Careers in Information Technology

An example of a retro Burroughs computer system

When I think about beginning a career in Information Technology, I think back to around 1984 when I was about 5 years old. My dad worked for the Burroughs Corporation as a Field Engineer. He showed me the computers where he worked, computers that had taken up entire rooms. I thought this was incredible. I remember seeing computer punch cards and plenty of dot matrix paper. Most computer screens were black with green font. I remember playing Wheel of Fortune with red, green, and yellow colors, choppy animation, and beeps for sounds and music. I was amazed by all of this technology at the time. Technology has changed immensely over the last four decades. The number of computer-related jobs has grown incredibly as well. 

Going into an IT degree, I have some ideas about what I want to do when I graduate. “Working in IT can mean a variety of different things. You can work in computer support, cybersecurity, data, cloud computing, and other areas (Coursera, 2022).” Many IT jobs out there deal with the topics we covered in our textbook.

Chapter 2 of our textbook covered hardware and software. One of the first IT jobs that comes up in an IT job search is computer support or tech support. These careers can start out as being an IT support technician, help desk technician, or supporting roles in other aspects of computer operations. The average salary for these careers is around $71,000 and the projected growth is 9%.

In Chapter 3 we learned about the Internet and the web. Chapters 5 and 6 taught us about computer applications and web and mobile apps. There are several jobs out there in Web Development. These careers include web developer, web designer, other developer jobs, and other engineering jobs. Web development jobs average $95k per year and have an expected growth of 13%. It is recommended to take courses in programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. We use several different websites every day. As the growth of the Internet continues and technology continues to grow, I believe that this field will continue to grow as expected.

Chapters 7 and 8 explained privacy and security. I have a coworker that is going to college for cybersecurity. I did not realize how important this career field was until I read these two chapters. I imagined that cybersecurity was mainly for government, banking, and other more sensitive information. After I finished reading these two chapters I had more of an understanding of the importance of privacy and security in the lives of everyone as they use their computers and smartphones throughout the day. There are many careers in cybersecurity with a projected growth of 33% and an average salary of $96k. Careers include information security analyst, cybersecurity analyst, engineers, managers, and even ethical hackers. As the attacks on our personal information and cyber attacks continue to grow, this career path will continue to grow in importance.

Cloud computing is another IT career field that continues to grow with an average annual salary of $119k and a growth of 27%. These careers include cloud engineers, architects, programmers, and consultants. Google and Amazon have cloud computing careers and require special training and certificates to get hired.

These were some of the career fields that I read about that I would be interested in. I am also interested in robotics and automation. How do I choose which route to go? The IT field offers steady employment, opportunities for career growth, and high wages (Indeed, 2021). Indeed recommends that you consider your interests in the IT field, like the careers I mentioned earlier. Then look to pursue a job in the area of technology, government, healthcare, banking, etc. Next, research education and certificate requirements, average salaries, projected job growth, work schedules, and work environments. Indeed recommends shadowing a professional in one or two IT specialties for one day or several days to get a better idea of that job. Completing an internship if available is another good way of getting a taste of a certain career.

I chose to enroll in an IT degree because information technology is everywhere. The field continues to grow. As I have learned recently, there are many different career paths to choose. The salary can be pretty good. I chose this degree because I believe I can find a job wherever I want to live and quite possibly work from home. My dad worked with computers for over 40 years without a degree. His experience and knowledge kept him employed until retirement. He worked mostly from home for the last 15 years of his career. Looking at his career with computers, I can see the possibility for a long an interesting career in the IT field.

 

References

Coursera. (2022, July 12). 7 IT Career Paths and How to Get Started in 2022. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/articles/it-career-paths-how-to-get-started

Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, March 15). How To Choose an IT Career Path. Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/career-path-for-it

Vahid, Frank, (2019, February). TEC 101: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy.