Information systems has become one of the most important and critical functional areas within the firm. Its main function is to use superior technology to assist departments of the organization in a more effective efficient manner.
If you read almost any career magazine you'll find that Information Systems is one of the hottest career fields to enter into right now. The field has a wide array of jobs and the pay isn't so bad either. You can work in an area pertaining to software, or you can specilize on the hardware side. Either way you're bound to find a challenge.
With technology changing so rapidly it is of great concern that companies hire qualified personnel to assist in the technological transitions that the firm must go through in order to keep up with these rapidly changing technologies. The information systems department contains many different jobs, all of which are in great demand: Computer Programmer; System Analyst; Information System Specialist; Chief Information Officer; Web Page Designer; and Network Administrator. ADDITIONAL JOBS WILL BE ADDED
Computer Programmer- a computer programmer writes and maintains the detailed instructions called programs or software that list in order the steps that computers must execute to perform their functions.There are two types of programmers: Applications programmers and systems programmers. Application programmers write the software to handle specific jobs. System programmers maintain the software that controls the operation of an entire computer system.
Junior programmer salaries range from $30K-50K plus bonuses. Analyst programmer salaries range between $40K-70K plus bonuses.
Some of the hottest languages to know right now are: COBOL, FORTRAN, C, C++, and JAVA.
System Analyst-A system analyst works very closely with managers, software programmers, and computer users to pinpoint needs and reach goals. Their job is very diverse. You could be required to do such tasks as linking employees through the network system, design software, expedite a billing program, or teach employees how to fix a hardware problem.When a new computer information system is being developed, a system analyst would be required to interview future users to determine their needs and the requirements of the system. The system analyst would design the system to satisfy the requirements and coordinate with programmers.Operating systems and databases to especially be familiar with include: Win 95/98, Win NT, Unix, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and Access.
System Analyst salaries range from $50K-70K plus bonuses.
Information System Specialist-Information system specialists can speak the languages of all the groups within the organization. They can strategically leverage a resource of information from the system analyst, network administrators and programmers alike. Information system specialists must be able to control both the day-to-day operations of the system and the long term goals and objectives of the information systems function.The midpoint salary for an information system specialist is $86,000 plus bonuses.
Chief Information Officer-The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the senior executive responsible for all aspects of the companies information technology and systems. They report directly to the president and are responsible for coordinating all computer-related activities within the firm. They control the central computer facilities, establish company-wide computer policies, and mediate in computer-related disputes between other organizational units.The midpoint salary for a CI0 is $86,000 plus bonuses.
Web page designer-A web page designer is responsible for the creation of the company web-site and the maintenance of that web-site.A web page designer should be proficient with JAVA and have at least minimum experience with a web page creation software package such as Microsoft FrontPage.The salary for a web page designer is $49,000 plus bonuses.
Network Administrator-A network administrator handles the day-to-day administration of an installed networking product. They are able to provide on-site administrative support for software users in a variety of work environments. The administrator will perform skills such as: creating a user on the network, performing system backup, customizing software, handling routine software maintenance, configuring printing services, configuring corporate workstations to connect with the network, automating a workstation's access to the network and implementing corporate security strategies.Hardware to be familiar with include: AS/400, HP3000, HP9000, RS/6000, Sun, Cisco, and DEC.
Data Communications to be familiar with include: VSAT, TCP/IP, X.25, Ethernet, Fiber Optics, LANS/WANS, Lotus Notes, Frame Relay, CISCO Routers, and TI..
The salary for a network administrator is around $46,300 plus bonuses.
