The Computer Revolution/Careers

It's the "Age of Information Technology (IT)" and has had significant effects on our lives. We are inundated by the changes. We live with and by the changes. Among the many facets of our lives affected by Information Technology are the changes that have, and will continue to, occur in our careers.

How did you choose your first career? How did you determine if this would be an appropriate career choice for you -- physically and mentally? What is the job market and wage situation in your chosen field? How did you know what training was necessary to pursue this career? How did you determine where this training could be obtained? How did you find out the specific training and possible co-op or apprenticeship program that would benefit you in the pursuit of this career? How did you search for a job? How did you apply for the jobs of interest? To most or all of these questions, we can generally say that we have utilized the computer at some point. We have entered the "Age of Information Technology".

IT has become increasingly critical in career choices and within our career itself. IT has made it possible for many, especially the disabled community, to pursue a career. IT has opened up the career world -- from a career in IT itself to careers utilizing various aspects of IT to careers supporting the IT industry, to name a few.

IT and its influence on people's careers is the main topic of investigation and this segment briefly examines the changes IT has had on careers. Of particular interest is how IT has affected change both within and around careers and career choices.

Types of Positions
There are several types of positions found within the typical IT department. For application support, there is typically a systems analyst, which is the person who manages new applications and/or modifications of a new application. This person works to find the most efficient way to accomplish a goal and manages the "project" until it is implemented. An application programmer will work with the systems analyst to make the necessary coding changes needed to accomplish the goal. A business analyst will then analyze the project to ensure it meets the business needs. If users have issues with the application, they will contact a help desk technician to report the issue. The technician will assist the user with the problem and/or escalate the issue as needed.

To add a little more about the system analyst, he has six phases in his system developmental. The first phase is investigation. The problems are studied and solutions are suggested to management. The next phase is further analysis based on the manager's discretion. The third phase is design; the system analyst develops a model for another system. Afterwards comes acquisition. The systems analyst chooses vendors based on the needed software. The fifth phase is implementation. The system analyst changes the old software (data, conversion, training employees) and installs the new software. The last phase is maintenance. It is an ongoing phase until the system is changed.

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