Careers and jobs in IT sector

Information technology (IT) deals with design, development, operation, and maintenance of software/ hardware usually involved in the context of a business/process and is often used to automate manual tasks as well as improve efficiencies within an organisation. By involving computer systems, IT has helped industry reach new markets and offer new services to customers and clients. Information Technology is a key ingredient for businesses trading in the 21 century. Through better use of communication and IT infrastructure, businesses can now open their doors to international markets as well as competition. Its reach cuts across industry segments and geographical locations. This has fueled the need for well-qualified and skilled information technology professionals. This is a fast-growing and fast-changing field and lakhs of graduating engineers from engineering colleges in India have a great opportunity to aspire for a challenging career in the IT field. In fact, there are a great number of openings in the IT field and it accommodates freshers from all branches of engineering from Biomedical engineering to Civil engineering, Mechanical to Chemical engineering although few IT organisations prefer freshers from Circuit branches like CSE, ECE, EEE and CSIT only.


Different specializations of jobs(IT Jobs) available in information technology(IT) are in the areas of databases, office information systems, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the internet and programming. Within the IT sector, there are hundreds of different types of jobs ranging from programming to web designing to project management to IT-support. In order to get your first foot on the ladder in the IT industry it is likely that you will require an IT-related degree. Many new entrants into the IT need to learn and master the subjects like Web development or web design, Multimedia design, Digital media development, Web content management, Computer Architecture, Networking, Business information systems and Computer programming etc.,

Some of the career options that can be opted by Information Technology(IT) professionals are briefly outlined hereunder:
Software and Hardware engineers:
Information technology engineers work on various processes, both hardware and software. They aid in creating the hardware equipment needed for creating the computer systems. Hardware engineers create, test and supervise systems that run the computers and enable processes. They ensure that the hardware systems are up and running at all times without interrupting the flow of work. Software engineers design and develop software applications that aid businesses, run multiple processes in an automated manner. The discipline of software engineering covers tools, knowledge and methods to define software requirements and to perform computer programming, software design, user interface design, software maintenance tasks and software testing. Software engineering also encompasses the knowledge from different fields like computer engineering, computer science, mathematics, management, quality management, project management, system engineering and software ergonomics. A career in software engineering can be very rewarding as there is a demand for software engineers across the industries.

The above IT jobs may involve the activities such as studying client processes to determine their needs for software and hardware, managing a team of developers and engineers involved in design and development of software processes, monitoring systems, controlling quality, maintaining supplies and evaluation of various flows and processes. Fresh graduates can start as junior or support engineers. Candidates with over 3-4 years of experience can be considered for the role of Project Leader/Manager. Project Managers generally play a supervisory role and manage a team of computer engineers and information technology specialists. Most technology firms also offer comprehensive internship program that serves as a breeding ground for aspiring information technology professionals.

IT Consultants:
Information Technology professionals are increasingly being sought to play the role of consultants for various business organisations. They study the processes like supply chain, inventory management etc and recommend information technology based solutions that basically makes the process error free, simpler and quicker. Information technology based consultants are required across various industry segments right up to government organizations. Entrepreneurial information technology consultants can also set up their own consulting firms and advice clients independently on how information technology can help their business and augment profits. Information technology professionals can branch out with their own consultancy after a minimum of 5-10 years of experience in the related areas of information technology.

Network Administrator:
Network Administrator can work from high schools to big corporations. Their role can be very challenging with multitasking components. Their goal is to run a smoothly functioning computer network-free of bugs, glitches, and interruptions. Example of what a network administrator may do during his day can include computer software; get computer/network up and running again after it crashes; set up new devices and solving computer problems on a consistent basis. This job provides hands on experience on working on networks and administration.

Job Designations in IT Companies:
Broad categories of career options in the IT field are Information Technology- Hardware, Information Technology- Software, IT enabled Services (ITeS), Business Process Outsourcing ( BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing(KPO) etc., Typical designations/roles of Jobs available in IT field are Business Analyst, Database Administrator (DBA), Database Architect/ Designer, ERP, CRM - Functional Consultant, ERP, CRM - Technical Consultant, Graphic Designer/ Animator, Game designer, Web administrator, Network Administrator, Project Leader/ Project Manager, Quality Assurance - Manager, Software Engineer/ Programmer, Software Test Engineer, System Administrator, System Analyst/ Tech Architect, Team Leader/ Technical Leader, Technical Support Engineer and Quality Assurance etc.,

Job opportunities in IT software engineering are available in many software companies in India. Some of the well-known software companies include Accenture, ADP, Apps Associates, Birlasoft, Broadridge, Cap Gemini, Capital IQ, Caritor, CMC Ltd, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Computer Associates, Cordys, CSC, Cybage Software, Dell, DST Global Solutions, Google, HCL, HP, IBM, IGate Global Solutions, Infosys, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, NIIT Ltd, Microsoft, Oracle, Patni Computer Systems (P) Ltd, Persistent Systems Ltd., Sasken Communications, Sonata Software, Tata InfoTech Ltd, Polaris, Tata Consultancy Services, Verizon, Virtusa Technologies Wipro Technologies Ltd, and Yahoo etc. Although the software engineering sector is currency dependant, highly competitive and hectic, it is a lucrative career option. It surely offers a bright future for the IT professionals. Average salaries for freshers vary between 2.4 to 4.5 lakhs per annum depending on the recruiting company and college they are studying. High salaries upto Rs 13 lakhs for annum are paid by high profile companies who generally recruit few numbers of highly talented performing candidates. It is important to note here that performance in the recruitment process is important rather than academic percentage gained during their study at college. Many a times, class toppers do not get recruited in the initial few companies at campuses. Hence, it is important for parents not to pressurize their wards to aim for top ranks in the class. It is just sufficient if they are in the top 20% in the class and they participate in extra and co-curricular activities which add value to their resumes.