Information Technology Professional Skills Portfolio
A portfolio is encouraged in professional education as a useful tool for any student to represent their learning hence helping them prepare for a future in their discipline of study (Wichert, 2014, p.25). There is a concern that students and teachers are focusing more on academic work and not gauging academic achievements against employability hence a student portfolio mainly portrays results. In this paper, I am going to have a reflective approach to how the lessons and knowledge gained in class are having an impact on my employability. As an Information technology student, I will develop a demonstrating portfolio emergence of professional skills that I have learned and can be practiced in the field of information technology. This portfolio is essential as it is going to help the teacher know how much I grasped the details in class and how I plan to utilize the skills learned in quality in the real world work environment
Developing a portfolio that demonstrates the emergence of professional skills for practice in information technology
Reflection on my employability skills
After taking the employability toolkit questionnaire done in week ten an 11, there are changes in the results I had then and what I have now. The difference is that I had only focused on software engineering and with no focus or knowledge about artificial intelligence which appears to be driving the world now, but with ethical questions which software engineers must answer but definitely, the ethical issues are not deterring people from advancing their technologies in artificial intelligence.
These changes are prompted by the fact that human labor in all industries is becoming expensive and demanding hence there needs to be programmed work to do some human jobs. With these, I have to align my career and shift my focus from mere software engineering of developing applications but focus on artificial intelligence and robotics to solve this problem in the job market with the use of my information technology skills that I am learning at present. These changes are necessitated by the need to supervise human labor continually but with artificial intelligence and robotics there will be less supervision apart from those who control systems, and they have to be alert since they know a small mistake can have a high cost to overall workplace.
The results I have achieved now is an accurate reflection of my career thinking because Information Technology is believed to be the driver of modern economies. It is either I adapt to new changes in technologies or the latest technologies declare me redundant or inefficient. With these, I have to move away from normal application development and venture into artificial intelligence and robotics development. What I find least accurate in the changes I get from here is the ethical questions arising from the use of artificial intelligence and robotics. This is because we assume we program the robots with all information to act correctly, but there are some situations where humans have to think and make the best decision as at the moment which a robot cannot make (Williams, Woolliams & Spiro, 2012, p. 125). An example is that of a robotic driver, and a collision is about to appear then the robot cannot decide either to veer off the road or go for the crash and which of the two decisions is best as at that time.
The best aspect of the profile is that I am dynamic and ready for any change that occurs in my industry. This is because if I do not adapt to the changes in the industry I will not be employable and when I get a new job my skills may end up not needed after some time in the work. With this strength, I am always guaranteed to have a role in my industry and also go up the management structure of the company and achieve the career goals I need. I did take care of the capabilities of sport and music as in robotics everything cannot be silent as work is going on otherwise the operators and controllers will not concentrate hence there needs to be some soft music playing in low tones to make them awake and also set their environment for the work they are doing.
The aspect standing out as the challenge for my employability in my profile is the ability to learn new programming languages. Despite having the skills of how to program in four words the artificial intelligence and robotics field may call for a new language at one point which will take time for me to adapt since some programming languages and not all support some programming concepts. This stands out strong as some employers may be specified in the language they need programmers in hence making me not a qualified candidate for that job. The other aspect limiting my employability is the government support of artificial intelligence and robotics (Ribeiro et al., 2017, p. 98). The government may be in support of it in some fields and limit its use in other fields hence making my much development and skills not being able to be absorbed in the current labor market available in our country.
This knowledge and concepts from the employability toolkit questionnaire lead me to focus on creating awareness that the government needs to support artificial intelligence and robotics in all fields and be lenient on its regulations since we might have people who are qualified to do some things which can stimulate economic growth but the government is not supporting them. This also leads me to learn all new programming languages and know which frameworks will best support artificial intelligence and robotics for me to prosper in this field and be a champion all the rest in my country and worldwide can envy.
I know that I am too hard on myself since I always admire to be the best and being the pacesetter in my class where the rest want to be like me. I am also a role model for other students who are taking this course, and I have to set quite high goals for them to see what the current and dynamic world has for them.
I would first talk to a career advisor and see the view in this field since they may have a broad vision of what it entails and open my mind further to see things from another perspective because I might ignore some minor details which end up being so critical in this field. A mentor would have been good but might not be able to come out apparently on the issues they do not know in this field and may seem like I am challenging them hence may not give me all the insights I need in this field.
Reflection on my presentation using Shark Tank presentation
My business model will be incorporating artificial intelligence and robotics in cement manufacturing which will assume the following business model
Business model
Cement production is one of the most important fields of an economy since it is used in construction. Cement manufacturing is a bit of many tedious processes since it involves mining transportation to a factory, the manufacturing process until we get the final product used for construction. The business model I am developing will involve artificial intelligence and robotics from miming to the manufacturing of the cement product. The following will be the key partners for this business model. Farm owners who own the farms where limestone which is a critical raw material for cement production is located. Transport partners who will transport the cement from the limestone fields to the factory where manufacturing is done. The national highway management authority which will give roads and paths to be used by the trucks transporting cement from limestone fields to the manufacturing factory.
Artificial intelligence and robotics will be used where we are going to have the specific road from the limestone areas used by the trucks which will have no drivers but driven by robots. These roads will not be used by any other vehicles when the trucks are operating unless in the case where we have to cross a road used by other vehicles. In this case, the business model is encouraging the road used to either be overhead or underground of the road used by the other vehicles. This model will have trucks programmed that they follow specific GPRS locations and where to make a turn and where to stop. I am developing the application so that when two trucks are on the way, and one stagnates hence blocking the way the other truck after getting to a distance of 10 meters also stagnates to avoid collision of trucks hence damage of vehicles. When this occurs, the real people who manage this fleet have to act and get the stalled truck out of the way.
In cases where the roads used by the trucks are on the same level of crossing it should be known that the trucks do not give way but it is the other vehicles to give way. This is the same case of the railway system and road system where when the two are crossing each other it is the road users which give way to the train using the rail and not the opposite. This will inconvenience the road users primarily in a case where the trucks are following each other on short distances, but as well this will be catered for as we cannot block a road for more than 5 minutes. This calls for the development of our application we release our trucks from the factory to the mines and vice versa in intervals of five minutes per fleet.
These program calls for accurate marking of the GPRS locations from the factory to the mines since the trucks have no drivers for the trucks to always be expected at their destination after at the expected time after release from their departure points (Wichert, 2014, p.25). If there is a change of a route, the GPRS mappings must be done immediately so that the system works efficiently as expected.
I will develop an Android and another application that can run on a windows machine to track the trucks on their way. The trucks will remit information about the route they are going and every activity on the way. We will install sensors such that they will be able to sense climate and weather changes. Thus if there are rains we stop sending the trucks to the fields since the roads are not tarmacked, and we expect the marram road to be slippery, and the trucks may veer off the road which may cause the others to stagnate on their way and also have collisions. These also means if there are no cameras at that point the person doing the monitoring can only see that the truck is off the road but cannot judge what is going on. This calls for when it becomes rainy the system has to be paused.
Once they get to the factory, they offload, and everything is mechanized up to packaging of the final product. Only less workforce will be required to load the trucks and ensure they pack the best quality of limestone and not any other raw material since this needs human intervention. I came up with this idea after growing up in an area where cement production is the only economic activity and the development in science saying that by 2027 we are going to have cars driven by robots on our regular roads. This idea came to me, and I said we could introduce driverless trucks to transport limestone. This is because the trucks will not be coming across many other vehicles on their dedicated routes except, unlike the robotic cars which will come across so many vehicles on the regular roads driven by ordinary human beings who have the reasoning ability and can make at point decisions as per the issue at hand. I saw it easy to introduce this since they will be on their roads.
Some other clues for coming up with this idea was the fact that this cement production job is not a white-collar job. Thus people do not like it due to the many manual activities involved. I have hence been thinking of a way to make it a lucrative business where people don’t use their physical energy to work but thinking and controlling systems. I also went to this idea because I am sure it is going to revolutionize many industries in our country since some aspects of this can be used independently by other sectors. An example is after mechanized harvesting of cereals and feeder roads are used to get the harvest from the combine harvester to the main road where the product can be taken to the storage facilities. This is applicable in many more industries, and it will be a game changer on how we do things in our economy and country.
This activity has made it clear to me that cement manufacturing costs can significantly be reduced to more than half by using artificial intelligence and robotics rather than depending on software engineering which is traditionally used to monitor the movement of trucks from factory to field to ensure the driver does not engage in other activities. This will do away with the drivers who we do not trust and create efficiency in this industry since production can be done on a 24 work economy without the endless complains of human capital which is always demanding for their welfare to be well taken care of.
From this activity, it is clear that the economy should be ready to adopt technologies which provide efficiency. These are despite the fact that labor organizations are busy fighting these technologies. They argue that they are replacing human capital in the production process. Hence as a country, we have to make a choice of either going for expensive human capital which is always too demanding even after meeting it needs, or we go for these technologies which call for investment just for a start and once then the little cost for maintenance.
This is a great idea which I will invest in it in the future since it is promising. I would reinvent this idea and adapt it to the coal industry which has not been exploited in our country. Since it will be the first of its kind in the country, I will ensure that everything is using artificial intelligence and robotics from the security of the systems to transportation of coal from mines to the factory where we produce coal power. Since the company will employ less of the population due to the high use of these two technologies, I will give the surrounding communities part of the profits made. With these model, they can be able to appreciate the importance of artificial intelligence and robotics and hence I will be fulfilling my business responsibility of giving back to the society.
After depletion of the coal I will use the same technology to rehabilitate the land mines left behind and give the land back to the original owners for their use ((Ribeiro, et al., 2017, p. 122). With this good business idea, I am sure to get all the funding I need to venture into this industry and have both the government and local community support where I will be setting up this coal processing plant in our country to produce more power to add to the national grid.
For this idea, I need to train more people and ensure the government does not have legislation which hinders the use of these two technologies. I can entice the government by supporting other development activities hence showing that by incorporating these technologies I am not doing away with manual labor but encouraging mass production in the country with fewer expenses (Cottrell 2015, p. 129). The idea is best suited since there will be few people to supervise and management will not have the heavy burden of consulting too many people to conclude, and also their operations can run on a 24-hour economy since many processes in the coal energy production plant are automated. This is a structure all other startups are yearning to have, but I have simplified it and put it in a lame man’s language and can be understood by all and supported by all development oriented citizens, organizations, government and investment partners.
Reflection on learning this unit
Below is how the professional skills are impacted on me demonstrating that they are developing or being refined to professional standards and are reflected upon in a cohesive portfolio.
| Learning outcome | Discipline knowledge and capabilities |
| What? | This area has of artificial intelligence has many areas with need mastery and good knowledge. I thought I was Mr. know it until I learned of things I could not accomplish without others. I had to incorporate others to get the best knowledgeable minds around me
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| So what? | I had to study and learn from others to grasp new concepts and take positive challenges from others. I had to practice on my own and get career advice on what best to do in certain situations to get success.
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| Now what? | I always endeavor to get any new technology and study about it and see how I can incorporate it into my business. When I am unable to resolve and get the concept, I do more research or get an expert to have it done on my behalf and make sure other people adopt the new technologies
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| Learning outcome? | Communication |
| What? | I was unable to put my ideas together to convince investors to invest in my business model which I had. I had to study what needs to be in a business model and what investors need to invest their money in a project. I asked my friends we brainstormed and had an open mind on issues and how to pass out a message |
| So what? | I found it good to seek the view of others before breaking an idea to the real target. The friends make you good in public speaking and a nod that the idea you are communicating is viable and impressive (Ribeiro et al., 2017, p. 75). They help assist on where to make changes to impress without too much convincing |
| Now what? | I should consider and learn of the other person I am going to communicate with. Know about their background and if possible cultures to know how to communicate and not to say things they find culturally immoral to them. |
| Learning outcome | Critical Thinking |
| What? | I took about cement manufacture in my home area and wanted to highlight this nationally on how we can change cement production process by use of artificial intelligence and robotics. I listened to how others gave an opinion of what can be changed in this industry and analyzed their ideas critically to see what was viable |
| So what? | Every detail was examined and its viability in the current situation determined. Those who did not meet criteria for improvements were omitted. When I was told to use available roads, I saw it was not possible due to many accidents and collisions |
| Now what? | I went for the use of marram roads only to be used by the trucks and checked the effect of causing traffic junctions and got a solution of not releasing trucks for more than five minutes continually |
| Learning outcome | Self-management |
| What? | The problem was to start an industry with so less workforce as opposed to traditional ones with a lot of workforce. I considered the feeling of the society towards employment and non-employment of locals by upcoming industries in their areas. |
| So what? | It did not go well with me since I wanted to have less labor and direct all the work by myself. I came to know I have to engage in activities which the society approves as a way of giving back to society since I am offering them less employment |
| Now what? | I engage in more activities of giving back to the society and supporting community initiatives, and as a return, the society is appreciative of all what happens, and there is a minimal interruption when running operations at the plant. It has made me not to be over-reliant on other people. |
| Learning outcome | Teamwork |
| What? | Had an approach that I could program all interfaces by myself. It took me longer to deliver on a module and when I involved others the work took quite a short time to be delivered and all modules to work correctly. For me alone to finish the work alone would have taken years but with a team its months |
| So what? | I had to incorporate a team with different expertise and specializations and on what they could best perfect on and present it to the other and integrate different modules. |
| Now what? | Each team works on their work within set deadlines and comes upon sometimes to integrate different modules and give other teams insight of what should be happening. It is at these teams meetings where what needs to be done is analyzed, and each team/person has a clear picture of what is needed/expected of them |
| Learning outcome | Global citizenship |
| What? | I though cement production was only based on my locality, and I could do nothing about it. I was trying to see how this industry is run differently in other parts of the world. I had to open up my eyes and see how outside world does cement production |
| So what? | I suggested trucks will have no drivers and will use dedicated routes which are well-mapped with GPRS locations so that trucks can be well monitored. Apart from our fear in our locality of drivers doing other work with trucks I eliminated the cost of the drivers. |
| Now what | Trucks are now driverless, and this technology is no longer in my locality and can be adopted everywhere worldwide for those who need efficiency and minimizing costs at their businesses. The consequence makes the world a small global village where ideas are available for change and implementation |
Conclusion
After answering the employability toolkit questionnaire for the second time, I found out that I am employable and my approach to issues keeps on changing. On the development of the portfolio and business model, a lot of information came to my mind which in lectures was theoretical work. However, they can be actualized in a physical world which calls from offsetting the idea from memory (Gaughran, Burke & Phelan 2007, p. 213) write it down on paper and get the support of others who are knowledgeable in a given field. This shows to grow in a given area should possess capabilities like; having self-management and be ready to work in a team.
References
Cottrell, S., 2015. Skills for success: Personal development and employability. Palgrave Macmillan.
Gaughran, W.F., Burke, S. and Phelan, P., 2007. Intelligent manufacturing and environmental sustainability. Robotics and Computer-integrated manufacturing, 23(6), pp.704-711.
Ribeiro, L.B., Mauroner, F., Gomes, R.M., Malenko, M. and Baunach, M.C., 2017, June. A co- designed RTOS/MCU Architecture for dependable Embedded Systems. In 1. ETIT- Fakultätstag.
Wichert, A., 2014. Principles of quantum artificial intelligenc. World Scientific Pub.,.
Williams, K., Woolliams, M. and Spiro, J., 2012. Reflective writing. Palgrave Macmillan.
