To my readers: I was invited by one of my former professors to speak to his class this semester. I understand that he has an outstanding group of upcoming graduates who might benefit from the perspective of someone who’s been in the working world for a little while. I was all set to visit them today until I got pulled onto a project in the northeast at the last minute (on Friday!). This post is for them.

Hey guys!

Thanks so much for checking out my site and connecting with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. I really regret not being able to meet you all today, but I will make every effort to visit you this semester. I mean it.

I’ve been giving some thought to what I could to for you, and I think what you all would benefit from the most is answering the questions you have about the industry and making myself available if you’d like me to demolish review your resumes. I will answer each and every question you have, and I’d be happy to share some insights from the industry. Let’s get started, shall we?

A little about me

I graduated from the College of Information in 2007 with a degree in Information Technology. During my time at FSU, I was fortunate enough to connect with what I believe to be a handful of the most knowledgeable students and caring professors that FSU has to offer. I started the FSU chapter of the Association of IT Professionals and chaired the organization for two years. After graduating, I took a position with Accenture in Atlanta as a Consulting Analyst, and I’ve been there ever since. I travel for work (it only looks good on paper, I promise), and I’m currently in Boston doing some UNIX/Storage work for a fantastic company.

The job market was hot when I graduated and as Ken will tell, you I was doing little more than flying and interviewing my senior year. I worked hard, positioned myself as a leader and excellent communicator during my Junior year, and reaped the benefits a few months later. By the time graduation rolled around, the market for IT graduates was such that I was able to choose which offer was best for me.

You guys are graduating into a completely different world.

A lot about you

Anyway, enough about me! What are you guys into? What organizations are you involved with? What kind of career do you envision for yourself? What are you doing to make yourselves standouts in an awful economy? Do you think IT is for you? Would you rather make less money and be happier as, for example, an elementary school teacher? Do you know what employers are looking for? Have you tailored your approach to these expectations? Is your resume up-to-date?

I’ll take your questions and write a detailed post on the thing you’d like to know. I’ll also share my contact information with any of you in case you’d like to schedule some time to chat one-on-one about anything.

Please introduce yourself in the comments, answer any (or all) of the questions that I’ve proposed, and let me know what I can do for you personally. I’ll follow up with you all individually when my schedule settles down (probably in a week and a half) and also do a post addressing the common concerns. Thanks guys.