Question
What jobs are available in the computer industry?
Answer
Notice:
Computer Hope is not hiring for any of these positions. When jobs are made
available they will be posted on our
hiring page.
Below
is short listing of different computer related jobs in the industry.
This list was created for users who enjoy computers but are uncertain
about what field to enter. In the below list we have described each of
the jobs, the requirements, and recommendations what to do if you're
interpreted in the job.
If you're looking for the average pay or
the highest paying jobs in the computer industry, this document does not
contain that information because of the wide variety of salaries
depending on the company and its location. However, it's safe to assume
that with the increased difficulty and experience required for a job,
the higher you'd get paid. If you're looking for a pay range, refer to
your your local listings (newspaper), or job listings for pay grades.
If you're looking for your first job in the computer industry or just want to get your foot in the door, we suggest looking at
Data Entry,
Sales,
Quality Assurance (QA), or
Technical Support
jobs. The qualifications and requirements for these jobs vary, so it's
best to refer to your local listings (newspaper), or job listing for
available positions and the requirements.
Job quick links
3D Animation
or Graphic design
Description: A position
where you design and create either a graphic or 3D animations for
software programs, games, movies, web pages, etc. Position may also
require that you work on existing graphics, animations, movies, etc.
done by other people.
Requirements: An
individual applying for this job would need to be talented in design and
creating visuals, for most people this is not something that you could
train for. In addition to being talented in design and art you must have
a good understanding of the software programs being used to create the
visual designs or 3D animations.
Recommendations:
If you wish to get into graphic design
or arts, it is a must that you learn major graphics programs such as
Adobe Photoshop. In addition to this program, there are numerous
other programs used to create your own pictures or edit photos. See the
animation definition for additional information about this term as well as a listing of some of the more popular animation programs.
Difficulty:
(MEDIUM - HIGH) Many of the programs used to create a graphic, edit a
photo, or create a 3D render are complex programs and often require a
lot of learning and experience; and in some cases, training or
schooling.
Description:
Helping customers with general questions relating to the company,
ordering, status on orders, account information or status, etc.
Requirements: Good communication skills and a general understanding of the company and its products.
Recommendations: Great starting position for anyone who is looking to get their foot in the door at the company
and who are not yet that familiar with computers.
Difficulty:
(LOW) customer service will require that the employee be familiar with
computers and be able to navigate through the companies system. However,
will seldom require the employee to be skilled with computer.
Description: A job that commonly requires the employee to take information from a
hard copy or other source and enter it into an electronic format. Position may also be taking electronic data and entering it into a
database for easy sorting and locating.
Requirements:
Requires someone capable of typing 40-50 or more
WPM, familiarity with computer, and usually requires familiarity with a
word processors.
Recommendations: Practice your typing and take
online typing tests to determine your overall
speed.
Difficulty: (LOW) Most data entry jobs are beginner level jobs and don't require much or any prior experience or formal education.
Description: A job that requires creating, testing,
and maintaining one or more database.
Requirements:
Requires a familiarity with or extensive knowledge of
databases at the place of employment.
For example,
Access,
FoxPro,
MySQL,
SQL,
and Sybase.
Recommendations: Become familiar
with the database being used at the business. If the job is for
developing or continuing the development of a database, you will need to
have a great understanding of the database as well as how to program
it. Often this knowledge requires past experience or formal education.
Difficulty:
(MEDIUM - HIGH) Developing or maintaining a database can be a difficult
and sometimes very complex job. As mentioned above you will need to
have past experience or formal education with maintaining or developing a
database before most companies will even consider you.
Electronics technician or engineer
Description: Assembling, testing, and repairing
electronic equipment.
Requirements:
A strong understanding of basic and advanced electronics.
Recommendations: Get formal education in electronics
and electro-mechanical or self-teach yourself by building your own
electronic systems.
Difficulty: (HIGH) Having a
strong understanding of electronics often takes several years of formal
education or on-the-job experience.
Description:
An engineer is someone who is at the top of their class and almost
always someone who has or is working on a college degree or several
certifications. Although used broadly in this document, the engineer is
usually specified in the job requirement. For example, a software
development engineer may be a highly skilled computer programmer.
Requirements:
The requirements for this job change depending on the engineer you plan
on being. However, as mentioned above, any engineer job will require an
extensive understanding of the job. Usually, this understanding is
obtained from a school, certifications, training, or years of past
experience.
Recommendations: Get training
and education in the subject of interest from a school or other
location. Learn as much about the subject as possible from books, the
Internet, and other sources. Often before you can qualify for many
engineer positions you will need past experience; therefore, it's a good
idea to get an entry-level job in the same field. For example, if you
want to be an engineer in software development, get a job in programming
or create your own software programs. If you want to become a network
engineer, get a job that requires you to setup, maintain, or otherwise
work with networks and setup your own home network.
Difficulty: (HIGH) This is a job
and position that requires a lot of work to obtain and is not likely something you will be able to get as your first job.
Description:
A position as a hardware designer, circuit design, embedded systems,
firmware, etc. is a job that requires you to design and create a
complete hardware package or portions of a hardware device.
Requirements: Jobs that design
or create hardware devices often require that the person has a good understanding of electronics, circuits, firmware,
or design. For this position the person will often need to have several years of prior experience
or a degree in the field.
Recommendations: If you're interested in this field we suggest you get a degree in the field.
Difficulty: (HIGH) Hardware design is a difficult position to learn and understand unless you get training or a degree.
Networking
or System Administrator
Description: Computer networking jobs involve designing, setting up,
and maintaining a
network.
Requirements:
Although most users today have their own home networks, setting up,
troubleshooting, and maintaining a corporate network can be a much more
complicated task. Often, networking jobs also require a good
understanding of how a network works, and in some cases how all the
underlying protocols and structure of how networks work.
Recommendations: There are numerous network and network related
certifications available today, such as the
CCNA,
MCSE,
etc. Often depending on the level of certification and the job you're
applying for, the certifications will be more than enough to quality you
for most network jobs. Some of the higher networking positions,
especially in the development of network hardware or programming side,
may also require past experience in networking
or a degree.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH)
Depending upon the job specifications and the complexity of the network
usually determines the difficulty of this job.
Programmer
or Software developer
Description: A job that requires the development or continued development and maintenance of a software program.
Requirements:
A basic to extensive understanding of a programming language. Because
most job positions will require a person to develop sections of a
program or the whole program, they often require several years of past
experience
or a degree before even considering you.
Recommendations:
Learn one or more programming languages. Depending on what programs
or scripts you wish to create may change the language you wish to
learn. See the
dictionary programming languages
definition for a listing of popular programming languages and programs
they create. If you need experience, creating your own software programs
is a great way to learn a language and demonstrate your abilities at a
job interview.
Difficulty: (HIGH) Learning a
programming language can be as difficult as learning a second language
and takes a lot of experience and practice to become a skilled
programmer.
Quality Assurance (QA), System analyst
or Tester
Description: This job requires that the employee test out all features of a product for any problems or usability issues.
Requirements: Requires that the person have a good understanding of computer software, hardware, and the product being tested.
Recommendations: Become familiar with computers, software, hardware,
and the products the company makes.
Difficulty:
(LOW - MEDIUM) Depending on what is being tested and how much needs to
be tested usually determines the difficulty of this job. However, for
users familiar with the product or similar products, you should not have
much difficulty locating and reporting issues.
Description: A job that requires you to fix and repair
computer and computer equipment. Often this involves removing a component
from within the computer and replacing it with a good component.
Requirements:Requirements: A good understanding of
computer hardware, computer disassembly, proper tools, and good
troubleshooting skills.
Recommendations: Build your own computer or
disassemble and re-assemble a computer. Become familiar with computers, software, hardware,
and the products the company makes.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) Because this job requires
a good understanding of disassembling a computer, knowing what components to
repair, and how to fix components when needed this job can have a high
difficulty level.
Description: Selling a product or service to another person or company.
Requirements: Good communication skills and a general understanding of computers
and the product that is being sold.
Recommendations:
If you're selling computers, computer hardware, or computer software,
become familiar with all aspects of the product. Sites like
Computer Hope
are a great resource to learn about computers. If you're selling a
specialized product developed by the company you will be selling for,
visit their web page and become as familiar with the product as
possible.
Difficulty: (LOW) Sales for computer
software, hardware, electronics, or related products is a good first
job and can be a good way to learn more about computers.
Technical Support (Technician
or Help Desk)
Description: Helping an
end-user or company employee with their computers, software program,
and hardware device. A technical support position is a great first
step for people interested in working in the computer industry.
Requirements: A basic understanding of computers, computer's software,
and hardware.
Recommendations: Become as
familiar as possible with computers, computer software,
and computer hardware, depending on what you will be supporting.
Almost all technical support centers that help end-users with their
computers, computer software, or computer hardware products have
training that all employees go through before you start work, but will
still often require that the user be familiar with computers.
Help
desks for corporations do not usually have any training; these
positions require that the person being hired already have a very good
understanding of computers and troubleshooting computer problems.
Difficulty:
(LOW - MEDIUM) The difficulty of this job is really depending on the
training you get. However, someone who is familiar with computers or
works with computers often will have an easy time with these positions
after a few days working at them.
Description: This position often involves creating or editing technical papers or manuals.
Requirements:
This position often requires that the individual has a basic
understanding about the subject being written about and have good
writing skills.
Recommendations: Many of these
positions will require that the person have a degree and will often
test a user before hiring them. In addition to having good writing
skills, you should also be familiar with a major
word processor.
Difficulty: (LOW - MEDIUM) For someone who has good writing skills and familiarity with the subject, this job can be an easy job.
Description: Test and find vulnerabilities in a system, hardware device, or software program.
Requirements:
This position is for someone who has a strong familiarity with how
software, hardware,
and networks work and how to exploit them. Often, you will need to
have a good understanding of how the overall system works as well as
good programming skills.
Recommendations: Keep
up-to-date with all security news, advisories, and other related news.
The majority of security vulnerabilities are through software, and in
order to understand these vulnerabilities or find new security
vulnerabilities, you'll need to understand how to program and have a
good understand of how software works and interacts with computers.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) The difficulty of this job really depends on what you're testing or trying to find any vulnerabilities in.
WebMaster
or Web Designer
Description: A job where a person creates, maintains, or completely designs a web page.
Requirements: For basic web designing positions you should have a good understanding of
HTML, the
Internet, and
web servers.
More advanced positions where you will be working with more advanced
web pages and not just static web pages may also require that you be
familiar with such things as
CGI,
CSS,
Flash,
FTP,
Linux,
Perl,
PHP,
RSS,
SSI,
Unix,
or
XHTML.
In
addition to having a good understanding of the technologies and code
used to create a web page, you're also often required to know the
software programs they are created in.
Recommendations:
One of the best learning experiences for people who are interested in
this job is to create your own web page. Keeping in mind that designing
and posting a web page using Microsoft FrontPage without understanding
HTML or the code of how it works may not be sufficient enough for most
jobs.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) The
complexity of this job is really dependent on how difficult of a project
you're working on, creating and posting a simple web site with no
interaction is not that hard. However, creating an interactive site with
forms, databases, and overall more interaction with the user and the
server can increase the difficulty of the job significantly.
Additional information
