he wide array of possible career paths within the field of Information Technology, it can often be difficult to determine the correct one for you, given your unique interests and career goals. In my last article, part one of this two-part series, I covered the Systems category of Information Technology including who would be best fit to pursue a career in that field and what type of education would best prepare that individual for a successful career. In part two of the series, I will cover the Application Development category of IT.
Application Development Category
People often assume that individuals working in Application Development Information Technology careers are simply programmers or coders, but there is far more to the field than that. IT offers companies the opportunity to increase efficiency across the board, saving time, manpower and money, while increasing customer satisfaction rates at the same time. Typically, automating business and mission processes is the best way to accomplish these types of effectiveness and efficiency improvements, with some examples of specializations in this area including:
? Determining which business processes can be improved with automation
? Conducting process reengineering to gain maximum benefits from IT capabilities
? Application and database development (programming/coding)
? Testing applications and training end users
? Maintaining and upgrading applications
While some application development is done by military members, much of this is outsourced to civilian contractors. But again, as with the Systems career path of Information Technology, depending on the size and needs of the organization you work for, you could find yourself working on all of these tasks at the same time.
College courses and degree programs provide the ?foundation? necessary for developing the abilities needed to pursue (and succeed!) in a specialized Information Technology career. Certifications are also an option as a sort of ?quick fix,? normally used to quickly get you up-to-speed in a particular specialization.
This article just skims the surface of all the exciting opportunities available to those interested in pursuing a career in Information Technology. But it should be a useful place to start for those of you looking for information regarding how to choose a degree program. And remember, if you?re on active duty in the military, you know you?re going to need a degree for promotion at some point- so you might as well start right away! And even if you do intend on leaving the service, your future employers are going to evaluate your capabilities based on your education level by examining both your degree(s) and your certifications.
Keep in mind – other individuals competing for the same IT positions as yourself are aware of this necessity, so you should do everything you can to set yourself apart from ?just another Information Technology technician? by getting that degree or an additional certification. It can?t hurt!
Talk to one of our admissions counselors about the opportunity of enrolling in one of our many affordable online programs, giving you the flexibility, and the expertise, that you need to succeed in your IT career. And ask us about your TA, Montgomery GI Bill (Chap 30), and even the new Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chap 33) benefits- while they?re still available. Reduced military tuition rates and military scholarships help extend those benefits even further, minimizing your out-of-pocket expenses, so why wait?
By: Paul Capicik
