Technology As Innovator

The Coat of Arms was officially designed in 1986 to coincide with the 1987 Centenary Year of RMIT and to be an ongoing symbol for the University. Approved by the College of Arms, the Coat of Arms is held to be a mark of great dignity and embodies a rich symbolic language.

The crest of wattle which defined this Coat of Arms as uniquely Australian and the sprigs of Commonwealth, the floral emblem of Victoria, proclaim a nationalistic spirit.

The shield itself symbolizes the immutable strength of education.

The ancient lamp on the shield, which has featured prominently in former Badges of the University, continues as a clear symbol of enlightenment. St. Edward’s Crown, used in accordance with the permission granted by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, is boldly highlighted on the chevron.

In chief on the shield are two four-pointed stars representing enlightenment and skill.

‘Perita Manus Mens Exculta’, the RMIT motto, meaning ‘a skilled hand and a cultivated mind’, continues to be most relevant to the variety of programs offered by the University.

Supporters of the Coat of Arms are the Lion and the Kangaroo. The rampant Lion is derived from Supporters to the Coat of Arms of Lord Melbourne, Prime Minister of Great Britain, after whom Melbourne was named in 1837. The Kangaroo Supporter is an emblem of Australia. The Coat of Arms thus uses emblems to acknowledge the Royal Patronage, indicate a pride in Australia and proclaim Melbourne as the foundation city of the University.

Symbols of enlightenment are skill point to RMIT’s concern for future year and the important role of the University in serving the community.

Reference

Wikipedia, RMIT University

Apart from motivationally writing for the web, I have been invited to universities as a motivational speaker to talk about the IT industry and IT occupations with IT students.

What question do you think is most frequently asked?

What programming languages and tools are currently used in your company?

It is not a surprising one because the same question has been asked much more frequently on technical forums and newsgroup and has caused so much debates on T-tool vs. U-tool and more heatedly, X-language vs. Y-language.

And my answer is

“It is nice that you are preparing the knowledge and skills that you think your potential employers will seek. However, skills and experience in a particular programming language is not the only technical skill employers seek in candidates. They’re also looking into the foundation technical knowledge, such as but not limited to: Object Orientation, Design skills, Software Methodologies, Data Structures and Algorithms, Database Design, Architecture, Computing Theory, that empower your programming skills. You may do programming with, let’s say, Java relatively well in some situations without the above knowledge, but if you are thrown into a more complex project to build a huge product, the risk is high.

One example. You spend two to four years in college polishing your skills in X language that you predict will (still) be hot in a few years when you graduate. When you do graduate and apply for jobs, if they say “Sorry, X is old. We’re needing Y people”, what will you do? Spend the same amount of time learning Y? No, it’s not the way it should work. Foundation knowledge is the root, languages and tools are leaves. Equip yourself with the foundation, and when technology changes (is IT a slow changing area that does not change every 6 month or so?), you can adapt more easily.

When you have mastered the foundation knowledge, and possessed significant experience in using programming languages, which IDE is not a bug big issue.

Besides, about recruitment, technical skills are not the only evaluation criterion. Think about soft skills and attitude too.”

I was thinking about my profession

The number of Business Analysts and System Analysts required in software companies is not that many compared to developers; in some smaller companies with less formal process definition, some developers take the Analyst role. If the need for Analysts were higher, this question could have been asked: “What modeling languages and tools are currently used in your company?”

The answer is simple: Unified Modeling Language. UML itself has been a well-established language for modeling. More of a reason why it has become so popular is due to the promotion of UML by RUP.

But once again, UML is a language. The case is not much different from that of programming languages. Knowing UML is not enough to perform all tasks Analysts do, Business Process Modeling for instance - and a new standardized set of notations named BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) is being proposed.

Underlying UML skills are Modeling skills. Modeling languages are used to present information in a more visual (and structural?) way. You need to know what model or diagram should be used to present what kind of information at what time in what situation to whom.

Model is one kind of information. In order to develop solid Modeling skills, Information Processing skills and Data Analysis skills need to be developed first or in parallel.

With all those skills at hand, you will be able to guess how shapes are categorized and may quickly locate the right notations you need in Modeling tools, no matter if it’s Rational Rose or Visio or Enterprise Architect or so on.

After you have created a good piece of model, you may want to present it to customers or other teams in your project. Presentation skills may help.

Side discussion: Model vs. Diagram

Throughout this article, I have used Models consistently, without mentioning diagrams. The may raise question since “UML diagram” is a very common terminology. The reason is because Analysts produce visualizations which are not diagrams too. Organization charts, map, prototype are just a few to name. ‘Model’ covers all of these, of course including diagrams. Also, one trivia is that the word may remind the fact that information systems actually model the real world.

Conclusion

So to conclude, foundation knowledge is required in any profession. Technology and tools change so quickly, but concepts do not as quickly. Build your internal strength should be the higher priority.

Hi team,

I take this precious chance to share some of my thoughts after 6 years participating and leading student organizations.

Upon joining a student organization, you will have the opportunity to

• Build your network. You are given the network from former members, from the university. You will enjoy the firm-founded business relationship with companies, partners, potential sponsors and alumni. The network is the wind that strengthens your wings.
• Create opportunities for yourself and others. By organizing activities, you have the chance to discuss with leaders of the greatest enterprises to learn from their experience, the chance to observe the real business environment, the chance to apply all the acquired theory to practice. Naturally while doing so, you transfuse part of your passion and spirit to other members and inspire them to be self-motivated like you are.
• Improve your skills: organization, leadership, communication, time management, planning, problem solving, conflict solving .etc. are just a few to name
• Enjoy university life. We work hard, we play hard. Also, enjoy benefits of genuine relationships.

May I say, please also be prepared to lose your amour propre. You’ll soon see how your selflessness and magnanimity turn to real values for yourself and for the community and they are what matter.

I personally value your enthusiasm and commitment to join us. Please keep on the good work and make our common goals come true.

Tai