Derek Carraway Small Group Instructor: Jake Galles SDS3340 CFA Research Paper 5/23/12

Table of Contents Introduction..page 1 Typical Career Path..page 1 Trends...page 2 Salary Informationpage 2 Skills Usedpage 3 Employing Organizations.page 4 Women and Minorities.page 4 Becoming Employed.page 5 Typical Job Noticespage 5 Work Conditionspage 6 Education/Trainingpage 7 Certificate/Licensepage 7 Affiliations........page 8 Outlook......page 8 Lifestyle Impact.page 9 Conclusion.page 9

Introduction The one occupation or career field I chose to research for this paper is Information Technology. This particular career field has a wide range of occupations or jobs one could do that would fall into this category. There are way too many to look at them all in detail, so we will just pick a few to focus on. In general, people working in this field use computers in some way to do their job, whether it is dealing with the internet, databases, programming, or networks. A few actual job titles you could have within this field could be web designer/administrator, database manager, or network administrator. Typical work settings are indoors, in a controlled environment. Typical Career Path For someone wanting to go into Information Technology, there is a typical career path many follow. After completing the necessary educational requirements, one can pretty much land some job within the field. They might not start out right where they want or had envisioned, but there is almost always some opportunity to move up the ladder once they get their foot in the door. For example, they might have to start out working at an IT help desk answering the phone and having to deal with frustrated people on the other end (http://www.schools.com/colleges/ information-technology). But eventually if they worked there long enough, showed their commitment to the company, and displayed a good work ethic, over time they could earn promotions within the company. Also, another feasible tactic that could happen, and is sometimes seen and done in the workplace today is changing companies or who you work for all together, if another other company offers you a better job that you think would fit your

individual circumstances better. If one gets a promotion like this or even multiple promotions over several years like this, one could very easily work his way to the top position. Trends There are many trends right now in Information Technology, and they are even being seen and utilized in other careers besides Information Technology itself. Many businesses and organizations today have at least one IT person on their staff. This is because these days everyone has and uses a computer, whether it be to maintain the companys website or to keep records using a database program. There seems to be a computer program or app for just about anything and everything you could think of. For example, doctors offices are even using computer programs now to keep patient records on file and to even take x-rays so they can get the results quicker. Basically, the big push or trend today is for everything to go digital. Another big and still growing trend that involves Information Technology is the use of social media sites such as facebook or twitter. The use of such sites for staying connected and informed has even outgained the popularity of using email (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ hinchcliffe/the-big-five-it-trends-of-the-next-half-decade-mobile-social-cloud-consumerizationand-big-data/1811). Because of these trends, the occupations within the Information Technology field have benefited because more jobs have been needed to fill all of the available positions. Salary Information Salaries for different occupations within the career field of Information Technology can vary quite a bit. A couple main factors that can influence these salary differences include if you are at an entry level position or an experienced one, and where you are geographically located. People at any new job generally start out with some entry level position with a little lower salary,

but eventually work their way up through displaying their gained experience, hard work and loyalty. Doing all of this will generally translate to recognition, promotions, and salary increases. Whether it is an entry level salary or not, the salary amount can vary depending on what and where the job is located. This could be in part because the cost of living differs greatly in different states and regions of the country. For example, nationally a web designer makes a base median salary of $75,600 a year, while the same web designer in the state of Florida will only make $66,200 in a year, and one in the state of California will make $83,200 in a year (http://www.onetonline.org). This shows extremely well how the salary of an occupation can be higher or lower than what the national stats show. Skills Used There are many skills needed and used in the career field of Information Technology. Regardless of what occupation one pursues in this field, the number one most basic skill you will need is to be computer literate. This includes knowing how to execute basic functions and to know how to use different programs. There are other more specific skills that can be necessary depending on the job, whether it be web, database, or administrative. For example, a web developer should have an idea of what exactly he will be developing, so the first two skills that will help with this are the skills of reading comprehension and active listening. This will help the developer to be able to understand written and verbal instructions from his bosses and/or clients. Some other skills that might be necessary, but wont be as important and have a low probability of use include speaking, mathematics, and science. There are also transferable skills and workplace skills that can be of value too, such as processing data on the computer, troubleshooting, and time management (https://access.bridges.com/choices/work/ Skills.do ?id=1510994&planId=&inPlan= ).

Employing Organizations

As mentioned earlier, these days just about every business or organization you can think of has at least one IT person on their staff. Some organizations employ strictly people in the IT field, and others employ only a few. Some examples of places where an IT person could be hired include: IT Businesses, Business and Professional Associations, Public Relations Firms, Communication Firms, Research Organizations, Universities and Colleges, Consulting Firms, Information Industry (Publishers and other media outlets), Planning Agencies, Government Agencies. (http://www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/information.htm) You can be employed by one of these places, or you could work for yourself and advertise your services, though this is rarely seen. Today, no matter where you reside you can most likely find some organization or industry that is looking for a good person in the career field of Information Technology.

Women and Minorities

Some careers or occupations in the workforce tend to see more of a certain group of people, whether it be male, female, Hispanic, or any other minority group and the field of Information Technology is no different. It has been observed that even in college courses that students have to take to get a degree in IT, there tends to be a higher number of males going down this career path right now than females. Between this and some women already in the IT workforce moving into more administrative job roles, the overall number of women getting jobs in this field has declined in recent years. However, other minority groups such as blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have made small gains (http://news.cnet.com/Study-finds-too-fewwomen-and-minorities-in-tech/2100-1022_3-5758177.html).

Becoming Employed

There are many ways and resources one can go about and use in order to find a job and become employed in the field of Information Technology. Today people utilize such things as volunteer experiences, internships, job fairs, and websites to help them land that job. Volunteering doesnt necessarily get you a job but those experiences can help you once you get the job. Internships are a great way of possibly landing a job. This is because a lot of times, when you do an internship with a company or organization, if you did a superb job and they have any position openings they will often but not always offer you a job when your internship is complete. Another excellent way to make connections and hopefully land a job is attending job/career fairs. This brings together several potential employers in one place who are most likely looking to hire. Lastly, websites are another great resource. There are sites solely dedicated to helping people get employed through listing job openings. For example, most of these sites have search engines where you can search for a job in a particular field such as Information Technology and get top results instantly (http://jobsearch.monster.com/search/ ?q=Information-Technology). Also, companies or organizations a lot of times will list any openings they have on their own website. These are just some ways one can go about to becoming employed.

Typical Job Notices

There are many types of job notices that one can find in the field of Information Technology. One such job notice could be for a web developer (http://jobview.monster.com/ Web-Developer-w-HTML5-JavaScript-CSS-experience-in-Tallahassee-Job-Tallahassee-FL110357496.aspx). This particular notice shows all the requirements for the job. It states you

need a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, and at least 2 years of experience. It requires certain skills and you should be knowledgeable in HTML5, CSS, and Java among other things. Basically, places that post such job notices want you to be well aware of what is needed and expected before you bother to apply and waste both parties time. If you determine you could qualify for a job notice such as this, then you could read on and see what other things go along with the job, such as actual job description, salary info, and what if any benefits come with the job.

Work Conditions

Though there are different jobs and occupations within the field of Information Technology, most of the working conditions are the same and involve working indoors. One in this profession could expect to sit the majority of the time, probably at a computer, but could require minor moments of standing and walking in order to retrieve such things as paperwork, tools, or equipment. One might also have to lift or carry such equipment short distances that might weigh up to 10 pounds (https://access.bridges.com/choices/work/WhatTheyDo.do ?id=1510995&linkname=Career+Finder&referer=%2Fchoices%2Fwork%2Ffinder%2FViewCur rentSearchResults.do%3Fid%3D26203694&cfId=26203694). There could be some stress related to the job but it probably isnt any more than you would find at any other job in any other field. There could also be some overtime required, and even some traveling involved in rare instances, though this depends on the particular job.

Education/Training

As with any career, there is usually some form of training or higher education that is required and the career field of Information Technology is no different. In fact, Information Technology is an actual degree one can pursue at one of the many fine institutions of higher learning in this great country who are interested in going into this field. One such institution that does offer this major is FSU. Someone who seriously wants to pursue this career path must go through this rigorous 42 credit hour major program. Besides the general education requirements, this major requires certain prerequisite courses such as computer literacy and a couple programming courses to name a few. Then there are the courses that apply directly to the major of study including Information Science, Communication for IT Professionals and IT Project to name a few (http://www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/information.htm). If one successfully goes through and finishes a program such as this, they will be well prepared to get a job in this field.

Certificate/License

Many career paths require additional things on top or in place of degrees, such as certificates or licensures. With Information Technology having so many different job titles that fit in the category and new things coming along every day, the idea is starting to gain some ground. This wasnt always the case, but in the last few years the idea of one being certified by some group, organization, institution, or state in a particular skill or job such as web developer or in database, has grown more popular among employers. Lets use web design for example. Standards and certification for webmasters and web designers are starting to emerge (Henderson, 2004, p. 98). So if someone gets their IT degree and certification in web design,

they will be at the top of their game, get a better job, and in todays world be better off than someone who is not certified.

Affiliations

In many career fields there are affiliations or associations that people or organizations belong to that is related to the occupation they do. Some are more widely known than others. In Information Technology, there arent many that were found but there is a few scattered around here and there. One such of these is the AITP, the Association of Information Technology Professionals. AITP is worldwide and are the leaders overseeing people in the IT profession and offer all types of membership opportunities (http://www.aitp.org/). Having memberships with associations as this could really help you in your job and give you opportunities that you probably couldnt get otherwise.

Outlook In todays world the job outlook for any profession should be a major consideration for anyone entering the labor force. This is because there are more jobs in some fields than others and the projected growth rate over the next few years are greater in some jobs than others. Currently the outlook for jobs and growth in Information Technology is favorable. The projected growth between 2010 and 2020 is expected to be faster than average at 20%-28% (http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1134.00). Based on this, anyone getting into this career field will most likely have a bright future for a long time to come.

Lifestyle Impact

Some careers take a toll and wind up cutting into their personal life or their lifestyle. Regrettably the field of Information Technology could fall into this category, depending on the actual job one has. For example, with websites operating 24/7, if a problem arises it often needs to be fixed quickly, even if it happens in an odd hour of the day such as 3 am. While extended

work demands are not the exclusive domain of IT professionals, mounting evidence indicates that workers in the IT sector are experiencing longer work hours, more work-life conflict, and higher indices of burnout than their coworkers in other functional areas (http://www.shrm.org/ Education/hreducation/Documents/46-3%20Messersmith.pdf). This shows that people going into this career field of Information Technology should be prepared to possibly work some overtime and have less free time than people in other professions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a great deal of information was learned regarding the career field of Information Technology. From the different jobs one could get, to the salaries and benefits of those jobs, and what kind of an education one would need. Knowing all these things will help one be more informed about every possible aspect of this career field, and in turn the person can make an informed decision if this is the career they want to spend the rest of their life doing. This is important because ideally ones life is overall better if they have a career they actually enjoy and not one they hate going to everyday.

References

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