Welcome to IT TechnoSphere.Net - Resources for IT Professionals

What does IT mean?

The term information technology, otherwise known as IT, is used in several ways.

The IT industry is made up of the companies and individuals that provide computing products and services to other companies or individuals.

The mission of the IT industry in general is to

• provide technology solutions to solve business problems. To design, develop and maintain for example, the financial, healthcare and manufacturing systems of the world, military command and control systems, and desktop computing applications.
• provide technological innovation to enable opportunity. To design, develop and maintain for example, the continual advances in communications systems, or the latest in multimedia and entertainment systems, such as virtual reality or that cool new "experience" they call a website. It allows companies to "gain a competitive edge".

Companies that are in the IT business, you know, high-tech, employ people to design, develop, deploy, maintain, support, administer and/or manage computing and communications systems. This ranges from desktop to mainframe systems and networks, radios to satellites, embedded systems, robotics, biotech, Internet technologies, e-commerce - in short, what's considered high-tech stuff.

IT professionals may work in the IT department of larger companies, they may be the lone "computer person" in the small business sector, they may be the independent IT consultant. Programmers, systems analysts, computer scientists, database administrators, help desk support personnel, PC field technicians, interface designers, software testers, webmasters - these are the folks who make up the core IT workforce. There are also management, administration and support positions and careers that surround the business of IT.

In a nutshell, the IT industry includes all of the people and processes involved with designing, developing, deploying and maintaining computing hardware, software and communications systems.

Is IT mostly about computer programming?

No, but in a way, yes. IT revolves around the development of computer systems to solve business problems or enable opportunity. Computers need computer programs. Think of it this way - a computer without software is like a tape player without a tape, like a Nintendo without a game cartridge, like a DVD player without a DVD - just a dumb box or board. Computers without software are useless. Therefore, computer programming and software engineering is a very critical component of IT, but just one of many key components and aspects of the IT field.

There are three sides to this house:

• the hardware side of IT - the design, manufacture and maintenance of the hardware in which the software runs.This includes everything from computers as we know them, embedded electronics, telecommunications equipment -- the stuff you can literally put your hands on.
• the software side of IT - the software development life cycle that includes analysis, design, development, test, documentation, maintenance and ongoing support of software. There are two types of software, applications programs and systems programs. What is software? Instructions to electronic componentry in a language that it understands.
• the peopleware side of IT - the people and processes that surround the development, delivery and maintenance of a computing system and it's usage "from cradle to grave".

Suffice to say that many different skills are needed in the IT field, not just programming know-how!

Where are the IT jobs?

IT crosses almost every public and private sector: major corporations, the Government and especially the Department of Defense (the largest employer of the IT workforce), small business, the non-profits, education. Wherever there are computers, which is everywhere practically, there is the IT industry behind it. There are many career sites on the Internet to pick from, here is just a few career sites of the most popular ones. The IT consulting arena is another avenue of opportunity.

What kind of education or experience do I need?

There are careers in IT for people in all walks of life. Most of it is not rocket science :-)

Some IT positions, typically in the larger companies, require a college degree in a computer science, information science or related engineering discipline.

Some IT positions require that you have the skill set in a particular hardware and/or software that is in use by the employer, or on the project. Learn new skills either through online training programs, or through self-study courseware using audio, video, and computer based training (CBT) packages.

An IT certification shows that you have knowledge in a particular technology, such as a certified Java Developer, a Microsoft Certified Professional, an Adobe Certified Expert. Certification is looked upon very favorably by prospective employers, which conveys a professional image as well as a technical proficiency. Find out more on the certification page.

And some positions require that you just be in the right place at the right time! To gain more experience, you could easily volunteer your services in your community in order to get your foot in the door, literally! Contact your Chamber of Commerce, local business associations, churches, and your local school systems. Gain experience and insight about your interests and talents in IT while lending a helping (and very needed) hand.

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