A Good Cup of Java (for the Analyst in you)

Every morning (for me) starts with a nice piping hot cup of coffee.  It starts with one, and might end up being two or three.  Who knows, by the time the day is done, I have usually lost count.  I started drinking coffee shortly after entering the corporate world.  I quickly realized that late nights and early mornings do not mix.  My adventures into the consumption of the coffee bean began with the chocolaty frozen drinks from Starbucks. They were sugary, sweet, and frankly, didn't taste like coffee. Then I "graduated" to the Dunkin Donuts coffee with cream and sugar - which now disgusts me.  Finally, I got my own coffee maker (one for the office and home) and I drink mostly Colombian coffee, though different brands.

So what's the point here?  Coffee used to disgust you, now you like it?  Well, not exactly.  Coffee is my drug (technically caffeine is a drug) of choice.  In the role of analyst, we will be required to attend early and late meetings.  This job type requires us to be incredibly detailed, and yet still understand how the projects function at a high level.  I leverage coffee to remain alert and awake and stimulate my brain in order to function at my highest capacity.

As an analyst, you will need to be fully alert, aware, and knowledgeable at all times of the day.  Testers WILL call you at 3 in the morning, and expect you to give them a direct answer.  You will not be able to cruise through this position. The amount of detail and knowledge expected from you will be immense.  Once you start to miss things, forget items, or miss deadlines, you will lose credibility.  Tell me, if you have a magazine in front of you, and the first three articles omit critical details, forget timelines, or paint a narrow picture without a full concept of the overall picture - will you continue to read?

P.S. Starbucks just announced their new Extra Large Trenta - but that might be too much.

Hello World!

As with many start ups in our modern world of technology, I will begin this blog with a "Hello World!".  Computer programmers typically write a Hello World application as their first attempt at compiling code in a new programming language.  These applications are, by definition, some of the most simple pieces of code ever written.  They begin with the typical "comments" (information behind the scenes a programmer will include to provide details about his code) and process one simple command.  The result of running the application will simply read:

Hello World!

So, here is a little about me:  I am a business/systems analyst in the financial industry.  I work in a major Fortune 500 company which is very successful in the financial space.  I had been exposed to many aspects of the corporate IT environment in my relatively brief time employed in the corporate world.  From the software development life cycle (SDLC) to IT governance to project management. Since my induction into this corporate environment, I have been titled as an Analyst, which is interpreted as a somewhat of a jack of all trades.  

We, as analysts, will be expected to know and understand both the "business" and the technology the business operates on to be successful.  We are expected to be cutting edge, but grounded in reality.  We are expected to formulate opinions, but stay objective.  We are expected to understand the core, inner workings of our company and our competitors.  

The Analyst role, in my brief experience, has been both challenging and rewarding.  My personal experiences will be the basis of this blog.  I hope to see this blog, like myself, develop and mature in experience, helpfulness, and knowledge.  If this blog has helped you, it has done its job.  Let's just hope we don't get too busy to stop and "smell the roses" along the way.