Design & Architecture Specialist

Web Production & Coding Specialist

Web Project Manager Web Content Developer

Web Systems Analyst

Who Do You Want to Work For?

Someone else = 'Employed' - What industry interests you, what type of employer--academic, government, nonprofit, Fortune 500, small business, software development, high tech, self-employment etc., etc., etc.

Yourself = 'Freelancer' - As a 'consultant'...'independent agent' or {whatever title do you prefer??}.

Where Do You Want to Live and Work?

Identify some geographic locations. Start generally with regions and states (or countries) and then work down to cities or towns, and identify your reasons for your preferences, and the pros and cons of your ideal choice.

Answering these questions will pose a challenge for some of you. You may not be sure if you want to become a freelancer or work for an established firm, or whether you should you stay in the area or move somewhere else. Several online quizzes listed below will help you analyze your employment style. Examine several of them, and select one that looks like it will be useful to you. You'll be reporting on a quiz that you took that was useful to you when you complete the Career and Portfolio Goals assignment for Week 1.

Self Assessment Quizzes
What's Your Workstyle? by Barbara Reinhold

Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur?

Is Self-Employment for You? by Pat Boer

The assumption around which this course is organized: is that you intend to use your Portfolio to obtain a job, either now or at a future date. Consequently, the course will have two components:

1. Designing and building an Electronic Portfolio
You will learn this both by direction and by viewing other Portfolios. The finished product should be something appropriate to the goals/objective you set for the class.

2. Exploring how to get the Portfolio noticed
After all, it's not worth much if you show it only to your family and/or friends. We want you to get some experience in using web-based resources, so you can both present yourself to the widest possible audience, AND begin to define the target individuals, groups or companies who might be interested in interviewing and hiring you.

If you're not actually in the job market at present, or if you're unsure which job you will eventually be seeking, for the purposes of this class and your grade, you MUST still choose a specific area which interests you and target that specific job as you develop your Portfolio and resource pages.

NOTE: While it may be true that you are still pursuing your Certificate Program training, and while an internship might be a requirement of your Certificate, finishing your Certificate or Degree, or seeking an Internship is NOT an appropriate Goal, Job Target, or Job Objective, for the purposes of this class and your Portfolio and Resume.

Instead select an actual Job, and then build your Resume and Portfolio site as if that were the job you were seeking. To be effective in the business world, your Portfolio site, with Resume, needs to strong, self-confident, and focused, in a single direction, on a long term goal, that is supported by your work examples and your resume.

Displaying Job Objectives of 'finishing my education', or 'seeking an internship' are very short term, short-sighted goals that will be accomplished in the near future. In addition, these types of Objectives are very weak, and undercut the power and strength of your skills set and your work examples, and so, run counter to the thrust of this course.

TIP: As you review articles and web sites, try to figure out two things: