At the introductory lecture, students of technical universities are explained that "information technology is techniques, ways and methods of using computing and communication tools to perform the collection, storage, processing, transmission and use of information." Thus, an "IT specialist" can be called a programmer, an information security specialist, a database administrator, a network engineer, a system analyst. A specialist in the field of information technology is also called a person who repairs computers, a specialist in installing 1C accounting, and a telephone operator.
A large number of specialties appeared in our country in the 1990s, with the mass spread of the Internet. Now both large companies and firms with more than three employees want to have their own Internet pages, conduct marketing research, trade and advertise their goods on the Web. All these desires are impossible without web programmers and web designers who develop websites, content editors who monitor the constant filling and updating of web pages, project managers who are engaged in technical support, promotion and support of an already finished site.
Since the World Wide Web holds many dangers, such as computer viruses and cunning programs that open the possibility of unauthorized access to information, information security specialists are in demand on the labor market.
In addition, in recent years there has been a growing demand for specialists who can develop strategies for the development of a company's information systems, plan the annual budget, manage the purchase of technical equipment for the work of company employees and monitor the installation of necessary computer programs, as well as conduct training workshops on working with new programs and equipment. These specialists are called IT managers.
Where to go to study
If you wish and have connections, you can get a position as a network administrator without any specialized education. But in order to achieve success in the field of information technology, you cannot do without fundamental knowledge.
Basic professional knowledge, like that of representatives of all other professions, is acquired at universities. At the faculties of informatics and computer engineering, future specialists in the field of information technology are taught to work in operating systems MS-DOS, Windows, Unix, Linux, to create and install network software, to develop programs in Pascal, Java, Assembler, C++, Python, and also to design and administer computer networks.
"Practice shows that the greatest successes in the field of information technology are achieved by graduates of technical universities who specialized in IT technologies," said Andrey Pedorenko, head of the information technology department of the AlfaStrakhovanie group. "Employers especially value graduates of Phystech, the Mechanics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow State University and MEPhI," clarified Elena Poznyakova, general director of the agency "Connect Personnel," which specializes in recruiting IT specialists.
However, as Tatyana Ivanikova, HR consultant at Amdocs, explained, in addition to fundamental technical education, an IT specialist needs additional special education, and professional knowledge must be constantly updated. "For example, a so-called computer specialist from the early nineties will not be able to cope even with an elementary problem today if he does not have knowledge of modern technologies," she added.
IT specialists gain additional knowledge in specialized centers, or in the same technical universities as part of a second higher education or short-term advanced training courses.
Manufacturers of information systems offer everyone who wants to raise their specialist status and get their certificate confirming thorough knowledge of the products. If you want to get a certificate from Microsoft, you need to contact their representative office, sign up for training courses, and then take a test. The courses and tests are paid (on average $100-150 per test), but you can retake the exam as many times as you like - until the money runs out.
"Such certificates increase the salary level and are often a necessary requirement when hiring," said Ruslan Mendubaev, head of the automation department of OJSC Sistema Mass-Media. He himself is the holder of two "1C: Accounting" certificates - a specialist certificate and a professional certificate.
People Not of This World
According to Elena Poznyakova, in addition to specialized professional knowledge, employers require candidates for the position of IT specialist to have fluency in foreign languages. "The fact is that companies often have to fulfill orders from foreign clients, which means employees need to conduct electronic and telephone negotiations in a foreign language," she explained.
In most job advertisements in the field of information technology, employers require a male candidate. But, as it turns out in practice, such a requirement is a tribute to stereotypes. "Among IT specialists, men are much more common than women. Nevertheless, in my practice there are examples when women applied for a position in an IT department, employers hired them and did not regret it: the ladies were in no way inferior to the gentlemen," said Oksana Suslikova, manager of the recruiting agency "Connect Personnel."
As for personal characteristics, according to Andrei Pedorenko, there is no universal set of personal qualities required for an IT specialist; it all depends on the specific specialty. “Thus, a specialist in the field of technical support of infrastructure requires responsibility, professionalism, readiness to constantly learn and retrain; a specialist in end-user support needs attention to the interlocutor and psychological adaptability; a software developer needs breadth of thinking and a systematic approach to the task at hand; an analyst needs the ability to work in a team,” said the head of the information technology department of the AlfaStrakhovanie group.
According to Tatyana Ivanikova, in candidates for a vacant position in the IT department, employers value accuracy, dedication, reasonable creativity, and also the ability to keep abreast of technology developments.
“There used to be a stereotype that all technical specialists are not of this world. But today employers want the specialist to fit into the corporate culture, that is, to be sociable and able to work in a team,” said Elena Poznyakova.
Career growth
You can climb the career ladder in the field of information technology in different ways. You can, as your knowledge and skills improve, constantly move from one company to another, each time to a larger and more developed one, accordingly offering higher salaries. You can move up one career ladder.
“Three or four years ago there was a standard career path for an IT specialist: a beginner was engaged in technical support of users, then became a network system administrator, then started developing software, then received the position of head of a project group and eventually could become the head of an automation department or a senior manager in the field of information technology. Today the number of “entry points” into a career and ways of advancement has increased. For example, now developers often go into business analysis and consulting, and then move into project management and IT management,” said Andrei Pedorenko.
Tatyana Ivanikova cites the following options as an example of a career path: “A technical support engineer can grow to the head of a group of engineers, and then become the head of the entire IT service. Another option: programmer - department head - project manager or programmer-analyst of business processes - marketing analyst - marketer or engineer - product specialist - sales specialist.”
Payment for responsibility
Beginning “IT people” cannot count on a large salary in the first 2-3 years of work. According to the company E-skills, salaries in the field of information technology depend on experience and knowledge of one's industry. More than 60% of employers prefer experienced IT workers. At the same time, 36% of them agree to hire employees with experience from 1.5 to 3 years, and about 50% of employers agree to take employees with experience of 4 years and above.
“Graduates and sometimes even students are hired for such simple specialties as support of ready-made software products or assembly and repair of computers. Most employers understand that such work is no longer interesting to experienced adults and they can only be attracted by high salaries,” explained Oksana Suslikova.
According to Moscow employment agencies, employers estimate a beginning specialist in technical support or an assistant web programmer in an online store at $400-500; one year of experience raises the salary to $600-700; a system administrator of the IT department of a trading company with at least 2 years of experience is offered a salary from $800. At the same time, a data transmission equipment engineer with at least 3 years of experience costs from $2000, a specialist in strategic development of cellular networks with similar experience starts at $2500, and a project manager's salary starts at $2200.
Narrow and rare specialties cost even more. “Today there are very few experienced project managers in system integration on the labor market, so these people are very expensive, their salaries start from 3000 dollars a month,” said Elena Poznyakova. “Also very much in demand are specialists with 1C certificates; their value grows year after year and now amounts to $1700-1800 a month for ordinary employees.”
In addition, today the salary range varies greatly depending on the business industry in which the IT specialist works. An IT director of a bank costs more than an IT director of a company selling building materials, simply because a short failure in the operation of computers in a bank is fraught with huge losses, while in a trading company it will cause only temporary displeasure of employees.
So, for example, the work of a website administrator of an online store costs about $700, but a similar position in an investment banking group is estimated at $1200. Employment agencies report that large banks offer their programmers a salary of from 2000 dollars along with quarterly bonuses and a social package. An IT manager who gets a job in a large oil company can claim a salary of $3000, and an American employment agency with a representative office in Moscow estimates such a position at $5500.