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Preparing for careers in information
technology is a function of multiple
subroutines.
Which algorithm will you
choose?
by Roger Moncarz
M
aria and Spencer are both in their early
20's. Maria recently completed her
bachelor's degree in English; Spencer dropped
out of college after a few semesters. If asked to speculate
on Maria's and
Spencer's occupations, perhaps you would
guess writer and waiter.
But it might surprise you to learn that
Maria is a computer systems analyst and Spencer is a computer
programmer. Maria, while
majoring in English, took several computer-related
courses and gained experience working
in a computer lab. Spencer, although not
formally enrolled in a degree program, took courses at a community
college
and earned certification in a program- ming
language. Both benefited from the flexible training requirements
for individuals hoping
to work in informa- tion technology, often
identified as IT.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects
that 8 of the 10 fastest growing occupations between 2000 and
2010
will be computer related. For this reason,
future jobseekers need to know about the variety of ways to
prepare for a career in
information technology. Following a discussion
of how these workers are defined, this article focuses on the
available training,
which ranges from certificates to advanced
degrees.
What is an information technology worker?
The information technology workforce is
defined differently by trade organizations
and Government sources.
The Information Technology Asso- ciation
of America defines an informa- tion technology worker by using
the eight career
clusters developed by the National Workforce
Center for Emerg- ing Technologies. Those career clusters include
programming
and software engineering, technical support,
enter- prise systems, database development and administration,
Web development
and administration, network design and administration,
digital media, and technical writing. According to its latest
study, "Bouncing Back: Jobs, Skills, and
the Continuing Demand for IT Work- ers," the Association notes
that 92 percent of all
information technology workers are in non-information-
technology companies-80 percent of them in small companies outside
the information technology industry.
The U.S. Department of Commerce identifies
the information technology workforce more broadly. In its report
on information
technology, "Digital Economy 2002," the
Department defines workers in information technology occupations
as those who design,
manufacture, operate, maintain, and repair
information technology products and provide related services
across all industries.
For purposes of this article, informa- tion
technology workers are considered to be those employed in 12
computer- related
Standard Occupational Classifi- cation System
(SOC) occupations. These occupations are:
Computer and information systems managers
Computer programmers
Computer and information scientists
Computer systems analysts
Computer hardware engineers
Computer software engineers, applications
Computer software engineers, systems software
Computer support specialists
Database administrators
Network and computer systems administrators
Network systems and data communi- cations
analysts
All other computer specialists, a residual
category of workers.
Using this definition, BLS data show that
there were about 3.3 million information technology workers
employed in the United
States in 2000. However, that number excludes
market- ing and sales workers employed by information technology
companies.
What type of training do I need?
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