The world has progressed a great deal since the 1940s, when IBM thought the market for computers was small and insignificant. This was of course due to the large nature of computers back then, being the size of refrigerators. Today, a significant portion of the human population has some kind of computer with them. Whether it’s a cell phone, laptop or desktop machine. Society today has become almost completely dependent on its machines. As it does just about everything for us, except think, of course.
Thus, in a world where computers have been increasingly crucial to our existence, there has become a massive demand for people with specialised computer skills. Even as robots become a part of our daily bread, we still need humans to design these bots and put them together. Recent statistics puts the growth figures at around 15% per year, for the next couple of years. Whether it’s in manufacturing, insurance, finance or health, computer science has become crucial in its success.
1. Systems Software Engineers
The job of a systems software engineer is to utilise the theories and principles of computer science, along with mathematical analysis, to test, design and create software for our computer systems.
Systems software engineers are the IT experts that are tasked with creating apps such as operating systems, computer games, network control systems, databases and business applications. It’s the role of the systems software engineer to collaborate with other IT professionals in order to work on the different layers that make up computer software and to contribute to the ever-changing and improving the situation in the IT industry.
In order to get a job in this field, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree at the very least, in either computer systems, software or mathematics coupled with some experience in software engineering. A software engineer can expect to make in excess of six figures annually, depending on their experience and qualifications.
2. Computer Network Architect
The job of the computer network architect is to design, maintain and implement data and network systems, such as intranets, local area networks, extranets and wide area networks. They have the responsibility of assessing the needs of a company for both communications and sharing of data.
Additional tasks of a computer network architect include evaluating the services and products available in the marketplace. These network architects have the responsibility to test systems before they are implemented and resolve any and all problems as they are encountered after everything has been set up.
An effective computer network architect must have the necessary analytical skills to evaluate a network.
People who get jobs in this field can make on average around $105,000 per year, with growth in this sector set to grow by 6% for the next couple of years. So job prospects in this field are very positive.
3. Systems Security Administrator
The role of the system security administrator is to create and implement system structures as well as upgrade and design software, oversee any and all server activity and also maintain the security of a server. A system security administrator would also be expected to manage the web activity for companies that work with online payments and advertisements, as well as work on any technical problems that could arise from it, ensuring the network is running at maximum efficiency.
To work as a systems security administrator you can be expected to have either an associate’s degree or a certification in a relevant study. Professionals are expected to work their way up to that position from a more general role, such as information security professionals. Salaries in this field, start from around $50,000 and go up to $80,000.
4. Professional Hackers
A professional hacker is not what you think. Their job is to prevent computer hackers, and other such criminal activity from occurring on a network system. A professional hacker is a crucial member of any team, as their job involves detecting and preventing any malicious activity on any system.
A professional hacker is basically a highly proficient computer programmer, who is able to utilise both hardware and software in the most complex fashion, to help private and public businesses, firms and agencies from falling prey to hacking attempts by exposing potential vulnerabilities.
A professional hacker may utilise a number of different methods, such as keylogging, phishing, denial of service attacks, modification attacks, website hacking, cookie stealing, email address hacking, and brute force attacks to retrieve, capture or access information on databases, accounts and computer networks.
To get a job in this field, you must, at the very least have a certification along with the necessary knowledge and experience in the generality of computer programming.
Salaries for professional hackers start at around $60,000 and can increase to $80,000 depending on your skillset.
Author Bio: Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk
