flynn043

If you haven't had the chance to check out AHIMA's HI Careers website yet, you definitely should. Besides all the great information for HIM and coding job seekers, they've recently added a series of blogs from industry pros - including yours truly. I will continue with my Coder Coach blog as well - now you just get to read me in two places! Plus, you get the added benefit of hearing from others as we tackle some FAQs about getting hired in HIM. AHIMA's HI Careers website

Like most people these days, I'm on Facebook. Actually, I maintain a couple of Facebook accounts: one personal and one professional. It's been fun to connect with people from my past and see what they're all up to. And I have to admit, when my brain gets a little fried, it's a quick and simple distraction to see if anyone has posted anything interesting or entertaining. For over a year now, I've tried to convince my parents that they need to get on Facebook so they can reconnect with people from their past. Even so, I was shocked the day I received a friend request from my father. I'm not one of those people who is afraid to "friend" my parents. They're actually pretty cool and I get along well with them. Plus, I subscribe to the idea that if I'm uncomfortable having my father read it, I shouldn't be posting it on Facebook to begin with. But my dad has only recently become semi-tech savvy. I received my first email from him about a...

One of the things I love about the mentoring I do for students is it reminds me of what it was like to be a newbie. And I don't just mean the excitement of being on the cusp of a new career. I am also grateful to be humbled and reminded that I knew absolutely nothing when I got started. These days when I stand in front of an audience of coders or students and teach the latest and greatest on whatever topic I'm discussing for that day, it's the culmination of years of experience and hours (or weeks) of research and preparation. But you might be interested to know that in my first coding job I did come home from work on more than one occasion in tears. I can't explain that helpless feeling when you've trained so hard - and studied and taken numerous tests and graduated, etc. etc. etc. - and you land that first job and they hand you an operative report. And you freeze. Because it's like Greek. You have no idea what to do. Where are the short coding scenario...

I was recently perusing some online message boards and came across several postings with a resounding theme: Is coding really that hard? In a word, yes. If coding was easy, it would be easy to get a job. You wouldn’t need those 2 years of experience just to get your foot in the door. And although I want to maintain a positive can-do attitude to anyone pursuing a career in coding, I sometimes forget to exercise a little tough love and make sure that people understand exactly what they are getting themselves into and what will be expected of them. First of all, not everyone can be a coder. Yes, there is training involved, but some people, even with years of training, will never be successful coders. So often we hear someone trying out for American Idol who has no business singing in public and we may wonder, “What made him think he could sing?” Well, the same applies to coding, albeit, in a different way. Some people aren’t detail oriented enough or don’t like medical terminolo...

When I took my first job as a manager, I received a basket of "necessities" from my coworkers. I can't remember everything that was in the basket - things like Diet Pepsi and Visene and a couple other tongue-in-cheek items poking fun at the challenges of being a manager. The most memorable thing, though, was a simple manilla folder, marked with the label "Keepers." I wasn't sure what it meant and which of my coworkers would put it in there or why. It was my mentor and first supervisor who told me that it was she who put the keeper folder in the basket and then she proceeded to tell me why. She said as a manager I would be under the microscope and there would be days when all I heard from my employees and coworkers is what I was doing wrong. And because of that harsh reality, it was even more important to maintain a keeper folder in order to keep my confidence up. So as all you novice coders out there try to break into the industry, I encourage you to ...

You’ve read the blog postings before – I am very passionate about helping folks break into the industry. And as I step on my soap box to tell novice coders to be persistent and network, someone inevitably asks me if I hire new coders. The honest answer is no, but it’s not because I wouldn’t if I had the opportunity. The truth is, as a consultant, I am working with clients who expect - and pay a premium for - experienced coding knowledge. And because I am not in a position to hire new coders, I write this blog, present monthly Coder Coach events, and tweet relevant articles I come across. When I give that answer, the next inevitable question is, “What do you do as a consultant?” So I thought I would take a moment to tell you what I’ve been up to lately – in my day job. Because I work for a small company, we get a wide array of requests, so to many, my job may seem like a crazy schizophrenic mess. I can’t possibly put down everything I do without writing a small book! ...

I’ve had a few novices ask me how I like being a consultant. Well, I love it. But it’s not an easy job. And I certainly don’t recommend consulting to anyone until they have several years’ experience under their belts. So if you think you want to travel the nation (or region) or even stick locally consulting clients, make sure you have practical experience first – it’s the absolute best preparation for giving advice to clients. Let me stress this about consulting – many people want to be consultants because of the salaries. It is true that most consulting firms pay well. But there’s a reason – it’s the price you pay to be away from home so much. If you haven’t seen the movie Up in the Air with George Clooney yet, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be a traveling consultant because it is an accurate depiction of what it’s like to be away from home so much. So before you offer to be a consultant, think about what it really means to be away from home 4-6 days per week. Th...