Basic Computer Jobs

Growth in the information technology industry should result in the creation of 800,000 new jobs relating to computers from 2006 through 2016, predicts the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While many careers related to computers require a four-year bachelor's degree, some jobs require less or no formal post-secondary education, including manual labor and some office jobs. Salary expectations for these basic computer jobs vary among job types.

Data Entry Clerks
Data entry clerks input information, such as customer contact information or inventory records, into computer systems. Typically, only a high school diploma or GED is necessary to work as a data entry clerk; employers provide on-the-job training. Having the ability to type quickly without sacrificing accuracy is necessary for success as a clerk. Often, clerks have goals to complete so many entries during an hour or over an entire shift. As of May 2009, the average annual salary for data entry clerks was $28,000, according to BLS.

Computer Repair Technician
Computer repair technicians use tools such as circuit testers and soldering guns to fix the internal parts of computers when they break or malfunction. When problems occur, technicians run diagnostic tests to determine the source and may consult technical diagrams and drawings while making repairs. Most employers prefer to hire technicians who have some formal training in electronics repair. Vocational-technical schools and computer manufacturers offer training courses and certificate and diploma programs. Some community colleges also offer computer repair associate degrees. Computer repair technicians made an average of $39,420 per year as of May 2009, explains BLS.

Webmaster
Webmasters or website administrators maintain websites for one or more companies. They add content, answer or forward emails received through the site and monitor web traffic. Some employers prefer to hire webmasters with a certificate or diploma from a vocational or technical school, while others will hire high school graduates with experience in the field. Prospective webmasters can also seek voluntary certifications to make themselves more desirable to employers or earn higher rates of pay. Offered through groups such as Certification Partners, Inc., these certifications usually require the completion of a written examination. As of November 2010, webmasters made an average of $37,504 to $58,877 per year, reports Payscale.

Help Desk Specialists
Help desk specialists provide assistance to computer users by phone or online. Specialists ask users questions to determine the nature of their problems and then walk users through the solutions. Some employers provide on-the-job training for help desk specialists and require only a high school diploma or GED and previous computer-related experience. Others look for applicants who have a certificate, diploma or associate's degree in computer support, computer science or a related field. Certifications are also available for specialists from computer and software manufacturers and organizations such as CompTIA. Computer support specialists received average annual salaries of $47,360 as of May 2009, according to BLS.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_7736781_basic-computer-jobs.html

Computer Careers

Computer careers are not as prevalent and as stable as they once seemed. When the dot-com bubble burst many computer careers disappeared. While online job boards are filled with calls for computer careerists, these jobs vary in complexity, pay and stability.

Facts
The highest-paying computer careers are still mostly ones that require a government security clearance. The computer field has been for some time flooded with potential hires. Because of this, companies are no longer willing to wait the 1 to 2 years for a security clearance to go through and pay the large fees associated with the clearance, when they can find someone who already has a clearance, Employers will in many cases find someone with a clearance and then teach them the technical know-how.

History
Before the advent of the microprocessor in the late 1960s and the PC revolution in the early 1980s, computer careers accounted for very few jobs. In the 1990s the computer field boomed as companies found more uses for computers and more employees had computers. The dot-com explosion during this decade increased the need for more computer careers as a torrent of companies either created an online presence or started an online-only business. In 2000 the bubble burst and many online companies found that they couldn't make a return on their money. Part of the reason for this was that Internet advertising hadn't quite come of age.

Types
There are several major types of computer careers. The most profitable is computer programming. Computer programmers are still in high demand and can command a good salary if they are good and quick.

Related to programming is database administration. Database administrators are like programmers but work with manipulating data specifically. Because so much information is kept on computers, database administrators are in extreme demand.

Network administrators are also important and needed everywhere because everything is run on networks. However, there have been more and more people studying and receiving network certifications in Microsoft, Cisco and other platforms.

Computer technician, while a necessary computer job, but is near the bottom of the food chain because many people have the know-how to fix personal computers, and the job is far less complex because PCs are relatively inexpensive to replace.

Degrees and Certifications
Getting a degree in any field, but especially in the computer field, will go a long way toward getting a computer career. Because the market has been flooded for so long, those without degrees may find it harder to obtain careers in the field or find it harder to advance. Getting certified with certain technologies used to be viewed as even more important than a degree because it showed you had real-world knowledge. However, it became apparent that many people who got certifications were good at studying for and passing the certification tests but had no real-world know-how.

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certification is a popular one, but many who passed it become known as paper MCSEs because they passed the test but couldn't put their knowledge to use in real-world situations.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_4902957_computer-careers.html