The Many Jobs in Technology
With the influx of technology startups and movement towards online businesses, the IT environment has changed drastically in the last ten years. Unfortunately, very rarely does a company have the resources to staff a complete IT team. That being said, many companies begin their technology department by having a utility player that can wear many hats. In accordance to a company’s growth trajectory or needs, more IT employees are then added to solve specific business needs. Here’s a quick look at what a full IT team would look like in a perfect technology world. Please note that many of the below jobs have overlapping responsibilities and can have different titles.
PEOPLE/MANAGEMENT
Chief Technology Officer/Chief Information Officer (CTO, CIO):
CTO/CIOs work directly with the executive team in order to create and execute a strategy for the company’s technology needs. Another focus is in identifying both inefficient and efficient costs within the IT department and relay how it affects the business and productivity. CTO/CIOs focus on productivity, costs, and managing downtime. Skills Required: Analytical, previous leadership experience, budgeting, and collaboration
IT Manager:
IT Managers are responsible for the systems, databases, applications, networks, support, and server maintenance of a company. They are often the liaison between the company and its vendors. Oftentimes, IT Managers report to the CIO/CTO and work on implementing the strategy outlined by the executive team. Skills Required: Management, people skills, negotiation, vision, analysis, and technical background
Project Manager:
Project managers are typically the liaison between the IT department and the rest of the organization. They are in charge of gathering business requirements from different departments within the company and organizing a plan of implementation, so projects can be completed efficiently. Project managers can occasionally be a point of contact for outside vendors. Their focus is on implementation, budget/resources allocation, and timeline. Skills Required: Management, organization, interpersonal skills, and conflict resolution
Tech Support/Help Desk:
The Tech Support/Help Desk troubleshoots problems and responds to requests from employees that need technology assistance. They can be in charge of office-wide updates, issuing problem tickets, and managing technology issued to employees throughout the company. Skills Required: Problem solving, customer service, patience, attention to detail, and a breadth of technical knowledge
HARDWARE
Network Architect:
Network Architects design and implement scalable networks, including local area networks (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and intranets. Their focus is to design network topologies, by having a thorough understanding of route, switch, wireless, and network security. Skills Required: Design engineering, problem solving, infrastructure analysis
Network Engineer:
Network Engineers are responsible for implementing the networking infrastructure after it has been designed. Their main priorities are building and maintaining a robust infrastructure to scale and handle all network traffic. They also oversee the network installation, security, configuration and maintenance of the server hardware and software systems. Skills Required: Infrastructure and business analysis, constant quality control and assurance, attention to detail
Network Administrator:
A Network Administrator maintains the internal and external networks, manages configurations, and monitors the network to avoid downtime. They also troubleshoot against security threats and are in charge of routine server maintenance. Must plan, execute and document any hardware or software updates or changes. Skills Required: Proactive, attention to detail, analytical, day to day monitoring and support of the network
Database Administrator:
A Database Administrator is in charge of planning and implementing the configuration and administration of databases. They works with large databases and manage their network’s storage area network for speed and scalability. Skills Required: Analytical, problem solving, attention to detail
Systems Engineer:
Systems Engineers are responsible for designing a solution that handles workloads that the business needs to run. They usually work directly with the director of IT to mitigate risk management, increase efficiencies and downtime. Skills Required: Analytical, attention to detail, understanding of systems administration. Experience of common internet protocols, database administration experience.
Systems Administrator:
Systems Administrators are in charge of maintaining endpoints, configuring hardware, managing users, and maintaining and operating computer systems. They are also focused on disaster recovery, security, and data storage. Skills Required: Analytical, attention to detail, knowledge of current infrastructure and systems administration
SOFTWARE
Web Designer/Developer:
Web Designer/Developer can be a catch all job description for individuals responsible for multiple roles. Web Designers/Developers typically have graphic design skills and are either well-versed in front-end or back-end development, with at least a basic understanding of the other. Web Designers/Developers often work with marketing teams to structure the content and build or maintain websites and web applications. Skills Required: Creativity, innovation, and knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Wordpress
User Interface/User Experience (UI/UX):
Individuals in the role of UI/UX are responsible for translating user research into a finished product that is visually appealing, easy-to-use, and creates an overall positive experience for the end-user. They often work directly with marketing teams, project managers, software developers, and even sometimes psychologists to create a highly usable application. Skills Required: Thorough knowledge of design, psychology, business processes, Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML, and CSS
Front-end Developer:
Front-end developers are responsible for user-facing code and the architecture of the user experience. They bridge the gap between the backend data and the user experience. They’ll often work closely with UI/UX Designers to bring wireframes and mockups to life. Should be comfortable consuming APIs and structuring JavaScript. Skills Required: HTML, CSS, and Javascript programing. Be familiar with frameworks like Bootstrap, Sass, Less, Foundation, and various JavaScript libraries and frameworks
Back-end Developer:
Back-end developers create applications and develop programs that allow users to connect with the OS and hardware. They model the data and engineer the inner workings of the entire application.
Skills Required: PHP, Perl, Ruby, Python, or Go programing. Be familiar with frameworks like Laravel, Ruby on Rails, or NodeJS. An understanding of SQL and database architecture is typically required
Full Stack Developer:
Combination of front-end and back-end developers. Most individuals specialize in either front or back end, but it is helpful to have a wide range of abilities and can also help with the full scope of work. Skills Required: See skills required for Front-end and Back-end Developers
Quality Assurance Tester:
Quality Assurance Testers are responsible for creating and implementing an end-to-end test plan to ensure that the end product is functional, reliable, stable, and compatible with other external or prior systems.
Skills Required: Detail oriented, thorough, and understanding of business processes. Creative problem solvers
Originally published at metricloop.com on June 17, 2016.
