One of the fastest growing industries in the US is information technology. It is a quick-growing field that will continue to expand with new technologies being developed all the time. There are many different areas of information technology that exist today, including telecommunications, computer networking, internet, wireless computing, e-commerce, manufacturing, healthcare, education, government, and business. In order for us to master all of these different areas, it helps to have some knowledge of the types of information technology.
Information technology, also called information science, computer science, information technology, or computer engineering, is the application of computers, software, and electronics to make, manage, analyze, and transmit data. It has a broad scope because it is used in all of the different areas listed above, but it is most famous for its ability to connect people through the Internet. Some of the areas in which information technology is most popular include: communication, computer science, internet marketing, healthcare, education, finance, and business. Who uses information technology is still debated, but at least one quarter of the United States population uses some form of IT, either online or offline, every day.
In business, information technology plays an important role. The telephone system, the retail shopping card system, the retail Point of Sale system, e-commerce websites, shipping systems, supply chain management, and manufacturing are all part of the business world. The types of information technology that companies use range from desktop software, distributed computing, high-end hardware and software to telecommunication, data processing, healthcare, and information science. No matter where you look in the business world, if you don’t have information technology at the very minimum, you need it to build or upgrade your current system.
Information technology can either be built into existing computers or created for use with computers. It can also be supplied as a service through the purchase of equipment and the provision of data networks. Data networks are networks of storage space, networks of networked computers (servers), and communication interfaces. Information technology can create information and store it, or it can deliver information and interact with the physical world to facilitate communications. Data can also be analyzed using databases, servers, or web servers, developed on any level from a simple key-board to a complex operating system.
With the advent of the Information Technology field, came the growth of computer science and the corresponding rise in demand for information technology professionals. Many employers now require that their IT department be representative of the company. In order to perform this, information technology graduates enroll in information technology training programs at local technical schools or trade schools. There are many career options for those who earn a bachelor’s degree in information technology, including database management, computer engineering, network management, computer programming, information management, web design, and much more.
Information technology professionals can either leave the field right away to work full time in an office, or they can develop IT careers working for businesses, government agencies, or providing information technology services to individuals. Employers now prefer to hire individuals with a college education in one or more computer related fields so they do not have to train their own staff to do certain jobs. Jobs in the information technology field include software developers, hardware designers, network administrators, computer technicians, database administrators, systems engineers, systems analysts, networking technicians, systems engineers, information technology marketing managers, user training instructors, and more. These professionals can specialize in a particular area of information technology. Career opportunities for these professionals exist in the areas of computer hardware, database management, e-commerce, multimedia, education, healthcare, multimedia, networking, PC repair, graphic design, networking, software development, wireless technology, software testing, web design, multimedia, video, voice, imaging, security, software testing, and more.
Information technology professionals help corporations save money by decreasing operating costs associated with their information technology infrastructure. They help maintain the productivity of companies by creating the applications necessary to run their businesses. IT professionals can design and develop new information technologies, write business software, fix computer bugs, create new computer programs, and improve the performance and security of the company’s computer systems. Companies who have an information technology department also find that hiring these professionals helps reduce overhead associated with maintaining an information technology infrastructure.
Students who major in information science and engineering earn a bachelor of science in information technology or information science and a bachelor of arts in information science. Both degrees qualify them to work in the business world, but the bachelors of science degree is better suited to work in the field of information technology while the bachelors of arts degree is best suited for a career in the information science or communications technology fields. There are also other minor degrees that a student may earn in addition to their information science degree such as the associate’s degree in information technology. The more technical courses required to be successful in today’s business environment translate into greater job opportunities for graduates with degrees in information science and engineering technology.
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