Introduction
Some of you may be Freshmen taking IT 101, some of you may be Sophomores or Juniors considering Computer Information Systems as a major or minor, and some of you may be CIS majors or minors unsure about where in IT you could see yourself working. Regardless of your current background, I am here to provide you with some information that could hopefully help you in your searches for your professional callings.
Technology and Medicine: The Best Fields to Work In?
Medicine has been long heralded as one of the most lucrative career options for those with smarts and a tolerance for hard work, along with lawyers, consultants, accountants and financial analysts. Could it be that the once lowly IT guy is rising to those ranks? According to this article in US News Money, that may well be the case. The article breaks down the “occupations that offer a mosaic of employment opportunity, good salary, manageable work-life balance, and job security,” and IT positions feature prominently on the list.
The 100 Best Jobs of 2013
Special thanks to Wilson Wong for referring me to this article.
For the “TLDR” version of this article, here are the rankings given for positions relevant to Information Technology:
04 – Computer Systems Analyst
06 – Database Administrator
07 – Software Developer
09 – Web Developer
13 – Computer Programmer
20 – IT Manager
23 – Computer Systems Administrator
That makes a whopping seven position titles in the top 25. The website provides further information regarding how these rankings were made in addition to descriptions of what the position duties include, should you be interested.
The IT Salary Prospects
It isn’t everything, of course, but it is undeniable that long-term salary prospects are a major factor to consider when deciding your career path. Fortunately for those trained in technology, the salaries for positions in IT are quite good, even in the current economy. To save you the trouble, I picked out some of the average salary ranges of the most common positions CIS graduates have taken, broken down by domain and listed alphabetically. Note that the statistics likely include senior employees as well as entry level employees.
Applications Development
– Business Systems Analyst ($94,430 – $137,322)
– Developer/Programmer Analyst ($86,118 – $152,285)
– IT Project Manager ($111,055 – $164,920)
– Systems Analyst ($96,425 – $137,655)
Consulting & Systems Integration
– IT Auditor ($114,712 – $159,268)
– Staff Consultant ($92,102 – $128,345)
Data/Database Administration
– Data Analyst/Report Writer ($85,452 – $127,680)
– Database Administrator ($110,390 – $158,935)
– Database Developer ($115,045 – $167,912)
– Database Manager ($135,328 – $187,198)
Internet & E-Commerce
– Web Administrator ($81,795 – $123,358)
– Web Designer ($75,810 – $124,355)
– Web Developer ($87,448 – $141,645)
Networking/Telecommunications
– Network Administrator ($83,458 – $124,022)
– Network Manager ($117,705 – $162,925)
Quality Assurance (QA) & Testing
– QA Associate/Analyst ($76,475 – $118,370)
– QA/Testing Manager ($110,722 – $147,630)
Software Development
– Product Manager ($126,682 – $173,898)
– Software Developer ($99,085 – $157,272)
If you’d like to confirm or expand upon this information, here is the link to the website from which I gathered these statistics:
Robert Half Technology – Salary Center
Special thanks to Mark Frydenberg for referring me to this resource
Conclusion
What can be determined from this information? Information technology is certainly a lucrative field, even in the more business-oriented positions listed above. But what about the job market? How does one stand out and succeed in this difficult economy, especially since there are so many other recent graduates still looking for work? Fortunately, countless reputable companies aggressively recruit at Bentley for CIS majors and minors, making the start of a successful career in IT a very realistic goal.
For more information regarding careers for CIS majors and minors, I strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with Janet Ehl in Undergraduate Career Services. She’s an invaluable resource and will certainly give a far more complete synopsis of IT career prospects than I ever could. Also stay tuned for any upcoming career presentations and networking events here at the CIS Sandbox.
Good luck to you all for a successful Spring semester! I hope this information is valuable.
