Activity 1 – Professional Organizations

1. What are some benefits of joining (IT) professional organizations? What might be some disadvantages? In your discussions mention at least three (3) local or regional, two (2) national, and five (5) international IT professional organizations including their brief profile.

answer: Professional organizations allow for a congregation of intelligent, like-minded professionals that are immersed in the inner workings of the industry to gather and provide participants with access to a variety of opinions and ideas.
Disadvantage would be if you are put on the wrong organization thus, making your skills stagnant.

LOCAL/ REGIONAL:
AFTERFIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Afterfive is a solutions provider based in Davao City, Philippines. It offers services such as the design and integration of local and wide area networks, configuration of network services (firewall, email, voip, thin clients, etc. ), software programming, and web development specializing in Plone. Afterfive also conducts trainings on various Free/ Open Source Software for end users and developers.

ICT DAVAO INC. (PHILIPPINES )
ICT Davao Incorporated, also known as ICT Davao and IDI, is the umbrella organization of all information and communication technology groups hosted by Davao City. Like many multi-stakeholder organizations, ICT Davao has evolved a history of its own. With the assistance of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the ICT Council of Davao was born in 2002 to champion the needs of the industry. It adopted its new name ICT Davao in 2006 and has revitalized its membership which now includes the ICT educational and technical training institutions, the sub-sector association of various IT-enabled and BPO services such as contact centers, transcription providers, FOSS users, IT software and hardware vendors, i-Café operators and inventors.

DABAWEGNU, INC. (PHILIPPINES )
DabaweGNU, Inc., is a non-stock, non-profit organization registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission on December 5, 2003. Its primary aim is to provide its members a venue for technical growth in "Free/Open Source Software" (FOSS) technologies and to advocate the use of this technology to the rest of the community.


NATIONAL:

1. CYBERPRESS
CyberPress, also known as the IT Journalists Association of the Philippines, is the pioneering organization of IT writers in the country established in 1996.
The Information Technology Journalists Association of the Philippines or CyberPress saw its official birth in mid-1996 with then- President Fidel Ramos inducting in Malacanang the Charter members and officers led by founding president Sam Jacoba.
2. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (ITAP)
The Information Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP) is a private, independent and non-profit association formed in 1984 primarily to promote the interest of its members, who are leading product and service providers of Information and Communication Technology.
ITAP has established guidelines for the standardization of the accreditation of IT professionals. They help provide the best job opportunities available to IT practitioners by participating in job fairs. Their skills training helps the employee upgrade and make the Filipino IT professional more competitive globally.

INTERNATIONAL:

ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY (ACM)
ACM serves more than 75,000 computing professionals in more than 100 countries, with special interest groups (SIGs) on topics ranging from computer architecture to e-commerce. SIGs often sponsor conferences and produce e-newsletters.

ASSOCIATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS (AITP)
With local chapters everywhere from Birmingham to Milwaukee, AITP helps IT executives, academics and students expand their industry knowledge and connect with peers.

ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS (ASP)
For software developers creating products for use on a "try-before-you-buy" basis, ASP offers members-only newsgroups, help with development and marketing, and ways to connect with shareware brethren.

ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN COMPUTING (AWC)
AWC emphasizes professional growth through networking and career-oriented events, all in an effort to advance the role of women in computing. Local chapters offer guest speakers, technical and motivational seminars, and educational programs.

COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CPSR)
CPSR is an alliance of computer scientists concerned with technology's impact on society. The group provides politicians and the public with assessments of the "power, promise and limitations" of computer technology.

2. Should an IT Professional either be licensed or certified? Why or why not?

answer: I think he/she must have a certificate because this will prove his capability and creditability in his/her field. Certificate is important followed by experience, so I consider the certificate as a plus factor.

3. As an IT graduating students of the College, what Certification or Licensing you are aiming for? Why?

answer: I’m aiming for a certificate in Microsoft if possible. It will be an honor having that certificate because it a big name in IT world. I might as well include the certificate from SunMicrosystem.