More Demand, Fewer Grads Mean Tech Careers Continue to Boom

The era of the Internet start-up boom may be over, but demand for technology professionals continues to rise. Broader use of cheaper, more easily available technology by a variety of industries, and a dearth of technology professionals mean technology will continue to be a hot career choice.
The technology industry remains one of the fastest growing career fields. Employment in the computer sciences and math fields increased by 78 percent, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). By contrast, employment increased by only 17 percent in non-science and tech fields. Moreover, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects information technology careers to remain in high demand in coming years.
As prices for computer technology continue to fall, businesses of all kinds will continue to integrate technology into their operations. This means that computer technology graduates will continue to be in high demand in a range of career fields.
As a result, tomorrow’s computer technology careers will increasingly be outside the computer or technology industry itself. The Information Technology Association of America found that 92 percent of IT graduates work outside the IT industry. This is a trend that is expected to continue as technology continues to expand to all realms of life.
“New fields in computer technology continue to emerge all the time,” says George Geran, computer information science chair of Florida Metropolitan University in North Orlando, Fla. “While some new computer tech careers are developing every year, others are just the result of technology being incorporated into all areas of our daily lives.”
A recent “ComputerWorld” article on the future of the IT field states that, “The IT worker of 2010 won’t be a technology guru but rather a ‘versatilist.’ ” Shirley Nagg, computer information science chair of Everest College in Rochester, N.Y., agrees, saying that computer technology graduates find careers in a wide variety of fields, ranging from health care, to business, to finance.
In addition, as more complex technologies continue to develop, companies seek employees who stay up-to-date with new technologies. “While some of our students have just graduated, we also find that many students in our computer technology courses have worked before and are coming to us because they want to stay on top of advances in the field. They realize that a technology degree can give them the career they are looking for,” says Ronald Duckworth, computer information science chair of Florida Metropolitan University-Pinellas campus in Clearwater, Fl. Also, many businesses are emphasizing the need for employees with problem-solving abilities, while sending routine work overseas. “Employers are increasingly telling us that they don’t want employees with just computer knowledge, they want employees who use computer know-how to solve problems, and employees with hands-on experience in a range of real-world applications,” says Warren Bartlett, computer information science chair of Florida Metropolitan University in Tampa, Fla.
E-commerce and cybersecurity are also expected to influence tomorrow’s computer technology careers. “As more companies and individuals are doing business on the Internet, companies are finding they need to build and maintain databases to store important information on their customers, products and sales,” says Duckworth. “This goes hand in hand with cybersecurity. Companies increasingly store sensitive information electronically, and as a result, they need to protect that information.”
But some express concern that our nation may not be prepared for this second wave in the technology industry. In fact, the GAO found that graduates in science, math, engineering or technology fields actually decreased from about 32 percent to 27 percent of all graduates between 1994 and 2003. “Because so many people are retiring, there is a huge demand for information technology graduates right now,” emphasizes Heidii Godbold, computer information science chair of Everest College in Colorado Springs, Co.
To learn more about career opportunities in the fields of technology and mathematics, visit www.everest.edu.
Courtesy of ARAcontent