This is the first unit in a series in which we are going to speak about jobs in the Information Technology field.

Transcription

1 This is the first unit in a series in which we are going to speak about jobs in the Information Technology field. 1

2 Nowadays Information technology has become part of our daily lives, being used in all areas of business and industry. Every day more and more products and processes are incorporating Information technology components, making possible what a few years ago was considered science fiction. This means that the Information Technology field offers a vast amount of possibilities to develop a career in different industries and positions. But this dynamism implies constant change, as what is valid today may not be useful in a couple of years. This means that choosing a career in IT implies being willing to adapt to frequent changes and embracing continuous learning for the rest of our working lives. 2

3 As we have said, IT is present in almost every aspect of our lives. When thinking about an IT career we can group them in the following areas: You could choose an IT career in design and manufacturing, not only of IT equipment, but of a lot of different products such as cars, trains, planes, toys or household appliances. All of these areas have incorporated IT. You could work as a hardware or software engineer developing the IT subsystems of the product or the manufacturing processes. You could choose a career in an Information Technology company, such as Google, Facebook or a telecommunication carrier such as Verizon. There you could work as a software developer, system engineer, data analyst or network engineer focused on the development of the network or services. As every business nowadays needs an Information Technology infrastructure, you could work developing and maintaining the IT systems of a company, either as part of its work force or working for an external provider. You could become an information systems architect, business analyst, systems administrator, network administrator, database administrator or data analyst for example. You could also start a career developing software in companies like Microsoft, Autodesk or Adobe. There you could be a software engineer, software architect, application analyst, user interface designer of graphics designer. Web development can be considered part of software development, but its peculiarities and its volume make it a different group. Here you can find jobs like web developer, user interface designer, information architect, interactivity designer, database designer, content administrator or graphic designer In the new Web 2.0 world a lot of new jobs related to content management, digital marketing and social interaction have been created. You could pursue a career as a social media community manager, brand content developer, brand evangelist, copywriter, search engine optimization specialist or paid advertising specialist. 3

4 If you want to work in the Information Technology field, getting professional certification is a good way to advance your career. Professional certifications in computer technology are non-degree awards made to those who have achieved qualifications specified by a certifying authority. Depending on the particular certification, qualifications may include completing a course of study, proof of professional accomplishments, achieving a specified grade on an examination or some combination thereof. The intention is to establish that an individual holding a certification is technically qualified to hold certain types of position within the field. You can find certifications in a lot of different areas of IT, such as networking, database, security or software development. There are vendor specific certifications (from Microsoft, Cisco or Apple, for example), third party and vendor neutral certifications (like the ones from the Linux Professional institute or the European Computer Driving License foundation) and general certifications such as the Certified Software Development Professional from IEEE or the Certified Information Technology Professional from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. As a lot of IT work is organized in projects, a good background in project management is always desirable. An internationally recognized certification in the field is the PMP (Project Management Professional) by the Project Management Institute. Another general certifications that is internationally recognized and asked for when working for IT departments of big corporations or governments are the ITIL framework certifications. These are just a few, though. Some other interesting IT certifications are:. - CompTIA (The Computer Information Technology Industry Association). -Microsoft Certifications at various levels (Technology Associate, Solutions Associate, Solutions Expert) -Cisco Certifications: Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and others -Oracle Certifications: Business Intelligence, Certified Professional Java Developer and others -Apple Certified System Administrator (ACSA) -IBM Certified Enterprise Developer --Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP) -International Computer Driving License (ICDL) - HP Certified IT Professional - Certified Information Systems Auditor -EC-Council Certifications: Certified Ethical Hacker or Certified Security Analyst among others -Nortel Networks Certified Network Architect -Symantec Certified Security Engineer 4

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