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2011
NNAEMEKA A. NWACHUKWU
MCSE/MCITP COMPTIA A+/N+
DIGIMEX TECHNOLOGIES INC.
1/1/2011
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
© 2011 DIGIMEX INC. Page 2
About the Author
Nwachukwu A. Nnaemeka is a graduate of diploma and B.Sc in Computer
Engineering from the University Of Benin. He has been in the Information
technology industry for 8 yrs now, had a sound basic training in
hardware/software systems management and later gained a Comptia A+, Comptia
N+, and MCSE certification. He is an all-time IT professional who has
worked professionally in so many areas such as network systems management and
administration, programming for web applications, multimedia and computer
graphics, and system maintenance.
Contacts: appasino@yahoo.com, 08030938271…
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
© 2011 DIGIMEX INC. Page 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…………………………………………………………………………….2
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………….4
COMPUTING DEVICES NETWORKING…………………………………………………….7
COMPUTING DEVICES HARDWARE/SOFTWARE……………………………………..10
PROGRAMMING/SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT………………………………………..13
PROJECT MANAGEMENT……………………………………………………………………….16
INFORMATION SYSTEMS AUDITING……………………………………………………….17
SECURITY……………………………………………………………………………………………….18
WEB CONTENT DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………………………..21
COMPUTER DATABASES…………………………………………………………………………25
COMPUTER GRAPHICS, ANIMATION AND MULTIMEDIA………………………..28
CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………………31
LIST OF ICT CERTIFICATIONS…….……………………………………………………………32
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INTRODUCTION
ICT. Quite an “unpleasant” profession. Leaves no room for you to unwind, always on the go
writing exams and getting certifications, bothers little or not at all about your loved ones,
creates a monster within yourself, alienates you from the world of socialization. Although it is
not as harsh as advertised, but your attitude towards it might create the same effect. The most
important question everyone has to ask himself before bargaining with this jealous mistress is,
“Do I really have to do this?” This question is very necessary because the moment you start off,
it will only amount to foolhardy to disembark. Depending on the scope of your business turf or
empire you might find yourself in scenarios whereby you still earn while you are sleeping. It is
of utmost importance for you to start off with brands you are affectionate with. Naturally in any
area other than ICT, one specializes in a field that is most friendly to him. At times you work
long hours without break, researching becomes enmeshed in your gene because newer cases
must be understood first before resolution sets in, sheets of paper with scribbled writings litter
your environment, your storage media becomes something to die for because at that stage it
might be equated with the price of gold, life becomes boring when your partner finds you
reading a help tip or article on Google on your mobile while you are on your first date. Ouch!!!
That hurts, but it’s not your fault, you can’t help it
because you have issues to resolve. Always prepare to
share your quality time with requests begging to be
attended to. These are all constructs of money making.
When the benjamins start rolling in you become
compelled to make more and even geek the more. Like
they say, money is the root of all evil but this one is a
necessary evil….Just Kidding!!! Welcome to the world
FIG. 1.0 System Analysts at training
of the geeks. Survival in this field got married to humility because at times you have to give up
some of your dignity by trading it with some item of value such as identifying yourself with
people that have some experience in the field, no matter how or where you met them, and also
no matter what they do, knowledge is knowledge. It does not discriminate who gets it, the
most important thing is so quickly gain what you can at that moment. Some practical
experiences you are looking for lies on their hands, you are like that Hollywood adventurer
trying to pluck diamonds secured by pythons, but you have to make the python understand you
just want to look at the diamonds and nothing more…. That is to say that if you don’t apply
some sense you’ll end up paying them heavily for the exposure you are getting. This implies
that you have to bring something to the table, life is always like that, it’s a gamble. You have to
bring yourself down to the level of working with them even at the expense of ladies you admire
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perceiving you as a mere apprentice. You can equally spend some money learning some
courses at some training schools which is very good, but it gets to a point whereby it amounts
to a waste of financial resources because great amount of the time all you need is a solid
foundation, from there you can expand your
horizon because you’ve gotten a firsthand
idea of how the industry feels like. Watch it,
to be seen but not to be heard. Always be
that junkie voraciously in search of
knowledge, you don’t have to disclose all
you know to people you tap from their
knowledge, it is a survival strategy. The
world of Information and Communications
Technology is an aggressively progressive
and dynamic one. It’s ever growing, ever
FIG. 1.1 SYSTEM ANALYSTS AT WORK
advancing. This sector of the world’s economy has yielded massive revenues for countries and
has provided millions of employment opportunities for the world’s citizenry. Matter of factly,
ICT, which happens to be an offshoot of Computer Science/Engineering is presently been
considered as an independent field of study amongst some advanced overseas universities. An
area of human endeavor which has one of the highest numbers of fields and sub-fields (if not
the highest) compared to other areas. Like stated above, the growth witnessed in this area has
been sporadic and revolutionary suggesting its ability of absorbing members of the unemployed
cadre. Expertise in any area of ICT can make one a budding entrepreneur overnight most
especially in a country like Nigeria where it’s a known fact that many were called but few were
chosen. There are lots of people scattered everywhere with certifications but with little or no
experience. Most of these “professionals” go after certifications which happen to harbor a large
crowd of individuals scampering to get the same job thereby reducing the likelihood of them
eventually securing a job slot. The deal here is that recruiters will now decipher a way of cutting
down on this misty crowd by insisting on possession of some years working experience and also
affirm that the said individual is well grounded in what his job stands for. The secret still
remains that whether you are in possession of the most common certification in Nigeria, the
fact that you remain a celebrity in what you do means that your hair will be pulled from east to
west, north to south. As legend made it to be, ours is a country that worships any qualification
in paper, but when it comes to hiring IT professionals, the rules change. Much as they would
want you to have a certification, they will value it the more if you have more experience than
having paper certifications. Most Firms, companies and establishments have little or no
interest in hiring specialists/experts in each field or sub-field of ICT except for some wealthy
multinational organizations that demand skilled experts in each area to fast track the rate of
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cash inflow. Some of them would rather employ that Mr. Know-It-All to cut down on costs
incurred from Human Resources. Only consultancy firms who specialize in a particular field or
area recruit qualified people in that area. Nigeria currently is not an ICT-charged environment
which gives room for exploitation, development and innovation. If I were you I would be
working towards taking the nation by surprise in way of introducing an ICT brand they’ve not
had the privilege or the intuition to create. So much money in the game but it all depends on
your evaluation of your capability, your astuteness, your decision making instincts, sense of
perception, foresight and determination. It’s a wise man’s game, not a strong man’s game. First
and foremost in the world of ICT, is the recurring factor of experience. No matter how you got
it, this seems to be the item of bargain wherever you are seeking to be employed except in
situations where you are not contending with a formidable opponent. The celebrated ICT
expert happens to be the one ditching job offers and accepting the ones that interest him.
These are all clauses or constructs of experience. The substance there is the experience, the
certificate there is just to back up what you’ve had experience in. Like I’ve stated above, it all
depends on your wisdom and your evaluation of what you can do and how much what you
have can fetch you.
Under listed are the various fields and sub-fields that constitute the ICT Industry in Nigeria with
an x-ray stating the pros and cons of each.
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COMPUTING SYSTEMS NETWORKING:
This is an area that defines the technology behind linking of computers and computing devices
such as printers, scanners, IP cameras (Video over IP implementation), and related devices for
the purposes of information/data exchange. A computer network is a mystery on its own. The
capabilities of well implemented networks can stun you, the user when you have exploited all
the features it has to offer. Networks can make effective use of information, no sharing of files
through flash drives which might populate network malicious programs. A simple active
directory-based shared folder can facilitate data transmission from Russia to Nigeria for the fact
that the network remains closed, private and particular to the owners. An expert can run an
operating systems setup of over 200 systems by simply activating the RIS (Remote Installation
Service) feature in his Windows Server to automate the installation process rather than visiting
the workstations individually. Doesn’t that sound like magic? E-mail and chatting facility can be
implemented on the network too, so the need for calling or going to meet your colleagues for
interaction is totally unnecessary. Very good network planning makes your work run smoothly
with little or no user intervention. It is a known fact that in developed countries people don’t
use to visit banks anymore because computer networking automation has made everything
easy and all transactions you need can be done on you computers or mobile devices. A worker
can open the tray of the CDROM drive of his co-worker who might be miles away from him
through the concept of RDC (Remote Desktop Connection) and you can connect to your servers
if you are an expert from anywhere in the world through VPN on your system or mobile device
and make any changes, create group policies, shut systems down, in fact you can do anything.
All you have to do is visualize it and it happens. Networks are just about anything. If I have a
problem with someone, I can deal
with the person by visiting my
program compilers, develop a logic
bomb malicious code, log in
remotely into your system, try
finding means of going around
authentication ( of which there are
many), then give myself permissions
of a shared resource on the system,
then transmit the program, since it’s
FIG 2.0 COMPUTER NETWORKS
a logic bomb, it has a payload and a trigger, the payload decides the damage to be done, and
the trigger initiates the damage on the scheduled date. Or I can simply log into your system
remotely when you are off your desk, use your mailing client to send spam mails, at least
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something to discredit you, and log off immediately. This is known as a DOS (Denial Of Service)
attack in security terms. With networks, meetings are held without the participants physically
been in the meeting venue. With networks, I can shut your system down, deny you from
accessing any program on your desktop, give you a disk usage quota, give you a time-frame to
work with, give you internet usage rights whenever I want, do all sorts of things to you, just by
defining and deploying a group policy that will affect your user account and any other user that
falls within your situation. With networks, your data can immediately be posted on the
database server, team work done harmoniously and devices like printers, scanners, etc. shared
effectively.
There are so many organizations in Nigeria who operate vast enterprise network setup that
might span from continent to continent or still within the country. This area demands enough
experience for individuals who desire to earn higher positions in those establishments or for
individuals who desire to be identified with Consultancy, but for a beginner, all that is required
of you is some ideas, some knowledge and a little skill that will bring you up to speed when you
get employed.
The Major Players in this area are CISCO
SYSTEMS, MICROSOFT CORP., and PLANET3
WIRELESS trains CWNA & CWNP professionals
and some minor players in Network and
Networking devices certification like companies
that train individuals on some LINUX
distributions proficiency.
For expert field engineers who install, manage,
and maintain vast WAN setups, the choice
FIG. 2.1 NETWORK PROFESSIONALS
certifications are from the stables of CISCO SYSTEMS, which has a hierarchical certification
structure, whereby the entry level or associate level certification is the CCNA (Cisco Certified
Network Associate), and the professional level is the CCNP, then the highest level or the expert
level is the CCIE which has three options or specialties, Routing and Switching, Wireless and
VOIP (Voice Over IP).For CCNA, skill, ingenuity and professionalism is highly needed in this area
because of the competition synonymous with it. Then for an individual that possesses the
CCNP or the CCIE certification, all roads lead to Rome, because there are fewer people with the
knowledge, skill and expertise. It is a known fact that CCIE happens to be the hardest
certification in history. These experts are most of the time contracted from companies that
offer consultancy services in the area. Consultants in all of the three certifications must have
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sound working experience, expertise and skilled personnel for them to remain in this high-rated
contest. Then for professional Network Administrators who plan, implement and manage an
organization’s network, its users, resources on the network, create users with clearance levels,
deny and assign permissions to users, groups or departments, make network policies, manage
servers like MS Exchange messaging servers, ISA, SharePoint, MsSQL, resolve all the Domain
mumbo jumbo, delegate duties and deploy domain controllers, enable remote login, classify
users, their machines and their respective departments etc…….the perfect certification comes
from the stables of MICROSOFT CORP., whereby you earn certifications like MCSE (the old one,
with 7 modules) or MCITP( the new one with Server 2008).
There is a slight misconception surrounding MCSE and MCITP, I still advise people that have the
advantage of studying MCSE to do so and upgrade to MCITP
because MCSE Certification has more modules than MCITP
Certification but operates on a lower server, MS Server 2003,
MCITP was given birth to when the complexity in systems and
networks administration grew whereby the Server level was
upgraded to 2008 and individuals now specialize in areas
rather than knowing it all, and all the areas of MCITP currently
are so vast that it will take time for an individual to
comprehend all, that brought the need for specialization.
FIG. 2.2 NETWORK CABLING
Having any of these certifications is a very good industry advantage and having experience too
is a great plus, Consultancy in this area demands strict professionalism and experience
depending on the complexity of the project at hand. For starters, all that is needed is ingenuity,
innovative ability and prudence. Companies demand for dedicated network administrators to
constantly manage the network framework, information security, and flow of information
within the organisation.
Then, there are other minute certifications in this area which make very fast money for
individuals that earned exposure in them like the area of LINUX operating systems whereby it is
a known fact that LINUX Servers are the best web-server implementations and highly secured
kernel base ( O.S. core), any man with an RHCE certification is a big boy without knowing it, Red
Hat is a variant or a distribution of LINUX which happens to equally have competitors like
UBUNTU, FEDORA, openSUSE, DEBIAN and other hundreds of distributions. Certifications that
emanate from LINUX can make one a hunted employee in Nigeria because in the area of
networking, the most secured and efficient web servers run on LINUX, and the most secured
networks at times use LINUX as a front-end server or firewall because of its hash secured
cryptographic base.
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COMPUTING SYSTEMS HARDWARE/SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION
This area defines the ways, means and strategy used in maintenance, troubleshooting,
management, upgrading, and administration of the software and hardware components of
computers and computing devices. This area is quite complex in nature because of the variety
of computers and computing devices. Skilled experts & professionals get to work with
computers of differing brands, sizes, characteristics and a wide range of computing devices like
printers, scanners, cameras etc…. which equally has variety as a result of different
manufacturers.
FIG. 3.0 SCHEDULING A SYSTEM SHUTDOWN WITH THE DOS COMMAND PROMPT
Experience plays a serious vital role here because as cases roll in, you bank on your previous
experiences to trash them, at times hardware devices behave extraordinarily, as if they were
not manufactured by we humans, the common reasons that has been identified for a particular
problem might not solve the problem on some other devices, at this point you might work with
theory because things you’ve not done before or had experience in, the theory behind it tells
you what to do immediately. This is why one will never cease to stop reading and researching.
The moment you become so good in this area, jobs start flying in from Jerusalem and Jericho
because you will be the only visible expert that knows the crux of ailments that ravage
hardware machines. Hard drives crash, but for an expert data can still be recovered even in
severe conditions. Yes, when you know how to use command prompts very well mapped out
with safe mode, you can give them a run for their money. Just like I learnt recently how to view
and extract those files with Linux after using windows command utilities to recover them with a
friend and a colleague I recently worked with. There seems to be solutions for every problem if
you know how, you can beat viruses at their own game by laying in wait for them with your
system processes dialogue box, disable them, use good search mechanism to scout for them (
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you can use Google desktop or windows 7 search tool, or normal search on Win XP defining
size, date, and other parameters, or use the attribute command on DOS prompt to locate them,
anyone that applies to you), find the file they attached themselves to, they are normally smart
but not so smart, hahahahaha, We are smarter!!! These alien creatures think they can just
come attach themselves to a file I created with WinWord, and then form an executable of it,
that is an .exe extension if you know what I mean and then self run. I caught it, it was located in
the System32 folder under windows, within the C:\ root. It was Raila Odinga!!!! A Kenyan
politician turned computer virus. Hahahahaha.
System failure during startup can go to hell if you can be able to use a recovery or start up disk,
to replace the missing file stalling start-up. Like in the past, we used to do little tricks like use a
3.5 inch floppy to copy NTLDR file from the windows folder and delete it from windows, then
reboot the system only to see the POST message, “NTLDR MISSING”, hahahaha simply put in
the diskette and restart the system, it boots from the diskette immediately and restores your
system. These days you can make USB start-up disks if you know how. If you are an expert, no
one’s data gets lost. Your data integrity is assured.
After making up your experience you can proceed with work
easily, it becomes so good, it gets done as quickly as possible.
It feels good!!
The big ones here are COMPTIA, who have certification
courses tailored for the various levels of the
hardware/software field. Certifications like COMPTIA A+
which has a major focus on computers and computing
devices
FIG. 3.1 COMPTIA EXPERTS
like the aforementioned ones forms the foundation for one to advance to other levels like
getting certified in complex machines like Giant IBM Servers and mighty dot matrix printers
which A+ covers the miniature ones.
Companies, most especially consultants, are the largest recruiters of COMPTIA experts because
most other companies other than consultants prefer outsourcing, which is referring most of
their trouble to consultants rather than employing individuals because the machines in
question can’t be replaced by a single individual in the event of mishandling or
mismanagement.
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Proficiency in operating systems knowledge like UNIX and Solaris can fetch very good income
for individuals in Nigeria, because most companies presently use UNIX as the operating system
core for their high-end database server racks such as the IBM-AIX operating systems which runs
on monster IBM Server racks. UNIX is quite an old operating system which gave windows its
command structure and gave LINUX its O.S. Kernel. Solaris is an O.S. coming from the stables of
SUN Microsystems, the same vendors of JAVA, it is fast gaining ground in Nigeria but Windows
still overshadows it overwhelmingly.
Consultancy in this area soars because hundreds of cases abound each day as a result of the
numerous causes of system failure, if not power surges, it might be mechanical, or firmware
corruption, or program incompatibility…. There are hundreds of cases.
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PROGRAMMING/SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Oops!!! This is one complicated field which ought to be carefully disambiguated. A programmer
is different from a software developer. DEAL??? Nigerians don’t love programmers but love
software developers. DEAL??? Here is the deal, if you ever want to be successful in Nigeria
becoming a programmer; I really mean the geeks that run codes like nuts might be a step in the
wrong direction. What Nigerians and Nigerian companies want is someone that can quickly
develop and deploy fast smooth applications that will solve their problems immediately; they
are never patient for that programmer that has to write hundreds of pages of codes to achieve
their objective. Not that a software developer is not a programmer but theirs is controlled. In
fact, I assure anybody that reads this article and ventures into software development of
becoming a millionaire overnight here in Nigeria because application software is of the highest
demand by companies, firms, institutes, industries, organizations, government agencies and
establishment here in Nigeria. Programming and
software development is for anybody because of its
platform independence in that all spheres of human
endeavor needs programs to automate processes. In the
medical field, special applications are been used to
monitor and view the health condition of a patient, in
the military, it’s been used to guide surface to air missile
and often times used to calculate the velocity and 3D
pathway of a counter missile that is been sent to
neutralize enemy missile, in the crime and investigations
department, application programs are used to test and
measure the hormone levels that induce deception and
misinformation by suspects, used in microcontrollers
extensively to achieve a common goal such as biometric
authentication modules like iris, thumbprint, & DNA
scanners which allow or deny individuals in the event of
accessing protected materials or objects.
FIG. 4.0 PROGRAMMED WORD PROCESSOR IN A TABLET PC
In the petroleum engineering field, they are used to monitor the flow of crude and pressure in
pipes, in the structural and civil engineering area they are used for making computer aided
designs of structures like buildings, bridges, stadia, airports, etc…., they are still adversely used
by individuals with harmful intent to write malicious codes for harmful purposes. As you can
see from this minor analogy how a software developer or programmer can never go hungry.
But in Nigeria, as once stated above, the job gets done by software developers who rather than
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coding use specialized utility tools and equally use applications to develop applications. That is
quite a ridiculous matrix.
The big people in the software development industry happen to be Microsoft and JAVA. But
what is the problem with Microsoft? They seem to be everywhere!!! Well, Oki Doki, never
mind. Microsoft has had an age-long history with programming and software development,
been the pioneers of the most successful operating systems both client and network, the
company appears to be a force to reckon with in this field. Having developed an O.S. the first
time for the old IBM ALTAIR system which was as a result of assuming a responsibility that
wasn’t theirs because as of then, they never had the idea of what to do, they just took a swoop
by claiming they have an O.S. for the new machine, and when they got the contract to program
it, they knew they were in tight corner which made them to work so hard to produce one.
That’s how a success story starts. There are a host of programming languages which work on
their platform that can deploy fast and swift applications like C, C++, Visual Basic, and C# (C
Sharp). The .NET framework which was exhibited and launched some years ago became the
programming platform of the next generation for Microsoft. It supports a host of languages
aforementioned, and still supports codes from other platforms like JAVA, JavaScript, etc.
Microsoft is a monopolistic organisation; they always want to dominate any area they are
found in. They’ve been sued many times in the past by so many firms and software giant’s JAVA
for been anti-competitive, that is hiding source codes for no other vendor to build upon or
modify, they are always after making their money. Since they were paying the makers of
JavaScript for using their scripting base, the JavaScript, they were so unhappy that after the
impasse they developed a strong and
more robust programming language
with its scripting base, the c# script,
which in fact annulled or reduced the
effect of the JavaScript, which they
Microsoft publicly declared anyone
can use any scripting technology he
wants be it JavaScript, VBScript,
script# or C# script on their .NET
framework. That was a pinch of salt
for JavaScript developers. JAVA is a
strongly typed compiled
programming language developed by
SUN Microsystems and JavaScript
is a lightweight interpreted FIG. 4.1 COMPUTER SOFTWARE
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programming language developed originally by NETSCAPE. It was formally called LiveScript. The
two languages are not the same in any way.
Microsoft has certifications like MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer) which
encompasses software development on windows with customized tools like Visual Studio which
can compile codes that is synonymous with Microsoft. Microsoft has lots of certifications.
Then Sun Java has certifications like SCJP (Sun Certified Java Programmer) which is primarily
based on their sole certification JAVA programming language. JAVA is a code intensive
programming language; it’s not a programming language for kids (although none was meant for
child’s play). It is used for large scale design projects which must need a team that will have to
collaborate to achieve their common goal. Nigeria doesn’t present a friendly turf for this variant
because all they need is people who can develop apps for them, not programmers that will
have to work extensively for months and years to come up with something. Although software
developers must have some proficiency in coding and program writing, but this knowledge will
be to enhance their skill in the final development of applications. Java has development tools
like NETBEANS which is an IDE powerfully enhanced which can create a host of applications
ranging from application software to web content development. JAVA is platform independent.
©Microsoft Visual Studio development tool is platform dependent that is it can only deploy
applications that can be used on windows only. The trouble in Nigeria presently is the undying
quest for skilled software developers. This area is an area that is paramount and of high
demand in the history of ICT in Nigeria. If you are a very good software developer in Nigeria, all
you need do is relax, meet the necessary people and count your millions.
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
This is a general area that can’t be associated with ICT only. In fact, the origin of this course of
study can be traced to every other field of human endeavor because project management
surfaces in everything you do. Just as projects are been developed in each area and managed
same goes for ICT whereby projects are carried out on a daily basis, and where large projects
abound, development teams has to prepare disaster containment plans which can be directly
compared to risk management. Risk management can be an integral part of project
management or can be considered independently if the project is massive in scale.
Here in Nigeria and abroad, project management remains one of the highest paying ICT career
and its training is nearly or almost unavailable in Nigeria. Upon getting this certification,
companies will not hesitate to hire you because of the near unavailability of skilled individuals.
There is a body abroad in charge of granting certifications to qualified individuals and its name
is PMI (Project Management Institute), and they award you certification in project management
such as PMP.
FIG. PROJECT MANAGERS STRATEGISING
The certificate assures its holders of employment opportunities from organizations and
institutions that handle large quantities of ICT projects. Skill and intuitive ability is highly
needed here to make a mouth-watering project come true. The risks involved are been
immediately assessed and ascertained. Therefore project managers are at the top of their
game.
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Information Systems Auditing
This is a brand newbie in the market. This is the area that
has to do with auditing of Information Systems which
happens to be a routine carried out for the purposes of
ascertaining the quality assurance level obtainable in
organizations with a scalable IT department. It tends to
find out the preparedness of a firm in meeting with all the
necessary requirements it needs in other to float a
business. Most companies in Nigeria appoint Info Sys.
Auditors to help audit their IT departments in other to
unmask loopholes and inconsistencies existing within
these networks, and some other third-party Institution
created for quality assurance by the Govt. still go around
and audit IT departments of companies.
The only visible player in this area is a company that goes by the name ISACA which certifies
individuals in CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor). The course and the exams are very
user-friendly. Experts will only have not much detailed knowledge on all sectors of information
and communications technology. They will cut across all sectors and fields for the purposes of
the audit.
Work terrain includes close observation of the state of things. Always inquisitive trying to see
mistakes, been able to conduct some psychological manipulation while on the job. Sweep all
areas and leave no stones unturned. Create large quantities of paper work, deduct from your
observations, stay long hours trying to make links between information you were given orally
and the ones in hard copy.
Finally submit your findings with the verdict boldly made by you. But watch it. Don’t take
someone’s job because you are trying to get relevance, here in Nigeria anything goes. They
might use tools on you. Figure it out!!!
There are centres in the country where you can get materials and training for this newbie. Just
go get it!!!
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SECURITY
The field of security in Information Technology is a very wide and broad one. This area of ICT is
one of the most crucial because it has to do with loss of some valuables be it money or
information. That is the more reason why individuals that professionalize in this area are been
paid handsomely for their expertise and experience. “Aha, Aha, our eyes hath seen it”, Hahaha,
that’s what these guinea pigs you’ll be trying to prevent from poking into your network will say
after they have searched fervently and found your secretly hidden SSID in your wireless
network which you set not to broadcast.
The fact is that once you are a security
expert protecting a company’s valuable
assets, you will be dealing with people
that seem to come from a different
planet, all they want to do is exploit that
vulnerability in your network and
subsequently cause harm. Maybe it
makes them feel better or because they
might earn from their effort. It is like a
cat-dog affair whereby you fix, they
damage. It continues like that, they don’t
get tired so far that company is
FIG 6.0 INFORMATION SECURITY
relevant and makes very good revenue. At a point it will look like you the professional is quite
unprofessional because after implementing all the numerous strategies you are conversant
with and beating your chest confidently saying “ Yes, I finally dealt with these people from
Mars”, they might still find a re-route or a backdoor to further continue their damage. In
hacking methodology, the routine is find vulnerabilities, exploit them, hide tracks and expand
access. I bet you anyone working with this means is bound to succeed if you don’t have any
formidable means of checking him. Here in Nigeria, so many companies, banks and
organizations have been under serious attack from these cold blooded individuals, not because
Nigerians are the best of hackers, but because Nigerians are the best when it comes to crime no
matter the version of crime. If it is a criminal act, look very well, a Nigerian signature must be
there. Nigerians were recently adjudged to be one of the best in code breaking and acts related
to coding not because that they are so intelligent but because they don’t see things the normal
way again, they see it the criminal way. The DOD (Department Of Defense), which according to
some people and also going by my own opinion remains the most secure network in the whole
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world, but Alas! One cool dude from U.K hacked it sometime two years back, he was extradited
from U.K. to U.S. to answer for the offense, and in U.S. he was charged, found guilty and
convicted. If someone was able to hack the DOD successfully, which might be an act of war if it
was found that he is been sponsored by another country, because DOD servers have
information bothering on the defense strategy of United States, then which other
establishment is above a successful hack. Hmmm! This is very hard to swallow. I can see that.
That is why the defender of any network must equally be the bad guy, which is the hacker
himself too.
Information and Network Security are two broad interwoven terms that form the bulk of the
security certification. They closely complement each other because of their strong relationship.
You must protect the network and information flowing through that network. For one to
penetrate your network is not still a formidable reason that he will be able to get information
from that network. The information available might be unusable, encrypted (scrambled with
codes) or secured through biometric means.
Network security has to do with protection of
an establishment’s network by means of
implementing various technologies that
prevent intrusion, scanning or reconnaissance,
and the others by means of using technologies
like advanced firewalls, malicious
code/program detectors (because a dissident
might use one of the malicious programs like
Trojans, worms , logic bombs, zombies or
viruses to penetrate, which is an automated process), good network encryption to beat
protocol analyzers that assemble data in transit, good authentication mechanism with
encrypted password technology.
Information Security has to do with the means information residing on information systems are
secured and protected from malicious individuals that got access into these information
systems. So many technologies are implemented like user rights policy, encryption with a good
hashing mechanism, certification authority, biometrics authentication like fingerprints
authentication, DNA check and iris scanners.
You must think and behave like a hacker before you can protect your company. The best way to
catch a lying thief is if you’ve been there and done that just like him. It is a known fact that in
the world of hacking the white hat hacker represents the nice guy (defending), and the black
hat hacker represents the mean guy (attacking). These black hat hackers are well paid by some
individuals and companies to cause harm on other rival companies’ network in order to cause a
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disruption in their activities so as to benefit them. I’m talking about people that don’t sleep
until their damage gets confirmed.
Presently in Nigeria, there is a high demand for security professionals, not just certificate-
bearing security professionals but experienced people. One can gather his own experience if he
decides to be prudent, that is if he knows how he can represent real life imagery by gathering
fewer equipment and devices he can afford and represent a complex scenario. It is a real-time
experience. In this way you can marry theory and the little experience you gathered together to
predict or know what a complex scenario will yield to.
There are so many authorities in charge of certifying security experts and so many security
certifications one can get hold of in other to boost his expertise in the field. For starters a
course from the stables of COMPTIA like COMPTIA SECURITY + is quite a prerequisite for going
into other advanced security certifications. COMPTIA SECURITY + is a very good course that
exposes one into the rudiments of Information and Network Security. Other courses are
Microsoft Security that comes bundled in certifications like MCSE and MCITP but can still be
written alone. Some good security courses come bundled in CISCO certifications. Then the big
ones in security are courses like Ethical Hacking and CISSP (Certified Information Systems
Security Professional) from International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium,
the last requires 2-3 years experience as a security professional. Security is a good money
spinner in Nigeria.
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WEB CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Wow!!! This is one big area that has a great bond with programming, applications
development, multimedia and database technologies. It is one of the biggest money spinners in
the country. This field is so versatile and wide that not one single individual can specialize in all
the areas. Professionals are always sought for on a regular basis because there is so much
information to be managed and updated regularly on web servers. As dynamic as a company is,
so is the information the company deals with. So many things can be done on websites starting
from information acquisition, blogging, social networking, purchases, net meeting, and
resources surfing and downloads, in fact, the list is inexhaustible. In this age all businesses are
marketed electronically, goods sold and returns made, there can’t be any other means than to
represent these in a format accessible by whomever that will have interest in them. That is how
the idea of websites came into reality.
Websites are applications that showcase
contents of an information system in a way that
anybody can be able to view and access such
information from anywhere. A website may include
text, images, sounds and other content, and may be
interactive. It can be accessed from anywhere
through the logical connection of these
information systems by a term referred to as the
internet which is maintained and regulated by so
many bodies like the ISOC (Internet Society), the
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) IESG
(Internet Engineering Steering Group), the IERG
(Internet Engineering Research Group), the
ICANN (Internet Corporation for assigned Names and Numbers). The later been the body that
gives out domain names and live IP addresses to individuals and companies that want to
register their sites and services on the internet. That is where the concept of web hosting
comes in, whereby before you can go on the internet after developing your site, you must pay
for a slot on the internet from this organization which will provide you with a valid public or live
IP address and endorse your domain name (e.g. www.microsoft.com) to operate with. So with
these, you can host your web servers on your machines and link them to the internet for people
across the world to be able to access it.
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Web content development is a broad term which contains other sub terms like web design,
web programming, web graphics design, web authoring, database engineering, content
development etc.
First of all in the job of web content development, there are experts that specialize in producing
the skeletal form of the site, that is designing the way contents will be placed on the web
pages, HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), xHTML (Extended Hypertext Markup Language),
XML (Extensible Markup Language) form the background platform on which other codes are
built on top of. Rather than using ghostly HTML tables and tags, CSS (Cascaded Style Sheets)
and XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) is extensively used these days to determine the way
contents of a website are positioned. These CSS or XSL codes are embedded on HTML, xHTML
or XML. After this skeletal system has been developed, the contents is been worked on, other
experts will design graphics, images, or other multimedia like macromedia flash which is used
to animate web pages and add some level of dynamism to the site. In the graphics
development, professionals use so many tools like Core Photopaint, Adobe Photoshop, Ulead
Photo Express, Roxio Photo Suite, and Illustrator, macromedia flash designer, Maya Graphics
and Animation and other tools and utilities to develop cutting-edge graphics for sites. These
graphics form part of the liveliness experienced in recent dynamic web pages unlike the ghostly
static pages HTML used to exhibit in the past.
Then from there, other contents like texts,
adverts, links, and the like are added. Scripting is
another way of adding dynamism to web pages.
It makes the web pages have this crisp and
dynamic look and feel that is so appealing to the
eyes. This is where much of the coding and
programming comes in. In fact, it is the real deal.
There are two types of scripting platforms,
client-side scripting and server-side scripting.
Client-server scripting which resides on the site
and directly interacts with the end-user of the site; this tends to add good flexibility of the site
while a visitor is using it. They are mostly Java Scripts, Jscripts, Action Scripts, VBScripts, and
AJAX (Advanced JavaScript). They are mostly used to automate processes on sites like JavaScript
will make sure a site user fills all the required forms on the site before submitting if not it will
not submit and prompts the user to complete it and AJAX will take away that time overhead it
will take a clicked link to open by quickly dashing into the servers, fetching your information
and returning it back. These scripts are written by professionals in script writing who know
when and where it is necessary to apply it during a site development.
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Server-side scripting makes up the other better and bigger part of web page dynamism. This is
where web programming rests its oars with code writing expertise and professionalism at its
peak. These technologies are implemented by servers which store data and feed the end-user
by means of high powered scripts which automates the process. They are the real deal. The
level of dynamism they bring to fore is so crisp and real that you’ll feel you can touch it. With
smooth scrolling tabs, light-shaded and clear pop-ups, strong database engine that stores and
manages user data effectively, neatly organized way of presenting information, and little time
overhead in getting what you want. An example of a sophisticated site that contains all of these
features remains the popular social networking site “FACEBOOK” which has so much dynamism,
robust database structure and effective data representation. There are so many programming
languages that can be used to implement server-side scripting, languages like PHP (Personal
Home Page), ASP & ASPX (Active Server Pages from Microsoft), and JSP (Java Server Pages),
ColdFusion, PERL, PYTHON, CGI (Common Gateway Interface), C #. All these languages are used
in combination with one another, but all can’t be implemented at the same time. Then comes
the databases where technologies like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and APACHE web server come into
play. These database engines are used to store the data for these websites which those server-
side scripting work with. A simple analogy is the AMP trilogy, AMP stands for “APACHE, MySQL
and PHP” where PHP is the middle man who brings requests and passes it unto APACHE who in
turn goes into the store “MySQL” to fetch the data needed by the user. It’s like an electronic
sales outlet whereby the customer sends his order to the salesman who in turn passes the
order to the inventory people that will go into the store to bring the product ordered. Here the
customer is the site user, the salesman is the PHP language, the inventory guy is APACHE, and
then the store is MySQL. Wow!!! What a moonlight tale. Sites can be developed depending on
what one wants, targeted audience and the available technologies to be used. A site can
contain a maze of codes, scripts, multimedia, and all sorts of enhancements which makes it
practically impossible for one person to develop a standard site project. The wireframe
development is the starting point whereby experts look at what the demand at hand is and
decide on the best technology to use to design the skeletal image of the site, whereby they’ll
will torn between using XHTML or XML coupled with either CSS or XSL, then the graphics
developers start working on the graphics elements of the site, the images, videos, animations
and the rest, after which script and content writers start developing scripts and contents of the
individual pages, then dynamism will be added by server side scripting which will be done by
experts in that area. Then for a more data intensive site, for instance sites that have an
electronic sales and inventory system, products overview and advertisement, secured payment
infrastructure, provision for research work submission from individuals, and all that crap will
require very good robust server side scripting with either PHP, ASP or ASPX, JSP, PERL, and the
rest of them with either MySQL or PostgreSQL database. At the end a single site will be
containing so many programs, elements and scripts.
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After all the designing, the next thing to do is the deployment which will have to do with
making yourself a host or getting some third-party hosting firm to help you out. Hosting has to
do with registering and making the site available on the internet for users. If you can’t host it
yourself then you’ll have to meet those third-party people who already have hosting rights or
have been registered by ICANN and other internet societies to do it for you for a particular
annual fee which is payable every year. There are so many cheap site hosting companies in
Nigeria. All you have to do is make proper inquiry.
In Nigeria, there is a great demand for skilled web content developers who can design, deploy
and manage a site. The jobs come by the day and it pays handsomely all the time because of so
much expertise required of individuals in that area. Less sophisticated sites can be developed
by single individuals where as the more complex ones are done by a team. All you have to do is
become very good in a part but you’ll try and be able to develop a normal site, get yourself a
team that you will work with all the time, then you are good to go.
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Computer Databases
A database is a logical storeroom resident on a system or systems which can store large
volumes and quantities of an organization’s data or information. This area is quite complex but
not so confusing because it’s solely on its own. Not many coinages to confuse one. It’s strictly a
data storage affair. Have you wondered how an organisation manages the information of its
employees, its products both sold and unsold, the designs, information on all sorts of data. A
database can be a very huge and massively confusing affair if you, the database administrator
(DBA) has huge data to manage. As a company or an establishment expands, the data they
manage increases too. Maybe the increase will be astronomical or gradual depending on the
rate of development within the company. It is of utmost importance that database
administrators be positioned at strategic points of the establishment’s business to contain and
manage data at those points.
NAME-ADDRESS TABLE OF CMT WORKERS
Harold Percival 26262 S. Howards Mill Rd Westminster CA92683 Jerry Appel 32323 S. River Lane Rd Santa Ana CA92705 Adrian Hansen 232 Glenwood Court Anaheim CA92640 John Baker 2222 Lafayette St Garden GroveCA92643 Michael Pens 77730 S. New Era Rd Irvine CA92715 Bob Michimoto 25252 S. Kelmsley Dr Stanton CA92610 Linda Smith 444 S.E. Seventh St Costa Mesa CA92635 Robert Funnell 2424 Sheri Court Anaheim CA92640 Bill Checkal 9595 Curry Dr Stanton CA92610 Jed Style 3535 Randall St Santa Ana CA9270
FIG 8.0. A FLAT FILE DATABASE
Basically the work terrain bothers about building up a database structure for an establishment
with the latest technologies available, some actually programme databases, that is create their
own custom made database designs other than the ones that are available today in the markets
like MySQL, MsSQL, and Oracle. After the design, they build the database. These databases are
of the form known as relational database management systems (RDBMS). They are relational in
the sense that in the past data objects don’t possess dynamism, that is been linked with one
another, they are static in the sense that once data has been entered, they remain as they
were, before you can get information you must be specific about the location of the data, this
brings up the concept of flat files where data is entered on static pages that don’t possess any
link with other tables, information entered on these flat files can only be retrieved from them it
doesn’t refer you if it finds out that the data you are looking for is somewhere, that is it is not
relational. But relational databases are dynamic, whenever a data object value changes it
immediately and automatically updates itself within the database; the whole entire database
adjusts itself.
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SQL (Structured Query Language) is the industry standard language used to query DBMS
(Database Management Systems). It arranges data in tables that define a particular event. It has
a similar structure or syntax like a normal programming language. Generic SQL is used to query
all databases generally except that for most database engines especially ORACLE have a slight
modification of the generic SQL to suit their own implementation.
MySQL is a very good database system which is best implemented with web applications and its
very good as a stand-alone RDBMS.
MsSQL from Microsoft is a very good and robust database engine, it is used everywhere, most
especially within Windows environment or Microsoft networks, alongside with servers like ISA,
Exchange, SharePoint, RAS and the rest.
ORACLE is a platform independent
scalable and excellent RDBMS, it is
the most preferred and the best
so far. It can be deployed on any
platform, whether Microsoft
windows, Linux, or UNIX. It works
very well. These days, the ORACLE
co-operation prefers Linux
operating systems, which is much
more secure and robust.
FIG. 8.1 A RELATIONAL DATABASE
Database experts are most of the time on-site. That is they are mostly employed to manage the
databases they work on, it is not much of a field job where you will do work remotely for an
establishment and get back to them. But experts can be contracted to design a database for a
company depending on their needs, but the database builder will manage the database and has
to be conversant with the design before he can proceed. Building a database is populating the
database, which is adding data to it.
Here in Nigeria, their always exists the need for experienced database experts, there are three areas of database specialization;
Systems DBAs (also referred to as Physical DBAs, Operations DBAs or Production Support DBAs)
focus on the physical aspects of database administration such as DBMS installation,
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configuration, patching, upgrades, backups, restores, refreshes, performance optimization, and
maintenance and disaster recovery.
Development DBAs focus on the logical and development aspects of database administration
such as data model design and maintenance, DDL (data definition language) generation, SQL
writing and tuning, coding stored procedures, collaborating with developers to help choose the
most appropriate DBMS feature/functionality and other pre-production activities.
Application DBAs usually found in organizations that have purchased 3rd party application
software such as ERP (enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship
management) systems. Examples of such application software include Oracle Applications,
Siebel and PeopleSoft (both now part of Oracle Corp.) and SAP. Application DBAs straddle the
fence between the DBMS and the application software and are responsible for ensuring that
the application is fully optimized for the database and vice versa. They usually manage all the
application components that interact with the database and carry out activities such as
application installation and patching, application upgrades, database cloning, building and
running data cleanup routines, data load process management, etc.
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Computer Graphics, Animation and Multimedia.
This is a branch of programming which better be left alone because of its broad scope. It is the
latest area of ICT to get into the top money spinners of this generation. Graphics has to do with
representing images, videos or animations (moving images or multimedia). It is a known fact
that images on the screen can be represented by knowing the various colour identities that
make up each pixel value that constitutes such an image. Everything you see on your computer
monitor screen, your pictures, videos, writings, just about anything are made of pixels which
are tiny dots that line up on your monitor screen. Try and use the magnifier application bundled
with your windows O.S. to see what I mean, you can go to Start Button on your Taskbar, point
to All Programs, then Accessories, then Ease of Access, click on Magnifier. Then use it to zoom
your own picture on your monitor screen, zoom it to a greater percentage until dots like
squares appear and the image appears distorted. These dots you are presently viewing on your
screen make up the various colors that constitute your picture. Your picture is composed of
these dots, and these dots or squares are known as pixels. Each of these pixels (Picture
Elements) has a color number or a color identity, which can either be in RGB format or any
other colour convention. The RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) format from kindergarten lessons can
be mixed to get any colour one wants. You can get all sorts of colors when you mix the three
colors in varying degrees of intensity. So if for instance, the monitor and graphics specification
supports 24-bit colour mode, then each of the three colors are 8 bits each, when you do the
math, i.e. for 8-bits red, you can get up to 28 = 256 values of red in varying degrees, if other
colors in the RGB triplet is varied in the same way, then we will be getting 256 reds, 256 greens,
and 256 blues, which when mixed together we will be getting 16,000,000 colors which is
displayable by our monitor. If we all know the various values of the RGB triplet that make up
the pixels in our picture (because each pixel has 3 phosphors for the RGB triplet), then we will
be able to produce that same picture or image of ours by feeding the information to the frame
buffer of our graphics controller without getting the picture or copying it to the system. Are you
feeling me!!! This is the basics of graphics and animation programming. Designers have to know
the various color identities that constitute what the image they want to render before doing
mapping or drawing it on the screen. This analogy also goes for video and animation. A video
which you created with your cam-coder can be viewed on the screen without copying it to the
system by creating the various elements in the video, the background, and the people by pixel
transformations like multiplication, rotation and translation of the pixels. Video are sometimes
called moving pictures, of course they are, because for Obi to be static on the computer screen
means that all the colour identities that constitute his image are stationary in the frame buffer
memory locations. If you want him to move, the color identities in the frame buffer starts
changing location within that same frame buffer. This is the idea behind animation and videos.
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The audio is later rendered. So from this basic analogy, you will be able to deduce that a very
good graphics artist can fake a video where you are been blackmailed for what you never did or
got involved in. That sounds inconveniencing!!! I get it. But it is not as easy as it seems, great
animation products like the popular Tom and Jerry were done by lots of people, if not
hundreds. It is so tedious that not one single person can achieve all. The person might go down
with nervous breakdown while not meeting up to 10% of the work. All hands must be on deck
for the work to flow. This still applies to Game development, whether computer games or
console games, Gaming has got its fair share of the graphics mumbo jumbo. Computer games
are user-defined stories that have a structural and logical pattern of flow. It first of all has a
storyline that can be modified by the player through decision points in the game where the
player either concludes the original storyline or modifies it depending on how he wants it. All
possible occurrences to be encountered while playing a game has been provided for. For
instance if you were meant to kill an
Army General in the game and you were
not able to do that, the next option has
been set if you didn’t achieve that
objective, that is you will die by getting
killed by the Army general. So from this,
we understood that games are a tree,
storyboard, or flowchart of options and
decision points which if this doesn’t
happen, then that will happen. This is a
very serious issue!!! It is never an easy
affair.
FIG. 9.0 COMPUTER ANIMATOR AT WORK
There are lots of people involved day to day in the business of computer animation and
Graphics. It is quite lucrative but challenging. You have to work long hours and you must fine
tune your design before you come up with a working one. The process of fine tuning is
continuous and it takes long periods.
Presently in Nigeria, there exists the need for developers of Graphics and Animation. Many
organizations presently use graphics and animation for their product advertisement because it
is more appealing and attractive to the eyes. They make their impact at first sight.
There isn’t much need for games development in a country like Nigeria because the ones made
by experts abroad always get cracked whenever they find their way to Nigeria. Basically any
person or individual that creates games here in Nigeria will not find it so income-friendly
because the original masterpieces of expert games made from abroad always get pirated and
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sold at a cheaper price. And going by the way I feel, it will take some serious level of ingenuity
to beat the quality of games brought from abroad.
So, I really do believe that animation sounds
more lucrative than games in Nigeria, unless
the games are not meant for the audience
that plays console games like PlayStation or
computer games played on the PC.
Some other form of graphics are done by
editing and modification of existing graphics
like already made pictures and videos, where
tools are used to enhance, distort, or
recreate multimedia objects. This is quite a
lucrative sub-field because the ingenuity
FIG. 9.1 Images like this can be used to deceive
displayed can still fetch huge revenues for an individual. There are Consultancy firms that
employ people very good in multimedia editing. Pictures get transformed, enhanced and
recreated like cutting people out from an original image and placing them in different
backgrounds, changing the colour and design patterns of their clothing, creating other effects
like including natural occurrences like rain or fog to make it more real and convincing. Tools like
Adobe Photoshop, Ulead Photo Express, Roxio Photo Suite, Corel Photo Paint and the rest of
them are used immensely for image editing. Videos can be manipulated in so many ways like
cutting and merging segments of videos, enhancing it and improving sound, using graphics
programming to fake a scene within the video.
In fact multimedia is very wide if you start looking at all it entails, audio files can be converted
from one form to the other, combined in some way, re-edit them, create so many effects like
surround, voice conversion which still takes us into the world of sound engineering where
studio engineers use special applications and other higher applications to make decent sound.
This is still a fast growing money spinner as so many entertainment studios are springing up
from all corners in the country and looking for qualified.
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Conclusion
Ours is a world of opportunities. So much energy to create and make very good inventions.
Most especially now the country is in need of experts that stayed behind, not the ones that
absconded. We should try and see where we fit into the world of ICT and creativity, the world
of endless possibilities and unending income and revenue. Help generate revenue for our
country. Create a very strong ICT environment for posterity to sustain. Solve crime and other
related puzzle with modern ICT techniques, create e-classrooms for lectures to easily flow,
make our own national citizens database.
In fact our destiny is in our hands.!!!!
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LIST OF ICT CERTIFICATIONS
3Com Master of Network Science(MNS)
Ascend Ascend Certified Technical Expert (ACTE)
Adobe Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)
Adobe Certified Training Provider (ACTP)
Adaptec Adaptec Certified Engineer
American Society for Quality Software Quality Engineer
Association For Project Management Certificated Project Manager (CPM)
Association of Web Professionals (AWP)
Certified Web Designer (CWD)
Certified Web Manager (CWM)
Certified Web Technician (CWT)
Baan Company
Baan ERP Certification
Baan IV Certification
Baan Supply Chains Solutions (SCS) Certification
Banyan
Certified Banyan Specialist (CBS)
Certified Banyan Expert (CBE)
Certified Banyan Instructor (CBI)
BIGHelpDesk.com BIGHelpDesk.com Certified Developer
BICSI Registered Communications Distribution Designer
(RCDD)
Building Industry Consulting Service
International
Registered Communications Distribution Designer
(RCDD)
Cabletron Systems
Cabletron Specialist (CS)
Cabletron Systems Engineer (CSE)
Spectrum Engineer (SE)
Spectrum Solutions Engineer (SSE)
Callware Technologies Certified Network Telephony Engineer (CNTE))
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Canadian Information Processing Society
(CIPS) Information Systems Professional of Canada (ISP)
Centura Software/Gupta Centura DBA Certification
Centura Developer Certification
Chauncey Group Associate Technology Specialist
Certified Technical Trainer (CTT)
Check Point Software
Check Point Certified Network Traffic Engineer (CCAE)
Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA)
Check Point Certified Security Engineer (CCSE)
Check Point Certified Quality of Service Engineerr (CCQE)
Cisco Systems
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) - ISP Dial
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) - Routing and
Switching
Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA)
Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)
Certified Cisco Systems Instructor (CCSI)
Cisco Learning Partner Connection
Citrix
Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA)
Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator (CCEA)
Citrix Certified Instructor (CCI)
CIW Certified Internet Webmaster
CNX Consortium Certified Network Expert (CNX)
Cognos, Inc. Cognos Certified Professional Program (CCPP)
Compaq
Compaq Associate Accredited Systems Engineer
(Associate ASE)
Compaq Accredited Systems Engineer(ASE)
Compaq Master Accredited Systems Engineer (Master
ASE)
Accredited Compaq Technician Program (ACT)
CompTIA -
Computing Technology Industry Association A+ Service Technician Certification
Certified Document Imaging Architech (CDIA)
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Network+
i-Net+
Find Training Resources for CompTIA
Computer Associates International
Certified Unicenter Engineer (CUE)
Certified Opal Developer (COD)
Certified Unicenter Administrator (CUA)
Certified Professional Desktop Specialist (CACP-Desktop
Specialist)
Certified Professional Help Desk Specialist (CACP-Help
Desk Specialist)
Certified Professional Network Specialist (CACP-Network
Specialist)
Certified Professional Security Specialist (CACP Security
Specialist)
Certified Professional Storage Specialist (CACP Storage
Specialist)
Computer Telephony Institute, Inc. Computer Telephony Engineer (CTE)
Corel Corporation
Corel Certified Proficient User
Corel Certified Expert User
Corel Certified Instructor (CCI)
CyberTech Institute, Inc. CyberTech Certified (various applications)
CyberTech Linux Certification
Dialogic CT Professional/Solutions Developer
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) DIGITAL-Certified
Digital Metrics Digital Metrics Certified Linux Administrator
Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI)
Associate Business Continuity Planner (ABCP)
Certified Business Continuity Planner (CBCP)
Master Business Continuity Planner (MBCP)
DSDM Secretariat Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)
Enterprise Certified Corp.
Enterprise Certified Administrator
Enterprise Certified Architek
Enterprise Certified Professional
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FileNET FileNET Certified Professional (FCP)
FORE Systems FORE Systems LAN Certified Engineer
FORE Systems WAN Certified Engineer
Gartner Institute Gartner Certified Associate in Project Management
Global Knowledge TCP/IP Network Analyst Certification
HelpDesk 2000
Certified Field Support Technician (CFST)
Certified Help Desk Director (CHDD)
Certified Help Desk Manager (CHDM)
Certified Help Desk Professional (CHDP)
Help Desk 2000 Certified Instructor
Hewlett Packard
HP Certified IT Professional - HP-UX System
Administration
HP Certified IT Professional - MPE/iX System
Administration
HP Certified IT Professional - OpenView Network
Management
HP Certified IT Professional - OpenView Unix Server &
Applications Management
HP Certified IT Professional - OpenView Unix/NT
Integration
HP Certified IT Professional - OpenView Windows NT
Server & Applications Management
HP OpenView Certified Consultant
HP STAR - Certified Cluster Installer (CLU)
HP STAR - NetServer Technology Professional (NTP)
HP STAR - Digital Workplace Professional (DWP)
HP STAR - Information Storage Professional (ISP)
HP STAR - Network Connectivity Professional (NCP)
HyCurve Inc.
HyCurve Administration Specialist
HyCurve Applications Specialist
HyCurve Security Specialist
HyCurve Web Design Specialist
IBM Corporation
AIX Professional Certification
Object Technology Certifications
Professional Certification Program
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
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iGeneration Certified Professional Program All Internet Certifications
Information Systems Audit and Control
Association Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
Informix Software, Inc. Informix Certified Professional
Inprise Corporation Certified Inprise Consultant (CIC)
Certified Inprise Instructor
Institute for Certification of Computing
Professionals
Associate Computing Professional (ACP)
Certified Computing Professional (CCP)
Institute for Configuration Management(ICM) Configuration Management II Certification (CMII)
Institute for Interconnecting & Packaging
Electronic Circuits (IPC) IPC PWB Designer
Intel Corporation
Intel Certified Integration Specialist
Intel Certified Solutions Consultant
Intel Training Center Locator
International Function Point Users Group
(IFPUG) Certified Function Point Specialist (CFPS)
International Information Systems Security
Certification Consortium
Certified Information Systems Security Professional
(CISSP)
International Programmers Guild (IPG) Certified Programmer
International Society of Certified Electronics
Technicians (ISCET) Certified Electronics Technician (CET)
International Webmasters Association
IWA Certified Web (CWP)
IWA Certified Corporate Webmaster (CCW)
IWA Certified Web Developer (CWD)
Learning Tree International Learning Tree Int. Certifications (various)
Legato Systems (acquired Vinca)
Legato Certified Administrator (LCA)
Legato Certified Operator (LCO)
Legato Certified Specialist (LCS)
Linux Professional Institute Linux Professional Institute Certified Level 1 (LPIC1)
Linux Professional Institute Certified Level 2 (LPIC2)
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
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Linux Professional Institute Certified Level 3 (LPIC3)
Lotus
Certified Lotus Professional (CLP)
Certified Lotus Specialist (CLS)
Certified Lotus End-User Instructor (CLEI)
Certified Lotus Instructor (CLI)
Lucent InterNetworking Systems (was Ascend
Communications Inc)
Lucent Certified Solutions Expert (LCSE)
Lucent Certified Technical Expert (LCTE) - ATM
Lucent Certified Technical Expert (LCTE) - Frame Relay
Lucent Certified Technical Expert (LCTE) - Remote Access
Lucent Certified Technical Expert (LCTE) - VPRN
Marimba Certified Castanet Developer
MERANT Merant Certified Professional in PVCS
Mercury Interactive Certified Product Specialist (CPS)
Certified Product Instructor (CPI)
Microsoft
Microsoft Training & Services
Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
Microsoft Certified Professional + Internet (MCP+I)
Microsoft Certified Professional + Site Builder (MCP+SB)
Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD)
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer + Internet (MCSE+I)
Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA)
Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)
Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) Certification
Find Microsoft Training and Testing Centers
Motorola ISG Certifications
National Association of Communications
Systems Engineers (NACSE) Network Certifications
Network Associates, Inc. Certified Network Expert (CNX)
Newbridge Networks
Newbridge Remote Access Specialist
Newbridge Wise for Broadband Network Administrator
Newbridge Wise for Broadband WAN
Newbridge Wise for Narrowband Network Administrator
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
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Newbridge Wise for Narrowband WAN
Newbridge Wise for Switched Routing
Nortel Networks
Nortel Networks Certified Design Expert (NNCDE)
Nortel Networks Certified Design Specialist (NNCDS)
Nortel Networks Certified Network Architect (NNCNA)
Nortel Networks Certified Support Expert (NNCSE)
Nortel Networks Certified Support Specialist (NNCSS)
Novell
Certified Internet Professional (CIP)
Certified Novell Administrator (CNA)
Certified Novell Engineer (CNE)
Certified Novell Instructor (CNI)
Certified Novell Salesperson (CNS)
Master CNE (MCNE)
Master CNI (MCNI)
Novell Education Authorized Training Locator
Oracle
Oracle Certified Enterprise Developer - Oracle Internet
Platform
Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) - Application
Developer
Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) - Database Operator
(DBO)
Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) - DBA (Oracle 8 or
7.3)
Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) - Financial Apps
Consultant
Oracle Certified Solution Developer - Jdeveloper
Paradyne
WAN Applications Certified Expert (WAN A.C.E.)
FrameSaver Certification
Hotwire Certification
ParcPlace-Digitalk Certified Smalltalk Developer (CSD)
Certified Senior Smalltalk Developer (CSSD)
PC DOCS, Inc. Certified DOCS Professional
PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft Business Analyst Pro
PeopleSoft Database Administrator Pro
PeopleSoft Programmer/Analyst Pro
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
© 2011 DIGIMEX INC. Page 39
PeopleSoft Project Lead Pro
PeopleSoft Quality Assurance Pro
PeopleSoft System Administrator Pro
PeopleSoft System Architect Pro
PeopleSoft Technical Pro
Pine Mountain Group, Inc.
Certified NetAnalyst - Architect
Certified NetAnalyst - Cross Technology
Certified NetAnalyst - Internet
Project Management Institute(PMI) Project Management Professional
Quality Assurance Institute(QAI)
Certified Qualty Analsyt (CQA)
Certified SPICE Assessor
Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE)
Red Hat Software
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Red Hat Certified Engineer II (RHCEII)
Red Hat Certified Examiner (RHCX)
Rockwell Software Training Certification
SAIR
Linux Certified Professional (LCP)
Linux/GNU Certified Administrator (LCA)
Linux/GNU Certified Engineer (LCE)
Linux/GNU Certified Trainer
Master Linux/GNU Certified Engineer (MLCE)
Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) SCO Advanced System Engineer (ACE)
SCO Certified UNIX System Administrator (CUSA)
SAP Partner Academy SAP Certified Application Consultant
SAP Certified Technical Consultant
SAS Institute Inc.
SAS Certified Professional - Application Development
SAS Certified Professional - Business Intelligence
SAS Certified Professional - Data Management V6
SAS Certified Professional V6
Shiva Shiva Certified Professional
Siebel Systems Siebel Certified Consultant
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
© 2011 DIGIMEX INC. Page 40
Siebel Certified Instructor
Silicon Graphics Certified IRIX System Administrator
Software Publishers Association (SPA) Certified Software Manager (CSM)
Solomon Software
Solomon Certified Trainer
Solomon IV Certified Application Developer (SCAD)
Solomon IV Certified Systems Engineer (SCSE)
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Sun Certified Programmer for the Java Platform
Sun Certified Developer for the Java Platform
Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for Java 2 Platform
Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris, Part 1 & 2
Sun Certified Network Administrator for Solaris
Sun Educational Services Training Centers
Sybase
Sybase Certified Professional Program
Sybase Certification Exams
Sybase Certification Exam Information
Sybase Certified Adaptive Server Administrator
Sybase Certified SQL Anywhere
Certified PowerBuilder Developer 7.0
Certified PowerBuilder Developer 6.0
Sybase Certified Professional Program Study Guidelines
Symantec Corp ACT! Certified Consultant(ACC)
Sysoft
Sysoft Certified Advanced Webmaster & EBusiness
Architect
Sysoft Certified Internet Developer
Sysoft Certified Webmaster & E-Commerce Architect
Texas Instruments Certified Composer Professional (CCP)
Tivoli Systems, Inc.
Tivoli Certified Consultant
Tivoli Certified Enterprise Consultant
Tivoli Certified Instructor
Tivoli Certified Solutions Expert
Vinca Vinca Certified Engineer (VCE)
THE ICT PROFESSIONAL: THE NIGERIAN VIEWPOINT
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Xplor Electronic Document & Printing Professional (EDPP)
Xylan Alcatel Certified Switch Expert (ACSE)
Alcatel Certified Switch Specialist (ACSS)