Get started on your new career today and earn the technology degree or technical certificate that will get your foot in the door.
Technology Education Programs You Should Consider
A+ Certification
A+ certification training provides the perfect entry into an IT career. According to Certification Magazine's 2008 Salary Survey, A+ certificants earned an average annual salary of $65,190. In fact, A+ is part of the certification track for corporations such as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, and Novell. Other technology companies, including CompuCom and Ricoh, have made A+ certification mandatory for their service technicians.
A+ certification exams, available worldwide, are delivered as proctored, computer-based tests. The CompTIA A+ Essentials exam, which is required for all applicants, covers core competencies in the latest hardware and software technologies, emphasizing information security skills (related to applications, operating systems, communications, procedures, and physical environments), safety and environmental issues, and soft skills (underscoring the need for clear and professional verbal and written communication in the IT field).
Software Engineering
Software engineers design, build, evaluate, and implement software applications. From a laptop at a small business to the computer network in a huge business, any place that needs a computer also needs a variety of software applications. Software engineers are a major piece in the puzzle of computer technology.
According to a 2006 report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary of computer software engineers was close to $80,000, though as in other careers, salaries can rise and fall according to the specific industry you work in, as well as your skill level. The BLS reports that the demand for software engineers is projected to swell by nearly 38 percent by the year 2016-resulting in about 324,000 new jobs and one of the biggest increases in employment among all vocations.
Web Development
Web Developers are the people on the Internet or web design team in a company that decides what programs to place the website, as well as running the codes connected to the software selected. Many large companies have an entire team of web masters who perform a different function and there could be more than one web developer, one who focuses on customer or client side coding, another focusing on server side coding and yet someone else who focuses on database technology. Many web developers have interdisciplinary skills such as web design and writing text for the site, and web developers can learn these skills in web development college. Web developers must also be aware of security concerns to prevent hacking or hijacking of a site.
Those interested in the growing career of web development have many web development colleges from which to choose. Students enrolled in a web development college should have a strong interest in computers. Students can choose from associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. While there are many web development colleges in all regions of the country, many web development colleges also offer the option of completing your education on campus or online.
Computer Repair
There are different types of computer repair technicians, but they all have in common the ability to work with the installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of parts and systems. If you become a field technician, you will be called out to various job sites, such as households or businesses, to complete hands-on repair to a computer system. Bench technicians, on the other hand, are employed by a repair shop, usually conveniently located at a mall or the main part of town, where computer users can bring their equipment to be serviced. Still others work at call centers, receiving harried calls on a regular basis from customers befuddled by what has happened to their trusty computer systems.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly salary of a computer repair technician is around $17. Some make as much as $27 per hour, but this is dependent on the level of expertise one has, as well as the demand for that expertise.
