Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$31,070 per year Employment Outlook: Poor Computer operators manage the operation of computer hardware systems. They are often required to work with most types of computers, including minicomputers, mainframes, and networks of personal computers. Computer operators must maintain the computer hardware as well as solve any probl…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Software quality assurance technicians and software quality assurance analysts conduct tests on computer software programs to make sure the programs perform properly and are fairly easy to use. The testing may be done on both new programs and updated or modified versions of existing program…
Education and Training: College plus training Salary: Median—$92,570 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Computer and information systems managers direct and manage various computer-related activities of a company. They construct business plans, oversee Internet and computer operations, assign projects to staff members, and direct the flow of work. Computer and information systems manage…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$85,904 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent The widespread use of computers in businesses of all sizes has created a need for computer consultants. Companies that are large enough to computerize their operations but too small to need a computer specialist on staff usually hire computer consultants on a contract or retainer basis. Most comput…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$60,650 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Computer database administrators design, write, and take care of computer database systems so that the right person can get the right information at the right time. A database is simply a collection of computer files full of information that a company may wish to track. This information may include…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$60,600 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Computer network technicians build and maintain computer networks used by business, education, government, and health-care institutions. Networks linking desktop computers allow users to send electronic mail (e-mail) and to share data, computer applications, and Internet connections. As more instit…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$62,890 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Computer programmers write the step-by-step instructions that direct computers to process information. These instructions, or programs, tell the computer what to do in a series of logical steps. Programmers work on a wide range of projects. The kind of work a programmer does depends on the employer. Pro…
Education and Training: College Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Very good As computer networks grow and more sensitive data is stored on computer files, the need for trained, skilled computer security specialists will also grow. Computer security specialists help businesses, educational institutions, and government organizations to control access to their computer networks an…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$53,490 per year Employment Outlook: Very good A computer software documentation writer is the most common type of technical writer. Computer software documentation writers research and write the instructional guides, online and desktop help guides, reference manuals, and job aids for computer software. Software is a term for the computer progr…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$80,519 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Computer software engineers develop and maintain computer software programs, which are coded instructions that tell the computer what to do in logical steps. Software engineers work on a wide range of projects. They work in manufacturing, industry, engineering, government offices, and educational i…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$40,430 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Computer support specialists help people with computer problems. Some computer support specialists called help-desk technicians field phone calls or e- mails or make house calls for people who are having difficulty with a particular piece of computer hardware or software. Most of …
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$66,480 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Computer systems analysts analyze business or scientific tasks and plan and develop the hardware systems and software that allow a computer to complete these tasks. These analysts, sometimes called systems analysts, may also work on improving computer systems already in use. They are employed by a …
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Very good Usability researchers study the interaction between people and electronic media products such as computer programs to determine ways to make those products easier to use and more helpful for the user. This involves evaluating the product's interface—the way a user communi…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary Range: Median—$66,105 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent A webmaster is in charge of maintaining Web sites for companies and individuals on the World Wide Web. This is a job that requires a wide range of skills and abilities, since many webmasters must do much more than simply write computer codes or update links to other Web site…
