Over the past 20 years, computers and the Internet have grown to become a huge part of almost every major industry in America. In fact, the field of information technology (IT) is now an industry unto itself – one that generates hundreds of billions of dollars a year. But the IT world changes rapidly; computer programming degrees held immense value 10 years ago, but now they are largely considered obsolete.
So if you’re looking to go into this field, how do you know what kind of IT degree to pursue? Well, no one can say with 100% accuracy what the job market will look like in the future. But based on current trends and growth, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is confident that three types of IT degrees will still be critical to the industry through 2018:
1. Network technology and network security. The growth of the IT industry brought linked computer systems called networks to millions of businesses, government offices and other organizations. Network technology professionals maintain such computer systems, while network security professionals protect them from computer viruses, hacking attempts and other threats. The two fields often overlap, and small organizations typically employ one person to handle both jobs.
IT degrees that can lead you to a network technology or network security job include an AAS in IT Security, a BS in Network Technology and an
MBA in Network and Communications Management. The BLS estimates much faster than average job growth in this part of the IT field through 2018.
2. Software engineering. Over the past decade, software engineering has slowly replaced computer programming as the preferred IT development skill set.
Software engineers create, test, maintain and update the software that allows computers to perform their functions. However, software engineers do more than code in a computer language; they are often responsible for all phases of software design and development.
IT degrees that can help you enter the software engineering field include an AA in Information Systems, a
BS in Software Architecture and an
MS in Software Engineering. The BLS predicts that there will be much faster than average job growth in this part of the IT field through 2018.
3. Web development. Web developers – sometime called web designers – create websites for businesses, individuals, news organizations and anyone else who wants a presence on the Internet. There are hundreds of millions of active websites today, and that number is only growing. HTML skills are essential for web developers, and knowledge of other markup languages and applications (such as XML and XHTML) can be important as well.
IT degrees that can help you secure a web development position include an AAS in Web Development, a
BS in Information Systems – Web Development and an MA in Web Design. As with network technology and software engineering, the BLS estimates that there will be much faster than average job growth in this part of the IT field through 2018.
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