Get to know some of our talented authors featured in our author spotlights. Here you can see interviews, detailed biographies, and book summaries of some of the best in the industry.
NAGELBERG:During the 1980s I had a successful career in publishing as a sales manager. During this time the first PCs came out. I bought a couple of Atari and Commodore computes and taught myself how to program them. Then desktop PCs were introduced at work. These came loaded with Lotus 1-2-3. I was in need of detailed sales reports, and the computer department could not keep up with my requests. So instead I programmed Lotus 1-2-3 to fairly sophisticated levels for that time. I received all kinds of praise and awe for this. After a while I realized I could be doing this type of programming as my work instead of being in sales. I changed careers in 1992. I consulted for about 10 years, working with Visual Basic, Microsoft Office, SQL Server, Oracle; as well as assorted web and graphics technologies. In 2002 I took a full time job for the first time in a decade, as the lead developer for financial systems for Entergy Nuclear Northeast.
NAGELBERG: Writing Reviewnet tests gave me an opportunity to show how much I knew about SAS and learn more about the subject. Writing a test forces you to learn the subject matter very precisely. Also it was a chance to earn a little extra money.
NAGELBERG: To keep up with technology I subscribe to at least a dozen web-based newsletters as well as the technology sections of the "regular" news (e.g. CNN, NYT, Phila Inquirer, Yahoo, etc.). I attend user group meetings (SAS, Datawarehouse, etc.). Also the Internet User Groups are great. (e.g. comp.soft-sys.sas). I don't know what I would do without them for researching technical issues. Also it is fun to read them.
NAGELBERG: I have had to learn many different tools over the years and several learning methods have worked for me and others. Tutorials, intro classes are great but hands on practice with someone nearby to answer questions (but not too close cause you need to struggle a little first). Overall in my business (data mining), the most difficult issue is understanding the data and how it relates to the business. Above all it is understanding of the exceptions which makes the difference.
NAGELBERG: I see a greater and greater need for people who can work with, understand and deliver useful information from large databases. The amount of data is growing tremendously and the tools more specialized. There is tremendous need to export the knowledge to a wider group of people including those at the very top of the organization. Competition continues to make everyone interested in getting the numbers more quickly and cheaply. For over 20 years I have found the SAS provides the flexibility to do just about any form of analytical work. This tool can handle pure procedural coding, data handling, statistical analysis, model building, reporting and graphics. It works on multiple platforms - Windows, Unix and Mainframe with the tools to connect them together.
NAGELBERG: I started as an Engineer so any technical discipline was not too far off. But after many people including a couple of very helpful managers suggested that IT would be good for me, I succumbed.
NAGELBERG: ReviewNet evaluations are a key part of the overall hiring process. They provide an excellent way of screening out "triflers" and resume embellishment.
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