# NZQA for Developer Programmer help please.



## kimoloop

Hi,

i want to apply for a Pre-assessment to be able to apply for EOI under Developer Programmer, my question is :

i already have a valid ACS with 10 years of experience in .net, my qualification is Bachelor degree in commerce [accounting section] the issue is that on the NZQA website they said that your work experience should be related to your qualifications what should i do? i have also attended a Microsoft courses and i already hold MCP, MCAD, MCTS and MCPD.

Thanks


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## topcat83

kimoloop said:


> Hi,
> 
> i want to apply for a Pre-assessment to be able to apply for EOI under Developer Programmer, my question is :
> 
> i already have a valid ACS with 10 years of experience in .net, my qualification is Bachelor degree in commerce [accounting section] the issue is that on the NZQA website they said that your work experience should be related to your qualifications what should i do? i have also attended a Microsoft courses and i already hold MCP, MCAD, MCTS and MCPD.
> 
> Thanks


Put in any piece of paper for courses you've attended that's job related. I think you're OK, although it might be worth checking whether the country/uni you got your degree at are on the list. Also, is Egypt considered an equivalent job market? It should be, but again worth checking....


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## kimoloop

*Thanks Top cat, i found my degree [ Bachelor degree in commerce "accounting section" ] on the list, but if i chooses it i will not be able to link it with any related experience because my 10+ years are all in programming. i have attended a lot of courses at Microsoft certified training centers and i have many certificates proves i have attended those courses.
do you think that i should not used my accounting degree and use those courses and Microsoft certificates instead? but keep in mind that i have to be assessed to level 7 to be able to apply for developer programmer.
i wanted to check their website to make sure Egypt is a comparable market but the website is down?

do you think that my ACS assessment would made any different?
should i shoot them an email and describe my situation?

Thanks again Top Cat *


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## topcat83

kimoloop said:


> *Thanks Top cat, i found my degree [ Bachelor degree in commerce "accounting section" ] on the list, but if i chooses it i will not be able to link it with any related experience because my 10+ years are all in programming. i have attended a lot of courses at Microsoft certified training centers and i have many certificates proves i have attended those courses.
> do you think that i should not used my accounting degree and use those courses and Microsoft certificates instead? but keep in mind that i have to be assessed to level 7 to be able to apply for developer programmer.
> i wanted to check their website to make sure Egypt is a comparable market but the website is down?
> 
> do you think that my ACS assessment would made any different?
> should i shoot them an email and describe my situation?
> 
> Thanks again Top Cat *


Hm. This is one where it might be worth contacting immigration just to clarify the situation first. 

My personal view (having been in IT for 30+ years) is that ours is an industry that doesn't require an IT-based degree in order to work in it - and in fact most of us don't have one. So to me, your degree is more than related. I'd be arguing that the content of your degree is very relevant to your job, as so many of the systems we work with are used for commerce, and an understanding of business (especially if you are doing any form of analysis at all) is relevant.

I'd certainly still put the degree in though - the higher education level should bolster your points score. 

It's difficult to compare your situation to mine - but when I first applied I had no degree at all, but oodles of experience in IT, including certificates for courses attended from work going back to 1983 (yes, that old!). But they wouldn't accept them until I got a degree that was considered relevant. I did a right mixed hotch potch of a degree in my spare time (IT and Earth Science), and it didn't even have a name - and of course I achieved it way after I'd started in IT (about 20 years after!) To rub salt into the wounds, I was probably more experienced than the majority of the lecturers in the subject! But once I'd got the degree, Immigration accepted all my work experience!

Thought - did your degree cover computer systems in any module? If so, then I think you're home and dry.


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## kimoloop

*Well, first thanks for your reply and thoughts. i remember that we had four subjects that was related to computer and IT in the collage.
frankly speaking Top Cat, how do you found NZ IT Market? could someone like me with those certificates and experience find a job easily in NZ?
to be honest, until now i dont know how to calculate my points and how the points are counted, i am a 31 years old, 10+ experience as developer programmer [which on both "identified growth area" and "area of absolute skills shortage"] which means i deserve a bounce points, Bachelor degree in commerce "accounting section" holding an ACS assessment . my plane is to get assessed from NZQA which i dont know whether to assess my degree in commerce or my courses and certificates. 
i am totally lost and i am really considering ask an agent for advice.

Thanks Top Cat *


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## topcat83

kimoloop said:


> *Well, first thanks for your reply and thoughts. i remember that we had four subjects that was related to computer and IT in the collage.
> frankly speaking Top Cat, how do you found NZ IT Market? could someone like me with those certificates and experience find a job easily in NZ?
> to be honest, until now i dont know how to calculate my points and how the points are counted, i am a 31 years old, 10+ experience as developer programmer [which on both "identified growth area" and "area of absolute skills shortage"] which means i deserve a bounce points, Bachelor degree in commerce "accounting section" holding an ACS assessment . my plane is to get assessed from NZQA which i dont know whether to assess my degree in commerce or my courses and certificates.
> i am totally lost and i am really considering ask an agent for advice.
> 
> Thanks Top Cat *


Fill in an on-line points assessment - see Points Indicator - New Zealand Immigration Service - I personally think that if your degree had some IT modules (which, from what you're saying, it did) then you can count it as a relevant qualification. BUT that is only my personal view. 

What languages and platforms do you work on? That will have a bearing on how easy it is to find work. NZ is very short of experienced IT professionals - but if you're an expert on a very old system or language, it might be a tad more difficult. Having said that, the last two companies I've worked with over here have been crying out for COBOL Mainframe developers


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## kimoloop

*i will count on that too and hope for the best. i specialized in .NET technologies including web development ASP.NET, SharePoint.
during my search i had found that to be able to get the bonus points for experience it should be in a comparable market! does Egypt would be considered.

Thanks Top cat*


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## rishi.sharma

*IBM AS/400 JObs*



topcat83 said:


> Fill in an on-line points assessment - see Points Indicator - New Zealand Immigration Service - I personally think that if your degree had some IT modules (which, from what you're saying, it did) then you can count it as a relevant qualification. BUT that is only my personal view.
> 
> What languages and platforms do you work on? That will have a bearing on how easy it is to find work. NZ is very short of experienced IT professionals - but if you're an expert on a very old system or language, it might be a tad more difficult. Having said that, the last two companies I've worked with over here have been crying out for COBOL Mainframe developers


Hi topcat83,

I am IT professional having 4 years of work experience in IBM AS/400 (RPGLE, CLLE). Could you please let me know how is the job market in NZ for my technology. It will be really grateful if you can help on this.

Thanks!


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## topcat83

rishi.sharma said:


> Hi topcat83,
> 
> I am IT professional having 4 years of work experience in IBM AS/400 (RPGLE, CLLE). Could you please let me know how is the job market in NZ for my technology. It will be really grateful if you can help on this.
> 
> Thanks!


I think you'll find that the market for AS/400s and RPG ILE CCLE is reducing as the technology is old now. 

Having said that, there are companies with legacy systems that might bite your hand off as they can't find developers who have the experience with these skills and the 'youngsters' don't want to learn them, preferring other newer mainstream technologies.

Try the banks and insurance companies - i.e. the older established places that are more likely to have legacy systems.

And there are a couple of ads for RPG developers on SEEK - Job Search - Find jobs using multiple job search options


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## rishi.sharma

Thanks a lot for your reply.

I will try & search for the oppurtunities in the mentioned organisations. Do you know any company working on this platform.


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## rajeeve6600

topcat83 said:


> I think you'll find that the market for AS/400s and RPG ILE CCLE is reducing as the technology is old now.
> 
> Having said that, there are companies with legacy systems that might bite your hand off as they can't find developers who have the experience with these skills and the 'youngsters' don't want to learn them, preferring other newer mainstream technologies.
> 
> Try the banks and insurance companies - i.e. the older established places that are more likely to have legacy systems.
> 
> And there are a couple of ads for RPG developers on SEEK - Job Search - Find jobs using multiple job search options


Hi Topcat...I read this reply today and iam planning to migrate to Newzealand y this year end.
Iam a Mainframe developer with 5.5 years experiance in IBM Mainframes...
I could find very few openings in seek.co.nz...
Can you please tell how is the job prospectus for Mainframe developers in Newzealand...

Thanks in advance.


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## zeinasoft

Hi Topcat,
have you any idea bout ECM (enterprise content management )Market especially IBM FileNet


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## jons

Most of the companies I interviewed in Auckland were Microsoft Shop. I was having similar difficulties because my last work was on architectural sites in Grails/Groovy/Java. Having only java or older tech stuff I try to search over wellington area or government jobs. Just my thought...


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## Hooman Bahreini

rishi.sharma said:


> *IBM AS/400 JObs*
> 
> 
> 
> Hi rishi.sharma,
> 
> I am IT professional having 4 years of work experience in IBM AS/400 (RPGLE, CLLE). Could you please let me know how is the job market in NZ for my technology. It will be really grateful if you can help on this.
> 
> Thanks!


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## Hooman Bahreini

rishi.sharma said:


> *IBM AS/400 JObs*
> 
> 
> 
> Hi topcat83,
> 
> I am IT professional having 4 years of work experience in IBM AS/400 (RPGLE, CLLE). Could you please let me know how is the job market in NZ for my technology. It will be really grateful if you can help on this.
> 
> Thanks!


Hi rishi.sharma

I think the market for IBM AS/400 is very small in NZ. There is a lot of demand for technologies such as .NET, SQL, Python... you can check the IT jobs on Shopless: 
https://www.shopless.co.nz/browse/jobs
Jobs | Shopless NZ


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