computer

Database

Description: A job that requires creating, testing, and maintaining one or more database.

Requirements: Requires a familiarity with or extensive knowledge of databases at the place of employment. For example, Access, FoxPro, MySQL, SQL, and Sybase.

Recommendations: Become familiar with the database being used at the business. If the job is for developing or continuing the development of a database, you will need to have a great understanding of the database as well as how to program it. Often this knowledge requires past experience or formal education.

Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) Developing or maintaining a database can be a difficult and sometimes very complex job. As mentioned above you will need to have past experience or formal education with maintaining or developing a database before most companies will even consider you.

Electronics technician or engineer

Description: Assembling, testing, and repairing electronic equipment.

Requirements: A strong understanding of basic and advanced electronics.

Recommendations: Get formal education in electronics and electro-mechanical or self-teach yourself by building your own electronic systems.

Difficulty: (HIGH) Having a strong understanding of electronics often takes several years of formal education or on-the-job experience.

Engineer

Description: An engineer is someone who is at the top of their class and almost always someone who has or is working on a college degree or several certifications. Although used broadly in this document, the engineer is usually specified in the job requirement. For example, a software development engineer may be a highly skilled computer programmer.

Requirements: The requirements for this job change depending on the engineer you plan on being. However, as mentioned above, any engineer job will require an extensive understanding of the job. Usually, this understanding is obtained from a school, certifications, training, or years of past experience.

Recommendations: Get training and education in the subject of interest from a school or other location. Learn as much about the subject as possible from books, the Internet, and other sources. Often before you can qualify for many engineer positions you will need past experience; therefore, it's a good idea to get an entry-level job in the same field. For example, if you want to be an engineer in software development, get a job in programming or create your own software programs. If you want to become a network engineer, get a job that requires you to setup, maintain, or otherwise work with networks and setup your own home network.

Difficulty: (HIGH) This is a job and position that requires a lot of work to obtain and is not likely something you will be able to get as your first job.

Hardware

Description: A position as a hardware designer, circuit design, embedded systems, firmware, etc. is a job that requires you to design and create a complete hardware package or portions of a hardware device.

Requirements: Jobs that design or create hardware devices often require that the person has a good understanding of electronics, circuits, firmware, or design. For this position the person will often need to have several years of prior experience or a degree in the field.

Recommendations: If you're interested in this field we suggest you get a degree in the field.

Difficulty: (HIGH) Hardware design is a difficult position to learn and understand unless you get training or a degree.Networking or System Administrator

Description: Computer networking jobs involve designing, setting up, and maintaining a network.

Requirements: Although most users today have their own home networks, setting up, troubleshooting, and maintaining a corporate network can be a much more complicated task. Often, networking jobs also require a good understanding of how a network works, and in some cases how all the underlying protocols and structure of how networks work.

Recommendations: There are numerous network and network related certifications available today, such as the CCNA, MCSE, etc. Often depending on the level of certification and the job you're applying for, the certifications will be more than enough to quality you for most network jobs. Some of the higher networking positions, especially in the development of network hardware or programming side, may also require past experience in networking or a degree.

Difficulty: (MEDIUM - HIGH) Depending upon the job specifications and the complexity of the network usually determines the difficulty of this job.

Programmer or Software developer

Description: A job that requires the development or continued development and maintenance of a software program.

Requirements: A basic to extensive understanding of a programming language. Because most job positions will require a person to develop sections of a program or the whole program, they often require several years of past experience or a degree before even considering you.

Recommendations: Learn one or more programming languages. Depending on what programs or scripts you wish to create may change the language you wish to learn. See the dictionary programming languages definition for a listing of popular programming languages and programs they create. If you need experience, creating your own software programs is a great way to learn a language and demonstrate your abilities at a job interview.

Difficulty: (HIGH) Learning a programming language can be as difficult as learning a second language and takes a lot of experience and practice to become a skilled programmer.

Quality Assurance (QA), System analyst or Tester

Description: This job requires that the employee test out all features of a product for any problems or usability issues.

Requirements: Requires that the person have a good understanding of computer software, hardware, and the product being tested.

Recommendations: Become familiar with computers, software, hardware, and the products the company makes.

Difficulty: (LOW - MEDIUM) Depending on what is being tested and how much needs to be tested usually determines the difficulty of this job. However, for users familiar with the product or similar products, you should not have much difficulty locating and reporting issues.