Casino Royale

It’s a tough market out there, and nearly 10% unemployment can be discouraging when you get back negative response after negative response. Still, technology is a growing market, and as society becomes more and more intertwined with its computers, there will only be more of a need for folks who know what to do with them. Here are a few possible career diretions for computer technicians to take:

1. Hardware. Although many of the manufacturing jobs in the computer industry have been shifted from traditional locations in the U.S. to places like India and China, there are still plenty to go around for highly skilled technicians. And, of course, making computers isn’t the only way to get your hands on silicon; there’s also plenty of demand for someone who can fix the broken ones. And companies like Dell and IBM also need technicians who can install and maintain high end computing stations and servers as companies increase their online presence. After all, for every Facebook there is a corresponding warehouse full of servers that needs to be maintained.
2. Administration. Specifically as it relates to networking, administration is one of the fastest growing fields in the computer industry. Planning and implementing new networks for growing companies requires a high-level understanding of the technical questions involved (using coax cable vs. fiber-optic cable vs. wireless for a given company’s network, for example). Larger companies often retain technicians on-site simply for the purpose of troubleshooting any problems that arise within the company’s communication system (often known as the “intranet”).
3. Web Development. A career in web design and development requires a thorough understanding of the many formats and languages used today: .NET, XML, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, to name just a few. Nearly every company in business today has some kind of presence on the internet, and online sales are predicted to grow astronomically in the coming years. A technician who is able to facilitate easy product sales and delivery via the internet will be in increasing demand for many years to come. Jobs relating to designing and maintaining the company’s website often have highly lucrative salaries as well.
4. Software. The number of consumer electronic devices on the market today is outstanding, and designing and maintaining the software that runs those devices is another popular choice for computer science graduates. Things like smartphones, tablet computers, and even GPS systems require new software to be written every few years when new models are introduced, to say nothing of the traditional PC and notebook industries. A career in software development or as a software engineer will likely require you to be familiar with a number of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and OSx, as well as programming languages such as C++ and .NET formats.
5. Any Combination of the Above. Of course, as with any oversimplification, chances are that the career you choose will involve more than one of the above categories, and may even include a little bit of all of them. The important thing to remember is that no matter what career you choose in the computing field, the result should always be geared to serve people. Without an end-game focused on people as the goal, employees and companies often end up making something that nobody wants…and nobody wants that.

David Turner is very interested in providing potential students with the best information possible regarding how to become a computer technician.