From The Student Room

TSR Wiki > Careers > Career Options > Information Technology

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Thanks to Springboard for the original content of this page, now updated by TSR users.

We rely so much on information technology that whenever a new computer virus appears, there’s panic.

This is understandable as viruses can ruin whole computer systems and cost organisations lots of money.

E-mails and the internet are now used widely in business and other organisations. This requires specialist IT support staff, either employed in-house or for an IT support company.

Opportunities available

Information technology opportunities exist in almost all employment areas - anything from manufacturing and banking to local government and hospitals. Many opportunities also exist in computer companies, which vary in size.

Some jobs are technical (such as computer programmers, and software engineers) but others require general business and other skills (such as sales and marketing roles). User support staff, who help workers with computer issues, combine technical knowledge with people skills.

Self-employment is possible in some work areas. Unsocial working hours may be necessary for some jobs.

Entry requirements

A large number of people working in IT, especially those who work for IT companies, have degrees.

Graduates work in other establishments but academic qualifications aren’t necessarily needed, especially for user support staff roles. Skills in certain computer programs may be needed for some jobs but it’s often more important to be able to learn new things quickly rather than have particular expertise.

Future trends

Some people believe that terrorists will attack computer systems in the future. Considering the effect that one teenager hacker can have, the impact of terrorism could be enormous.

The use of computers and IT technology will continue to grow (for instance, the more widespread use of credit cards with chip and pin numbers).