IT Careers Explained
For each IT field, we’ll tell you what it takes to get in and what it pays.
Before the computer age, the field of Information Technology was pretty much limited to what was inside books – to what could be written down and published.
Today we take information and process it, convert it, transmit it, store it, retrieve it, secure it, and interact with it – all from the comfort of our desktops.
With the proliferation of computers and the Internet, just about every company you can think of needs I.T. professionals.
Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I turn my computer skills into a career?”
Consider the amazing number of possibilities in the world of Information Technology.
Web Developer
Web Developer is a fancy title for someone who creates and designs websites. As Web professionals refine their technical skills, they may also administer, manage, and protect these sites.
The U.S. Department of Labor expects that, by 2016, the 30,000+ Web development companies already doing business in the U.S. will grow by another 37%. That makes it an industry with an urgent need for more people to build, program, administer, and service all these sites.
Training
You’d do well to nurture your art and design skills for this career. There are plenty of graphic design and website software solutions to be found on store shelves. But to really improve your chances, look for certificate courses and associate’s degree programs. Web jobs in the corporate world may demand a computer-related bachelor’s degree.
Pay
Robert Half International, a firm providing specialized staffing services revealed some salary ranges for careers focused on Web development. Here’s a sample:
Web Designer: $47,000-$71,500
Web Administrator: $49,750-$74,750
Web Developer: $54,750-$81,500
Senior Web Developer: $71,000-$102,000
Who’s Hiring?
Web development companies, advertising agencies, graphic design firms.
Programming and Applications
Programmers write and maintain the software that keeps our machines humming, and they do it in all kinds of settings. From corporate information technology departments to consulting companies to banks to governments, there continues to be a demand for people who know how to make our computers obey our commands.
Programmers usually work in offices but, if doing the job from home is your idea of great working conditions, telecommuting is becoming increasingly common in this field.
Training
Bachelor’s degrees are common among most programmers but, for some positions, a two-year degree or certificate is all that’s required.
Pay
As of May 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor pegged median annual earnings for computer programmers at $65,510.
Who’s Hiring?
Mid-size and large corporations, management companies, insurance companies, consulting companies, software companies, software service firms, multimedia companies, client/server companies.
Networking
In this world, you design, test, and evaluate network systems. Some systems, like the Internet and data communications systems, are already familiar to you. But there are plenty of others – local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and intranets – and they’ll all be looking to staff up.
Training
Most employers want applicants to have bachelor’s degrees in computer science, information science, or management information systems.
Pay
According to 2006 U.S. Department of Labor figures, median annual earnings for network systems and data communication analysts were $64,600. Robert Half International firm supplements that figure with salary ranges for some Network System positions:
Network Architect: $78,000-$112,250
Network Manager: $68,750-$93,000
LAN/WAN Administrator: $51,000-$71,500
Who’s Hiring?
Telecommunications companies, internet service providers; Web search portals, data processing departments, Webhosting firms, governments at all levels, manufacturers of computer and electronic products, insurance companies, financial institutions, and universities.
Information Sciences and Systems
This field is all about collecting, analyzing, and disseminating knowledge. The goal is to improve the way people use information. It also focuses on the interaction between human beings and computers.
Training
Courses in computer science or systems design offer good preparation for a job in these occupations. Most community colleges and many independent technical institutes offer an associate’s degree in computer science or a related information technology field.
Pay
The U.S. Department of Labor found that median annual earnings for computer and information research scientists were $93,950 in May 2006.
Who’s Hiring?
Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, research libraries, financial services companies, purchasing and supply firms, computer services firms.
Health Information
If you’ve been listening to the health care debate, you might have heard health information identified as a field that’s vital not only for controlling costs but for improving health care. Here, the job is to collect, maintain, and safeguard the data that doctors collect about patients.
And, as the health care field has expanded, the health information specialty has also experienced explosive growth.
This field is not just about statistics. It’s got a vital purpose: to safeguard the health and privacy of patients.
Training
Professionals in this field need certification. There are two. A Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) needs an associate’s degree. A Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) requires a bachelor’s degree.
Pay
Salaries for health information administrators range from $69,848-$117,987.
Who’s Hiring?
Doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics, HMOs, health insurance companies, health research organizations.
Database
This field is, predictably enough, all about managing data. Information gets stored in gigantic computerized file cabinets called databases. The job of a database administrator is not only to bring more data into the system, but to improve the way it gets stored and to troubleshoot problems.
Training
Most employers want database administrators to have bachelor’s degrees in computer science, information science, or management information systems (MIS).
But, job seekers can enhance their employment prospects by earning certifications in database management.
Pay
Salary ranges according to Robert Half International:
Database Manager: $84,750-$116,000
Database Developer: $73,500-$103,000
Database Administrator: $70,250-$102,000
Who’s Hiring?
Insurance companies, corporations, colleges and universities, local governments, hospitals.
Fewer Women Joining the IT Ranks
In this age of increased gender equality when women are doctors, astronauts and Supreme Court Justices, the stats for women in IT are surprisingly poor.
According to the American Association of University Women based in Washington, D.C., women represent roughly 20 percent of IT professionals, and receive less than 28 percent of the bachelors degrees in computer science. That’s down from a high of 37 percent in 1984. Computer science has the distinction of being the only field in which women’s participation has actually decreased over time.
”The numbers for women trained in IT are down dramatically,” says Dr. Telle Whitney, president and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute for Women, a Palo Alto-based organization that provides a platform to allow women’s voices, ideas and spirits to influence technology. Whitney received a Ph.D in computer science from Cal Tech.
In engineering, the numbers are even worse. According to the National Academy of Engineering, women account for only 19 percent of engineering graduates.
So while women make up about half of the U.S. workforce, why do they make such a poor showing in technical fields? And more importantly, what can and is being done about it?
Girls in Math Class
Problems in the American education system have been well documented. Particularly in the field of math, warring educational philosophies have meant that students generally score lower in math than their contemporaries in other developed nations. To make matters worse, many teachers don’t expect girls to excel in math, so they don’t focus on them in class and they don’t push them to do better. Some girls pick up this cue and don’t expect to do well either.
”At school, I was told that my B grades in math and science were really good for a girl,” says Jasmine Noel, an IT analyst specializing in network management for New York-based Ptak, Noel & Associates. Noel now holds a bachelor of science degree from MIT and a master of science degree from the University of Southern California.
Unfortunately, little has changed since she was in school.
A few years back, a career awareness survey was conducted by The Futures Channel, a Los Angeles-based media company whose programming focuses on education, engineering, technology and space. Young girls named teacher, secretary and nurse as their main job possibilities.
”Students generally were very unfamiliar with the workplace and opportunities available to them,” says Anne Prohov, education coordinator at The Futures Channel. ”This was especially the case for young girls. There was a surprising absence of awareness of engineering and technology-type jobs.”
This year’s Lemelson-MIT Invention Index shows a new twist.
Instead of focusing on these traditional professions, girls appear to be increasingly influenced by America’s seemingly celebrity-obsessed culture. Now 32 percent say they want to be an actress, while 24 percent want to be a musician and 22 percent want to be an athlete. Seventeen percent want to be elected president. Only 10 percent want to get into the field of science/innovation.
Fortunately, there are more organizations than ever intent on changing things.
The Anita Borg Institute, for example, just organized the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing Conference with more than 900 participants from academia and industry. This represents a big gain over past events which managed no more than 650 attendees.
”We often hear stories about students ready to drop out because they are fed up being the only woman,” says Whitney. ”The conferences help them to network with their peers and provide access to mentors. Most return with a higher level of commitment to their course of studies.”
Another organization working hard to reverse the trend is the Math/Science Network, based at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. The organization’s members oversee a set of conferences known as ”Expanding your Horizons (EYH) in Science and Mathematics.” The purpose of these gatherings is to increase the participation of women in science, engineering, and mathematics. EYH conferences are held in approximately 100 sites in 30 states each year.
”We need to spread the word to young girls about the importance of taking all the math and science they can in high school in order to maximize their career choices,” says Teri Perl, president of the Math/Science Network. Perl has a Ph.D in mathematics education from Stanford University. ”We also need to provide more role models through conference workshops like EYH.”
Perl spoke at last month’s Grace Hopper Conference and utilized a series of three- to five-minute micro-documentaries provided by The Futures Channel. The films feature successful women discussing how they apply mathematics and science in their careers.
Some of the women documented include, New York architect Frances Halsband, whose team designed a new entrance to Penn Station; the work of Beth Richards, an engineer working in photovoltaics at a U.S. Energy Lab; Tracy Frankel, a sports photographer who speaks of images captured in fractions of a second; entomologist Jan Dietrick who uses ratios, statistics and biology in her work; renowned acoustician Elizabeth Cohen, and Eileen Schnock, chief engineer at New York’s Department of Environmental Protection, who is working 55 stories underground on a new tunnel to bring water to New York City residents.
”I used the videos as an example to the audience of the kinds of software that educators should use,” says Perl. ”These clips are designed to answer students’ oft-asked question about subjects like math and science — why do we need to learn this?”
Making a Difference
With such a wealth of well-supported activities addressing the situation, and so many well-meaning individuals attempting to resolve the issue, the hope is that more and more girls will be lured into technical endeavors. While there is a long way to go, there also is plenty of room for optimism. Noel points out, for instance, that when she first attended IT conferences, she would be the only women in the room. That doesn’t happen any more.
”I believe things are slowly getting better,” says Noel.
She notes that part of the problem is the perception that folks in IT sit compiling code in an isolated room or fiddle with computers all day long. That’s not an attractive proposition to the average teenage girl thinking about her future. But IT is evolving beyond its ‘geeky’ origins and business/communication skills are increasingly called for.
”That mix of problem solving, technical knowledge and interpersonal interaction needs more emphasis if more women are to be attracted into IT,” says Noel. ”In addition, we teach technology as a means of advancing a career in business, not because you want to be a programmer.”
On-line Creative Strategy
The single largest problem that continues to hinder interactive design from really coming into it’s own is the fact that designers allow their work to be led more by technology or production techniques and not creative thinking.
As a creative director I have had tons of interactive portfolios come across my screen over the years and I see the same problem over and over again. Unfortunately most of this work has been produced in Macromedia Flash and that technology has taken a huge amount of criticism over the years. I personally believe that pointing to Flash as the reason for ineffective web design makes about as much sense as blaming paper for creating junk mail or the telephone for creating the solicitors who call during dinner. The fault should fall to the designers who have not taken the time to use a creative strategy as the basis of their work.
A good on-line creative strategy should define the values and brand attributes that need to be communicated to the consumer in a distinctive and compelling way that takes advantage of the medium. I use answers to the following list of questions as a starting point when I meet with a new client or start on a new project.
What are we advertising and why?
When you meet with your client about a new project, get a thorough understanding of the focus of the communications efforts such as: the brand, a specific product or service, a promotion or new news. Make sure you understand their reasons for wanting to be on-line. Often the rationale clients provide are expressed as marketing objectives not as communications objectives. Communications change the way people think and influence their behaviors. That is the difference between a marketing objective and a communications objective. What is it they are trying to achieve? Increase market share? Drive awareness? Increases frequency or penetration? Increase sales? Focus on uncovering the single most important obstacle the communications must overcome.
What is the brands communication past?
Get a clear understanding of where the brand has come from and where it is now is critical to determining where the brand needs to go. Look at the brands past advertising to gain a solid understanding of the it’s positioning, personality and focus. Research if the target of the brand’s activities have shifted and why. What are the reasons for this change?
What do we need to do?
It is a simple as it sounds. What are the deliverables that need to be created to fulfill the clients marketing and communications needs?
Who are we talking to? (Demographics)
What are the physical characteristics of your clients market? Your client should be able to provide you with some statistics that provide a snapshot of the consumer you will target with the creative work. Common demographics include: age, gender, religion, income level, education, and family composition.
Who are we talking to? (Psychographics)
What are the mental characteristics of your clients market? Your client should again be able to provide you with some information that provides a snapshot of the consumer’s mindset regarding: their personal values, their beliefs, their habits and their activities. Psychographics are often more powerful influences upon how a consumer views your clients category, brand or product as attributes often affect behavior, and attitudes typically cross age groups. Take time to know your consumer so your creative will be more impactful.
What is the personality and tone?
A brand’s personality should be a reflection it’s behavior, character, and manner. This personality should drive the style and tone of all our communications in writing, photos/illustrations, typography and style.
What is the selling idea?
The selling idea is a way of saying the most persuasive thing you can say to get consumers to alter their behavior towards a client’s category, brand or product. The selling idea should be the starting point for the development any compelling, original, and successful creative ideas. The selling idea can be about: ways of using the product, disadvantages of not using the product, satisfying needs (physical, social, psychological, new ways), product heritage / where or how it was made or generic benefit you want to own.
What do we want the consumer to do?
With any advertising you want to be able to evoke and emotion or action. What is the emotion you want them have? How should they feel about the brand? What do you want them to do?
Conclusion
This list is just a starting point. To create a great strategy you have to be able to distill and refine the answers to get at the insights and core brand attributes. The more accurate and concise you are able to become the better your ideas will be. I also recommend if possible to share your answers and thinking with a team of your peers or co-workers because the more people thinking about a project, the more new ideas can be generated.