Advanced Computer Job Skills
These computer skills are typically required for information technology (IT) jobs. They are "true" computer jobs, in that they have everything to do with computers and little to do with anything else. Natch, IT workers need other skills and perform other tasks too, but their focus is on computers or the networks on which computers communicate.
People who work in IT typically specialize in hardware, software, support, management or the business side of computing, but each spills over into the other to some degree. Software, management and business are usually where the biggest bucks are.
IT workers learn their skills through experience, by earning computer science degrees or certifications, or all of the above. Employers might prefer college degrees, but many will accept experience or certifications. Just about any computer certification will make you more employable and can be a faster way to a new career path. But just as college degrees, certifications aren't magic pills that make you instantly employable, like those who sell them might lead you to believe. They do, however, qualify you to apply and compete for IT jobs.
Some examples of IT job titles are listed below, but they're just a drop in the bucket. (Titles and job descriptions vary by company, too.) Click the links for salary ranges plus brief job descriptions from Salary.com in partnership with About.com. For more about computer job salaries, click the links in Salary - Computer Jobs.
- Application Systems Analyst
- Client/Server Programmer
- Data Architect
- Information Technology Director
- Network Administrator
- Network Security Systems Manager
- Systems Engineer
Tip: Skills in network security are among the most demanded today, and will be more so in the days to come. If you select this field, you'll help to keep hackers, viruses and maybe even terrorists from intruding and damaging computers, a major problem that will only get worse as more computers are networked.
Tip 2: Computer science skills alone might not be enough to land or keep IT jobs, such as programming, thanks to overseas outsourcing. Techies who combine computer science with other disciplines, such as business, science, medicine or healthcare, might have more opportunities going forward than those with computer science skills alone.