Your Future in IT
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The Center offers you a sneak peek at a new website Your Future in IT (opens in a new window)
. It is currently in beta; however, by September 15, 2012 a number of planned features, and overall tool functionality will be up-and-running.
So, about the site:
- It serves as an informational resource as well as providing a number of resources and tools for students
- It promotes understanding, awareness centered around the coursework students need to focus on to both create a seamless articulation as well as tips and advice that are designed to increase student success as they start their journey towards an information technology academic and career pathway
- Students can set up an account and customize a coursework and extra-curricular activity planning guide that they can use to prepare for their four-year educational experience(whether it’s starting at a community and technical college and then continuing their B.A. or B.S. at a four-year university or college, or entering a four-year college or university directly
- Short informational and awareness articles and resources that address how to overcome math-anxiety; why taking certain courses between grades 7-12 will enhance their two- or four year post-secondary journey; how to plan for the transition to the college or university experience; and, much, much more…
- Awareness and targeted informational and awareness articles for young women and under-represented populations that support their access to tips and ideas that are designed to increase their interest and chances of succeeding in an IT educational and career pathway.
- A searchable Washington State college and university information technology and computer science degree and certificate directory
- Resources and informational pieces for parents (opens in a new window) , educators (opens in a new window) , and academic/career counselors (opens in a new window)
- A What is YOUR Future in IT interest quiz (available by September 15, 2012)
- And, six young adults, who are all IT kids, who each have a different story to share about their middle and high school experience and their academic pathway triumphs and challenges as they discover which pathway is right for them. Is it mobile application development? Is it web design? Is it game development?
In Fall 2012 you’ll meet Emma, who is just one of the six IT Kids.
The Center would like to thank funding agency who helped with the stage-two funding, (the Center and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges – Tiffany Merkel – provided the stage-one funding), The Washington Workforce and Technical Training Board, and Terri Colbert). Additionally, thanks for the work updating the IT pathway planning guides done by Ventia Willis-Holbrook from the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI). Special thanks go to Juan Ulloa and Erik Steen for launching the website in five months, when typically for a website like this, it take at least a year.
The Center has a laundry list of additional features, resources, and tools planned for the website, so we will be fine-tuning the site through June of 2013.