Aaron J Hudson
CEP121
Prof. Robinson
May 10th, 2006
Career Research Project
The career I chose to research is Computer Support Specialist and Systems
Administrator. The overall outlook for both specialists and administrators look great.
They are both on a continued rise but administrators seem to be growing at a faster
pace than average where specialists, yet growing, are not growing as fast. As stated
before demand will continue to be present, some greater than others, but never the
less, the demand is there. The competition, however, is uncontrollable. The trend now
is outsourcing. This is getting the same, if not more qualified service, remotely and
abroad, for cheaper wages. Other than outsourcing, others in the same industry as
you are the competition. The rapid growth of the industry keeps specialists and net
workers consistently on their toes. It’s very easy to fall behind the curve causing that
next person who is up on his/her game to take your position.
Typical salary ranges are anywhere from $35,500 to $69,110. Computer
Support Specialists tend to make a little less than Administrators. Administrators can
make anywhere from $51,170 to $65,120 while Support Specialists vary between
$35,500 and $44,890. Some of the fringe benefits relating to these fields are access to
a lot of software without paying the outrageous prices for them. Once you are in the
field, the training and knowledge that you gain propel you that much ahead of the next
guy trying to take that advancement from you.
For some careers in these fields, a Bachelor degree in Computer Science or
Information Systems is required. Other jobs only require you to have an Associate’s
degree in any computer related field. For administrators, most employers look for
your Bachelor’s but not necessarily in the computer field. Today, companies are
becoming more flexible with the degree requirement but will require that the employee
demonstrate their knowledge and expertise if that degree is not present. Though
degrees hold more weight, certifications are not bad to have either. They can help you
get your foot in the door to some major corporations.
At the entry level, Support Specialists usually work directly with customers or
in-house users. The first advancement from this position is taking what they’ve
learned from the customers and using that knowledge to improve on the products.
Support Specialists usually move up to application developers giving them the
opportunity to expand on their knowledge in the IT field. Administrators start out
being involved in routine maintenance and monitoring of computer systems. After
time in an organization, administrators move up into more senior positions adding
more responsibility to their plate. Administrators can actually move up into a position
where there help design the networks rather than dealing with their day to day
operations. Skills needed to perform these tasks are good problem solving, strong
writing, and communication skills. You are apart of a team but at the same time, an
independent worker. You may be asked to make house calls to fix a local machine or to
another corporation to help troubleshoot a network. Either way, you are expected to
function as a member of a team or on your own.
The skills are the same as listed above. You need to have good problem solving,
writing, and communication skills. It would help greatly if you were a “peopleperson”. There will be times when you will deal directly with customers. Being
approachable, friendly, and courteous also helps when dealing directly with the
customer. To me, anything dealing with computers and networks, hardware or
software is exciting to me. It feels good knowing that you walk into a situation where
something is not functioning correctly and when you leave, the problem has been fixed.
A great sense of self satisfaction takes over and the customer appreciates it as well.
The only negative aspect I can see about this field is that it is extremely competitive.
You have to continue to be on top of technology and its rapid growing pace. You slack
in any way, that next person who is “hungrier” than you can slip in and take your job.
It’s a dog eat dog world in the IT industry.
Some social changes have actually lessened the need for face to face meetings.
Technology has allowed meetings to take place across anywhere in the world via the
internet. You can be in New York in a meeting with a client in Japan and accomplish
the same goals as if that person were in the same room with you. A new trend in
today’s workforce is allowing more employees to work from home. A lot of
corporations today provide laptops to their employees for this specific reason. Now,
any day that an employee needs to call out of work but still needs to get that report in
to their boss, they can do it from home. Progress continues even though the employee
may not be physically at their desk.
Yes, I am still interested in this field of work. I still have a hunger to learn
everything I can about the IT field, specifically Networking. It started out as just
fixing my own computer at home but now has grown into a desire to learn everything
I can about what makes computers work and how they communicate with one
another. I know I will be successful in this field. I have the desire to learn more, the
initiative to get things started, and the drive to make anything happen effectively and
efficiently.
Work Cited
1. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics 10 May 2006
<http://www.stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos268.htm>.