Careers in it

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW AND TRENDS ★ TYPICAL POSITIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ★ INSIDER SCOOP: INTERVIEWING TIPS
CAREERS IN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
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2011 edition
Insider
Guide
Careersin
InformationTechnology

Careers in Information Technology
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2011 Edition
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All illustrations by mckibillo

CHAPTer
321 4
1 inFormation
teChnology
at a glanCe
5 the indUstry
6 Opportunity
Overview
7 The Bottom Line
7 Trends in the Field
10 Breakdown of
Industries
17 the ComPanies
18 Business Services
19 Fastest Growing
20 Health Care
21 Education
22 Government
24 Finance
25 Green IT
26 Cloud Computing
27 Human Factors
31 on the Job
32 Job Categories
32 Creative Positions
33 Engineering Positions
34 Support Positions
36 Real People Profiles
careers in Information Technology

765
47 the
WorkPlaCe
48 Lifestyle
and Culture
49 Compensation
50 Vacation
and Perks
50 Career Path
51 The Inside Scoop
55 getting hired
56 The Recruiting
Process
57 Skills and Education
57 Certification
58 Portfolios
60 Interviewing Tips
60 Preparing for Your
Interview
61 Getting Grilled
61 Grilling Your
Interviewer
65 For yoUr
reFerenCe
66 Industry Lingo
67 Recommended
Reading
68 Job Boards
69 Certification
contents

Information
Technology
ataGlance
1

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at a Glance
Overview
• The majority of IT workers work for non-IT
companies. Job opportunities exist in every industry,
from the U.S. government to the Red Cross to the
bank down the street.
• Paid internships are available at larger companies
but are reserved mostly for engineering students and
MBA candidates. With startups and smaller firms,
unpaid internships are more common but can lead
to full-time positions.
• Specialized recruiting and placement firms assist
midcareer candidates in finding new positions.
Almost all companies recruit directly through their
websites.
• Many positions are available on a contract or part-
time basis. Some contracts lead to permanent full-
time employment after three months to a year.
Other contracts are for specific projects and end
when the project is complete.
Advantages of IT Careers
• Information technologists tend to be well compen-
sated. With a median annual income of $101,580,
an information systems manager is one of the top
ten best-compensated positions in the U.S.
• Continuing education is encouraged and often sub-
sidized by the employer.
• Nontraditional employment arrangements such as
telecommuting and hoteling stations create a flexible
work situation.
• IT professionals work in a dynamic and challenging
environment. Learning new skills is part of the job.
Disadvantages of IT Careers
• The hours are long. Late nights and weekend hours
are common.
• Technology changes constantly and rapidly. Personal
time is often spent keeping abreast of the latest
developments.
• Though the job market has improved in recent years,
competition for good positions remains intense.
• The environment can be high pressure.
• Repetitive stress injury to the hands and arms from
the use of computer keyboards and mice is a health
concern.
• Statistically, the workforce lacks diversity—the num-
bers of women and people of color are decreasing.
Recruiting Overview
• Companies recruit recent graduates and MBAs at
campus career fairs, trade shows, and conferences
throughout the year.
• Companies look at intern or co-op experience when
selecting their first-choice interviews with entry-
level candidates. Many companies will give hiring
priority to their own interns and co-ops.
• New college graduates with a minor or double major
in a field that complements their desired industry
will be most marketable.
• A well-planned job search begins when you declare
your major. Research the job market and decide
what type of company you want to target. This
research will help you focus your course selection.
• Prepare to demonstrate skills that stretch beyond
programming or engineering; people skills and busi-
ness savvy are the most desired qualities in new IT
hires.
INSIDEr SCOOP
“A successful job search does not begin second
semester senior year. You can’t start then and
expect to be competitive anymore.”

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TheIndustry
2
Opportunity Overview...................6
The Bottom Line............................7
Trends in the Field..........................7
Breakdown of Industries...............10

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Opportunity
Overview
› Information technology (IT) means dif-
ferent things to different people. A software engineer at
a technology firm will tell you the IT department sits in
the back of the office and that you should go see them
(“Not me!”) with your desktop support issue. That said,
a census worker would laugh at the distinction; hard-
ware, software, support—it’s all IT. In its broadest defi-
nition, information technology is an umbrella term that
describes all fields that relate to the organization and
dissemination of information, from the worker who
lays cable wires to the engineer who designs the circuits
in your computer.
When we refer to IT in this guide, we’re talking
about computer-related fields: hardware, software, and
the people who create and support those products. Keep
in mind, however, that just because IT is computer-
related doesn’t mean jobs in the field are found only at
computer-focused companies. In fact, the majority of IT
services jobs today are in fields that have little to do with
high tech. Financial services firms, universities, consult-
ing firms, and the government are all major employers of
IT professionals. What this means for you as a job seeker
is that opportunities cross a wide variety of industries.
This translates into more jobs available for IT specialists
than for many other professionals.
IT plays an integral role in asset management, com-
munication, and branding in every field. An Oracle
database can contain taxonomists’ species informa-
tion (for example, a database of newts would contain
all known species along with the history and habitat
of each), bank records, or retail inventories. Email,
instant messaging, and mailing lists allow people and
companies to exchange information quickly. Corporate
health-care policies are often a click away on the
intranet, and that type of cheese you can find only in
Wisconsin is available through a well-designed online
order form. Today, IT facilitates the production, stor-
age, and distribution of information, and growth in IT
has mirrored the increase in pace and productivity in
the global economy.
IT is so entrenched in our daily lives that we’re
often unaware of the job opportunities spread across
industries. Schools use computers for online learning
and as part of their curricula. In a world where students
learn keyboarding in addition to writing and spelling,
workers are needed in IT curriculum development and
teaching. Nonprofits need people to build and main-
tain websites, databases, and online donation systems.
Businesses need people to build intranets, websites, and
e-commerce sites. Schools, governments, and businesses
invest in hardware and software, and in people to sup-
port those systems.
The worldwide credit crunch of 2007 and 2008 and
the ensuing recession have affected prosperity across all
sectors, and IT spending has not returned to prereces-
sion levels. Forrester Research, a notable IT research
firm, recently revised its forecast for frowth in U.S.
IT spending (reflecting business and government IT
operational budgets) from 6.4 percent to 5.2 percent
in 2012. Less consumer spending hurts the job market,
and while the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
that some IT positions (such as database administra-
tors) will likely continue to experience faster-than-aver-
age growth, others (such as programmers) are expected
to decline.
Globally, the picture looks a little brighter, at least for
the immediate future. Forrester projects that total global
spending on technology goods, services, and staff will reach
$1.69 trillion in 2011, with software taking the biggest
chunk; Forrester also predicts 8.7 percent growth in 2012.
INSIDEr SCOOP
“There are many professions where people work all
day and nothing concrete comes out of it. IT is dif-
ferent in that you are constantly building—wheth-
er it be networks or computer systems or workflows
or websites or databases or whatever else—and the
results at the end of the day are absolutely visible.”

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If you’re looking for an IT career in the U.S. or
abroad, staying adaptable and open to possibilities
will improve your chances of thriving in an economic
downturn. Whether you’re a recent college graduate
with a BA in computer science or an MBA looking to
get involved with a new technology firm or product, the
possibilities for growth and employment are as numer-
ous and varied as the fish in the sea. You may need to
cast a line out to catch one—the family business that’s
looking to hire an e-commerce manager isn’t likely to
recruit on your college campus—but jobs are out there.
The Bottom Line
› There will be plenty of competition for entry-
level jobs in the coming years, yet the information
technology field is rife with opportunity. Because tech-
nology is always improving and computers are becom-
ing faster and more powerful, companies will continue
to invest in new technology to make their companies
more efficient and cost-effective, and they will continue
to replace outmoded IT infrastructures.
As John Longwell, a researcher at Computer
Economics in Irvine, California, told ADVANCE, a
magazine for health information executives: “IT man-
agers are clearly under pressure to restrain the growth of
IT budgets this year. We will likely see restraints on new
hiring and decreased use of contract workers.” Because
the competition can be tough, it’s important to differ-
entiate yourself. Unpaid or underpaid internships can
make a huge difference on your resume. Good refer-
ences and a solid work history are necessities.
Trends in the Field
Green IT
A host of trends—including rising energy costs, increas-
ing environmental regulations, increasingly efficient
technology options, and rising stakeholder aware-
ness—are inducing company executives to green their
enterprises. Many are looking to the IT department
for solutions—ways to monitor computer use more
efficiently, restructure data for more efficient alloca-
tion of server functions, procure equipment from green
suppliers, and dispose of or recycle older machines in a
responsible way, such as through computer take-back
initiatives. In many of these cases, the IT department
can play a direct role in reducing a company’s overall
CO2 emissions emissions, and consequently slowing
climate change.
Companies of all kinds are getting on board with
these changes. On the hardware side, Hewlett-Packard
unveiled an eco-friendly containerized data center in
June 2011 that costs 75 percent less than traditional
data centers and reduces energy use by 95 percent. In
software, Viridity, a supplier of data-center infrastruc-
ture management, is updating its offerings to include
its EnergyCenter, which allows companies to track the
Senergy use of server configurations, applications, and
services.
Salaries Going Up
The Salary
Survey 2011 by
Computerworld
shows salaries among
IT workers in the U.S.
are up about
1.4 percent. However,
as additional people
enter the IT field and
gain experience and
credentials, salaries
are likely to level off
as supply outpaces
demand.

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As with any disruptive technology, skepticism of the
cloud remains. But that hasn’t stopped swift adoption
of the new technology. At a press roundtable at Interop
2011, an IT expo and conference, Cisco CIO Rebecca
Jacoby said her company’s infrastructure is 80 percent
virtualized, including servers, networking and storage,
and that 57 percent of the 1,300 business applica-
tions run inside the company are run in a private cloud
environment.
Many of the same open-source applications that
enabled initial development and growth in virtualiza-
tion, such as Xen and Virtual Iron, Microsoft’s Virtual
Server, and the venerable VMware products, are also
at the heart of cloud operations. The tools and ser-
vices that cloud computing can offer can save time
and money, but managing and implementing them
certainly requires the work of talented IT professionals.
Mobility
Mobile access to data can mean anything from packag-
ing software for mobile devices such as smartphones
and tablet computers to enabling access to company
servers for offsite employees. Whatever form mobility
takes, it’s of paramount importance to companies of all
kinds—there are 4 billion mobile phones in use world-
wide, and mobile Internet use is forecast to overtake
desktop usage by 2014—and shoring up infrastructure
to support it is a major component of hiring for corpo-
rate IT departments and independent IT firms.
Jobs enabling mobility can involve outward-facing,
consumer-focused forms of technology—think social
media, e-commerce, and downloadable apps—as well
as inward-facing or company-focused ones.
Information Security
Increasingly sophisticated and frequent cyberattacks
have private companies and governmental organiza-
tions scrambling to secure their networks and databases.
A release by IT analysts at Gartner, an IT research com-
pany, indicated that revenue from security products
and related service markets will increase to more than
Virtualization and
Cloud Computing
Virtualization, which has been used since the 1960s
but has become widely popular only in the past several
years, helps to streamline resources by increasing the
flexibility and utilization rates of computers. It does this
by essentially allowing you to do more with less. Virtual
machines share hardware resources so that you can run
multiple operating systems and applications on a single
computer.
The fundamentals of virtualization have given rise
to a form of technology that hovers over the entire IT
industry: the cloud. At its most basic level, cloud com-
puting is a type of architecture that pools and shares
resources that can be accessed on demand, often via the
Internet. Agility, ease of access, and cost-effectiveness
have all contributed to the onrush of companies into
the cloud space. IT solutions of all kinds, including
infrastructure, platforms, and software, are available
through cloud services. Salesforce was a pioneer in
branding itself as a cloud company and the first to
reach certain revenue milestones, but now many other
new and established IT shops are touting themselves as
cloud service providers.
In addition to these external, or public, clouds,
some large enterprise businesses have begun to build
their own internal, or private, clouds, which provide
the same on-demand resources, but only to a company’s
credentialed employees.
Green IT Rising in Importance
A survey of chief
information officers
by independent
technology analyst
Ovum has shown
that use of green IT
strategies and prac-
tices grew 73 percent
in the second half
of 2010 and that an
additional 8 percent
of companies
surveyed plan to
deploy green IT
measures by the
end of 2012.

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$71 billion by 2014. The firm also predicts a growth
rate of 8.2 percent in the security services market
through 2014.
It’s no wonder, as cyberthreats continue to multiply.
Worms and viruses prey on networked systems; tech-
nologies such as virtualization and cloud computing
add a level of unpredictability that makes for attrac-
tive targets for hackers and heightens concerns for
companies.
Remote workers, the numbers of which increase
year by year, expose vital company data to industrial
spies through holes in their less secure mobile systems;
a September 2010 report by security firm Symantec
found that 35 percent of all workers exhibit potentially
harmful Web browsing habits when working remotely,
and remote workers are as much as 500 percent more
likely than office workers to visit inappropriate sites.
Hacker groups, such as the worldwide vigilante group
Anonymous, mobilize en masse to launch distrib-
uted denial-of-service attacks against targeted websites.
Wardrivers, people who cruise around and identify
businesses and individuals with insecure wireless links,
access networks for free online activities.
A large part of information security is rooted
in compliance—ensuring that employees are follow-
ing IT protocols that keep company data safe. Firms
such as Microsoft and SAP have entered the compli-
ance field, and numerous consulting services, such
as OpenPages and Paisley Consulting, offer special-
ized compliance solutions. In addition, many large
firms have created a senior IT position, the chief
compliance officer (CCO), to oversee this area of
company operations. Insiders agree that although the
scope of current regulations might be vast, additional
regulations will undoubtedly follow, and responsible
management of data is now a strict requirement
for companies that provide services to the federal
government.
The U.S. government continues to keep pace with
the private sector in recognizing the need for IT secu-
rity and funding it accordingly. Among President
Barack Obama’s 2012 $79.5 billion federal IT budget is
$2.3 billion in spending for operational cybersecu-
rity and for research and development for data-pro-
tection initiatives for the Department of Homeland
Security and Department of Defense. Also included is
$459 million toward supporting the National Cyber
Security Division, which helps civilian agencies protect
their digital information and IT infrastructures.
Although information security is by no means
new, it has entered a period of maturation, says
Andrew Jaquith, chief technology officer at Perimeter
E-Security, and formerly of Forrester Research and
Yankee Group, a research firm. “In a lot of ways security
is becoming more boring,” Jaquith was quoted as say-
ing in Computerworld. “But boring is good…. [B]oring
means you’re seeing large companies like IBM have a
really rounded out security story. This is good for the
mainstreaming of security.”
Rise of the Business-Savvy Techie
Think you can cruise through your future IT career
on genius alone? You’re only half right. According to a
2011 survey by Computerworld, the demand for skills
in project management—that is, ones that are less
technical and more supervisory and process-oriented
in nature—is second only to demand for program and
application development. While hard-core program-
ming skills, needed for product development, continue
to carry the day, the ability to manage and motivate are
still near the top of employers’ wish lists.
The much-romanticized notion of the solo engineer
plodding through the night to create a code master-
piece, then, is more of a myth than a model. More
often than not, IT workers are encouraged to work
together. Certain IT development philosophies spe-
cifically emphasize teamwork, so programmers find
themselves paired side by side at the same machine.
Observing one another’s work can result in better and
more accurate design, testing, and code.
Even in the more traditionally individualized role of
information systems administrator, strong people skills

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are paramount—that goes equally for interacting with
coworkers and customers. As IT becomes increasingly
measured in terms of business value, companies will
take systematic customer-focused approaches to deter-
mine the business value for any IT investment an orga-
nization might make. Funding new projects and hiring
decisions will come down to how much IT contributes
to the bottom line.
With that in mind, cultivating strong relationships
with coworkers and taking the time to learn the busi-
ness of your company are critical to success in the mod-
ern IT environment. Job seekers stand to benefit from
engaging with and learning about how companies treat
and above all satisfy their end users.
Still Shipping Out?
Outsourcing has become a stark reality in the IT field.
The trend now is toward outsourcing the work that just
keeps the lights on, such as database maintenance, and
freeing up IT departments to focus on projects designed
to build the business.
Naturally, outsourcing is good news for skilled
workers in geographic areas where companies choose
to move their operations—but for those given the pink
slip, it’s not good at all.
Yet the very practice of outsourcing also creates
jobs in the IT sector, stimulating the need for innova-
tive and progressive strategies to connect workers from
continent to continent. Companies known as global IT
infrastructure providers remain prominent, with help-
desk services (including caller-profiling software to
speed the efficiency of phone calls), data-center services,
desktop management, mainframe computers, and even
onsite support being among these companies’ primary
offerings.
Is it possible that what goes around, comes around—
that a few of the outsourced jobs could eventually make
their way back to the U.S.? Indeed, if the dollar contin-
ues to fall against other currencies, foreign firms may
find it more appealing to set up operations in the U.S.
Also, keep in mind that one good thing about govern-
ment IT jobs—contractual and full-time positions—is
that they are less prone to outsourcing, because these
jobs often require security clearance. However, no mat-
ter who is outsourcing where, the goal is the same:
finding inexpensive but highly skilled information tech-
nology workers.
Breakdown
of Industries
› IT workers have made their way onto the pay-
roll of companies in every industry. The need for soft-
ware developers, computer support specialists, network
and system administrators, analysts, managers, and
researchers continues to grow.
In the broadest terms, IT professionals will work
in one of two places: directly for companies within
the various economic sectors (for example, as a system
administrator for a hospital) or for computer- and data-
services companies, which provide IT services to firms
that don’t have adequate in-house resources. IT services
firms tend to offer specialized services, from setting up
corporate websites and designing software to computer
INSIDEr SCOOP
“Skills that are highly valued are obviously techni-
cal in nature, but looking past those, the best
attribute that I would be looking for when hiring
would be the ability to speak to end users in a
nontechnical manner. I would also be looking for a
positive attitude and a willingness to be creative,
to take calculated risks, and to learn from criticism
and/or mistakes. Those last items would make any
candidate stand out in my mind.”
INSIDEr SCOOP
“Do some research on social behavior. It’s very
good to have that insight when you are supporting
people.”

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repair and network consulting. The larger firms, such
as IBM and CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation),
supply IT services to all sectors of the economy. Smaller
firms, such as The American Education Corporation,
tend to be more specialized.
The relationship between a technology services
firm and the company that brings it in can take several
forms, and this makes for blurred lines when deter-
mining where the jobs really are. For example, a retail
company might hire a technology-services firm to build
an e-commerce site. Once the site is built, the com-
pany might choose to manage and maintain the site
in-house or continue to pay the contracting firm to run
the whole show. In general, large companies have an IT
staff, and smaller companies are more likely to turn to
contractors to meet their IT needs. Even firms that con-
tract out IT work still need people to manage the rela-
tionship and determine how IT is, and should be, used.
Business Services
Business services accounts for nearly half of the software
development workforce, and the number of developers
involved in this area is expected to grow. This broad cat-
egory of work includes all of the engineering, technical
management, and consulting services businesses might
need. Things such as software, communication systems,
infrastructure, data management, and advertising all fall
under this umbrella. The area of business services offers
IT workers a wide variety of opportunities, including
ubiquitous and relatively well-compensated positions.
Keeping Things Running
The folks who maintain and optimize business tech-
nology infrastructure represent a significant sector of
the IT workforce. System administrators and analysts
tend to enjoy a relatively high degree of job stability
because every company that runs a network (and that
is pretty much every company these days) needs some-
one to support it. Although some in the field sense
there is an oversupply of network support people in
the market, the statistics say otherwise: The Bureau
of Labor Statistics expects that the number of sys-
tem administrators will increase much faster than the
average for all occupations—more than 27 percent
between now and 2016.
“It’s not for people who find it hard to manage
stress,” says one insider. This kind of work can leave
you feeling unappreciated. Though most office work-
ers expect to have a computer with Internet access, few
realize how much work is involved in setting up, back-
ing up, and maintaining large networks. When your
company website goes down at 3:00 a.m., or perhaps
worse, just after a press release has gone out announcing
a new product, the system administrator is the one who
receives the call. Few people realize that the last Friday
in July is System Administrator Appreciation Day.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for gifts.
Make It Look Good
Advertising and branding are more often associated
with marketing than with IT. But today, almost every
company has a website. Well-designed websites incor-
porate the work of designers, information architects,
software and system engineers, and site managers.
Firms such as Razorfish and Organic are famous for
working with companies to develop all facets of their
corporate online presence. Many businesses, from pub-
lishers such as Chronicle Books to television networks
such as MTV, keep in-house staff to develop and man-
age their websites as well.
INSIDEr SCOOP
“I enjoy getting to play with technology and to
determine new and creative ways to deploy those
tools in an environment where productivity is
absolutely paramount.”

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Sell It Now!
E-commerce, which includes business-to-business
(B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce,
is often rolled in with business services, and this seg-
ment of the market continues to grow. Goldman Sachs’
2011 report on Internet commerce projects worldwide
estimates that e-commerce sales will reach $963 billion
by 2013, growing at an annual rate of 19.4 percent.
The report also estimates 12.4 percent growth in the
U.S. during the next three years, reaching $235.3 bil-
lion in online retail sales. Quick-purchase tools, better
product-discovery tools, and mobile comparison shop-
ping are reaching omnipresence, with IT departments
playing a critical role in implementation and qual-
ity assurance. Mobile selling—e-commerce enabled
by mobile services, already becoming widely known
as m-commerce—is expected to be a growth area,
with many European and Asian nations ahead of their
American counterparts.
Health Care
Health care is the largest industry in the U.S., with
information technology playing an increasingly key
role in serving patients. Hospitals look to IT to reduce
the cost of administration and improve patient care.
Forecasts show that health care will be one of the top
industries for IT growth during the next few years.
Knowledge Management
Keeping track of medical records is a tremendous job,
and one that the IT industry has tackled head-on. It’s
no coincidence that nearly 30 percent of IT workers in
the health-care industry identify themselves as “director
of information services.” Fueling the need for software
developers, database managers, and system analysts
in the health-care industry, the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates
that doctors and insurance companies standardize the
electronic exchange of financial and administrative
information. “This will not only improve adminis-
trative efficiency in our health-care system,” says one
insider, “but prevent misuse of private health informa-
tion.” HIPAA also requires that nearly all health-care
providers update and overhaul existing IT systems.
Research and Development
Health information management (HIM) systems must
be developed with input from doctors, administrators,
and insurance professionals. The research and devel-
opment process calls for good communication skills
and careful attention to the requirements of the sys-
tem. (This is true across industries.) Though some of
this work is done internally, it’s quite common to see
health care companies work with outside consultants.
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems
Society has a useful website (www.himss.org) with
information about what’s going on in the industry and
who’s working on it.
Education
Salaries for IT workers in education lagged behind
their peers in other industries, but the gap is beginning
to close, according to Computerworld’s 2011 Salary
Survey. Education salaries at manager and director
levels have surpassed those at the same level in other
fields, including health care, government and non-
profits. Some jobs in those areas still command higher
salaries than ones in education, and overall, the educa-
tion field still lags far behind compensation in business
services and consulting. However, if you are willing
to compromise on salary, the opportunities in educa-
tion and IT can be very rewarding. Many educational
institutions offer perks beyond salary, such as discounts
on courses, access to university facilities, and excellent
retirement benefits.
You can find opportunities in educational institu-
tions of many types. Major state university systems,
including state community college systems, hire IT
professionals, as do small, privately held educational
institutions. Other educational companies serve busi-
ness and government with online learning and skill-
building software and programs.

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Tremendous growth in the e-learning market has
contributed to the increase in companies, such as
SkillSoft, that produce learning management systems,
as well as the expansion of some university IT depart-
ments, where there are plenty of opportunities to main-
tain networks and manage online curriculum programs.
Network and data security topped the list of worries for
education IT professionals for years, but according to
the Campus Computing Survey, conducted annually
by the California-based Campus Computing Project,
concerns about the instructional integration of IT,
financing and replacing aging hardware and software,
and hiring and retaining qualified staff all rank above or
at the same level as security.
Smaller schools have similar IT needs but offer IT
professionals the opportunity to wear many hats and
work across different technologies. For example, one
day you might be working on a new online registration
system, and the next day implementing a security fix.
Government
Increasingly, federal and state governments and agencies
are turning to IT to facilitate communications, stream-
line processes (including collecting taxes or renewing
a driver’s license online), and save tax dollars. From
one-time transactions to permanent record storage, a
growing amount of centralized data is being placed in
the care of IT professionals. As a result, federal tech-
nology budgets are on the rise—though not as rapidly
as corporate ones—with the president approving even
more IT spending for 2012 amid the ongoing threat of
cyberterrorism.
The bulk of federal IT spending goes to the
Department of Defense, which employs more than 2.3
million military personnel and 600,000 civilian work-
ers. Computer specialists represent the third-largest
white-collar federal occupation, and contracting IT
firms, such as Titan Group of L-3 Communications
and CACI International, have sizable federal contracts.
This is good news for system administrators and ana-
lysts interested in working for Uncle Sam.
At the local and state level, IT is a key employment
sector as well. With so much information available
online, privacy issues are one key area of opportunity;
local governments are looking into ways of cleaning up
online data so that the security of personal information
(such as Social Security numbers) isn’t compromised.
If you’re interested in the government sector, check
out the federal CIO Council (www.cio.gov), which
serves as the interagency forum for improving prac-
tices in the design, modernization, use, sharing, and
performance of federal agency information resources.
Additionally, Best Places to Work (www.bestplacesto-
work.org/BPTW/rankings) maintains a list of govern-
ment agencies rated by employee satisfaction.
Safekeeping Data
Although the federal government has tightened digital
security after an embarrassing series of lapses during the
past decade—e.g. stolen laptops, improperly accessed
data—the release of sensitive government documents
by WikiLeaks starting in 2010 revealed that greater
attention still needs to be paid to data security.
The levels of hiring that occurred in the wake of
the Federal Information Security Management Act
(FISMA) haven’t yet returned, and even the appoint-
ment of the first chief information officer of the U.S.
didn’t reverse the trend; Vivek Kundra lasted about
2½ years on the job before leaving in August 2011 to
pursue a Harvard University fellowship. Upon taking
the position, he noted that the government’s IT needed
overhauling. “I felt like I’d walked back about a decade
in time,” Kundra said in an interview with Politico.
TIP
If you want to work on IT security within
government, check out the National Security
Agency website (www.nsa.gov) for a list of
student programs such as cooperative educa-
tion (alternating semesters of full-time study
with semesters of full-time work), internships,
scholarships, and employment programs.

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“Systems we had in place didn’t work. Security was a
huge issue. So there was this huge gap in the White
House itself and what I was seeing in terms of the
explosion of technology in the consumer space.”
Public vs Private Compensation
During economic downturns, a federally funded posi-
tion may prove more stable than a corporate one,
though you probably won’t make as much money.
According to a 2011 Computerworld survey, entry-level
government IT workers tend to earn industry-average
salaries. However, middle- and senior-level salaries
lagged behind their business-world counterparts. For
example, the average IT director working for the gov-
ernment took home at least $40,000 or less per year
than someone with similar experience in the computer
services industry.
This is partly because of funding availability and
largely because of the way the salary scale is structured.
As government security manager C.J. Kelly wrote in
Computerworld, “In government, a person’s demon-
strated skills are pretty much irrelevant in determining
salary. What matters is the grade level of the position.
That grade level has an associated pay range, and there
is no variance.” (Many public university systems, which
are state-level government roles, operate this way as well.)
Salaries for federal contractors tend to be quite
competitive with other positions in the private sector,
but they lack the stability and outstanding benefits of
full-time government jobs.
Finance
As Wall Street banks and other financial institutions
have rebuilt their workforces in the wake of the global
economic crisis, they’re making significant invest-
ments in IT. As before the 2008 market crash, IT
for finance plays an essential role in everything from
retail products (such as customers’ online portfolios)
to investment banking, including systems that allow
traders to track market changes and quickly make
transactions. With banks eager to win back consumer
confidence, stability and security in IT systems have
become a top priority. As a result, information tech-
nologists will likely find a degree more security than
will those in other banking roles.
IT workers in the financial and banking sec-
tor are compensated well; they consistently earn
more than the average salary across all sectors. The
financial services sector also includes a wide range
of highly ranked places to work in IT, often includ-
ing robust training budgets, strong benefit packages,
well-defined career paths, and the chance to work
with cutting-edge technologies.
Super Systems
The finance industry depends on large information
systems that have a constant need for updates, and
gaps in maintenance can have grave consequences,
with consumers’ private information left exposed.
In 2011, for example, a breach of Citigroup’s card
account management website affected more than
360,000 credit cards. Though costly, system updates
are necessary to ensure the safety of transmitted infor-
mation and to maintain consumer confidence.
Working Together
As financial agencies try to squeeze more from
IT budgets, optimizing existing infrastructures has
become a priority, as has the need for good sys-
tem integrators and administrators. As financial
institutions grow, often through acquisition, they
tend to acquire incompatible or redundant sys-
tems. Even within a single organization, the vast
number of systems required to meet frequently
changing regulations cannot be integrated out
of the box. Simplifying and streamlining finan-
cial IT systems improves overall efficiency and
ultimately saves money, facts that financially
savvy firms aren’t likely to overlook.

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TheCompanies
3
Business Services..........................18
Fastest Growing...........................19
Health Care................................. 20
Education.....................................21
Government.................................22
Finance........................................24
Green IT......................................25
Cloud Computing........................26
Human Factors............................27

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Largest Global IT Business Services Companies, According to Revenue from IT
Company
2010 IT Services
Revenue ($M)
Total revenue
($M)
it services revenue
share (%)
IBM 37,347 95,758 39
Hewlett-Packard 34,678 116,245 30
Fujitsu 26,935 50,662 53
Computer Sciences Corporation 16,281 16,281 100
Accenture 15,555 21,908 71
Capgemini 11,255 12,059 93
Hitachi 11,050 99,818 11
Ericsson 11,031 29,014 38
NTT Data Corporation 10,425 12,355 84
NEC 9,555 40,475 24
BT Global Services 9,237 34,172 27
T-Systems 8,744 12,674 69
Lockheed Martin 8,087 45,189 18
SAIC 7,547 10,781 70
Atos Origin 7,386 7,386 100
Huawei 7,277 21,834 33
Business Services
› It’s no surprise that the biggest business ser-
vices companies in the world are typically the top hir-
ers for IT positions. These companies require a large
workforce to help other companies maintain their often
massive infrastructures. Landing a job with one of the
titans of the industry could lead to assignments helping
support some of the world’s largest and most successful
companies around the globe.
The following list ranks the world’s top IT business
services companies according to the revenue that comes
from IT. This includes consulting, system integration,
hosting, outsourcing, custom software development,
and more. For some companies, it’s just a small por-
tion of their overall revenue; those figures are included
for comparison. For others, IT services compose their
whole operation. The Top 100 Research Foundation
bases these rankings on SEC filings, annual reports and
corporate websites, with additional information gath-
ered by market research agencies and Internet media.

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Siemens 6,949 102,411 7
ACS 6,700 6,700 100
Microsoft 6,265 61,159 10
Digital China 6,218 6,218 100
Sources: IT Services Top 100; Hoovers; WetFeet analysis
Fastest Growing
› Of course, the biggest companies aren’t the only
places that provide business services. New, smaller firms
are springing up all the time to fill niches, especially
for providing IT support to startups and other busi-
nesses that are closer to their size. Inc. magazine ranks
these companies according to growth in revenue dur-
Fastest-Growing IT Business Services Companies, According to Growth
Company 2009 Revenue ($M)
2006–2009
revenue Growth
2010 Employees
Carbonite 19.1 11,208 163
Involta 16.9 5,438 35
SingleHop 6.0 3,896 50
MMC Systems 3.8 3,529 81
Synteractive 5.2 3,481 11
clearAvenue 8.2 3,107 22
Varrow 17.0 2,754 20
Infoway Software 2.5 2,530 37
Enterprise Solutions Realized 4.8 2,408 22
Principle Solutions Group 19.0 2,069 75
Sources: 2010 Inc 5000, WetFeet analysis
ing a 2006–2009 period. The numbers of employees at
these firms are far from staggering, but the recent track
records indicate that the numbers could grow and that
the ground floor could be a good place to be.

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Health Care
› Health-care providers traffic a lot of data:
medical history, prescriptions, and everything else a
doctor or nurse needs for reference when a patient
comes in. A highly specialized branch of IT has
developed over the years to support health systems.
Companies that provide computer and data services
to health-care organizations, hospitals, and inte-
grated health-care systems remain sources of strong
growth and hiring.
Healthcare Informatics’ ranking of the top health-
care IT companies takes into account self-reported
revenues and estimates of revenues from companies that
did not submit their information. Those estimates are
based on patterns of previous years’ revenue arcs derived
from industry press releases and other health-care
industry consultants.
Top Health Care IT Companies, According to Revenue
Rank Company
2010 Revenue
($M)
2010 Employees
1 McKesson 3,124 15,131
2 Dell 2,625* 11,000
3 CareFusion 2,600 6,000
4 Philips Healthcare 2,400 34,000
5 Cerner 1,850 8,600
6 Siemens Healthcare 1,600* 49,000
7 Keane 1,400 6,650
8 Computer Sciences Corporation 1,334 6,000
9 Pulse Systems 1,200 110
10 Cognizant 1,177 21,000
*Revenue estimate
Sources: Healthcare Informatics 100, Hoovers, WetFeet analysis

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Education
› IT jobs in higher education present some interest-
ing contradictions. The schools with the highest enroll-
ments would have the largest workforces, and thus the
biggest ranks of IT employees, right? Yes, in part, but
there’s more to it. The most wired campuses—that is,
the ones with the most prevalent use of technology
and the best integration of technology into the learn-
ing experience—aren’t always the biggest schools. Also,
with the rise of online institutions such as the Apollo
Group’s University of Phoenix, IT roles are vital to
keeping the whole enterprise up and running
The following list ranks the top colleges and univer-
sities for IT jobs. Though some big schools make the
list, they’re not among the largest schools in the U.S.;
they’re the ones ranked highest by Computerworld on
the basis of IT workers’ input on job satisfaction, on-
the-job training, career development, and other factors.
Selected IT Employers in Higher Education
University
Fiscal year 2011
Budget ($M)
2010 Enrollment 2010 Staff and Faculty
University of Pennsylvania 6,007 21,203 16,300
The George Washington University 614.5 25,061 7,450
Indiana University Bloomington 2,700 42,347 40,001
University of Oklahoma 1,500 30,303 14,268
University of Miami 2,500 15,657 11,281
Temple University 1,074 27,623 5,890
Sources: Computerworld, Hoovers, university websites, WetFeet analysis
Fortune 1000: Leading Educational Companies
These for-profit educational enterprises landed on Fortune 1000, and both are major players
in online education.
Rank Company
2010 revenue
($M)
2009–2010 revenue
growth (%)
2010 Employees
425 Apollo Group 4,958.1 24.8 55,925
838 Career Education Corporation 2,124.7 15.1 12,137
Sources: Fortune 1000, WetFeet research and analysis

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Government
› Companies that provide services to the fed-
eral government live and die by contracts, and the mul-
tiple billions in contracts that many of these companies
pull in year after year contribute to strong growth in
hiring. The Department of Defense is by far the larg-
est federal department, and so defense contractors are
typically the heaviest hitters with the largest amount
in contracts each year. Though working in defense
may conjure up images of aircraft, missiles, and gener-
als gathering in the war room, a lot of those dollars go
toward IT projects—that is, the work in coding, secu-
rity, and encryption that go on behind the scenes of
major military operations.
What follows are rankings of the largest depart-
ments in the federal government, according to number
of employees, and of the largest government contrac-
tors, according to the amount in contracts they received
in 2010. These are the places IT professionals eager to
work in government are most likely to end up.
Largest Federal Government Employers, According to Budget
Agency 2010 Enacted Budget ($B) 2010 Employees
Department of Defense 530.8 787,214*
Department of Veterans Affairs 55.9 268,187
Department of Homeland Security 42.6 161,273
Department of Justice 27.7 112,688
Department of the Treasury 13.4 99,868
Department of Agriculture 27 80,510
Department of Health and Human Services 70 58,946
Department of Transportation 77 56,151
Department of Commerce 13.9 33,711
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 18.7 17,190
*Civilians
Sources: U.S. Office of Personnel Management; the White House; agency websites; WetFeet analysis

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Largest Federal Government Contractors,
According to Amount in Government Contracts
Company 2010 Revenue ($M)
2010 Amount
in Contracts ($M)
2010 Employees
Lockheed Martin Corporation 45,800 17,344 132,000
Northrop Grumman
Corporation
34,800 10,800 117,100
Boeing 64,300 8,400 159,000
Raytheon 25,200 6,206 72,000
General Dynamics 32,500 5,493 90,000
SAIC 10,800 5,159 45,000
Hewlett-Packard 126,000 3,831 304,000
L-3 Communications
Corporation
15,700 3,815 62,000
Sources: Washington Technology; Hoovers; WetFeet analysis
Largest Federal Government IT Services Contractors,
According to Amount in Government Contracts
The following ranking of IT services contractors for the federal government is also based on the amount of
government contracts. Compared with the overall ranking of contractors, the dollar amounts are smaller, but
the work remains equally critical.
Company
2010 Amount in
Contracts ($M)
2010 Employees
Apptis 826.2 1,071*
Wyle Laboratories 772.9 4,800
Vangent 529.0 8,728*
NCI Information Systems 492.4 2,600
SGT 338.6 1,500
ARTEL 284.7 150
MicroTech 273.8 283
Telos Corporation 273.5 646

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Eyak Technology 239.9 235
Energy Enterprise Solutions 230.3 400
*2009 figures
Sources: Washington Technology; Hoovers; WetFeet analysis
Finance
› When it comes to IT jobs in finance, the com-
panies with the biggest bottom lines are often the best
places to land a job. The companies that are making the
most and biggest deals also are the ones most in need of
keeping their data secure and ensuring that everything
runs smoothly—customers and high-powered investors
are counting on them, after all.
This list from the Fortune 500 ranks the biggest
players in finance according to their 2010 revenue.
They’re the companies handling the most data and serv-
ing the greatest numbers of customers—in short, the
ones with greatest need for employees that can ensure
stability and security in their IT departments.
Top Finance Firms, According on Revenue
Fortune 500 Rank Company 2010 Revenue ($M)
2009–2010
revenue
change (%)
2010 Employees
6 General Electric 151,628 –3.3 287,000
9 Bank of America 134,194 –10.8 288,122
13 JPMorgan Chase 115,475 0.1 239,891
14 Citigroup 111,055 2.1 260,000
23 Wells Fargo 93,249 –5.5 272,200
54 Goldman Sachs 45,967 -–11.0 38,700
63 Morgan Stanley 39,320 24.8 62,542
64 Prudential Financial 38,414 17.5 41,044
91 American Express 30,242 13.1 61,000
126 U.S. Bancorp 20,518 5.3 60,584
134 Capital One Financial 19,067 19.3 27,826
Sources; Fortune 500, Hoovers; WetFeet research

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Green IT
› The commitment to environmentally friendly,
or green, technology in companies of all kinds has gone
from lip service to fast-spreading trend to established
force, and that goes for IT service providers, too. The
talk now has moved from new gizmos and gadgets to
cost-effective products, technologies, and tactics that
don’t require huge capital expenditures. Companies
that act smart in these areas also hire smart.
Computerworld has ranked the following companies
on the basis of their IT departments’ efforts to reduce
energy consumption in their equipment and on the
basis of their use of technology to conserve energy and
lower carbon emissions.
Computerworld’s Top Vendors of Green IT Services
company 2010 Revenue ($B) 2010 Employees
Fujitsu 50.4 172,000
Dell 61.4 103,300
NetApp 5.1 8,333
Verizon Wireless 106.5 194,400
Intel 43.6 82,500
Hewlett-Packard 126.0 324,600
Qualcomm 10.9 17,500
Accenture PLC 23.0 204,000
Terremark Worldwide 292.3* 859
Microsoft 62.4 89,000
*Figure in millions
Source: Computerworld, Hoovers, WetFeet analysis

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Cloud Computing
› The term cloud originally referred to the sym-
bol that programmers used to represent data going
somewhere else. It served as shorthand, with program-
ming details omitted. In recent years, though, the
term has been applied to new processes in storing and
Top Cloud Infrastructure Companies
Company 2010 Revenue ($M) 2010 Employees
ATT Cloud Services 124,200* 265,410*
HP Cloud Assure 116,245* 324,600*
IBM CloudBurst 95,758* 426,751*
Oracle Cloud Services 35,600* 108,000*
Amazon Web Services 34,200* 33,700*
CSC Cloud Services 16,281* 91,000*
Savvis 932.9 2,440
Rackspace Managed Hosting 780.5 3,262
Terremark Worldwide 292.3 859
GoGrid 25 100
*Figures for parent company
Sources: BTC Logic, Hoovers, WetFeet analysis
transforming data—a major shift with huge ramifica-
tions for infrastructure and storage throughout the IT
industry. The cloud boom is a shifty phenomenon, with
many different approaches to the emerging technology
and companies of all sizes getting a piece of the action.
Top Cloud Foundation Companies
Company 2010 Revenue ($M) 2010 Employees
IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager 95,758* 426,751*
EMC 17,015.1* 48,500*
Microsoft Hyper-V 61,159* 89,000*
CA Technologies 4,429 13,400

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VMware 2,860 9,000
Citrix Cloud Solutions 1,874.6 5,637
Red Hat Cloud Foundations 909.2 3,700
Rackspace 780.5 3,262
rPath 3.7 38
3Leaf Systems 3.2 30
*Figures for parent company
Sources: BTC Logic, Hoovers, WetFeet research and analysis
Human Factors
› For its ranking of the “Best Places to Work in
IT,” Computerworld drew on feedback from IT workers
and ranked companies according to everything from
employee benefits to workplace diversity to retention.
In these areas, all of which contribute to overall job
satisfaction, it’s not only the biggest or best-known
companies that topped their lists; many companies
with smaller workforces have the ability to guide and
nurture their employees—see the rankings for career
development and training, for example. A handful of
very large companies have managed to excel in these
areas, too, which makes them stand out even more.
Computerworld’s Top IT Employers for Career Development
Rank Company IT Employees
1 National Information Solutions Cooperative 302
2 CME Group 858
3 Corning 359
4 Altria 290
5 Avanade 67
Sources: Computerworld, WetFeet analysis

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Computerworld’s Top IT Employers for Benefits
1 General Mills 659
2 University of Pennsylvania 282
3 Genentech 561
4 Booz Allen Hamilton 330
5 Sacramento Municipal Utility District 147
Computerworld’s Top IT Employers for Diversity
1 Kaiser Permanente 5,551
2 Genentech 561
3 University of Miami 357
4 University of Pennsylvania 282
5 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 326

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Computerworld’s Top IT Employers for Training
1 The George Washington University 255
2 Verizon Wireless 3,177
3 The MITRE Corporation 346
4 USAA 2,137
5 Salesforce 207
Computerworld’s Top IT Employers for Retention
1 USAA 2,137
2 Chesapeake Energy Corporation 504
3 Quicken Loans 393
4 SAS Institute 328
5 National Information Solutions Cooperative 302

OntheJob
4
Job Categories..............................32
Creative Positions........................32
Engineering Positions..................33
Support Positions.........................34
Real People Profiles......................36

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Job Categories
› We’ve broken down some common IT jobs
into three main categories: creative, engineering, and
support. The categories are by no means definitive.
For example, although we’ve placed Web developer in
the creative category, companies often hire developers
in engineering departments. And technical writers are
found on IT support and engineering teams. However,
the distinctions are useful when looking at the types of
jobs and the experience required of each.
Regardless of the type of IT position you’re apply-
ing for, one rule holds true: Employers most often seek
applicants with relevant technical experience and a
four-year college degree. For the entry-level job seeker,
the preference for experience can be problematic.
However, some types of work—and some workplaces—
have lower barriers to entry than others.
Creative Positions
› Those with good communication abilities,
strong visual design skills, and a knack for numbers
might find one of the more creative IT positions a
good match. These jobs—from the industrial designer
who conceptualizes new products to the Web designer
who creates the look and feel of a website—are ideal
for people looking to satisfy analytical and artistic
needs.
IT creatives, like their engineering and support
counterparts, need to have strong technical skills.
However, a degree in an IT-related field is rarely
a requirement. Instead, job seekers should have a
strong portfolio that demonstrates skill and sen-
sibilities. For those just starting out, building this
portfolio is a priority. Volunteering for design proj-
ects, whether as an intern with companies or pro
bono for agencies such as the Taproot Foundation,
is often a great way to start. Software skills are an
absolute must—whether Photoshop, Illustrator,
and Flash for a Web developer or FileMaker for a
database manager. To be successful, IT creatives
must know their applications well and keep current
with each new release.
Recent college grads learn the ropes with entry-
level positions such as assistant designer, developer,
or producer. Though some of the responsibilities are
not glamorous and may feel more administrative than
creative at times, the work experience is a prerequisite
for advancement. “I spent two hours a day archiving
content,” one insider says.
For those looking to switch focus—from a Web
producer to a Web designer, for instance—previous
work experience and familiarity with the industry will
prove invaluable. Though it is unlikely you can make
a purely lateral shift, many people slip in and out of
different creative roles throughout their careers. In
fact, a record of varied experience can be useful when
applying for some of the more senior positions. A user
interface designer, for example, should have a strong
knowledge of Web production and design—and work
experience in each of those areas looks very good on
a resume.
Technical Producer
The producer acts as the nerve center and lightning
rod. For projects such as entertainment software,
the producer is like the director of a movie, setting
the tone as well as the overall look and feel, and
taking responsibility for the final version. All the
art, content, administrative, and other decisions go
through the producer—it can be stressful, but it’s
rewarding when it works. The producer may report
to the product manager, who’s in charge of
commercial concerns, or to a technical manager.
Salary range: $41,000 to $60,000
Degree requirements: BA or MBA
Web Developer
Web developers are masters of HTML, and they know
how to create Web pages that will look good in any
browser on any platform. In addition to knowing appli-

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cations such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash, a Web
developer understands databases, JavaScript, XML—
and how to work with designers and engineers. Tight
deadlines can make this work tough at times, but for
those who love to work with rapidly evolving tools and
challenges, this job is ideal.
salary range: $40,000 to $55,000, entry-level
degree requirements: BA
WebMASTeR
Smaller companies particularly tend to roll the areas of
Web architecture, design, implementation, and man-
agement into one position: the webmaster. Webmasters
may even be responsible for content creation and edit-
ing, working in conjunction with marketing. If you
hold this job, be prepared to know and do a little bit of
everything.
salary range: $50,000 to $80,000
degree requirements: BA
enGineerinG
pOsitiOns
› the majorIty of IT jobs fall into what we’ve
classified as engineering positions. In fact, according
to the TechAmerica Foundation, an IT industry trade
association, the most common type of IT job is pro-
grammer, with approximately 2.1 million positions.
Compared to other IT workers, programmers, soft-
ware engineers, QA engineers, hardware engineers,
tech writers, and database administrators tend to
have the most extensive technical backgrounds, often
holding at least a four-year college degree in com-
puter science or a related discipline.
For those interested in breaking into the engi-
neering world, knowing the latest technology is
important— Java, Linux, SQL software, C and C++,
Oracle, and .NET—but it’s also attractive to hir-
ers to have a strong foundation of IT knowledge.
Experience is also highly valued, and co-op and work-
study programs will give students a leg up after gradu-
ation. Those seeking entry-level programming jobs
might find larger firms, which offer intensive train-
ing programs, more receptive to their resumes than
smaller shops.
Entry-level hires usually work under close super-
vision or on a team with more experienced work-
ers. However, after proving themselves, entry-level
workers are ripe for advancement. Programmers may
become lead programmers or consultants; software
engineers may become project managers, information
system managers, and eventually chief information
officers or chief technology officers; junior database
administrators may move on to managerial positions,
as well.
Seasoned engineering professionals who wish to
advance into management will have a better chance if
they acquire the relevant skills first. Companies look for
managers with technical skills and some well-developed
soft skills such as communication and interpersonal
relationship building.
QA enGIneeR
A good QA engineer has to think of every stupid, silly,
and accidental thing a customer might do to and with a
product, from using a keyboard in the bathtub to click-
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widget. In some work environments this can be fun,
but often it’s a strictly regimented process, usually on
a tight deadline as a product moves from pre-alpha to
final release. QA people support product teams, track
bugs, and write documentation.
Salary range: $47,000 to $60,000, entry level
Degree requirements: BS in computer science, MS
preferred
Software Engineer
Junior software engineers mainly do the dirty work of
inputting code, connecting application modules and
functionalities, debugging, and porting to other OS
platforms. However, the junior position is a stepping-
stone to the senior position, which offers the potential
of having a say in the end product. Senior engineers also
work with end users, OEM (original equipment manu-
facturer) customers, and others, and take a more super-
visory role in team structure.
Salary range: $48,000 to $60,000, entry-level
Degree requirements: BS in computer science (MS
preferred for senior positions)
Application Programmer
This type of programmer/engineer works specifically
on a particular application that will either end up as a
shrink-wrapped product or as a module that will inter-
act with final products. This position entails documen-
tation, product development, and product integration.
For example, writing or revising software that addresses
a specific task, such as calibrating color monitors.
Degree requirements: BS in computer science
Database Administrator
Database administrators, or DBAs, participate in data-
base design and develop, test, and maintain database
environments. Often, the DBA is responsible for mak-
ing backups and ensuring that information is recover-
able in the event of a disaster. Administrators may also
plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to
safeguard information. It’s also crucial to have the right
certifications to get your foot in the door—these are
often more important than academic degrees.
Degree requirements: BS in computer science or
equivalent experience
Support Positions
› Though an undergraduate degree in
computer science or systems looks good on a resume,
many support positions don’t require a related college
degree. Relevant work experience is often the most
important hiring criterion, and support workers must
have hands-on training to advance to more senior
positions.
The current need for system administrators has
made this field a good point of entry for recent college
grads. Though companies prefer to hire college gradu-
ates for this type of work, they rarely insist that degrees
be computer-related. In addition to technical aptitude,
employers look for strong writing and communication
skills, and system administrators can expect to use these
abilities often in their interactions with customers and
other employees. Entry-level administrators monitor
computer systems and perform routine maintenance.
As they become more experienced, they may design sys-
tems or shift into software engineering.
Only for the patient, QA and technical support jobs
require troubleshooting, communication, and problem-
solving skills. Entry-level tech jobs, at least in support,
usually involve direct customer contact. Promotions are
usually based on performance, not formal education,
and often happen quickly.
Senior support workers may become application
developers or managers. Like engineering managers,
support managers must have good communication and
interpersonal skills in addition to good technical skills.

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Technical Support Analyst
This is the front line—tech support is an entry-level
position, dealing directly with customers who are likely
disgruntled, usually over the phone. It’s volume work.
Though working knowledge of the product is vital, so
are patience, communication skills, and the ability to
deal with unhappy people without making them more
unhappy.
Degree requirements: None (BA or BS preferred)
Software Support Engineer
Sometimes these workers are promoted from the ranks
of tech support. This job also includes elements of
sales in that it’s more involved with onsite issues and
other direct support of clients. As a result, this position
requires knowledge of the client’s needs and the ability
to troubleshoot and act independently.
IT Training Consultant
Most large software and hardware installations aren’t
just set-up-and-go propositions, so companies that sell
servers, back-end systems, CRM/ERP solutions, and
the like employ IT staff members who introduce the
client to the product. And it’s not just for arcane, com-
plex items either—training consultants also get sales,
marketing, and other executives up to speed on new
systems.
Degree requirements: BS in computer science,
specialized training preferred
Management Information
Systems (MIS)
High-tech companies don’t just sell the stuff—they use it
too. Working in MIS means handling hardware, software,
and networks, all to help the organization run as effi-
ciently as possible. It’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades position
and provides exposure to a wide skill set that could trans-
late well to a number of more specialized career paths.
To land this kind of position, the right certifications—
for example, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
(MCSE) certification—are also extremely important.
Salary range: $86,000 to $120,000
Degree requirements: BS in computer science or
electrical engineering
System Administrator
The most valuable traits in a system administrator are a
willingness to take things apart and the patience to put
the pieces together again. System administrators design,
test, and evaluate data communications systems such as
local area networks. A system administrator may also be
asked to research and recommend network hardware
and software.
Beware: This can be a thankless job. People never
say, “Hey, my phone works today. Awesome!” But if
something goes down, you’ll hear all about it.
Degree requirements: BA or certificate program
Information Security Specialist
Information security specialists are responsible for
securing data, devices, and networks against unauthor-
ized external and internal access. In addition to design-
ing and maintaining a set security standard and policy,
the information security specialist ensures that the poli-
cies are adhered to by all. Remember to change your
password!
Salary range: $85,000 to $115,000 and more

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Real People
Profiles
E-Learning Course Developer
Age: 30
Years in the business: Six months
Education: MFA, computer arts–new media
Work hours per week: 40
Size of company: 20 employees
Certification: None
Annual salary: $42,000
What do you do?
I’m a course builder. I’m responsible for developing
new online courses using HTML and ASP course
templates. I also upgrade existing courses and main-
tain the HTML and JavaScript code snippets library. I
fix bugs—usually incorrect content, such as a missing
paragraph or a spelling or typographical error—in the
courses. My position requires good problem-solving
skills, analytical skills, attention to detail, and dedica-
tion to high-quality work.
How did you get your current job?
I got this job from the Craigslist job-posting website
[www.craigslist.org].
How can someone get a job like yours?
The best way to get a job is to post a resume on some
job-posting sites such as Monster or Dice, along with a
well-designed personal website with a portfolio of proj-
ects you’ve worked on.
What kinds of people do well in the
business?
People who have a programming background and a
good sense of design do well in this business.
How is your work structured?
I am on a six-person course development team. The
team director outlines the course development proposal
and defines the weekly goals. She schedules the time-
line for each project. The technical writers structure the
course, outline the content, and do all the writing—
introduction, main contents, all interactive scenarios,
summary, quiz, and conclusion (following the com-
pany guidelines). The course builder—that’s me—then
builds the online course, which consists of an HTML
version and a Flash version, while the graphic designer
creates the look and design based on the course objec-
tive and audience. Before the course release, each course
is reviewed and revised by our QA manager.
What are your career aspirations?
My short-term career aspiration is to be a user inter-
face designer. And my long-term career goal is to be an
international project manager.
What is the biggest misconception about
your job?
People think that course builder means Web designer. But
in fact, building a course is not like creating a website.
Building a great online e-learning course requires a high-
performance team, not just a good graphic designer.
What do you like most about your
company?
It offers great opportunities to expand, particularly as
learning systems become more online-based.
What do you dislike about your firm and/
or job?
The job is tedious. Once you learn how to build a course
and how to upgrade a course, you repeat the same task over
and over.
What is a typical career track at your firm?
Do people stay for years or move around in
the industry?
The company is only a few years old. People come and
go, though most of the founders are still involved.

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Sample Project
Generally, I begin to develop a new course after the
technical writer has finished the new content. It takes
three to five days to construct the HTML for a course
and implement new content with the course templates.
Each course contains exercise sections, scenarios, and
a quiz that tests the user’s knowledge. These sections
are done in JavaScript and Flash and must follow the
company guidelines. Consistency is the key to build-
ing a successful course. The QA manager reviews each
course—for both content and functionality—and
reports bugs, which I fix. Each course is given a final
proof before release.
Director of Engineering
Age: 36
Years in the business: 18
Education: MA in engineering/MA in psychology
Size of company: Five employees
Certification: None
What do you do?
I work for a nonprofit agency that works in biodiver-
sity. I write software, investigate new technologies,
work on business plans, and negotiate contracts. I
also attend meetings and conferences—I get to travel
plenty—where I talk to other people who are doing
IT in biodiversity. I have commerce with about
100 people in this sort of work, but there are thou-
sands of people working in the area—for nonprofits,
governments around the world, universities, and
businesses.
What did you do before?
I was the CEO of an online community site that
I helped build. It was great. The company is still
going—it’s being run by other people. Creating
technologies that millions of people use is certainly
very satisfying. Seeing the role of technology from
the perspective of a CEO and not an engineer is
interesting. You focus more on the features that
make money rather than the features that would be
cool. And sometimes you can’t move to the great-
est new technology because it would cost too much.
You have to keep on top of costs and things like how
much bandwidth your software is using—things I
wouldn’t pay attention to if I wasn’t running the
company.
Did you hire people?
Yes. The thing that was most attractive to me on a
resume was pieces of work you could point to and
prove you built and understood. That, and references. I

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always called references before making offers. A lot of
people put everything on their resume, and that just
made me wonder what they were good at.
How did you get your current job?
I got it because I heard about the organization, and I
hassled them incessantly until they finally capitulated
and gave me a position. It was about four months of
constantly asking them if they needed engineering and
going over there and visiting. Luckily I knew some-
body who knew somebody who worked there, so I had
an excuse to bother them. I had been mentioned as a
good engineer, so there was some word-of-mouth net-
working in there, too.
You have to have a good resume that shows a history
of successfully accomplishing your duties. And you
have to show that you’re interested in the job. And you
have to have good references.
What kinds of people do well in this
business?
People who love the technology and are internally
motivated to continually learn are going to do well.
IT is always changing, so unless you’re really interested
in the technology itself, you’ll just fall behind. I think
people who have good communication skills do well,
because it’s perhaps more rare in this field than others.
You have to be able to keep your cool because you’re
often under a lot of pressure to finish things. Things
break. Things can’t be half-done. You have to be able
to deal with pressure. And you have to know what you
can accomplish, because setting expectations is really
important. Saying you can get something done faster
than you really can will only get you in trouble.
I’d like to write a few more books about technology
and other things, and continue to create useful and
well-used pieces of software.
your job?
In my experience, the biggest misconception is
that you can separate technology from business. I
have been unable to stay in a situation where all I
was doing was engineering. Technical expertise will
eventually flow into helping to direct policy, nego-
tiate contracts, work directly with clients—a whole
host of things that have nothing to do with working
directly with technology.
Is there anything you wish you’d done
differently on your career path?
Nope. I don’t think so.
How’d you manage that?
I think I’ve been getting exactly the jobs that I want.
I keep up on technologies that are current and focus
on finding jobs that are interesting, and because I’m
interested in the job I’m doing, I do it well. I’ve man-
aged to escape situations where I’m not interested in
doing the job because I know I won’t do a good job
and won’t be able to get another job that I like.
The company is small; there are only five people, so
how my work goes depends on what kind of phase
the company is in. There are times when I’m given a
project to complete, and I’m on my own. I work with
an interface developer, and it’s just the two of us cod-
ing. The only one who signs off is the CEO. Other
times, we’re in business development mode, where
we’re coming up with plans and then everything is by
committee. So in those situations, I’m contributing
to some business plan, but I’m not the sole or major
contributor.
What do you like most about your firm and
your job?
I like the subject area, biodiversity. I like that it’s not
about commerce, but about public good. I like that

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it’s not that crowded of a space—there aren’t thou-
sands of people developing the same stuff that I am.
There’s some competition, but not a huge amount.
I like that I work for a small company. There isn’t a
lot of bureaucracy, and my voice is heard.
What do you (or others) dislike most
about your firm and your job?
Funding is uncertain, which means that job security
is low. The focus of the company changes a little more
often than I’d like, which makes it hard to focus on
anything. Being the only engineer is a lonely thing—it
would be nice if there were others.
How does the recruiting process work at
your firm? What is the best way to get a
job with the firm?
For high-level positions, there’s a board of direc-
tors who have a role in deciding who gets hired.
Candidates will be presented to them, and they’ll
make a decision based on those candidates. For
lower-level positions, the CEO does all the inter-
views and makes the choice. Recruiting is generally
done through word of mouth. References are huge.
You don’t get a job here unless your references are
good.
What should prospective employees
highlight about themselves during an
interview with your firm?
Definitely that you’re flexible and can take many
roles, because you’ll be put into many roles. Say that
you can deal with uncertainty and let people know
you’re willing to work long hours when necessary.
Don’t seem too stubborn.
Sample Project
A typical project for a senior IT professional in bio-
informatics involves combining data sets created
by different people into a form that can be stored,
analyzed, and accessed by the public. I work with
researchers collecting data, ecologists using that data
to answer questions, and system administrators.
If there is a public component, I also work with a
designer. Often, the most important part of the job is
creating an interface and a system to make researched
data accessible. I travel sometimes; it depends on the
job. Right now, the project I’m working on is based
in California. But it may expand to Central America.
Describe a typical day.
7:00 a.m. Wake up. I usually get out of the house
around 8:30.
9:15 a.m. Arrive at work. I check email, because
my boss will certainly have sent some-
thing urgent. I spend the first hour and
a half dealing with urgent messages,
which usually involves writing a little
bit of code to get the information some-
one needs, documenting something I’m
working on for someone, moving some
sort of business relationship forward, or
doing research for the CEO.
11:00 a.m. I usually do some programming or data
entry until about 1:00.
1:00 p.m. Lunch. While I’m eating, I read trade
mags—Slashdot or Nature or Science.
Slashdot is the major one. There’s always
something interesting there.
1:30 p.m. Meeting. Pretty much every day there’s
some kind of meeting about some busi-
ness prospect.
3:00 p.m. Documenting. I either document the
research I’m doing or the code I’m
writing. Sometimes I write things up for
business proposals.

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4:30 p.m. Coding or number crunching for
business plans.
6:30 p.m. Say goodbye. Go home.
7:30 p.m. Check email. There’s a chance the CEO
has sent something urgent.
8:00p.m. Dinner. Mmm...
Cofounder of User Interface
Design Company
Age: 32
Years in the business: Eight
Education: BA in English literature
Work hours per week: 30 to 60, depending on the
week/project
Size of company: Two employees
Certification: Some graduate course work in interface
design and visual design; no specific certification or
certificate
What do you do?
I do interface design, and that ranges from informa-
tion architecture to visual design to motion design. So
basically any of the projects we take on cover front-
end work, primarily for the Web. We have a range of
clients—from corporate clients making medical tech-
nology products to a producer making a documentary
for PBS.
I was the director of user experience for an online job
site. I was responsible for leading the UE [user experi-
ence] and visual design of that site, and managing the
team of people who supported that.
How did you get this job?
I’ve always wanted to work for myself. My previous
job was great because I got the experience of building a
product from the ground up. We went through several
revs and changes, and the product evolved as we col-
lected user data and saw how users reacted. After two
years, I began to crave the opportunity to apply this
experience to a variety of products. That was one of the
biggest reasons I wanted to create a small studio.
While I was working full time, my partner was free-
lancing and establishing contacts in the freelance world.
Those contacts have been crucial in terms of having a
successful business in a down economy. Contacts are

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important in any industry, and especially important in
this one. You need people who have worked with you,
can vouch for your skills, and would work with you
again on another project. That’s been important for us.
You need to have real-world experience. Graduating
from a program and having school portfolio samples
will be somewhat helpful, but I would encourage peo-
ple to try to get real-world experience. Designing an
interface for a neighborhood restaurant or a friend’s
business can provide great experience.
It’s also good to have pretty thick skin and be willing
to put yourself out there and take risks. Just keep trying.
I don’t think that you can get overly attached to your
work; it makes it harder for you. I feel like I was lucky
and in the right place at the right time, and even so, I
still think it’s a really challenging field to differentiate
yourself in. You have to be bold and make new contacts.
I think you have to really want it, to make it happen
now. And I feel that when times are hard in any indus-
try, a lot of people who didn’t really want to be in it in
the first place end up stepping out.
business?
When you’re working on an interface project, you’re sit-
ting at the intersection of sales, marketing, engineering,
and sometimes business strategy. People who are good
at synthesizing those disciplines and people who can
serve as a liaison or translator often do well. I think that
as a designer in this field, you have to have a good grasp
of technology and how it can impact your design. Even
if you’re not coding the back end, you have to know
what’s going on and how it will impact what you’re
doing. People who can balance form and function—
the visual and more practical and functional side of
things—do well. Be willing to put out three versions—
not one—of a design, and be open to letting a group
impact the work. It’s also important to experiment and
try different things.
How would you describe the culture at your
business?
The culture at our studio strikes a balance between
professional and down to earth and easy to work with.
The culture of the industry ranges a lot. We work with
companies that are very traditional and corporate—
most people sit in cubes and there are terms like casual
Fridays. We also work with artists, where it would
be strange to go to a meeting in anything but jeans.
Cultures are incredibly varied, and our success is some-
what dependent on our ability to meet other companies
where they are in terms of their culture.
Overall, being a creative tends to give you a certain
cultural freedom that may not exist in other indus-
tries. It’s okay to be quirky or different. That’s pretty
liberating.
I would like for my studio to be known for creating
really amazing sensory experiences online—things
that balance storytelling and visual design with really
clear user experience. I’m looking forward to having
more projects that fall into that realm. I’m happy
with having such a small studio now and bring-
ing people in on certain projects, but in ten years it
would be nice to see the studio grow to six or eight
people.
your job?
Design is not limited to just picking pretty colors.
People often think that it’s easy or superficial and
doesn’t require any deep synthesis. We base our design
on concepts and business strategies. It takes a lot of
work to understand those things. Sometimes our work
forces business to go in other directions. We force really
tough issues.

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GETTINGHIRED
CHAPTER7
FORYOURREFERENCE
CHAPTER4
ONTHEJOB
Is there anything you wish you’d done
differently on your career path?
Part of me wishes that I started doing this in college or
before college. I love it so much, and I think it would
be wonderful to have more years doing it or more for-
mal training in it. But I don’t think I would give up
much of my career path. In a lot of ways, my English
major seems far from design, but that sort of training
has given me a good conceptual framework. Lots of
designers don’t have that. You take something from
each chapter of life that helps in your career.
Where we work depends on the project. We work
onsite, but generally prefer not to. For our current
project, we meet with the client twice a week. We talk
to our project team every day by phone and email. I
have to get an informal sign-off by the project manager
before I present our work to the client. One person
signs off on our work, but that’s a little misleading. A
lot of what we do is build consensus. The whole team
has to be happy with the product, even though one
person signs off. A big part of design is presenting work
and getting people to buy into the concepts you’re pre-
senting.
What do you like most about your firm and
your job?
I like being a creative lead. That’s a very exciting, fun,
and challenging role. I like working in our studio. I
like the variety of creative projects I get to work on
and the variety of people I get to work with. I like the
flexibility that comes with working for myself. I can
take a two- to three-week vacation around holidays if
I decide it’s the right thing to do. I like the time when
it’s just me experimenting, but I like that I also work
in a very collaborative setting, both with the client
and also with teammates. The balance between cre-
ative alone time and working with others is one of my
favorite things.
What do you dislike about your firm and
your job?
You have to deal with a certain amount of uncertainty
in terms of economics. Managing the ebb and flow of
projects and the cash connected with them is challeng-
ing and can be stressful. I don’t like the initial part of
the sales process. There’s a certain amount of hustling
that you have to do, and I have an initial discomfort
with that. You constantly have to put yourself out there,
and some days you feel more up to it than others.
Sample Project
One of the projects I’m working on this year is a con-
tent strategy for a major national bank. I’m working
with a large team of product managers and usability
researchers trying to figure out how to position some
of the bank’s investment products. As the interface
lead, the UI specialist is involved in the research
sessions (which consist of rapid ethnographies—or
interviews done within a natural setting). After the
research is completed, the UI designer will step in
and develop several concepts for the bank’s website.
These concepts will get tested in front of real users,
and the best elements will be rolled into the final
product: a series of Web pages that will live on
the bank’s site. While these pages are being created, the
UI specialist will work with the creative director
and an interface architect to ensure that the designs
fit within the bank’s site architecture and style stan-
dards.
Describe a typical day.
7:00 a.m. Get up.
8:00 a.m. Drive to the client’s office.
9:00 a.m. Present design directions to the client
and participate in a functional design
meeting.
11:30 a.m. Drive back to the city.

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AtAGlance
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THEINDUSTRY
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THECOMPANIES
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CHAPTER4
ONTHEJOB
12:30 p.m. Get lunch. Bring it back to the office.
There’s great Mexican food in my neigh-
borhood!
1:00 p.m. Check and respond to email. I also
belong to email lists for interface design-
ers and surf to see sites mentioned in
those design lists.
2:00 p.m. Work on changes that came out of the
morning meeting.
4:00 p.m. Work on a potential pitch and proposal
for a new client.
5:00 p.m. Work on an animation for another proj-
ect with the same client.
7:00 p.m. Go home.
Software Engineer
Age: 25
Years in the business: Four
Education: BS in computer science
Size of company: 35 employees
Certification: None
What do you do?
I design and develop hosted Web software. I started
with this company as an intern, which means I’ve
been with the company since the beginning, so I’ve
had an opportunity to really get involved with the
product. In addition to coding, I do a lot of archi-
tecture work—helping to decide how the product is
built overall.
I was in school.
How did you get this job?
Networking. I’d worked with my manager at a previ-
ous internship, and he recruited me. We stayed in touch
through email, and we’d go out to lunch once or twice
a year. I called him when I was looking for a job, and
he told me about the product he was working on. It
sounded really cool.
Networking. I got my job due to connections I had.
It’s not always necessary, but now with so many people
looking for jobs, it makes you stand out among candi-
dates employers don’t know.
business?
I think you need to be pretty laid back and amenable
to sudden changes in direction—particularly if you
work at a startup. I code something all up, and then my
boss decides not to use it—things like that. You need

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