Career Opportunities for ``Information Technology'' Students

William D. Shoaff
Computer Sciences Department
Florida Tech

Nutshell Answers

There are several common questions concerning career opportunities that students ask which this document will attempt to answer. However, comprehensive answers are beyond the scope of what can be provided, and so references to several additional sources of information will be given.

Briefly, here is a list of the questions that this document addresses.

1.: What is computer science?
2.: What is software engineering?
3.: What is information systems?
4.: What is computer engineering?
5.: What kinds of jobs are available?
6.: Will there be a job for me?
7.: Can I get job experience while in college?

Here are some ``nutshell'' definitions of these terms. Complete definitions can be found in a dictionary or the Web, say at Merriam-Webster Online http://www.m-w.com.

Definition:Science is the study of nature.

Definition:Engineering is the use of science and mathematics to develop products.

Definition:Information is the organization of data into useful knowledge.

Definition:Computer science is the study of what nature allows us to compute.

Definition:Software engineering is the use of computer science and mathematics to develop software applications (programs).

Definition:Information systems are is the organization of data into useful knowledge.

Definition:Computer engineering is the use of computer science, electrical science and mathematics to develop hardware applications (computers and their parts).

Let's take a closer look at each of these areas. In doing so, you should know that the answers to the questions asked are controversial; not everyone agrees on the boundaries between the disciplines, or that boundaries even exist.

You may already have a good idea about the content of these professions and be more interested in the answers to the questions concerning jobs. The nutshell answers are as follows.

Answer:Depending on your major you may specify, design, write, test or maintain software; design software, chips, microprocessors or systems; administer networks, database, web sites or systems; install and maintain computers and their peripherals, applications or networks.

Answer:The jobs prospects work information technology students are excellent. One can expect that (almost) all students will get a job in their field.

Answer:Co-op opportunities are abundant for students. Also, many students work part or full-time in information technology jobs while they attend school.

What is computer science?

Computer science is the study of algorithms. Algorithms are ``recipes'' for solving problems. Just as recipes use resources (sugar, salt, flour) algorithms use resources (time and space).

There are a number of subareas of computer science, each with theoretical, experimental, and design problems. Among these areas are:

Algorithms	Data Structures	Programming Languages
Computer Architecture	Operating Systems	Computer Networks
Software Engineering	Computer Graphics	Computational Science
Artificial Intelligence	Robotics	Human Computer Interaction
Organizational Informatics	Databases	Information Retrieval

Graduates from a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science primarily work in software design and implementation.

What is software engineering?

Software engineering deals with the specification, requirements, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of (large) software systems. As with any engineered product, the developed software system should meet the specification, be safe, secure, reliable, and dependable. To achieve these goals, a software engineer uses theoretical foundations from computer science and mathematics.

There are a number of subareas of software engineering, each with theoretical, experimental, and design problems. Among these areas are:

Software Processes	Interface Development	Analysis of Algorithms
Software Testing	Quality Assurance	Software Maintenance
Software Design	Requirements Engineering	Project Engineering
Software Metrics	Software Tools	Software Technology

Software engineering graduates from a bachelor's or master's degree in software engineering primarily work in software design and implementation, with special attention devoted to large and critical systems.

What is information systems?

Informations systems deals with applications of computers in a business or commercial environment. Information systems specialists can be responsible for the the collection, organization and analysis of data to provide information to be used in commercial enterprises. They can be responsible for ensuring that this information is distributed to their customers and clients, as well as within the organization itself. An information systems specialist may also be involved in the decision making process for hardware, software, and telecommunication systems used by the organization.

There are a number of subareas of information system, each with theoretical, experimental, and design problems. Among these areas are:

Database Systems	Computer Law and Ethics	Computer Networks
Systems Analysis	Systems Design	Software Project Management
Telecommunication	Economics	Finance
Management Principles	Human Resource Principles	Marketing Principles
Electronic Communication	Public Relations

Graduates from a bachelor's or master's degree in information systems primarily design, develop, implement and maintain business information systems. They value information as an enterprise resource.

What is computer engineering?

Computer engineering deals with the specification, requirements, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of computer hardware and related components. As with any engineered product, the developed system should meet the specification, be safe, secure, reliable, and dependable. To achieve these goals, a computer engineer uses theoretical foundations from computer science, electronics, and mathematics.

There are a number of subareas of computer engineering, each with theoretical, experimental, and design problems. Among these areas are:

Digital Logic	Computer Design	Circuit Theory
Computer Programming	Electronics	Digital State Machines
Computer Architecture	Operating Systems	Computer Networks
Systems Design	Microcomputer Systems

Graduates from a bachelor's or master's degree in computer engineering primarily work in the development of computer hardware.

What kinds of jobs will be available to me?

The jobs available for information technology students are varied, but they are often categorized narrowly, and the level of education required run the gamut from grade school through the doctor of philosophy degree.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook lists only the following job categories that are related to information technology.

1.: Computer and Office Machine Repairers
2.: Computer Scientists, Computer Engineers, and Systems Analysts
3.: Computer Operators
4.: Engineering, Science, and Computer Systems Managers
5.: Computer Programmers

This classification scheme is primarily based on job titles and may have little to do with what a person actually does.

A more extensive list, compiled by Peter Denning [1], identifies information technology related academic disciplines offered in the United States. This list also appears in the Computer Research Associates publication The Supply of Information Technology Workers in the United States [2].

Computer Science	Information Science	Information Systems
Management Information Systems	Software Architecture	Software Engineering
Network Engineering	Human Computer Interaction	Performance Analysis
System Security and Privacy	Database Engineering	Scientific Computing
Artificial Intelligence	Knowledge Engineering	Computer Graphics
Web Service Design	Multimedia Design	System Administration
Digital Library Science

The CRA report [2] also provides an interesting way to view jobs in terms of four categories: conceptualizers, developers, modifiers/extenders, and supporters/tenders. Using this categorization they identify the jobs that people do as follows.

Conceptualizers

are those who conceive of and sketch out the basis nature of a computer system artifact:

Entrepreneur	Product designer	Research engineer
Systems analyst	Computer science researcher	Requirements analyst
System architect

Developers

are those who work on specifying, designing, constructing, and testing an information technology artifact:

System designer	Programmer	Software engineer
Tester	Computer engineer	Microprocessor designer
Chip designer

Modifiers/Extenders

are those who modify or add on to an information technology artifact:

Maintenance programmer	Programmer	Software engineer
Computer engineer	Database administrator

Supporters/Tenders

are those who deliver, install, operate, maintain, or repair an information technology artifact:

System consultant	Customer support specialist	Help desk specialist
Hardware maintenance specialist	Network installer	Network administrator

To make this categorization more meaningful, the CRA report [2] goes on to identify the educational level usually required for jobs in the four categories.

	High School	Associate	Bachelor's	Master's	Doctorate
Conceptualizer	$\surd$	$\surd$	$\surd\surd$	$\surd\surd\surd$	$\surd\surd\surd$
Developers			$\surd\surd$	$\surd\surd$	$\surd$
Modifiers		$\surd$	$\surd\surd$	$\surd\surd$	$\surd$
Supporters	$\surd$	$\surd\surd\surd$	$\surd\surd$

where a blank means it is unusual, a single check mark ( $\surd$ ) means on occasional, a double check marks $\surd\surd$ means it is common, and triple check marks $\surd\surd\surd$ means it is frequent for someone at that level of education to have a job in the given category.

Will there be a job for me?

The simple answer is yes; employment opportunities abound in computing. But simple answers are rarely sufficient. To get a better job with a higher salary and advancement opportunities you will want to earn a good GPA (3.0 or higher), have polished communication skills, and developed technical expertise in computer science and/or engineering. The job you ultimately want may not be where you start. Very few new graduates are CEO's, CIO's, or CTO's, unless they start their own company and proclaim chief executive, information, or technology officer as their title.

There are several reports that indicate the job prospects for students graduating with an information technology degree will be very good for the foreseeable future. All of our undergraduates have been able to find good, well paying jobs in their field, or they have gone directly on into graduate degree programs.

Can I get job experience while in college?

Students may enroll in co-operative education classes where they to work full-time for an organization in a discipline related job and earn credit for the experience. Some of the companies and organization where our student have worked as a co-op student are:

Harris	IBM	Lockheed Martin
Microsoft	NASA	Northrup Grumman
Siemens Stromberg-Carlson	Sun Microsystems	United Space Alliance

The average salary for a computer science co-op student is about $13.00 per hour. But ranges from a low of about $8.00 for government agencies, to $20.00 for competitive companies. Students with co-op experience often receive higher starting salaries once they graduate, and some companies count a co-op toward related work experience. Also, students who have had a successful co-op experience are often guaranteed a job with the company they worked for upon graduation.

The jobs assigned to co-op students are quite varied. As examples, some of the tasks our students have accomplished include:

1.: developing comprehensive and stand-alone demos;
2.: creating web site, client-side Java software;
3.: developing software;
4.: writing on-line help system, specifications;
5.: training fellow employees;
6.: gathering requirements;
7.: testing code;
8.: building, delivering and configuring systems;
9.: setting up hardware, and computer communication systems;

The requirements after accepting a co-op job are:

1.: completion of at least 30, but less than 90, credits;
2.: a grade point average of 2.5 or better;
3.: registration in a co-op course (CWE 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001);
4.: work 40 hours per week for an entire semester, performing major-related work;
5.: write a final report, that, along with an employer evaluation, determines your co-op grade;
6.: keep the co-op office informed of any changes in status or problems;
7.: keep your initial commitment to the employer.

Florida Institute of Technology
Department of Computer Sciences
150 West University Boulevard,
Melbourne, FL 32901-6988
Tel. (321) 674-8763, Fax (321) 674-7046,
E-mail: www@cs.fit.edu

Bibliography

1: Peter J. Denning.
Computing the profession.
Educom Review, 1998.
To appear in the book Computer Science and Engineering Education, Tony Greening, Editor, and for Educom Review, John Gehl, Editor http://cne.gmu.edu/pjd/PUBS/.
2: Peter Freeman and William Aspray.
The Supply of Information Technology Workers in the United States.
Computer Research Associates, 1999.
http://www.cra.org.

William Shoaff
2000-11-08

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