Employment Outlook
Information Technology has been identified as the fastest growing sector in the economy by the U.S. Department of Labor. This rapid growth can be attributed to the globalization and growing complexity of business and the resulting explosion in its reliance on information technology. Employment of network, computer systems, and data administrators is expected to increase much faster than the average (21% or more) through the year 2016.
Though the demand will continue to grow for “hard technology” specialists who design, construct, and manage the technology operations that enable the organization, CIOs and IT managers are increasingly looking for technology workers with good “soft skills”: project and people management, problem solving ability, and adaptability. Well-qualified computer specialists who can also analyze business processes and procedures and understand business objectives will have the best job prospects and are the most likely to move into positions of greater responsibility. Their job outlook will be even better if they also have some experience and education outside the IT arena. The ITI program provides this kind of preparation.
For those whose focus is network administration and systems administration, professional opportunities include technology architect, network engineer, network administrator, systems administrator, electronic security specialist, operations manager, project manager, and technology consultant.
Data management specialists will work closely with systems administrators and application developers; they may earn positions such as end-user computing consultant, data warehouse manager, and project manager.
Earnings vary depending upon the specialty within this profession. In 2007 in Minnesota, the median annual salary of network and computer systems administrators was $66,934 ($32.18/hour) and database administrators, $70,137 ($33.72/hour).
For assistance in designing your career path, please see the College of Continuing Education career planning resources.
Occupational Information Sources:
U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics
Minnesota Department of Economic Security
ISeek
