Many Paths to Career Success in Information Technology
Many Paths to Career Success in Information Technology
Posted on 10/10/2023
Information Technology (IT) is a popular career choice for students – and for good reason. IT jobs are among the highest paying in the Boston area for newly minted college graduates and job openings are plentiful. Within IT there is a wide range of occupations, with varying educational paths to prepare for them. Most IT occupations, but not all, favor candidates with a four-year college degree. Students don’t need to decide which type of IT job to pursue right away, but they should be aware of the different routes of entry to an IT career.
Software Development
Software developer is the most well-known and largest career in the IT field. Close to half of all IT jobs in the Boston area are in software development. Over 66,000 people are employed in software development in the Boston area – more than in any other field except registered nursing. Software development jobs are also among the highest paid, with a median salary of $133,500¹. Jobs in software development include software engineer, mobile application developer, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) developer. These professionals write and maintain software programs for a variety of industries. Students interested in pursuing a career in software development typically major in Computer Science with a focus on programming languages and frameworks.
Information System Design and Administration
This category includes a broad range of jobs involved in designing and maintaining an organization’s information system. Jobs include database architects and administrators, computer and network system architects, and network and system administrators. This category also includes system analysts, who examine how computers and software are used in a company, and come up with plans to improve them. Students interested in careers such as systems analysts that combine business and IT skills can opt to major in Management Information Systems (MIS) instead of Computer Science.
Data Science and Business Analytics
There is a growing demand for analysts to help organizations make sense of the huge volumes of data they are collecting. Data Scientists analyze large and complex datasets to extract valuable insights and build predictive models to inform business decisions. Business Intelligence Analysts focus on analyzing and creating easy-to-understand visualizations of existing data to help business managers track performance and make data-driven decisions. An increasing number of colleges are offering undergraduate majors and concentrations in Data Science. Business data analysis and visualization skills are often taught in courses offered by a college’s business program.
Cybersecurity
There is also a growing need for analysts and engineers who specialize in protecting computer systems and networks from cyber-attacks. Several colleges offer a Cybersecurity concentration within their Computer Science department.
Technical Support
Computer Support Specialists is one of the largest job categories within the IT field. Support specialists provide assistance to users who are experiencing computer-related problems. Network support specialists help maintain and troubleshoot a company’s network system. Unlike most jobs in the IT field, which favor candidates with a bachelor’s degree, many entry-level computer support positions are open to those who complete a community college degree or community-based training program in computer and network support.
IT Program and Project Managers
This is the second largest category of IT workers and includes IT project managers and information system managers and directors.
Data retrieved from Where are the Well-Paying Jobs.