CAREERS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

If you're considering a computer profession in information technology or information systems, career computer training from VantagePoint can equip you with the skills needed to succeed. VantagePoint can also help you find the right career path. Browse through the list of computer career descriptions and find out more about the opportunities that are available in information technology. Choosing among the many different computer careers involves self-assessment and detailed information as each career has its own unique skill requirements and training paths. Whether you already know which career path to pursue or need information on information technology careers, VantagePoint is a terrific resource both in terms of information as well as in ultimately providing you with the career IT training you need.

Technical positions such as an IT support technician or a system administrator require specific computer career training and certifications validating your skills. For example, if you want to become a project manager, you'll need to enroll in project management training and then possibly earn a PMI (Project Management Institute) certification. The same is true of becoming a graphic designer or Web designer – you'll need skills and proof of those skills. If you need help choosing computer careers, contact VantagePoint to help you choose the right computer career path today. Once you know which direction to take, you can then choose career computer training to match.

To say that there are many roles in IT is an understatement – there are hundreds bordering on thousands, each with several job titles attached, and they are growing by the day. Even if you have a specialist area in mind, it can still be daunting as to which path to take, whether it be your first career move or your seventh for example.

The Three Areas of IT

In simple terms but not exhaustive, IT can fall into three areas:

Training and Support – these are your help desk people dealing with queries and training users on IT systems
Infrastructure – deals with networking, hardware and communications
Programmers – deal with coding, creating systems and software

Below are a few I.T. positions and their description:

HELP DESK SUPPORT ANALYST

Description: This is an IT professional which guide and increases the efficiency of computer users in a corporation. This profession relies on a firm understanding of one or more applications and systems, depending on area of expertise. This is key in swiftly and successfully aiding users, both internally in housekeeping applications, or externally as customer support.
The responsibilities of a Help Desk Support Analyst consist of supplying responses to inquiries by computer users', providing education and advice to users to diminish the frequency of potential dilemmas, troubleshooting complicated and extraordinary circumstances, and recommending workflow enhancements to administrators. Due to the breadth of circumstances that may arise, Help Desk Support is typically an introductory technical position. As such, a fair comprehension of operating systems, personal computers and computer systems, networking, and all applicable software involved is recommended.

NETWORK ENGINEER

Description: This is an IT professional which builds and administers a corporation's LAN and WAN networks. This administration involves selecting or advocating the apparatus and software to fulfill a corporation's IT requirements as well as supervising the implementation of new systems and taking measures to ensure the optimal functionality of such systems.
Responsibilities of the Network Engineer consist of the examination of a corporation's commercial needs to develop, employ and preserve a network framework to sustain those commercial requirements. This position is similar to that of a network administrator, with some duties overlapping, though the network engineer will have a higher ranking and more specialized duties in regard to the network infrastructure. A firm understanding of both networking hardware and software is critical to fulfill this role.

 

SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Description: This is an IT engineer which facilitates the generation of software products from the early stages of development until the completion, distribution, and sustentation. This software is generally complicated systems that are designed to run on the Internet, proprietary hardware systems, or a mixture of systems.
Responsibilities of a Software Engineer consist of administrating the generation cycle of software development associated in the creation of complex application production. The roles of a software engineer somewhat resemble that of an application developer in concept, but in actuality the purpose of a software engineer is more of a managerial position. As such, hands-on programming is usually delegated down to other staff members on the team, which is the key duty of the software engineer. Being a management level post, interpersonal skills are a must to successfully fill this position.

 

SYSTEM ANALYST

Description: This is an IT professional which is part of a team whose goal is to integrate various network operating systems. These professionals are tasked to the construction of hybrid software, sophisticated systems that run on a variety of different platforms to satisfy the corporate needs to a set form of specifications.
The responsibilities of a system analyst consist of performing some of the usual tasks relating to the development of an integrated technical system. This includes determining the specifications of the systems requiring integration, outlining specific software that will successfully integrate those systems, composing the code for that product, testing it, and preserving the functionality of that integration. Due to the nature of this position, requiring a base understanding in multiple fields, having a broad understanding in many different systems is fundamental to the success of a system analyst.

 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Description : Create and maintain a information technology project plan that communicates tasks, milestone dates, status and resource allocation. Utilize software life-cycle methodology. Coordinate delivery of development (beta) and production releases that meet quality assurance standards. Assist technical team in design and development tasks. Assist test team in creating test plans and testing efforts.

 

3D ANIMATION / GRAPHIC DESIGN

Description: A position where you design and create either a graphic or 3D animations for software programs, games, movies, web pages, etc. Position may also require that you work on existing graphics, animations, movies, etc. done by other people.

Requirements: An individual applying for this job would need to be talented in design and creating visuals, for most people this is not something that you could train for. In addition to being talented in design and art you must have a good understanding of the software programs being used to create the visual designs or 3D animations.

Recommendations: If you wish to get into graphic design or arts, it is a must that you learn major graphics programs such as Adobe Photoshop. In addition to this program, there are numerous other programs used to create your own pictures or edit photos. See the animation definition for additional information about this term as well as a listing of some of the more popular animation programs.

Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) Many of the programs used to create a graphic, edit a photo, or create a 3D render are complex programs and often require a lot of learning and experience; and in some cases, training or schooling.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Description: Helping customers with general questions relating to the company, ordering, status on orders, account information or status, etc.

Requirements: Good communication skills and a general understanding of the company and its products.

Recommendations: Great starting position for anyone who is looking to get their foot in the door at the company and who are not yet that familiar with computers.

Difficulty: (LOW) customer service will require that the employee be familiar with computers and be able to navigate through the companies system. However, will seldom require the employee to be skilled with computer.

DATA ENTRY

Description: A job that commonly requires the employee to take information from a hard copy or other source and enter it into an electronic format. Position may also be taking electronic data and entering it into a database for easy sorting and locating.

Requirements: Generally requires someone capable of typing 40-50 or more WPM, familiarity with computer, and usually requires familiarity with a word processors.

Recommendations: Practice your typing and take online typing tests to determine your overall speed.

Difficulty: (LOW) Most data entry jobs are beginner level jobs and don't require much or any prior experience or formal education.

 

DATABASE

Description: A job that requires creating, testing, and maintaining one or more database.

Requirements: Requires a familiarity with or extensive knowledge of databases at the place of employment. For example: Access, FoxPro, MySQL, SQL, Sybase, etc.

Recommendations: Become familiar with the database being used at the business. If the job is for developing or continuing the development of a database, you will need to have a great understanding of the database as well as how to program it. Often this knowledge requires past experience or formal education.

Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) Developing or maintaining a database can be a difficult and sometimes very complex job. As mentioned above you will need to have past experience or formal education with maintaining or developing a database before most companies will even consider you.

ENGINEER

Description: An engineer is someone who is at the top of their class and almost always someone who has or is working on a college degree or several certifications. Although used broadly in this document, the engineer is usually specified in the job requirement. For example, a software development engineer may be a highly skilled computer programmer.

Requirements: The requirements for this job change depending on the engineer you plan on being. However, as mentioned above, any engineer job will require an extensive understanding of the job. Usually, this understanding is obtained from a school, certifications, training, or years of past experience.

Recommendations: Get training and education in the subject of interest from a school or other location. Learn as much about the subject as possible from books, the Internet, and other sources. Often before you can qualify for many engineer positions you will need past experience; therefore, it's a good idea to get an entry-level job in the same field. For example, if you want to be an engineer in software development, get a job in programming or create your own software programs. If you want to become a network engineer, get a job that requires you to setup, maintain, or otherwise work with networks and setup your own home network.

Difficulty: (HIGH) This is a job / position that requires a lot of work to obtain and is not likely something you will be able to get as your first job.

HARDWARE

Description: A position as a hardware designer, circuit design, embedded systems, firmware, etc. is a job that requires you to design and create a complete hardware package or portions of a hardware device.

Requirements: Jobs that design or create hardware devices often require that the person has a good understanding of electronics, circuits, firmware, or design. For this position the person will often need to have several years of prior experience or a degree in the field.

Recommendations: If you're interested in this field we suggest you get a degree in the field.

Difficulty: (HIGH) Hardware design is a difficult position to learn and understand unless you get training or a degree.

NETWORKING

Description: Computer networking jobs involve designing, setting up, and maintaining a network.

Requirements: Although most users today have their own home networks, setting up, troubleshooting, and maintaining a corporate network can be a much more complicated task. Often, networking jobs also require a good understanding of how a network works, and in some cases how all the underlying protocols and structure of how networks work.

Recommendations: There are numerous network and network related certifications available today, such as the CCNA, MCSE, etc. Often depending on the level of certification and the job you're applying for, the certifications will be more than enough to quality you for most network jobs. Some of the higher networking positions, especially in the development of network hardware or programming side, may also require past experience in networking or a degree.

Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) Depending upon the job specifications and the complexity of the network usually determines the difficulty of this job.

PROGRAMMER / SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Description: A job that requires the development or continued development and maintenance of a software program.

Requirements: A basic to extensive understanding of a programming language. Because most job positions will require a person to develop sections of a program or the whole program, they often require several years of past experience or a degree before even considering you.

Recommendations: Learn one or more programming languages. Depending on what programs or scripts you wish to create may change the language you wish to learn. See the dictionary programming languages definition for a listing of popular programming languages and programs they create. If you need experience, creating your own software programs is a great way to learn a language and demonstrate your abilities at a job interview.

Difficulty: (HIGH) Learning a programming language can be as difficult as learning a second language and takes a lot of experience and practice to become a skilled programmer.

QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) / SYSTEM ANALYST / TESTER

Description: This job requires that the employee test out all features of a product for any problems or usability issues.

Requirements: Requires that the person have a good understanding of computer software, hardware, and the product being tested.

Recommendations: Become familiar with computers, software, hardware, and the products the company makes.

Difficulty: (LOW - MEDIUM) Depending on what is being tested and how much needs to be tested usually determines the difficulty of this job. However, for users familiar with the product or similar products, you should not have much difficulty locating and reporting issues.

SALES

Description: Selling a product or service to another person or company.

Requirements: Good communication skills and a general understanding of computers and the product that is being sold.

Recommendations: If you're selling computers, computer hardware, or computer software, become familiar with all aspects of the product. Sites like Computer Hope are a great resource to learn about computers. If you're selling a specialized product developed by the company you will be selling for, visit their web page and become as familiar with the product as possible.

Difficulty: (LOW) Sales for computer software, hardware, electronics, or related products is a good first job and can be a good way to learn more about computers.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT (TECHNICAN / HELP DESK)

Description: Helping an end-user or company employee with their computers, software program, and hardware device. A technical support position is a great first step for people interested in working in the computer industry.

Requirements: A basic understanding of computers, computer's software, and hardware.

Recommendations: Become as familiar as possible with computers, computer software, and computer hardware, depending on what you will be supporting. Almost all technical support centers that help end-users with their computers, computer software, or computer hardware products have training that all employees go through before you actually start work but will still often require that the user be familiar with computers.
Help desks for corporations do not usually have any training; these positions require that the person being hired already have a very good understanding of computers and troubleshooting computer problems.

Difficulty: (LOW - MEDIUM) The difficulty of this job is really depending on the training you get. However, someone who is familiar with computers or works with computers often will generally have an easy time with these positions after a few days working at them.

 

TECHNICAL WRITING

Description: This position often involves creating or editing technical papers or manuals.

Requirements: This position often requires that the individual has a basic understanding about the subject being written about and have good writing skills.

Recommendations: Many of these positions will require that the person have a degree and will often test a user before hiring them. In addition to having good writing skills, you should also be familiar with a major word processor.

Difficulty: (LOW - MEDIUM) For someone who has good writing skills and familiarity with the subject, this job can be an easy job.

 

SECURITY EXPERT

Description: Test and find vulnerabilities in a system, hardware device, or software program.

Requirements: This position is for someone who has a strong familiarity with how software, hardware, and networks work and how to exploit them. Often, you will need to have a good understanding of how the overall system works as well as good programming skills.

Recommendations: Keep up-to-date with all security news, advisories, and other related news. The majority of security vulnerabilities are through software, and in order to understand these vulnerabilities or find new security vulnerabilities, you'll need to understand how to program and have a good understand of how software works and interacts with computers.

Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) The difficulty of this job really depends on what you're testing or trying to find any vulnerabilities in.

WEDMASTER / WEB DESIGNER

Description: A job where a person creates, maintains, or completely designs a web page.

Requirements: For basic web designing positions you should have a good understanding of HTML, the Internet, and web servers. More advanced positions where you will be working with more advanced web pages and not just static web pages may also require that you be familiar with such things as CGI, CSS, Flash, FTP, Linux, Perl, PHP, RSS, SSI, Unix, or XHTML.
In addition to having a good understanding of the technologies and code used to create a web page, you're also often required to know the software programs they are created in.

Recommendations: One of the best learning experiences for people who are interested in this job is to create your own web page. Keeping in mind that designing and posting a web page using Microsoft FrontPage without understanding HTML or the code of how it works may not be sufficient enough for most jobs.

Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) The complexity of this job is really dependent on how difficult of a project you're working on, creating and posting a simple web site with no interaction is not that hard. However, creating an interactive site with forms, databases, and overall more interaction with the user and the server can increase the difficulty of the job significantly.

 

Information provided by:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000764.htm
http://www.suite101.com/content/which-information-technology-it-qualification-to-choose-a302043