Technology in Action Alan Evans Kendall Martin Mary Anne Poatsy Tenth Edition Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 0

Technology in Action Technology in Focus: Careers Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 1

Rewards of Working in Information Technology There are many reasons to work in the field of information technology –Exciting –Ever-changing –Attractive to new graduates Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 2

IT Workers Are in Demand Computer-related jobs expected to be among fastest growing occupations through US News and World Report of best careers –Software developers ranked second –5 of the top 25 were IT careers Average starting salary increased by 4.1% in 2011 Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3

IT Workers Are in Demand (cont.) Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 4

IT Jobs Pay Well Salaries depend on –Skill set and experience level –Size of employer –Geographic location Research salariesin geographic area where you expect to work –Salary.com Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 5

IT Jobs Are Not Going “Offshore” Job outlook includes risk of jobs being outsourced Outsourcing is process where business hires third-party firm to provide services Offshoring occurs when outsourcing firm is located outside the United States Outsourcing and offshoring can produce cost savings Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 6

IT Jobs Are Not Going “Offshore” Jobs That Will Stay in U.S. Customer interaction –Jobs that require direct input from customers or that involve systems with which customers interface daily Enablers –Jobs that involve getting key business projects accomplished, often requiring technical skills and good people skills Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 7

IT Jobs Are Not Going “Offshore” Jobs That Will Stay in U.S. (cont.) Infrastructure jobs –Jobs that are fundamental to moving and storing the information that U.S.-based employees need to do their jobs Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 8

Jobs That Will Likely Remain Onshore Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9

Women Are in High Demand in IT Departments Women make up about 25% of IT workforce Many IT departments are seeking to diversify their workforces Salary gender gap is smaller than in most other professions Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 10

You Have a Choice of Working Location IT jobs are available in various settings –Office-based –Field-based –Project-based –Home-based Look for job that suits tastes and requirements Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 11

Where Do You Want to Work? Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 12

You Constantly Meet New Challenges Playing field is always changing Software and hardware being developed Need to keep skills up to date Keeps jobs from becoming dull or routine Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 13

You Work in Teams Not locked in lightless cubicles Most don’t work alone People skills are highly prized Good leadership and team-building skills will be used Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 14

You Don’t Need to Be a Mathematical Genius Some careers involve some math Not mathematically inclined: You can explore many other IT careers Employers value creativity, marketing, and artistic style Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 15

IT Skills Are Portable Portable from industry to industry Can switch without learning a new skill set Combining courses makes you more marketable Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 16

Challenges of IT Careers Stress Most IT jobs are hectic Average work week is 45 hours On call for another 24 hours Demand for on-call hours has been increasing –Because of 24/7 availability Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 17

Stress from Multiple Directions Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 18

Challenges of IT Careers Women Are in the Minority Majority of IT jobs filled by men Some women feel like they would not fit in Some gender bias does exist –Some women thrive on the challenge –Others find it difficult to work in that environment Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 19

Challenges of IT Careers Lifelong Learning Is Required To keep up with vast shifts in technology, you might need to –Take training courses –Do self-study –Take college courses Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 20

Choosing Your Realm of IT Careers currently available –Chief information officer (CIO) has overall responsibility –Other responsibilities fall into two units Development and integration Technical services In large organizations, responsibilities are distinct At a small company, you might do many jobs Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 21

Choosing Your Realm of IT Working in Development & Integration Web Development Web content creators Interface designers Web programmers Customer interaction technicians Social media directors Systems Development Systems analysts Programmers Project managers Technical writers Network administrators Database developers 22 Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall

Working in Technical Services Information systems –Network administrators –Database administrators (DBAs) –Web server administrators –Telecommunications technicians Support services –Helpdesk analysts –Computer support technicians Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 23

Get in the Game: Careers in Game Development Jobs follow two paths –Game designers Create 2D and 3D art, interfaces, special effects, game levels, and scenarios –Game programmers Code scenarios Ensure accuracy Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 24

Preparing for a Job in IT Get educated –College and university degrees Computer science Management information systems Information technology –Technical (or trade) schools Build skills rapidly Qualify for job in specific field Best to attend a degree-granting college or university Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 25

Preparing for a Job in IT (cont.) Investigate professional certifications –Provide consistent method of measuring skill levels –Software and hardware vendors and professional organizations establish certification standards Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 26

Preparing for a Job in IT (cont.) Get experience –Internship or part-time job Do research –Learn about company and industry before going on an interview Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 27

Getting Started in an IT Career Find an internship –School placement office Start networking –Word of mouth –Professional organizations Check corporate websites for jobs Visit online employment sites Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 28

Getting Started in an IT Career (cont.) Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 29

Getting Started in an IT Career (cont.) Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 30

Getting Started in an IT Career (cont.) Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 31

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall