Transfer Information and Career Opportunities in Network Technology and Systems Administration

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Transfer Information for Network Technology and Systems Administration Majors

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Career Opportunities in Network Technology and Systems Administration

IT is a High Growth Industry

From a May 2004 U.S. Department of Labor report (download the full Information Technology: High Growth Industry Profile (PDF) publication dated May 2004):

Industry Snapshot

• Information Technology is the fastest growing sector in the economy with a 68% increase in output growth rate projected between 2002 and 2012.
• The IT industry is predicted to add 632,000 new jobs between 2002 and 2012, an increase of 18%.
• Seven of the 30 fastest growing occupations are expected to be IT-related, with a projected average employment growth rate of 43%.
• Employment opportunities are expected to be good in the IT industry as demand for computer-related occupations increases due to rapid advances in computer technology, continuing development of new computer applications, and the growing significance of information security.

Skill Sets for Network Technology and Systems Administration

• For all IT-related occupations, technical and professional certifications are growing more popular and increasingly important.
• IT workers must continually update and acquire new skills to remain qualified in this dynamic field. According to a May 2000 report by the Urban Institute, community colleges play a critical role in training new workers and in retraining both veteran workers and workers from other fields [emphasis added].
• People interested in becoming computer support specialists generally need only an Associate degree in a computer-related field, as well as significant hands-on experience with computers.

Workforce Issues

• Because more than 90% of IT workers are performing jobs outside the IT industry, it is necessary for them to have both IT training and complementary training in their respective business sector such as health care, manufacturing, financial services, etc. The IT industry relies on a group of training centers for IT skills, including private IT schools, vendor-authorized training providers [emphasis added], corporate universities, community colleges [emphasis added], and 4-year institutions.
• Specific technical skills often lose value over time, so IT workers must acquire new skills frequently in order to maintain their labor market viability and upward mobility.

Occupational Outlook for Network Technology and Systems Administration

This is not a comprehensive list of occupations. Please refer to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for more IT occupational data.