Hot Jobs for 2005
Jobs in Computers and Education
An In Depth Look

This is our final installment of 2005’s “hot jobs” feature that began in the February Top Colleges newsletter.  The data for these jobs came from a report by the Department of Labor forecasting the most in demand jobs through 2012.  These jobs tend to have higher wages and demand than comparable jobs in each main category. 

This article will break down what’s involved with getting the “hot” jobs in computers:

• Technical Support / Help Desk Specialists
• Network Administration
• Security Specialists

And education:

• Teachers
• Childcare workers
• Administration

Computer Careers
Continuous advancement of computer hardware technology and software titles have created a greater demand for employees within this field.  Additionally, lower pricing of computer hardware and software has allowed even the smallest businesses to adopt technology.  And, now that the economy is showing strong signs of recovery, more businesses are making financial outlays for new equipment and the payroll to service it.

Technical Support / Help Desk Technicians have a wide range of duties and opportunities depending on the employer.  Some help desk technicians may simply answer telephone calls to problems on a particular software or hardware system, while others maintain computer labs testing bugs in proprietary software or fighting off new computer viruses.

In general, here are some of the types of duties a help desk technician may have:

• Troubleshoot computer hardware, software or network
• Install new software on users computers
• Clean, modify and repair computer hardware including monitors, keyboard and printers
• Authoring training manuals
• Presenting training classes
• Evaluation of company hardware and software
• Provide good customer service to phone calls or emails

The salary for help desk technicians is good, with the median wage for carpenters being $39,100.  Additional education and experience will achieve higher wages.

What are the educational requirements to become a help desk technician?  
Obtaining employment as a help desk technician can take many paths.  While many employers prefer candidates with Bachelor's degrees, in this business, experience and hardware/software certifications often outweigh a four-year college degree.  In the technology field especially, technical knowledge and personal communication skills are often mutually exclusive.  Candidates that possess both of these skills are rare and in very high demand.  As this field has matured, more employers seek candidates with Computer Science degrees, or certifications from Microsoft, Cisco and Oracle.

Network Administrators design and maintain computer networks for businesses and organizations.  Again, technology developments in hardware and software have driven down costs and improved performance to the extent even the smallest of businesses can operate local (LAN) or wide (WAN) area networks.  Besides designing such networks, administrators must be sure the system is up and running at all times.  This includes troubleshooting problems that may appear erratically as well as scheduled upgrades for computer equipment and software updates.  Network administrators will also run additional cables and wires for additional workstations as the business expands.

Some network administrators may have the additional task of performing network security – protecting the system for hackers and computer viruses.  Network Administrators have a median salary of $54,810.  The wage varies depending on the industry in which one is employed.

What are the educational requirements to become a Network Administrator?
Like help desk technicians, network administrators have a variety of education paths to obtain employment in their field.  In the recent past, experience was more important than education, though many employers want candidates who possess a four-year degree in computer science or information technology.  Certifications in particular software and hardware are very important with priority placed on Microsoft, Novell and Cisco certifications.

With more companies placing their business archives – financials and customer data on computers, there is an increased dependence on having secure systems.  Security specialists focus on protecting networks from infiltration from hackers and computer viruses, bugs, worms or Trojan horses.  Security specialists will also protect company websites, provide training to employees and gather evidence to prosecute cyber criminals.  Security online is becoming more important as an increasing number of business transactions are conducted online.  Security specialists have an average median income of $58,610.

What are the educational requirements to become a security specialist?
The knowledge base to become a security specialist mirrors that of a network administrator.  As such, the educational path is very similar.  Since a company’s entire operation is at stake companies hiring security specialists tend to hire those candidates with superior experience or college degrees.

Education Careers
While many people are aware the aging of America’s largest population segment, the “baby boomers,” has created an increased demand for healthcare workers, many don’t realize that many retirements are creating a strong demand for teachers as well.

Elementary School Teachers generally instruct a single class of children, from five years old to twelve years old, in several different subjects.  Their goal is to help further the students’ language and vocabulary development, improve upon their social skills and introduce and enhance scientific and mathematical concepts. Elementary school educators do this in several ways; they read with students, spend individualized time with each student and they have the students work in small groups.  In this phase of education children are taught basic social and scholastic skills needed to progress to the next step of learning.

Middle and Secondary School Teachers instruct students ages twelve through eighteen. These educators teach more in depth concepts of subjects that were introduced to the students in elementary school.  They expose students to more valuable information about the world and provide the knowledge and skills that are needed in order to attend a postsecondary school.  Middle and secondary school teachers usually specialize in one specific subject. Classes include English, mathematics, history, Spanish and chemistry.  These teachers are also trained to teach subjects that are focused around careers.

The average median wage for these teachers is roughly $39,000 to $44,000.

What are the educational requirements to become a teacher?
All public school teachers must have at least a bachelor’s degree and have completed a teacher training program. Teachers are also required to be licensed. They may be licensed in the grades they plan to teach, from elementary to secondary grades. Many States require license applicants to be tested for competency in basic skills, including reading, writing and teaching. They are also required to show efficiency in their subject.  Some states facing teaching shortages may have different requirements that are less stringent.

Child care providers work in many different atmospheres such as child care centers, nurseries, preschools, public schools, private homes and before and after school programs.  Their main goals include helping enhance each child's development and caring for children when parents are at work or tending to other obligations.

In settings like these, children can get to know and interact with other children.  Child care workers provide the children in their care with activities that promote physical, emotional, intellectual and social growth.  They are responsible for aiding children in exploring interests, developing talents, building self-esteem and learning how to share and properly interact with others.  They must have the ability to give each child individual attention and guidance in addition to teaching kids to work in groups.

Child care work is becoming more in demand every year and it can be a very rewarding experience.  Though the pay is comparatively low, at a median hourly wage of $7.86, being able to see children grow, learn and explore their talents because of the attention and care given them is a feature that makes this job have appeal.

What are the educational requirements to become a child care provider?
Most child care facilities seek employees with certification or an associate's degree in early childhood development.  Some courses that are helpful for developing child care skills are child development, nutrition, music, art, drama, writing and communications.  Child care workers who are self employed must have at least a high school diploma or a GED and have a license stating the number of children that can be in their home.  Since self employed workers are also running their own business it's to their advantage to have an associate's degree in business administration or business management.

Education administrators are the management of the education world.  Like their business world counter parts, these professionals manage staff, plan purchases, budget and oversee the day to day operations of their school.  Unlike the business world, administrators are responsible for developing topics to be taught (curriculum) and managing students who are not paid employees.  They must also insure teachers are properly licensed and meet all state and federal guidelines.  In addition, an administrator’s success is measured by how students perform on standardized testing as well as maintaining budgets, securing funding and even developing successful athletics programs. 

Education administrators in elementary and secondary education are called Principals and Assistant-Principals.  Their level of responsibility and salary depends on the size and type of school they are running.  On a higher level, there are district and state level administrators who manage entire school districts.

U.S. Department of Labor statistics show the median income of Principals and Assistant Principals as:

Principals
Elementary school	$75,291
Jr. high/middle school	$80,708
Senior high school	$86,452
Assistant principals:
Elementary school	$62,230
Jr. high/middle school	$67,288
Senior high school	$70,874

What are the educational requirements to become an Education Administrator?
Experience and past success is one of the major requirements to becoming a school administrator.  A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is required, as well as the appropriate State licensing.  Many administrators possess a Master’s degree in administration or even a Doctorate.  In post-secondary education a Doctorate is almost a necessity to become an administrator.

This concludes our in depth description of the hottest jobs for 2005.  We hope it’s given you some ideas and direction in your educational and career goals.  To find a school near you that has the program you want to complete, visit Top-Colleges.com.