Many wonder what exactly does someone with an information technology degree do in the real world. Despite the fact that many of us regularly work with information technology specialists, a significant number of people don’t really know what this job is all about. They just know that they need to call the IT guy when something goes wrong with the computer. But having a degree in information technology provides you with more skills than just being the computer fixer-upper. With this degree, you could work in areas of the computer business as diverse as technology engineering, database specialization and consulting. Alternatively, you could opt to stick with the traditional IT job of maintaining and repairing computer systems for businesses of all sizes.
One of the most common jobs for someone with an information technology degree to get is an engineering job. There are engineers for both software and hardware, allowing people with interests in different aspects of computers to find their niche. Engineers assist in the development and design of software applications or hardware systems. This is a highly creative position, which lets people explore innovative technologies while making use of their specialized computer knowledge. One of the greatest rewards for engineers is to see something they’ve created gain widespread use among average computer users. To hear people talking about how great your new software program works is an ego boost to any engineer. The best of them will not be satisfied with this alone, though; they’ll continue to push the boundaries of their work to create better systems.
Some people prefer to work on areas of computer technology that apply more to businesses than individuals. Although engineers can do this, a more common area of work for someone with this desire is to use their information technology degree to work in database specialization. Through this position, the individual creates and re-designs database systems to assist businesses in running more smoothly. This area of information technology is highly specialized and tends to be favored by people with an information technology degree who don’t ever want to be bored with their work. They can spend hours each day tinkering with the merging of different systems and the design of new database applications, allowing them to create a product uniquely suited to the development of a client’s business.
Of course, not all people who get an information technology degree want to work just with computers. Some want to do more work with people than they do with machines. Whereas engineers and database specialists primarily work alone with their equipment, computer consultants work primarily with people. They explore some of the same aspects of those people in other IT positions but instead of doing the actual work of designing and developing systems and software, they assist others in understanding the utilization of that software. They may make suggestions to companies for systems that could make operations run more smoothly or consult on large purchases made by small businesses.
The Internet is expanding rapidly. As it does, the information technology degree becomes applicable to an increasing number of jobs. However, some folks like to keep things simple. If you’d like to just be the person who fixes computer problems as they arise, you can still use your information technology degree to get that type of job. Generally known as a network administrator, this job is usually a full-time position, which involves fixing daily computer problems, checking the system for errors and assisting with regular updates to the technology. As important as computer function is to most businesses, this remains one of the most important positions available to information technology specialists.
When people hear the words “Information Technology,” the first things that come to mind are computers and the Internet. It may also bring up words like “network,” “intranet,” “server,” “firewall,” “security,” as well as more arcane expressions such as “router,” “T-1,” “Ethernet,” or the mysterious and exotic-sounding “VoIP” (pronounced “voyp”).
In fact, information technology is all of these things, and more. It’s hardly new, however. Information technology is as old as the brain itself, if you think of the brain as an information processor. As far as I.T. being a science, even that goes back as far as the earliest attempts to communicate and store information.
And that is essentially what information technology is: the communication and storage of information, along with the ability to process and make use of the information stored. In this chapter, we’ll begin with a brief history of I.T., what it comprises today, and the different major types of I.T. systems available today.
A Short History of Information Technology
As human societies have grown in size and complexity, so has the need to collect, store and transmit information. While it could be argued that brains represent a form of “bio-information technology,” Greek word “Tektra” – from which we get the word “technology” – really refers to scientific or mechanical knowledge, particularly that which involves the use of tools. Therefore, we’ll begin our journey with humans first attempts to record and transmit knowledge through mechanical means.
The Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age
We might not have thought of it as “information technology” several thousand years ago when we as a species were painting animals on cave walls. But in fact that may be exactly what it was.
Using a combination of tools that included manganese “crayons” and clay that was colored with various pigments, early humans left these images on the walls of a cave near Lascaux, France and on cliffs in the Algerian Sahara.
These have been dated as being approximately 18,000 and 8,000 years old respectively. Unfortunately, there is no way to be certain exactly what message was being communicated (a problem our own descendants 15,000 years from now may very well encounter from what we leave behind!)
Since the images depict animals that were commonly hunted at the time, and given the importance of game animals to a hunting-gathering culture, it’s possible that such images were attempts to present information about such game, or part of a rite designed to ensure a successful hunt.
The invention of writing systems – including pictograms such as hieroglyphics, alphabetic writing and “syllabic” systems – seems to have taken place almost at the same time as the development of agriculture. Agriculture introduced such formerly unknown concepts as land ownership, advanced trade and the accumulation of wealth, which in turn led to more complex societal structures.
As you might expect, this necessitated more detailed and efficient record-keeping. Alphabetic writing has a substantial advantage over pictograms (hieroglyphs), because a relatively limited number of symbols (letters) can be used over and over in infinite combination to communicate nearly anything. (As you will see later, modern I.T. uses only two of these symbols!)
Preserving and storing such information posed certain challenges; information either had to be inscribed on stone or clay tablets (which were heavy) or animal skins, wax tablets or papyrus (which weren’t durable).
The Hellenistic World
The Classical Greeks were the first people of record to attempt to find scientific, rational explanations for natural phenomena. Some of the earliest proto-computers known were mechanical devices developed by the Greeks. One of these was a form of abacus (which also developed and was used in ancient China). The device facilitated and simplified mathematical calculation.
Consider REALLY early Greco-Roman Abacus
Another early computational device was the antikthera, greek in origin. An antikthera was discovered by a Greek sponge diver over a century ago, it was only recently that this 2100-year-old device was reconstructed and shown to be an early form of computer designed to chart the movements of the sun, moon and five planets known at the time.
Early Programmable Devices
By the time the gradual break-up and fall of the Roman Empire was complete in the year 476 C.E., scientific and technological advances in the Western world had ground to a halt. While much of the scientific knowledge of the Greeks was preserved by Irish monks and Arab scholars, it wasn’t until the fourteenth century that principles of engineering were rediscovered and applied to information. The first of these was of course the printing press.
Although the concept of movable type printing had been developed in China some four hundred years earlier, it was Gutenberg’s device in 1447 that revolutionized communications, making it easier and faster to record and disseminate information than ever before. The first truly programmable device would not come along for another 354 years, however.
The Jacquard Loom of 1801 was a product of the Industrial Revolution. This invention used a series of specially punched paper cards that functional as templates, allowing for the automatic weaving of highly intricate patterns. Those punch cards became very significant to computing in the 1950′s, 60′s and 70′s.
The next development was Charles Babbage’s “Analytical Machine” – a fully-programmable computer that unfortunately was never actually built. Babbage worked on designs from 1837 until his passing in 1871. This steam-powered mechanism would have also utilized punch cards, with a central processing unit (CPU) and a form of memory storage in the form of a system of pegs inserted into rotating barrels.
The Analytical Machine would have been capable of storing 1,000 numbers of up to fifty digits each, and perform six different mathematical operations, including the calculation of square roots. Babbage’s ideas were incorporated into early electronic computing devices being developed in the late 1930′s and 1940′s, although not all of these were actually programmable. The first truly programmable computers – able to store and use information – did not come into common use until the 1950′s, and yes – made use of punch cards (those born before 1965 may remember playing with them).
Of course most people born in the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s just take for granted that the Information Technology we have today is from fairley recent developments in science, mechanics and electronics. But we know different now don’t we. And therefore can better appreciate what we have available to us now.
Finding online business ideas can be quite a daunting task when one considers you need to come up with a business idea that is aimed at a paying market. Here we discuss ways to help you get your online venture off to a good start.
The most significant aspect behind the decision to leave the corporate world and start an online business at home is the strong faith and belief in oneself.
More and more business-minded people are discovering an efficient, hassle-free and safe way of marketing their products and services online by simply equipping themselves with a personal computer and a stable internet connection. So, how does one find online business ideas that will generate consumer traffic as more and more people become aware of ones online venture? Here’s how:
1. Online business ideas sprout from the kind of target market you have.
The first thing you need to do is to thoroughly study your market. If you know your audience, their needs and what they specifically look for in a product or service, you can always succeed even though you may not have a pioneering business.
2. To avoid getting stuck with the old be sure to innovate.
In an online business, it is a must that you always introduce something new to your market. You need to always anticipate their needs and innovate on how to do business better on changing market perceptions and be willing to embrace what is new and what is in. Succinct to say, online business ideas are ever changing. It is important that you move with the times and keep up to date with the latest products and services that sell well. It is important to break ties with a product or service that has become obsolete overtime even if you have an emotional attachment to it. Rather, always come up with something new, something better that could predominantly address the needs of your market. Be a step ahead of the market.
3. Online business ideas are not confined to selling your products or services alone.
Targeting strategic clients that could compound and multiple your online client base is what it is also about. Hitting many birds with one stone may be a clichéd belief, but it is old wisdom that still works even up to now.
4. Prep your product.
A beginner online entrepreneur should pay very close attention to this online business idea. Since you are doing business online, potential clients need to see the features of the product you are selling. It is essential you take good digital photos of specific products that you wish to offer. So that your clients can have a clear view of the products you are selling, displaying images taken from different angles is a good way of doing this. Next, you need to create a short description of the item. This is of prime importance as clients are concerned about the features of the products, the dimensions, models, and colors amongst others.
5. Give the best and the highest level of service to your clients and more
This perhaps is one of the best online business ideas that you can ever infuse in your online venture. This is an old business dictum that especially works in a competitive industry such as an online business. Hence, make your competitive advantage the level and kind of service you provide to your existing and would-be clients. You may not have the best business online, but always make it a point to give your best service that will set you apart from the rest.
The daunting task of finding online business ideas and assist with getting your online venture off to a good start will be minimized if you bear the above in mind.