If you are thinking of pursuing a computer career, you can
rest assured that you will have lots of employment opportunities after you have
successfully attained the necessary qualifications. These days, almost every
company, organization, institution, and government department need people with
computer expertise, and many of them hire full time computer experts. A career
in computing can be very interesting and challenging, and it offers a high
level of fulfillment for those who are able to perform their duties well. It is
also financially rewarding, and you can earn a six figure annual income if you
have extensive expertise and experience in your specialization.
Most people think that they need a college degree to pursue
a computer career, but this is not true. While a majority of computer experts
have at least a Bachelor's degree, it is possible to have a successful computer
career without a degree. In fact, some of the most famous people in the computer
industry did not complete their college education, and they have managed to
amass personal fortunes worth billions of dollars. These icons of the computer
industry include Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Michael
Dell, and Mark Zuckerberg. Due to the achievements of these great innovators,
the field of computing has been recognized as one of the fields that people can
excel in without a degree. True enough, many lesser known computer experts have
managed to achieve great success and live a comfortable life without a complete
college education.
However, the success stories of the famous computer experts
mentioned above should only serve as inspiration for aspiring computer experts.
Their innovations were more possible in those times when there was much to be
discovered in the field of computing. Due to the rapid advancement of computer
technology, there is presently very limited opportunity for someone to come up
with a truly groundbreaking innovation. Therefore, it is less likely that such
great success stories will happen again. In reality, if you want to have a
successful computer career, you will have a better chance of reaching your goal
if you have a degree in computer science or other computer-related fields.
Nowadays, many large companies make it a point to hire only computer experts
who have completed college, and your career options will be limitless if you
manage to earn a degree.
There are many different specializations in the computer
industry, and each specialization has its own sub-specializations. Some of the
more common computer specializations include computer programming, information
systems, information security, networking, computer engineering, web
development, communications, computer graphics, computer forensics, and others.
These specializations have very different responsibilities, and they can range
from developing software to designing websites. You can find colleges and
universities that offer Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral degree programs for
every computer specialization.
Salaries for computer experts vary according to experience
and specialization, but they are generally high compared to people in many
other industries. For instance, computer support specialists earn an average
annual income of about $44,000, while information systems managers can make an
average of about $107,000 a year.