Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Career in IT

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Introduction


What is Career? Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as an individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work (and sometimes also formal education). So, when we talk about career in IT is a sector uses a wide and sometimes confusing range of different job  titles to describe its employees skills. Two people with the same job title might be doing completely different things  depending on which organisation they are based with.


If you don't know your Systems Analyst from your Software Engineer this list of common job titles might help. With each description is a selection of course programmes which, we think, will provide you with the right skills and experience to perform in that role. Salary ranges are, of course, only approximate and dependent on the business sector you will be working in as well as the employer.


Different kind of job in IT that you can choose:


-Webmaster-
Also known as: web designer, web producer, multimedia architect, internet engineer, usability consultant or  HCI designer


Salary Range:
£28,000 - £53,000

Webmaster are some of the only people working in IT who manage to avoid the stereotypes that can plague the IT sector. Web developing is roughly about building websites and making them idiot proof. The job is still viewed as the trendy side of IT years after it emerged and as such it attracts 'media' types as well as those with technical expertise. These days web development is becoming much more technical and involves some real hardcore programming as well as the creative side of designing new sites. e-commerce is big news these days as the online side of business grows and grows.

Recommended courses:


-Computer support specialist-
Also Known as: helpdesk support, operations analyst, support analyst, system administrator, technical support engineer

Salary range:
£27,000-£33,000

 These are the professional troubleshooters - the SAS of the IT world. When other people are standing around tutting or exclaiming 'bloody computer', the technical support team are bustling around- sorting it all out, either over the phone or under your desk, without even a mutter of complaint. Many technical support specialists work for hardware manufacturers and suppliers, solving the problems of business customers or consumers like you or me. But many work for end-user companies. In fact, any organization with more than 50 or so computer users is likely to need a full-time technical support person.


Recommended courses:


-Technical Writer-
Also known as: technical communicator
Salary Range:
£36,000 - £44,000

A technical writer is a professional writer who designs, creates and maintains technical documentation. This documentation includes online help, user guides, white papers, design specifications, system manuals, and other documents.
Engineers, scientists, and other professionals may also produce technical writing, usually handing their work to a professional technical writer for proofreading, editing, and formatting. A technical writer produces technical documentation for technical, business, and consumer audiences.


Recommended courses:



-Software Engineer-
Also Known as: application programmer, software architect or system developer

*Salary range:
£31,000-£38,000


'Software engineer' is something of a catch-all title. What you'll actually end up doing will probably depend on your age and experience. Juniors might write the basic code, while more senior people are involved in the cutting-edge stuff, designing and developing large-scale systems and applications. You will usually work at one end of the process - either creating the software or helping to test it to make sure it is 100 per cent perfect. The work involves lots of talking to clients and colleagues to assess what they actually want from the software you're designing, which means there is a lot of IT interaction as well as full-on technical work.

 
Recommended courses:




-Network Administrator-
Also known as: hardware engineer, network designer, network engineer

Salary range:
£30,000 - £34,000

Network administrator is one of the more technically demanding jobs in IT. The nature of the work you do will depend on what type of company you work for and what its network requirements are. Broadly speaking, the job involves setting up, administering, maintaining and upgrading networks. It is a highly technical role and you will definitely need a good understanding of IT when you apply and you'll most likely gather a hoard of specialized technical certifications as you move through your career. Despite the tough technical nature of the job, network engineers spend a lot of their time with clients, helping them make informed decisions and get the best out of the technology they are using.

Recommended courses:


-System Analyst-
Also known as: product specialist, systems engineer, solutions specialist or technical designer

Salary range:
£37,000-42,000




Roughly-speaking, a systems analyst designs computer system solutions for customers. The job is a mixture of business stuff, technical know-how and touchy-feely client sales pitches. Like many IT jobs it involves client contacts as well as full-on technical work. A company will approach an IT company with a specific IT need.  It's the job of the systems analyst to assess what the client really needs and design and IT package based on their knowledge of hardware and software applications.
 Further up the ladder, systems analysts can progress deeper into the technical side of the job, or move across to focus on the client-led business side. 

Recommended courses:


-Programmer-
Also Known as: analyst programmer

Salary range:
£28,000-£42,000

You never hear about 'computer programmers' any more - these days they all seem to have become 'programmers' or 'analyst programmers' instead. Basically they're the people who write the code. In some industries 'programmer' can be a much more senior role, distinguishing them from the non-technical people. But programmers don't just sit in front of computers with anorak hoods up all day. They'll usually work as part of a team composed of other programmers, testers, team leaders and so on. At more senior levels the emphasis shifts towards the analysis side and managing whole projects. You'll need a very logical, organized approach to problem solving and a thorough understanding of programming.

 



















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