The Internet can be a fascinating place. And
especially Reddit. Mix online stock trading with a pinch of cancel culture and
a good amount of memes and, boom: a bunch of Wall Street big shots lose
millions in a matter of hours.
Retail investors using low-cost, online trading platforms like Robinhood organised through the ‘WallStreetBets’ subreddit to do something they had been wanting to do for a while now: get back at hedge funds and other traditional investors who make money by betting on failing companies (aka shorting).
These
amateur traders, who see themselves as part of a new wave of anti-establishment
investors, went on to inflate the stock price of GameStop, a now-failing
American brick-and-mortar videogame store. Wall Street had borrowed many of the
company’s stocks, sure these would go down in price and they’d be able to make
a profit upon returning them.
Ouch. Certainly a clear reminder of the power that the virtual world can have over the real one.
Like pretty much any other large event whose
organisers sport a bit of common sense, this year’s gathering of the World
Economic Forum is being held fully online. Its focus this time around?
Surprise, surprise. You guessed it — pandemic recovery.
Specifically,
the organisation consulted world business leaders ahead of the start of the
talks conference talks about how technology should be used to help reset our
society, economy and business environment.
Cloud and
collaboration tools to strengthen community ties and help us predict and
address health crises. Accelerated digital transformation to keep improving
business models and ultimately people’s lives. Widespread use of AI to automate
repetitive tasks and allow businesses to focus on adding real, high-end
value.
The underlying theme: prioritising the common good.
A newly published Gartner report aims to do
something at which most tech predictions tend to fail: getting too specific
with the time estimates.
The study
looked at the unintended ethical and social repercussions of AI adoption and
then provided recommendations on what business should do to address them.
By 2025, our world could look quite scarier than it does today in terms of privacy and cybersecurity. Large-scale AI models will be concentrated in the hands of 1% of vendors. Deepfakes will be so common companies will have to conduct regular employee trainings on how to spot them. About 75% of workplace conversations will be analysed to add organisational value and assess risk.
The most obvious routes for businesses to take include setting up ethic boards at companies that sell or use AI and establishing guidelines for responsible AI consumption.
The goal of the web designer is therefore to seduce visitors and users with harmonious, ergonomic and responsive web interfaces.
Use our template to create a compelling and comprehensive Web Designer job description to attract top talent.
The web interface of a website or application reflects the brand image and is often a visitor’s first point of contact with a company’s product. The design must therefore be optimized as much as possible and must make the user journey simple in order to transform this visitor into a customer. Graphic identity must also be consistent with marketing positioning. Discover the role of the web designer.
The goal of the web designer is therefore to seduce visitors and users with harmonious, ergonomic and responsive web interfaces.
Depending on the positioning and target of the company, the web designer will establish the needs in terms of communication.But also the objective of the site: whether it will be a showcase site, an e-commerce site… He will also analyze competition and keep watch on new graphic trends in order to be always aware of the latest trends. It will also prioritize the information that will be present on the site (tabs, articles, features, etc.).
Implement the actions to be taken
After carrying out his analysis, the designer will take care of the tree structure of the site and create a graphic charter. To be able to create all the visuals and illustrations, then the models. He will also have to check that all the constraints defined at the start of the project are respected. And that everything he has imagined is technically and logistically feasible in terms of coding and project management, within the deadlines that have been set.
Manage monitoring and updates
After delivery of the site, the web designer will have to manage the monitoring, but also to update the site. (Addition of a new tab, change of graphic charter, evolution of a feature, etc.)
Required skillsof the Web Designer
Computer skills (integration tools and graphics)
The designer needs to know how to use graphic tools such as those of the Adobe suite, in order to create the visuals of the site, as well as the models. It must also be able to integrate content on the website. For example through content management platforms such as WordPress or Drupal.
Understanding of user/customer logic
Although the job of web designer is a very artistic job, it is above all a marketing job. The designer must know the user journeys perfectly. Know what users will note in the search bar and on which page they will fall.
Curiosity, rigour and organization
The web designer must be interested in new trends, keep watch according to the different business sectors. He must also know how to prioritize tasks, be aware of priorities and also respect the deadlines.
Creativity
It should not be forgotten that the central objective of the web designer is to create a harmonious website. He will therefore have to create visuals by drawing inspiration from trends and seeking aesthetics. But above all by doing something fairly new, the objective not being to copy what others are doing.
Within the industry
With the rise of applications and websites, the web designer has seen his role gain in importance over the past decades. The designer must be in constant contact with the marketing and communications team. So that projects are carried out in correlation with the brand identity and digital marketing objectives.
Salary of the Web Designer
The average daily rate ranges between €200 and €500.
Training of the Web Designer
To become a web designer, you need to have communication, graphic design, web and integration skills. So it is often recommended to do a Bac + 3 to Bac + 5 type training in multimedia design or web design. There are now many specialised courses for this profession.
If you are a cloud specialist living in Luxembourg or are looking to get into cloud, discover our top 10 experts from Luxembourg to follow on Twitter.
Cloud computing is an umbrella under which many a successful professional career can be built by those who decide to go the way of IT. If you are a cloud specialist living in Luxembourg or are looking to get into cloud and could use the advice of a local, here’s a list with the folks you should be following on Twitter. Discover our top 10 experts from Luxembourg to follow on Twitter.
Top 10 Cloud Experts from Luxembourg to Follow on Twitter
Adam is a true cloud enthusiast who works as an IT services consultant and outsourcing processes specialist, always approaching IT from a business transformation perspective. He tweets extensively about industry trends and news, but also about many other topics of interest like space exploration and career advice.
Fernando is an Oracle ACE working as a Senior Database Architect at eProssed. He is highly experienced with the Oracle Database, mainly with Oracle Engineered Systems with focus in mission-critical and high availability environments. Fernando is also co-founder and board member of LuxOUG, and he blogs extensively about all things Oracle and disaster recovery.
Rodrigo is a Database Administrator (DBA) specialising in Oracle. In fact, he is an Oracle Certified Master (OCM) and Oracle ACE, a recognition that speaks to his deep expertise in the technology and his contributions to the platform. Rodrigo is also a chairman at LuxOUG and blogs extensively about all things Oracela and DBA.
Laurent is a Microsoft cloud expert working as Head of Digital Transformation for consultancy firm Elgon and Ainos. He is a Microsoft Office 365 MVP, a focus he complements with expertise in areas like project and change management and business development. He tweets regularly about all things cloud and Microsoft, as well as general interest tech news and new developments regarding the star-up scene.
Andre is an Oracle ACE working as a Cloud Architect Team Lead and Senior Database Engineer at Digora, where he works with OCI, AWS and Azure. He is an Oracle Apps DBA, Exadata MAA, DG and HA expert, as well as a co-Founder LuxOUG. He blogs about DBA in his native Portuguese.
Paolo is CEO at cloud start-up Omnis Cloud, where he helps partners and customers deliver cloud solutions based on open-source platforms which allow private and public sector organisations to take back control of their data. He is passionate about Linux, data privacy, security and regulations, topics he tweets about regularly.
Arnaud is a Tech Lead at Bâloise Assurances Luxembourg. He is a senior .NET developer who describes himself as a Microsoft Azure addict and is a co-founder of the Luxembourg .NET User Group. He is highly involved with the country’s cloud community and tweets extensively about the topic.
Gildas is a DevOps and Software Engineer at the Luxembourg International Bank. He combines his interest for development with that for the sysadmin domain. He is a big advocate of the DevOps culture and the co-creator and organizer of Voxxed Days Luxembourg, a new event focusing on microservices.
Andrey is a FinTech Adviser at Luxembourg Bankers’ Association. He has combined expertise in FinTech and open innovation in financial services, and he is passionate about all the technologies impacting this industry – including, of course, the cloud.
Mathieu is Chief Technology Officer at Squaremiled, role to which he comes after years working as a software craftsman and architect. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and a co-founder of the Luxembourg .NET User Group. He tweets and share news about the topic.
Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns. We’ve outlined for you all the key aspects you should cover to find the perfect daily work routine.
Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns. If you live somewhere on planet Earth, chances are you are currently experiencing at least some level of confusion thanks to the constantly changing public guidelines and workplace arrangements. The evolving pandemic has us all struggling to keep up with daily news and company memos, our already-busy minds now having to shift from tracking soaring infection rates to figuring out when exactly this week’s curfew kicks in.
Amidst this apparent chaos, it can be challenging to
find balance in both your personal and professional lives – and also in between
them. Days at a half-empty office merge with fully remote ones at a
way-too-small flat you share with other people.
Establishing a stable and effective work routine is
not easy in this context. And, since we know that working in IT is hard enough
for you to be investing too much time into figuring this whole thing out, we’ve
outlined for you all the key aspects you should cover to find the perfect daily
work routine.
Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns? The right remote work formula
Each one of us beats at a different rhythm, and it´s
not always an easily identifiable one. Unless you’ve tried all possible work
schedule arrangements since the start of the pandemic, you’ll probably need to
do some more experimentation to find the right one for you. That is, of course,
if your current job allows for that level of flexibility.
Some companies are operating fully remote until
further notice, while others combine on-premises and remote work or let their
employees make the choice. If you are a freelance consultant or external
contractor, you are probably used to working remotely, but maybe you do so at a
co-working space or are thinking of trying one after being stuck at home for
too long.
Just make sure you find the combination works best for you.
Once you’ve got your weekly schedule figured out, it’s
time to focus on your home workspace. We all need our little bubble to be able
to concentrate on our to-do list and work more efficiently. Working at home
complicates that if you share it with other people.
Maybe you find yourself having to alternate replying
to work emails with watching over the kids. Or perhaps you only have one spare
bedroom in your apartment and there’s two or more of you working from home. At
another time, you’d go to the corner cafe and find some focus in the soft
background chatter of random phone calls and clinking cookware. Now there’s not
much escape.
Whatever your situation, it is vital that you claim
your own space within the house or flat. Whether it is a corner of the living
room or a make-up desktop you’ve built out of spare pieces of furniture, you
need to delimitate a space exclusively devoted to working. The couch, of
course, should be out of the question.
Proper use of white noise and music apps can also help
you focus and create that bubble.
The proper toolset
Having a good place to work won’t make much of a difference if you don’t have the right tools. In the back-and-forth context of on-and-off remote work, such tools are those that allow you to work seamlessly across locations and coordinate with your colleagues and clients. In other words: cloud-based collaboration solutions and organisational tools.
These apply to both universal organisational tools
like calendars and project tracking apps, to those targeted to IT professionals
like yourself. From ERP cloud solutions to ticketing and integrated software
development cloud tools, these can have a great positive impact on
productivity, especially when adopted by the whole team or company.
Catching a break
How and when you take breaks is one of the key factors impacting productivity. Some people prefer working for long stretches of time and taking a couple of long breaks a day; others alternate shorter, high-intensity stretches of work with more frequent, shorter breaks – a strategy made popular by the Pomodoro method. Find the formula that works best for you and never neglect breaks no matter how busy you are. A rested mind is a more productive and focused one.
And, since catching a real break can be a bit not
quite effective when you spend the whole day between the same four walls, try
being more flexible with what a break means to you. Exercise could make for a
very good break, so could a quick video game match. Some experts have even
started recommended going out on a fake commute even if we are working from
home. Going on a walk before starting your day and right after business closes
can apparently be very beneficial.
Nurturing you relationships when you are working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns
We are social animals, and the intermittent lockdowns
are making it harder for us to nurture our existing connections and developing
new ones. When it comes to work, and beyond satisfying our need for
socialising, developing solid relationships with colleagues and clients goes a
long way to making work easier, better and faster.
Being negated the opportunity to chit-chat by the
water cooler or go out for an after-work drink, you’ll need to be more
proactive to ensure you are not neglecting the social aspects of your
professional activity. Schedule frequent video calls to get that much-needed
face-to-face time with peers and clients. Reach out more than you would
normally do to cancel out the downsides of isolation.
As an IT expert, you must always keep your eyes peeled for the new top IT skills that will help you stay relevant and advance your career.
It’s renew or die in the world of technology. As an IT expert, you must always keep your eyes peeled for the new top IT skills that will help you stay relevant and advance your career. But the constant evolution of IT tools and the shifting business climate brought about by the pandemic can make it difficult. For example to decide where to focus your upskilling efforts in the year ahead.
So, where to begin? This list is a good starting point for anyone looking to strengthen their CV/resume or redirect their career.
Top IT skills:
Python: Unmatched Versatility and Popularity
Python continues to dominate the programming language landscape, solidifying its position as a must-have skill for IT professionals. With roots dating back to the late 1980s, Python has evolved into the leading language, especially in the developer community. Its applications in data science and machine learning make it indispensable, while its clean syntax remains appealing to coders.
Structured Query
Language (SQL) is a domain-specific language for handling data stored in a
relational database management system – a database structured in rows and
columns in which all data points are related to one another.
Developers and database administrators use the language’s code to perform actions such as inserting, retrieving and deleting data. Thanks to its database structure, SQL also allows for quick data processing and is used by some of the most popular database management systems, like Oracle’s MySQL or Microsoft’s SQL Server.
Java: A Quarter-Century of Relevance
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Java remains a powerhouse among programming languages. Renowned for its “write once, run anywhere” portability, Java retains its position as one of the top three most popular languages. Its vast ecosystem, ranging from the Spring Framework to enterprise application servers, underscores its adaptability and continual relevance. Regular updates and refinements further emphasize Java’s commitment to staying cutting-edge.
Cloud Computing with AWS and Microsoft Azure: Navigating the Sky
In the post-COVID business world, cloud computing has become more critical than ever. Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to lead the cloud platform space, with Microsoft Azure as a formidable competitor. Proficiency in either of these platforms enhances career prospects significantly. Whether it’s AWS’s established position or Azure’s rapid strides, having cloud expertise is a valuable asset in today’s tech landscape.
Would you like to know about life in the cloud? Check out our Microsoft Azure career overview and discover all the paths you could take.
Docker: Containerization for Modern Development
Lat but not least, Containerization, with Docker at the forefront, has become essential for future-oriented developers and IT teams. The benefits of scalability, rapid deployment, and enhanced security make Docker a vital skill. Containers enable the creation and deployment of applications in self-contained units, providing efficiency and bug-free operation across diverse computing environments. Understanding Docker’s capabilities is crucial for staying at the cutting edge of modern development practices.
Robot Butlers and Virtual Influencers, Tech´s flashy new toys, A new logistics network, and Microsoft cloud comes to retail... Discover our weekly tech news.
Robot Butlers and Virtual Influencers – Tech´s flashy new toys, A new logistics network, and Microsoft cloud comes to retail… Discover our weekly tech news.
Robot Butlers and Virtual Influencers – Listen to the podcast version
A friendly reminder that you can now enjoy our weekly updates in podcast version.
CES; the world´s biggest technology show; is at full throttle since Monday, having changed its traditional Las Vegas setting for virtual presentations due to the pandemic.
The event is known for its outlandish new tech concepts and products. A way for consumer brands to show off and set the agenda for the upcoming year. And, although most of these technology predictions don´t end up panning out, there is always something to learn from them.
These year´s big reveals include a robot butler that can both serve you dinner and wash the dishes afterwards. A smart pet portal that lets your cat in and out while keeping other neighbourhood animals out, and Reah Keem — LG’s new virtual influencer with around 6,000 followers on Instagram.
From ‘cloud kitchens’ that centralise all meal orders for a given area of the city, to more ubiquitous and smaller warehouses closer to the delivery location. The logistics infrastructure is changing.
The pandemic has given e-commerce firms a boom, creating the need to update existing delivery networks to be able to keep up with demand. Furthermore, expected delivery times are narrowing, with costumers now being accustomed to delivery windows of less than 30 minutes.
All in all, this new wave of e-commerce developments is quietly reshaping our cities in a time where their streets are mostly transited by delivery vans and bicycles. This expansion, experts say, is comparable to the laying of fibre-optic cable 20 years ago, and its effects will be long lasting.
Following the release of its cloud service for the healthcare market, Microsoft has made available on preview its second vertical cloud, this time around for the retail industry.
The offering combines services and features from Azure, Microsoft and Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform to help the company’s retail customers provide an end-to-end shopper journey.
Microsoft also announced new features for its Dynamics 365 Commerce, its app providing back-office, in-store, call centre and e-commerce solutions. The app will now offer both in-built B2C and B2B commerce on a single platform.
In this job description, you'll learn about the missions, salary and skills of the RPA Consultant, a highly sought-after profile in today's business world
Use our template to create a compelling and comprehensive RPA Consultant job description to attract top talent.
A booming technology, RPA (Robotic Process Automation) promotes productivity gains through the automation of business processes. The key: eliminating tedious tasks, streamlining operations and reducing costs. In this job description, you’ll learn about the missions, salary and skills of the RPA Consultant. A highly sought-after profile in today’s business world, particularly in digital services companies.
Their role is to support the technical design of the automation of business processes in its entirety.
Definition of the RPA strategy
The first part of an RPA Consultant’s job is to define the automation strategy in close collaboration with the client or the IT department, adopting a robotic worksite planning approach. This first step involves a diagnostic to identify possible robotisation options as well as a POC (proof of concept).
Automation process implementation
Once the strategy is defined, the RPA Consultant begins configuring the tools and deploying all of the automation for each process. The key here is to work to develop new rules while respecting the constraints defined by the RPA protocol.
Tests and presentation of the robots to the teams
Finally, the RPA Consultant takes care of the unit tests and validates the functional specifications put in place. They also participate in the development of the user manual for the operational implementation of the robots and the presentation of the robots to the company’s teams.
With an IT background, the RPA Consultant has an appetite for information systems and automation and/or robotisation. They are masters of tools such as RPA UI Path, Pega or Blue Prism.
Mastery of Agile methods
The profession of RPA Consultant requires you to know agile project management methods (Scrum, Kaban) & Cycle in V. This method recommends setting short-term objectives, dividing the project into several sub-projects. Once the first goal is reached, the team moves on to the next until the end goal is achieved. This is an agile way of working.
Rigour and curiosity
Rigour and curiosity are essential qualities for an RPA Consultant. As an expert, they must be able to use tools and working methodologies that allow them to track the progress of projects in a meticulous manner. They must also show great curiosity to constantly update their knowledge and skills.
Within the industry
Certainly, the consultant is an expert who can be found in all type of modern companies. However, it is a position that makes more sense for digital services companies and other big organisations with lots of time-consuming processes that can be easily automated. Think of insurance or book-keeping companies.
Salaryof the RPA Consultant
The average daily rate ranges between €400 and €800.
In conclusion, a college degree in IT can be an excellent steppingstone to this technical position. However, it is advisable to complement that degree with dedicated licenses and certifications. An advanced degree in AI and Machine Learning can help a great deal.
Are you looking for IT mission opportunities in the Tech and IT sectors on a freelance or permanent basis? Mindquest can help you find your next IT mission opportunity. Find your next mission by browsing our freelance and permanent vacancies available on our digital recruitment platform.
We’ve narrowed it down to 3 key areas you should focus on if you want the year ahead to be as successful as possible and get 2021 right.
Thumbs up: you’ve made it past one of the most infamous years in recent history. Hopefully, you’ve had some time to unwind over the holidays. Ideally, you’ve used some of that time to reflect on your professional trajectory and get ready for 2021. Most likely, you’ve simply been too busy enjoying your seasonal favourites to start working on that just yet. No worries. We’ve narrowed it down to 3 key areas you should focus on if you want the year ahead to be as successful as possible and get 2021 right.
Get 2021 right: Adapting to evolving market demands
Technology
is constantly evolving, creating new market niches and specialisations and transforming
existing job functions. The pandemic has added an extra degree of uncertainty
and change into the mix, making it more vital than ever to futureproof your
career strategy through reskilling and upskilling. How to go about it is not too
much of a secret: inform yourself, define realistic goals and learn whatever
you need to achieve them.
Ask yourself whether or not you are doing enough to stay up-to-date with current technology trends. Follow the trade press and sign-up to newsletters that are exclusively dedicated to IT careers. Then reconcile emerging market needs with your own professional profile and aspirations, identifying those hot skills you should be acquiring over the next few months to remain competitive.
Current most in-demand skills include artificial intelligence, cloud and cybersecurity. But don’t forget to develop other, softer skills like business acumen or organisational capabilities. They can well make the difference between aspiring to a great versus a good job.
Remote work: Finding the
sweet spot
At this
point, it has become clear that not only the current remote work situation is
going to last for several more months, but that traditional, on-site
presenteeism is forever gone. No news here, right? So what about it?
Well, as
much as you might think you’ve got the whole working-from-home predicament
sorted out, this should be the year to fine-tune your work routine and to find
that sweet spot that works just perfectly for you. Perhaps it is 3 days at home
and 2 at the office, or maybe you find it easier to always work from home. Perhaps
you’d rather just go into the office once a week for team meetings or to
socialise with colleagues.
If your
current employer or portfolio of clients allows for that level of flexibility,
take advantage of it and put together your own work schedule. Look to see what
you could improve on regarding your daily routine. Experiment with how often
you take breaks and how long these are.
Polishing your professional image
Finally, to get 2021 right, make sure you are paying enough attention to the image you project as an IT professional. and keep in mind that your social media presence, your CV and your professional networking activity all have an impact on said image. And all these moving parts need to be in sync. Not saying that you need to become an influencer in 2021, but chances are that your online image can use a little polish.
But, besides improving your online visibility and making sure you present a cohesive image, you should be thinking of how you position yourself as a pro from a strategic standpoint. Keeping up with the times by reskilling and adding new capabilities is not as effective if you are not marketing it accordingly to any future employers and partners.
Nadia got to the address her sister had mentioned way before noon. Not because she cared about punctuality or anything like that. She hadn’t been able to sleep after the call, and there was only so much walking around to be done in a small town like Coventry. Plus, she needed to survey the area before the meeting. If the events of the past few days have told her anything, that was to always be prepared for the worse. Her sister must have thought that was a safe place to hide from the kidnappers. Nadia wouldn’t be doing her any service if she got spotted out of pure recklessness.
In any case, there she was, hiding behind some bushes like a sloppy burglar. That was, of course, assuming her sister meant 246 Reinford Lane, Coventry and not 246 Reinford Lane, London or some other city. Hopefully not.
It was a small house, one of those narrow and tall townhouses with a small, elevated staircase that connects the front door with the street. The curtains were closed shut on all windows, so there was not much that Nadia could make out from across the street. She examined what seemed to be the door to the basement, a rusty door at the street level with no handle or windows. A side alley led to the back of the property.
After making sure no one besides her was lurking behind a bush, Nadia walked across the street and went into the alley. It ended abruptly on a wooden fence crowned by overflowing vegetation. Nadia went back a few steps and made a run for it. After a couple failed attempts, she managed to push herself over the fence and fell in the middle of a jungle of a garden. Plants were sprouting from literally everywhere, to the point that it was hard to distinguish the flat stones that served as the floor. The house’s back wall was covered in vines. So were the windows.
Nadia fought her way through the greenery all the way to what seemed to be the door into the house. She tore off the vines covering it and tried pushing the handle. To her surprise, the door opened with a tiny squeak. Shhh!
A rancid smell hanged in the air. For all she could see in the pale light coming through the open door, she was in the basement she had seen earlier. A staircase led upstairs, probably to the rest of the house. Nadia stood still and listened for a while. No sounds were coming from upstairs. She started making her way up, slowly but steady, one step at a time. The wood cracked under her feet with every step, making her cringe. But Nadia hadn’t made it half the way up when a fluorescent light turned on behind her.
“Welcome, sister.”
Nadia gave a jump and turned around with a racing heart. There was her sister, sitting on a worn-out leather armchair by the door.
“You really are that easy to predict, aren’t you?” The smirk on her sister’s face brought Nadia back to her childhood days and the not-so-nice version of her sister. She had changed so much over the past years. Nadia hadn’t seen that mocking smile in a long time. Something was off. “Classic Nadia, always one step ahead, or at least happily thinking so. Well, this time I was the one ahead, wasn’t I?”
“Ahead of what? Seriously, can you tell me what’s going on with this whole thing? How did you free yourself? Where were they keeping you?”
“Free myself? You really don’t get it, do you? It beats you to think someone could outsmart you or want you harm. It always has.”
“Alright, you are freaking me out, siss,” said Nadia. “Spill it. What’s going on.”
“Why don’t you take a seat?”
“I’m fine.”
“As you wish,” said her sister crossing one leg on top of the other and resting her back against the armchair. “Do you recognise this?” she said holding up a card. Nadia did recognise it right away. It was the invite card that Tom had given her to get into the party. It was hard to believe only two days had passed since then. And it felt like ages ago.
“How did you get that?”
“Oh, it’s easy. I made it myself. You see, there’s just so much you can squeeze into such a thin material these days. Recording the data was the easy part, I just needed you to have the card with you while you were in the holovisor cabin.”
“So Tom…”
“Yep. He was acting on my behalf. Don’t blame him. Let’s just say he wasn’t too keen on me letting the police know about his boyfriend’s little magic tricks with his taxes. A pity he decided to make it up to you and ended up shot for it.”
Nadia’s blood was boiling, her head spinning between confusion and sheer disbelief.
“But why…”
“Because it needed to be done. You had it coming all along. Since we were kids, I’ve had to deal with your oh-so-perfect aura. You know, it wasn’t that fun seeing everybody praise every little step you took while I failed at every major goal I set out to achieve. You were the one who was good with numbers, the one that made it into the good schools. Don’t you get it? I wanted to be you, have your career, your life, not have to depend on a miserable admin salary. Well, now it’s my turn.
As much as it hurt, Nadia wasn’t entirely surprised by her sister’s revelations. She had exhibited that kind of attitude for most of their childhood. But Nadia thought they had left those years behind, grown into adults who got along just fine. Heck, she thought they had even become friendly to a certain degree. Her birthday gift sort of sealed that conception. Her sister, reaching back to one of the few things they had in common growing up: Ziza.
She understood all of a sudden.
“EVE”
“Exactly. See? You are not that stupid after all. It wasn’t too complicated to install a backdoor into the AI before giving it to you. I must admit I had quite some fun telling you what to do.”
“But everything that EVE, I mean that you told me to do was petty stuff. You couldn’t have retrieved the Duplo data through that.”
“Agreed. But it was enough to open little wholes within the system, right where I needed them, so that I could start transferring information to the card. Worked pretty well.”
Nadia felt so stupid. It was a very simple trick in reality. One of the world’s most protected systems, breached through carelessness and personal deceit. The wailing sound of sirens could be heard approaching in the distance.
“I took the liberty of calling some friends,” said her sister. “They should be here any minute.”
“What did you do with the data?”
“Why, sell it, of course. I am now what they technically call filthy rich.”
“I’ll tell them everything.” The sirens grew louder and louder.
“Good luck making them believe this crazy story,” said her sister with a chuckle. “Goodbye siss, enjoy your prison cell. It will be your home for many years.”
With that, her sister stood up and walk out into the garden. Nadia heard a crashing boom as the special operations team busted through the house’s main door.
The success of the CTO is largely based on their ability to deploy new technologies at the right time. And, since technology progresses every day, a good CTO needs to be fully up-to-date with current developments and challenges.
But, while they need to be tech-focused, balancing tech acumen and computer skills; good CTOs must also possess other, softer skills like creativity and strategic thinking.
Teamwork and collaboration skills are, of course, also key. To accomplish something that has not been done before, CTOs will need to work together with several in-house engineers and external vendors.
A hybrid set of skills
While no two CTO job descriptions are the same, change is common to all their functions. They must therefore be adaptable and flexible to respond to the ever-changing needs of the market and the company’s customers.
Moreover, successful CTOs have to complement their technical skills with those needed at the senior management and executive levels.
In what is an ironic twist for a technology leader, the role becomes less technical as they become more senior. It is precisely the ability to move beyond technical specifics and towards more strategic and managerial functions what is most difficult about this transition.
In addition, a CTO must master the art of delegation and leave the code behind.
What makes a good CTO: Essential skills
Based on all the above, agood CTO should possess:
Excellent communication skills: The effectiveness of their position depends on their ability to communicate across departments and teams. They also need to relay highly technical information to individuals with little to no technical knowledge
Adaptability: In order to better support the business as a whole, the CTO must understand every angle of the business. And also know how to adapt technology to each case and need
Leadership: They need to operate as technology and IT team managers. Inspiring and encouraging the rest of the team to meet the strategic goals
Understanding of market and customer expectations
Exceptional organisational skills
Great negotiation skills
Strategic thinking: They need to think about the organization as a whole. They have to be able to plan ahead, identifying future problems and trends
Coding: While the CTO has left behind the more technical years; understanding of current programming languages is key to better communicate with engineers and be able to conceptualise more efficient and realistic technology products
A computer science, engineering or related university degree; an MBA or other appropriate graduate degree are always a plus and preferred in the industry
