Technology Medicine

Careers and Colleges, Jan, 2001

The booming high-tech culture of the last decade gave rise to the widespread use of e-mail, cell phones, and laptops. It also ushered in the new millennium with this message: Technology rules and tech careers are here to stay.

Not only have the high--tech industries--telecommunications, computer software engineering, wireless communications--exploded, but these areas will profoundly affect other industries such as finance, health care, pharmaceuticals, entertainment, and manufacturing. And if you have a knack for math, science, and systems, technology may figure in your career choice.

You could be launching rockets into space, piloting robotic fish underwater to map the ocean floor, or designing sneakers that use the energy created by walking to power your walkman.

"The electronic economy has arrived," says Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). "Information technology workers represent a much bigger slice of the total workforce than previously imagined, and the nation's economic future is tied to the availability of appropriately skilled workers."

As many as 1.5 million high-tech jobs will go begging for trained workers in the next couple of years, according to the ITAA. Computer and data processing services jobs are projected to more than double in the next eight years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), making it the fastest growing segment of the economy. In fact, the B LS reports that five of the top ten fastest growing occupations are tech-related--computer engineers, computer support specialists, systems analysts, database administrators, and desktop publishing specialists.

Big Salaries and Big Perks

Large companies like Cisco Systems, Inc. (a leader in Internet networking), IBM, and AT&T compete with small start-ups for workers, in some cases topping off generous offers with lucrative sign-on bonuses and stock options.

Starting salaries are soaring. Information systems graduates are seeing average offers of about $43,000, up 10 percent from last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Robotics majors from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, are starting out with salaries of $52,000.

To cope with shortages, corporations are finding faster ways to get workers trained. Many employees are able to get trained on the company's dime. Oxford Lane (www.oxfordlane.com) in Denver can help you get your first certification as a Cisco network associate in just seven weeks. There is also a push to attract talent by offering lifestyle benefits, like flexible schedules and informal work atmospheres. At Autodesk, in San Rafael, California, a software and Internet portal service, dress is casual and employees may bring their pets to work.

The Education Factor

You've probably heard stories about college-bound high school grads bypassing higher education to jump into the tech workforce. Scott Lane of Oxford Lane notes that jumping into a high-tech career might seem financially advantageous, but you might want to look before you leap.

"I wouldn't discourage anyone from getting a college degree," Lane says. "In a few years, you may be passed by for promotions."

If you're itching to go to work and never thought a four-year school was for you, you might want to consider community college. Community college has become the "provider of choice for computer training," according to a survey by

the American Association of Community Colleges and ACT Inc., the education testing and research company. "Our survey points to the effectiveness of the community college curriculum and its impact on helping people achieve their career goals," says Richard L. Ferguson, ACT president.

Not Just for Computer Geeks

There will also be strong demand in the technology services sector as well. A growing field is "information cabling"--the wiring behind information technology systems. Apprentices in a telecom installer-technician program run by the electrical construction industry earn an average of $50,000 to $75,000 over a three-year training period, accumulating 480 hours of classroom instruction and 4,800 hours of on-the-job-training.

"The prosperity of the last decade and the glamorization of overnight high-tech wealth has, unfortunately, moved many people to forget the honor of the skilled trades and their value in the workplace," says John Barry, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. "We need to emphasize the worth and rewards of trade mastery and skilled labor careers."

If your passion isn't in computers, don't assume you are excluded. A surprising number of people with degrees in music and other apparently unrelated areas are succeeding in the tech arena.

Stacy Elliott earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and worked in non-technology marketing positions at Frito-Lay and the Children's Medical Center of Dallas, before joining Microsoft as a "digital lifestyle adviser" --basically a spokesperson and consumer advocate who offers advice and support for people who may be confused by new technologies.