Module 4

IT Job

The more popular technology gets, the more help we sometimes need using it.   Because computers are vulnerable to viruses and other malware, they don’t work well when they are “sick”.  This can be very detrimental for businesses or other companies that rely on their computers to work properly.  If something goes wrong with the computers, companies want someone who knows how to fix it.  That’s where the IT (information technology) guys and gals come in.  IT specialists are trained in computer processes.  They know the ins and outs of computers and they know how to take good care of them.  They are like the doctors of computers.  When something goes wrong, you call the IT guys.

            My Aunt Kathy is the technology and IT specialist for the Malad, Idaho Library. She maintains all of the 11 public computers and 8 more staff computers.  She installs all software programs, troubleshoots the problems, maintains the anti-spyware, and installs all of the peripheral devices like printers and scanners.  In other words, she keeps the library’s network running smoothly.   When asked what she liked most about her job, she said “I enjoy loading a computer and having it work properly for the public” (Kent).  And the public also likes a computer that runs smoothly.  The hardest thing she said she had ever done was recover data from a computer crash (Kent).  There seems to be a sense of fulfillment when complicated problems get solved, and the IT guys are always solving problems with computers.

            The question that may be on your mind is how much money do IT specialists make?  According to the U.S bureau of labor statistics government website the average annual wage of an IT specialist in 2012 was $48,900 per year and $23.51 per hour.  Of course wages and salaries vary depending on where you work and what company you work for, so don’t judge too quickly.  If you are thinking that you want to take the IT route, then stay in school.  The average level of education is a bachelor's degree.  When you do get your degree, there are many options available to you.   IT jobs are everywhere there are computers involved, you could wind up working at a hospital, library, or business company, the possibilities are multiple. Computers are flattening the world so much, they aren’t going to fade away in our life time.  The job outlook for IT jobs is good.  Jobs in this field are expected to grow at a rate of 12% by 2020.  

            If you don’t think an IT specialist job is the job for you, there are many more jobs that work with computers.  Web designers, computer programmers, and data specialists all work with computers, and they all do different things with them.  IT specialists fix computer problems, but their job description isn’t designing web pages, programming software applications, or securing a database. Those jobs are completed by web designers, computer programmers, and data specialists.  And there are more jobs than those!    You can probably tell there are many facets of computers.  Computers are complex, and there seems to be a job for all of their complexities. That can be good since it creates more job opportunities for not only Americans, but people all over the world.

            I am very happy that IT specialists can help me with my computer problems.  Whenever I have had a problem with something they have been eager to help me get it solved.  Whether the problem is related to the internet or my computer’s operating system, IT people have saved me a lot of stress and worry over my work and personal computers.

             Bibliography

"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014.

Web. 01 Oct. 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-

technology/computer-support-specialists.htm.

Kent, Kathy. E-mail interview. 28 Sept. 2015.