Today, there is a tremendous need for skilled information technology personnel in businesses and industries. The growth of the information technology (IT) industry continues to steadily rise. With globalization, rapid development, new technology, more business requirements, the demand for information technology personnel has grown. What does an IT person do? They answer the “how” questions of clients, prepare documentation, design and construct networks, install software, troubleshoot systems, evaluate security, compile and create reports, and much more. The job scope is quite broad and varied.
Information Technology describes the use of information, hardware, software, and networking infrastructure to handle and deliver data using voice, text, images, video, and sound. It is also related to software engineering, computer science, and database management. All aspects of information technology are involved. For instance, an IT person would be responsible for designing, building, maintaining, securing, updating, repairing, and back up information technology systems.
Some of the projects in which information technology professionals are involved include creating information technology networks and data networks, designing and building information technology servers, information technology applications, information technology platforms, and software applications. In addition, they can assist with networking, Internet connectivity, email, data storage and retrieval, desktop and server maintenance, system management, desktop and server maintenance, system optimization, training and education, and hardware and software change proposals. In short, the IT professional provides guidance and assistance to client companies on information technology needs. He or she can also help design business processes that are needed to support the information technology needs of the client company. Information technology professionals are in high demand, particularly in the information technology field.
An information technology professional can perform a variety of tasks, depending on his expertise and the specific nature of the job. For instance, an information technology specialist could help design and build information technology networks, help maintain those networks, design new networks, fix glitches in those networks, and upgrade or enhance the current network’s security features. He can also work on hardware and software issues. He designs and builds hardware that is used in information technology networks, maintains those hardware devices, and upgrades those devices. He also designs and modifies application software. Lastly, he or she works on information technology applications, helping to create and maintain networks, design and modify applications, implement new technology, improve network security, make changes to information technology infrastructure, improve network capacity, implement new information technology standards, provide information technology training to clients, and train other employees in the IT arena.
In contrast, information technology specialists deal more with hardware and software issues. An information technology specialist may work with computers, with servers, with networking, with information science, with hardware, or with information technology. He can work in a variety of settings, including colleges, with businesses, government agencies, or with nonprofit organizations. An information technology specialist specializes in one of four specialized fields. They are:
Many information technology professionals have IT degrees and work for companies specializing in either information science or computer applications. The information technology field involves researching, planning, implementing, managing, and protecting computer systems. A bachelor’s degree in information technology usually involves courses in research, information science, computer applications, database design and management, information technology management, computer systems, computer networks, programming languages such as C/C++, Java, PHP, Unix, Python, and Visual Basic, and other related courses. Most employers expect graduates to have a bachelor’s degree in information technology or a related field.
Another field of information technology is telecommunications. It includes the use of information technology to transmit data, such as messages, over a network of phone lines and networks. An information technology major may choose to specialize in one of these fields. Some of the possibilities include computer systems, information technology, computer communications technology, information systems, networking, and networking software. Most telecommunications majors work with radio and television networks.
The final specialization area is web-based computing technology. This is the application of information technology to the Internet, including email, web browsing, social media, and more. There are many opportunities in this area, which include anything related to computer networks, such as email servers, networks of electronic mail, data networks, digital video networks, the Internet itself, network-based computing, and anything else that allow information to be exchanged over networks. Computer networking majors often find employment in business and government agencies, finance, consumer industries, the media, education, and more.