Career Opportunities in Computers and Cyberspace, 2nd Edition

254 Pages·2004·1.415 MB·English

by  Harry Henderson

CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
IN COMPUTERS
AND CYBERSPACE
Second Edition

CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
IN COMPUTERS
AND CYBERSPACE
Second Edition
H H
ARRY ENDERSON
Career Opportunities in Computers and Cyberspace,Second Edition
Copyright ©1999,2004 by Harry Henderson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,electronic or
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Henderson,Harry,1951–
Career opportunities in computers and cyberspace / Harry Henderson.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-5094-5 (alk. paper)
1. Computer industry—Vocational guidance. 2. Internet—Vocational guidance. I. Title.
QA76.25.H46 2004
004′.023—dc21 2003053142
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CONTENTS
Foreword:Challenge and Opportunity vii Technical Writer 70
Introduction:Jobs in Information Technical Editor 73
Technology ix
How to Use This Book xi
GENERAL NETWORKING
Network Control Operator 76
PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE
Network Analyst 78
DEVELOPMENT
Network Administrator 81
Programmer,Entry-Level 2 Telecommunications Technician 83
Software Engineer 5 Telecommunications Engineer 85
User Interface Designer 7
Database Analyst 10
WEB AND INTERNET
Data Miner 12
Systems Programmer 15 Internet Applications Programmer 88
Scientific or Engineering Programmer 17 Internet Service Provider 91
Bioinformatics Specialist 19 Internet Consultant 93
Artificial Intelligence Programmer 22 Webpage Designer 95
Systems Analyst 25 Webmaster 97
Systems Consultant 28 Internet Advertising Designer 99
Project Manager,Software Development 30 Internet StoreManager/Entrepreneur 102
On-line Writer/Editor 105
INFORMATION SYSTEMS OPERATION
AND MANAGEMENT GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA
Computer Operator 34 Computer Graphics Artist/Designer 108
Quality Assurance Specialist 36 Computer Graphics Technician 110
Auditor,Electronic Data Processing 38 Computer Graphics Librarian/Archivist 112
TapeLibrarian/Archivist 40 Art Director (Computer Graphics) 114
Systems Administrator 42 Animation/Special Effects Programmer 116
Database Administrator 45 Electronic Sound Producer 118
Computer Security Specialist 47 Multimedia or Game Writer/Editor 120
Manager,Information Systems 49 Multimedia Developer 122
Director,Information Systems 51 Multimedia Producer 124
Chief Information Officer 53 Computer Game Designer/Programmer 126
Playtester,Computer Games 128
Virtual Reality Designer/Programmer 130
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
Technical Support Representative 56
MANUFACTURING
Manager,Technical Support 59
Service Technician 61 Computer Hardware Designer/Engineer 134
Trainer,Software Applications 63 Computer Systems Designer 136
Training Center Owner or Manager 65 Computer Hardware Manufacturing
Recruiter or Agent,Technical 67 Technician 138
Embedded Systems Designer 140 Desktop Publisher 182
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Technician 142 Computer Typesetter 184
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Manager 144 Bookkeeper/Accounting Assistant 186
Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) Statistician 188
Technician 146 On-line Researcher 191
Robotics Engineer 148 Computer Cartographer 193
Robotics Technician 150
ACADEMIC INFORMATION SCIENCE
COMPUTER INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS PROFESSIONS
Retail Clerk,Computer Products 154 Professor,Computer Science 198
Systems Integrator 156 Library Assistant 201
Computer Store Owner or Manager 158 Reference or Special Librarian 203
Sales Representative,Computer Products 160 Cataloger (Librarian) 206
Sales Manager,Computer Products 162 Media or Curriculum Specialist
Advertising Account Executive or Manager, (School Libraries) 208
Computer Products and Services 164
Marketing Specialist,Computer Products and
APPENDIXES
Services 167
Public Relations Specialist,Computer Products I. Using the World Wide Web
and Services 170 for Career Planning 213
Industry Analyst,Computer Products II. Professional,Industry,
and Services 172 and Trade Associations 217
Reporter,Computer-Related Publications 175 III. Selected Professional
and Trade Periodicals 225
COMPUTER-RELATED OFFICE
Bibliography 229
POSITIONS
Index 235
Data Entry Operator 178
Word Processor 180
FOREWORD
Challenge and Opportunity
In 1999,when the first edition of this book was published,it Change comes swiftly. By the end of the 1980s the per-
seemed as though the computer industry and in particular sonal computer had moved from a kit for experimenters to an
the Internet and World Wide Web would continue their essential tool for every office. During the 1990s the World
remarkable growth indefinitely. Plenty of career opportuni- Wide Web went from the research laboratory into millions of
ties would thus be available to students graduating from businesses and schools. While the current decade may not
high school and college in the years to come, and there have such a single compelling technological revolution,there
would also be good opportunities for older workers to seek are a number of important emerging technologies that offer
more promising careers. exciting career possibilities. These areas include:
As readers of this second edition will certainly know,
things did not quite work out that way. The computer industry, • Health care, including pharmaceuticals and hospital ser-
particularly the high-flying “dot-com” (Internet) businesses, vices. (This is particularly true, because the vast baby
entered a downturn in 2001. Hundreds of dot-coms went out boom generation is getting older and will need more
of business. While there have been some notable successes, medical services while enjoying a longer lifespan than
such as the giant bookstore Amazon.com and the remarkably ever before.)
robust auction service eBay, the reality of selling goods and • Biotechnology, genetics, and related fields such as bioin-
services has proved to be much more difficult than just open- formatics. The “database”that is life’s DNA code is being
ing up a website and waiting for customers to flock in. unlocked and analyzed using new software and tech-
Even the “core” of the computer industry—the manufac- niques, and this long-term effort promises to bring effec-
ture of computer chips,PCs,and business software—has seen tive new treatments for many serious diseases.
a slowdown. With the economy as a whole becoming stag- • “Data mining,”or the discovery and analysis of patterns
nant, many businesses postponed their purchases of addi- hidden within the data being processed in business and
tional PCs or the upgrading of existing systems. The general science. Companies are using data mining techniques to
economy has also been hurt by the uncertainty brought about better understand (and market to) their customers. Gov-
by terrorist attacks, the challenges of wars and lengthy for- ernment agencies are beginning to use the same tech-
eign entanglements, and the loss of confidence in business niques in law enforcement and the fight against
leaders resulting from the Enron and other corporate account- terrorism.
ing scandals. As of late 2003 the economy showed signs of • “Information Architecture” or the use of XML (Extensi-
recovery,but was still a long way from its pre-downturn peak. ble Markup Language) and other facilities for making
With all that said, there are some important things that information on the Web more useful by making relevant
readers seeking computer-related careers need to keep in data easier to find.
perspective. First, while the rate of growth of the computer • The creation of programs called “bots” or “Intelligent
industry has at least temporarily slowed, the PC, local net- Agents.” Using artificial intelligence techniques, these
works,and the Internet are definitely here to stay. Comput- programs can “understand”much more than simple com-
ers have forever changed the ways in which people carry out mands. They represent the next generation of Web search
business,education,government,and home life. tools,as well as offering help with everything from shop-
Keep in mind that for a student looking at future careers ping to health care questions.
(and even for an older worker looking at a career change),it • Powerful new kinds of computer systems,including those
is not the economic conditions of this year or even the next that harness large numbers of processors and “distributed”
couple of years that matter most. Stock markets and systems, which allow many computers to cooperate to
economies recover from downturns. New markets and tech- solve a problem.
nologies continue to open up. In deciding how to study and • Mobile and wireless communications devices and net-
plan for a career,readers need to focus not so much on what works, leading to “pervasive computing” where people
is in demand today but on what is most likely to be in are continuously linked to one another and to information
demand in the next three,five,or 10 years. sources regardless of geographical location.
viii CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN COMPUTERS AND CYBERSPACE
• New security technology to fight terrorism, including In this world of uncertainty, challenge, and continuing
“biometrics” (such as face recognition) and analysis and opportunity there are some general approaches that can help
profiling of behavior. Of course these applications also anyone begin a rewarding career in the computer field:
bring genuine concerns about privacy and civil liberties.
• If you are still in high school,explore widely and consider
• Long-term research that might lead to a breakthrough as
a variety of possible interests. Don’t get “tunnel vision”
important as the transistor and integrated circuit. This
by focusing too soon on a narrow area.
may lead to computing on a molecular scale (nanotech-
• Use the resources available at school and on-line to learn
nology) or even “quantum computing,” which might be
more about the careers in this book—and perhaps others
able to use the mysterious inner properties of matter to
that are just beginning to emerge.
infinitely expand computing power.
• Use the book’s Introduction and the Cross-Training sec-
tions in the various entries to identify key “clusters” of
Meanwhile, opportunities will still be available in more
skills. By focusing on skills rather than specific jobs you
conventional areas. The computer industry depends on tal-
can prepare yourself for several related careers,increasing
ented programmers, multimedia developers, and writers to
your chances of finding a good position.
create the next generation of products for the office,science
• Remember that if you are in high school or early college,
and engineering, and educational applications. Businesses
the world in which you are preparing to work will likely
will continue to want to use the Web to advertise and sell
be different in important ways from today’s world. Try to
products. Opportunities in e-commerce are likely to be less
be prepared, work systematically to gain experience, but
grandiose than the business plans of the late 1990s, but
stay flexible!
thousands of small businesses are selling goods on-line,
• If you are an older worker, look for ways to explore new
whether through their own websites or via on-line store ser-
skills and interests, even if you seem secure in your cur-
vices and auction sites such as eBay.
rent job. The earlier you start to prepare,the easier it will
People will also be needed to design, manufacture, sell,
be to make the transition to a new career if you find it nec-
and service PCs and other computer products and to install
essary or desirable.
conventional,satellite,and wireless networks. Teachers will
be needed to train computer users within corporations and Today’s world may be more challenging and less certain,
vocational schools or to teach computer science classes at but within difficulty and uncertainty wait many new oppor-
universities. As the list of jobs covered in this book demon- tunities for individuals who are prepared to take advantage
strates, computers play an important role in many kinds of of them. I hope this book will help you discover and explore
work, each an opportunity for the individual who is moti- a variety of such opportunities, and help you take the first
vated and willing to properly prepare. steps down the road in preparing for an exciting future.
INTRODUCTION
Jobs in Information Technology
Computers and computer skills are used in just about every by businesses,other organizations,and consumers. They do
job or profession today. No organization, whether in busi- market research to identify needs that could be met by a new
ness, science, government, education, or entertainment, product,and then develop such a product for sale. In-house
can get along without them. After all, even baseball man- software developers in corporations or other organizations
agers are using laptops in the dugout for keeping track of outside the computer industry respond to requests from
hits and pitches. managers and professionals within the organization to cre-
Two basic criteria were used for selecting the employment ate programming that meets their specific needs.
opportunities highlighted in this book. The first includes jobs In addition to regular employment prospects within or
that are directly involved in the computer industry—develop- outside the software industry, there are many opportunities
ing, marketing, advertising, selling, and supporting software for programmers and analysts to work as freelance consul-
and hardware. The second extends to jobs that are not limited tants. Some of the hottest areas in programming today
to the computer industry,but that rely heavily on information include data analysis (“data mining”), genetics, bioinfor-
technology and continue to be transformed by that technology. matics and other scientific programming, distributed com-
Examples include manufacturing, office work, journalism, puting (using multiple processors or networked computers),
librarianship,and various specialty occupations. and security applications.
The jobs described in this book are broken down into 10 The skills cluster for software development includes
categories. These categories reflect the fact that jobs tend to problem analysis,program design,structuring data and pro-
come in related groups that share a “cluster”of skills,objec- cedures (routines), attention to detail, and ability to impro-
tives,and working conditions. For example,while systems, vise and adapt.
applications,and scientific programmers write programs for
different purposes and tend to use different features of the
Information Systems Operation and Management
computer system, the process they are engaged in—soft-
Complex computer systems and networks must be con-
ware development—draws on a common set of skills, such
stantly maintained and adapted to changing needs. Workers
as problem analysis,organization of data and functions,and
in this category operate, test, manage, or otherwise support
the writing and testing of computer code.
an information system. The skills can be divided into opera-
This introduction briefly introduces each of the 10 cate-
tional (running equipment, carrying out monitoring proce-
gories and brings out some of the common features and
dures, and organizing data) and management (supervising
skills of each set of jobs. You can use it as a guide in
and planning). The jobs range from the clerical (computer
browsing for job descriptions that might match your inter-
operators and archivists) to systems administrators, upper
ests and aptitudes.
management,and executive positions.
In general, these positions require the ability to master
complex procedures and perform them consistently, pay
Programming and Software Development
constant attention to details,and deal with unexpected prob-
Software development is a process that starts with the analy-
lems. Some positions also require considerable interper-
sis of a need for managing or processing information such
sonal communication skills or management ability.
as organizing data into a database or graphically displaying
scientific measurements. Software developers must turn this
analysis into specifications for creating the software. The Training and Support
description of what data is to be processed and how to Because modern software and operating systems are complex
process it becomes the blueprint for writing the program and full of features and options, users must be trained and
code. The code must be written, tested, and refined until it helped to solve any problems with the operation of the soft-
works reliably and meets the need. ware or hardware. Trainers provide systematic instruction in
There are two major venues for software development. the use of the systems and software,while support representa-
Commercial software developers create software to be used tives deal with particular problems or questions. These jobs