I have an extensive background writing commercial software for the financial services industry.  I have usually worked as both a programmer/analyst and technical project leader.  My technical background involved working on IBM mainframe and UNIX platforms, and also included working as an EDI coordinator. 
 
In July 2006, Fiserv Loan Servicing Products was staffing up for a long-term project with Chase Bank.  I accepted a contract-to-hire position.  This was going to be a great opportunity for me and a lucrative project for Fiserv.  However, 2 weeks into my job, the Chase deal fell through, and most of the people that were just hired, were let go.  I was moved over to a Consumer Lending system that had just been put into production and was experiencing a lot of problems.  I enjoyed my work there, but knew in the back of my mind that my position wasn’t going to last forever if the company’s financial situation didn’t turn around. 
 
I was finally released from my contract on Oct. 31, 2008.  The technical environment at Fiserv consisted of an HTML/JavaScript front-end and a COBOL/CICS/VSAM back-end.  However, the architecture there was so customized that I was using Fiserv utilities to generate the HTML/JavaScript and the CICS/VSAM code.  These skills were not transferrable to a job at any other company.  I had to make a decision to either re-teach myself how to code native CICS and go back to coding “green” screens again, or I could move forward and start learning some of the newer technologies that are more marketable today and are less prone to being outsourced.
 
Right after I was laid off, I started reading as much as I could get my hands on to decide what my next step would be.  I enrolled in some online C#.NET classes through the University of North Texas.  After doing well in those classes, I decided to get into the WIA program (through the Mid-Cities Workforce Center) which offered .NET certification training through a school called TechSkills.  
 
I got my first MCTS certification in Windows application programming in Nov. 2009, and in Dec. 2009, I started sending out my resume.  I didn’t hear back from anyone until Feb. 2010.  I had my first interview in Feb. the same week that I took the exam for my second MCTS certification for Web application programming.  I was pretty bummed when I didn’t get the job that I interviewed for, but eventually I saw it as a good thing because that job really wasn’t going to utilize the C#.NET technologies I had been training in.  It was going to involve more HTML and JavaScript.
 
As I mentioned in the IT meeting, I can’t tell you how many negative things recruiters and other people said to me about my desire to transition into .NET programming.  They would tell me that there were plenty of people out there in the market that already have 5+ years experience in C#.NET programming, and I would not be able to compete with them.  They told me that my certifications wouldn’t matter to employers at all without professional .NET programming experience.  They said anyone could get certifications, and that didn’t mean they knew how to program.  One recruiter said he might be able to find me a junior C# programming position if I would be willing to take over a 50% pay cut from what I used to earn. 
 
Finally, April turned out to be a very good month for me.  On Wed. April 7th, I got a call from a company, and they set up a technical phone interview for that Friday at 9 a.m.  The next day, AmeriCredit called and scheduled a technical phone interview for that Friday at 10:30 a.m.  That Friday, the first technical interview last an hour, and it went okay, not great.  I was nervous, and I guess it was a situation where God intended for that interview to be my practice interview.  Thirty minutes later, when I had the second interview with AmeriCredit, it went much better, and the IT manager really understood my situation and what I was trying to do.  He said that I had obviously learned the C#.NET material well, but the other managers were usually against hiring people who didn’t already have a lot of .NET experience.  He scheduled an interview for the following Monday, and he asked me to send him some of my code from school.  I decided instead to create my own ASP.NET web application based on a corporate HR application example that the IT manager used in one of his technical questions. 
 
When I interviewed with AmeriCredit in person, the interview was a technical interview with a 4 person panel.  It lasted over an hour, and I credit the Southlake Focus Group and the CSN IT group for giving me the tools to make it through something like that.  Having to stand up in front of large groups of people every week to talk about my career goals gave me the ability to sit through a panel interview without feeling overwhelmed.  The IT manager that I first spoke with said that he would rather hire a developer who knew how to really design and support systems, than just a coder.  I finally met someone who saw the skills that I had to offer, and understood what I was trying to accomplish.  He also said that they were all impressed with my code sample. 
 
I will be starting my job as a Web Software Developer on May 5th, and my advice to everyone at SFG and CSN IT is to try to put aside the many negative things that you will hear during your job search, and cling to the people who are supportive, and remember the positive and uplifting comments that you hear.
 
I only joined SFG and CSN IT one month before I landed my new job, but I know that the support I got from SFG and CSN IT had everything to do with my ability to land my new job.
 
That’s about it, Foster.  SFG and CSN IT are very lucky to have someone like you to help lead everyone through the roller coaster ride that we all are on during extended unemployment.  I plan to stay in touch as an Alumni member, and wish you all the best.
 
Take care,
Debra Anderson