What kind of jobs are available in the IT industry?

What kind of jobs are available in the IT industry?
This post will explain the various types of IT industries and what skills are needed.

1. IT Consultant

Nowadays, the implementation and use of IT is an indispensable part of corporate strategy. 

Software houses and computer companies played an advisory role as systems were introduced in the past. 

Still, in recent years, consulting services that are more directly related to management have come into demand.

The needs for IT consultants range from small and medium enterprises to large corporations, and the scope of their work is not limited to creating IT strategy proposals and analyzing their effectiveness. 

Still, it may also include system construction and outsourcing of operations.

At the same time, companies are becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between IT and legal regulations, such as the 「Personal Information Protection Law」 that came into effect in April 2005.

IT consultants are not only active in so-called consulting companies. 

Many major computer manufacturers are shifting their focus from traditional hardware sales to providing business solutions and employing consultants.

What abilities and skills are required?

Extensive knowledge of computer systems and networks is essential. 

This field is advancing rapidly, so you cannot neglect your studies daily. 

An insatiable curiosity is a must.

It is advantageous to have qualifications such as 「Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant,」 「IT Strategist (Information Technology Engineer Examination),」 and 「IT Coordinator.」

Some contracts include system implementation and construction. 

Although you will not be involved in creating the system yourself, you may take the helm as a project leader.

There are many opportunities to assume positions of responsibility from a young age. 

The only way to make the most of it is to have a positive attitude and ambition.

At the peak of a project, you may be required to work overtime continuously. 

You need to have the guts not to be discouraged by hard work.

2. Data Scientist

What is the job it does?

In the past, 「people,」 「goods,」 and 「money」 were said to be the three most important management resources, but in recent years 「information」 has been added to them. 

All companies recognize the importance of data, and the ability to accurately obtain, analyze, and utilize information is becoming increasingly important in conducting business. 

Data scientists are attracting attention in this social climate and have been called 「the sexiest profession of the 21st century.」

Information and data collected usually remain disorganized without proper organization and classification. 

This makes the data useless. 

This is where data scientists come in. 

They use their knowledge of statistics, mathematics, computer science, etc., to organize, analyze, and analyze the vast amounts of complex data (big data) collected and accumulated by companies and institutions and process the data into reports that can be used for business purposes.

Every company that deals with big data requires data scientists, and the number of companies trying to utilize big data is increasing. 

The shortage of data scientists is likely to accelerate in the future. 

Although not well known in Asia yet, there are cases of high compensation paid to excellent data scientists in Europe and the U.S. 

What abilities and skills are required?

IT-related skills related to database operations are essential. In addition, a broad knowledge of information processing, artificial intelligence, statistics, mathematics, psychology, etc., is required. 

Expert knowledge of the industry or business sector is also needed to analyze.

Coding skills to describe the process in a programming language are essential, as computers process vast amounts of information.

In general, the work is done in teams, and there is also a lot of collaboration with different departments. 

Communication skills are required, as well as leadership skills at times.

Data must be converted into data that can be used for business purposes, not just processed. 

It is also essential to have the ability to understand business issues and their background.

The final report is often intended for management, such as executives. 

Writing reports that are easy to understand and include the use of language and other expressive skills are required.

3. Programmers

What is the job it does?

Programmers create computer programs required for business operations according to specifications.

Although it varies from company to company, the basic process is as follows.

  1. Creating a flowchart to determine processing procedures
  2. Coding using programming languages
  3. Testing to ensure that the program works as specified.
  4. Debugging to identify and eliminate the causes of errors
  5. Combine multiple programs to create a program suitable for the company's operations.

In some cases, they are also responsible for testing the system to ensure no system defects and testing the system on a machine that actually runs it.

Once one becomes familiar with creating a single program, the workload is reduced. 

Still, as one's career progresses, it becomes necessary to make judgments from a higher perspective, such as the relationship with other programs and the system's consistency.

Thus, the usual career plan is to start as a programmer, take on leadership roles in projects, and become a systems engineer.

What abilities and skills are required?

Pre-employment experience is not really an issue. You may think it is a special job to use a programming language, but you can learn it without difficulty through training after joining the company.

The first quality is the ability to think logically.

Coordination and communication skills are also required, as they often work in teams.

There are many qualifications to support skills, including application certifications from software manufacturers, technical certificates, and certifications for operating systems and other credentials.

4. Network Engineer

What is the job it does?

A network engineer is a specialist in the network functions and technologies involved in building computerized systems.

Today, network use is a significant theme in corporate strategy, including deploying LANs (intra-company networks) to share information and speed up business and online trading between companies and consumers.

In addition, streaming technology for music and video distribution, encryption technology for security assurance, and server management methods are becoming more sophisticated against broadband and other infrastructure development.

These trends have brought network engineers into the limelight among information-related.

Because of the rapid development of this field, it is also characterized by a large number of young people. It is also a promising field in terms of future prospects.

What abilities and skills are required?

Since the field is evolving at an accelerated pace, a willingness to absorb new technologies is necessary.

Many manuals and instructions are written in English, and there are cases where English websites are referenced, so language skills to the extent that you can read technical papers are essential.

There is a national certification as a 「network specialist,」 There are also certification exams for applications and operating systems conducted by software manufacturers.

In addition to technical skills, planning and proposal skills are also required to materialize customer needs.

5. System maintenance and operation

What is the job it does?

System maintenance」 involves periodic inspections of computer systems in operation and system adjustments associated with replacing machines and peripherals.

On the other hand, 「system operation」 is an operator to keep the system running. 

Most of the routine work involves starting up the system at a fixed time, inputting data, forwarding calculation results to a predetermined department, making backups, etc. 

In many cases, the worker is stationed at the client company to do the work.

In both maintenance and operation, prompt action must be taken to determine the cause and prevent a recurrence once a problem occurs.

In particular, public systems and financial systems can be in serious trouble if it takes too long to recover. 

It can be said that this is a highly responsible job.

What abilities and skills are required?

Experience and majors are not required, and basic knowledge of the basics can be acquired through post-employment training.

Since the contents and methods of work differ depending on the client, the experience will be gained on site.

Since there is a lot of routine work involved, the type of person who can handle the work accurately and methodically is suited for this type of job.

6. System Consultant

What is the job it does?

System consultants provide expert advice and planning when companies implement systems. 

If it is a mission-critical system related to business management, accounting, or finance, knowledge of the business is more important than knowledge of computers.

If the system is to manage a specific business, an understanding of the nature of the business is required. 

The basis of the job is to identify requests and issues through in-depth discussions with the client and propose a system as a solution to those requests and problems.

After gaining experience as a system engineer (even at the project leader level), it is common to move up the career ladder to become a system consultant. 

In other cases, a person may lead several projects as a sales representative before becoming a systems consultant.

What abilities and skills are required?

In addition to knowledge of systems, management, and business operations, negotiation and presentation skills are essential.

In addition to knowledge of systems, management, and business operations, negotiation and presentation skills are also important. 

Leadership skills are required.

Qualifications are an advantage in gaining the trust of clients. And System Audit Engineer.

In addition, among certification examinations conducted by software manufacturers, those related to ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) and other mission-critical systems are advantageous.

7. Customer Engineers

What is the job it does?

Customer engineers assist customers in various aspects of computer systems to ensure that they are fully proficient in their use. 

For example, when implementing packaged software, they customize it according to the company's business operations.

They also give the client's employees lectures on operating the system and hardware. 

This is contrasted with system engineers and programmers, who mainly deal with software.

In addition, they also perform periodic inspections, troubleshoot problems, and respond to requests for upgrades and expansions. 

In many cases, they deal with customers who are not familiar with computers and systems, so they need to be able to explain their technical knowledge in a way that is easy for anyone to understand.

In addition, customer complaints and problems are valuable data for new product development. 

The customer engineer's primary role is to convey this data to the company's sales and development staff for their own use.

What abilities and skills are required?

A deep understanding of the company's products and a study of the system, in general, is necessary.

Customers often use a combination of products from various manufacturers, so it is necessary to pay attention to other companies' information about hardware and software.

Since it is a customer service industry, it is also essential to have daily communication skills.

8. System Engineer

What is the job it does?

System engineers (SE) design appropriate systems to understand the customer's objectives and requirements.

After learning programming knowledge, they usually move up to SE. 

In the case of large-scale or mission-critical systems, a senior SE or a system consultant becomes the project leader, and several SE share the work as subs.

To propose the most appropriate system, it is necessary to understand computers and information technology, the client's business flow, and the industry's terminology and conventions.

Therefore, SE will have their own areas of expertise, such as SE who are strong in financial affairs, SE familiar with government relations, and SE. 

They have deep insight into manufacturing lines.

What abilities and skills are required?

Majoring in school is of little relevance. 

Collaboration and communication skills are also necessary to ensure smooth project execution.

If you have an IT-related license, etc., it would be more advantageous

9. Sales Engineer

What is the job it does?

Sales engineers accompany salespeople or visit customers alone to explain technical aspects of the company's products and systems and answer customer questions.

When dealing with computer hardware and software, office automation equipment, or particular machine tools and inspection equipment, it is sometimes difficult to understand customers or convince them simply by explaining the product in a catalog.

The role of the sales engineer is to resolve this issue and provide lateral support in obtaining a contract.

What is essential in this job is to understand the level of understanding the person in charge has of the product or technology and choose words they can understand and explain.

Although this is a sales job, the focus is on gaining the customer's trust rather than immediate sales.

What abilities and skills are required?

In-depth knowledge of the products and systems you are responsible for is essential. 

It is normal to receive continuous training within the company.

Sensitivity to new information is necessary to keep up with technological advances. 

It is also essential to pay attention to other companies' products and the industry.

General common sense and communication skills are also required to ensure smooth communication with customers.

10. Customer Support Positions

What is the job it does?

Customer support involves responding to user inquiries about products and services.

Most of the calls are handled by phone, but recently, more and more are being handled via e-mail and websites.

The nature of support varies from company to company and business to business.

For example, home appliance and computer makers may need to troubleshoot problems, insurance companies may need to respond to inquiries about their services, and mail order companies may need to accept orders for their products.

Although response patterns are prepared in advance in anticipation of the nature of the inquiry, a flexible response is required rather than a mechanical answer.

Especially in the case of PC, peripherals, and software, it is essential to have an accurate grasp of technical information while at the same time explaining it in an easy-to-understand manner.

Careful attention must be paid to language and speaking style to match each user's age and level of understanding.

What abilities and skills are required?

The ability to communicate over the phone is most important. 

To convince a person whose face cannot be seen, it is necessary to devise a way to express the voice.

In the case of troubleshooting, the ability to recognize problems is required.

Understanding products and services are also essential. 

In addition to acquiring knowledge through training, it is necessary to collect information from sales and service engineers.

11. WEB Designer

What is the job it does?

Generally, when creating a website, a 「web director」 manages the overall progress, a 「writer」 writes the catch copy and text, and a 「programmer」 programs the website so that it can be viewed on the Internet.

The 「web designer」 then designs the website to reflect these elements.

Companies and individuals launch websites for various purposes, including advertising, promotion, marketing, and sales.

Web designers are required to design websites that meet these objectives.

The design must prioritize appearance and design and must also be easy to use for the users of the site and must be designed so that the users will behave as we intend them to.

In many cases, the work of a 「web designer」 is not limited to design but also includes coding*. 

Therefore, it is essential to be proficient in the use of computers and understand web-related programming languages.

Among these languages, 「HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language)」 and 「XHTML (Extensible Hyper Text Markup Language),」 which are languages developed for creating websites, and website styles (text size and color, fonts (font size and color, etc.) are the most important. 

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), a language for specifying typefaces, layouts, etc., must be mastered.

Coding is creating source code (strings of text written according to the specifications of a programming language) using a programming language (a language used to give instructions and commands to a computer). 

It refers to the creation of source code based on a flowchart.

What abilities and skills are required?

No qualifications are needed for 「web designers,」, but many have studied design and layout at universities or technical schools. 

In addition, in many cases, the work of a 「web designer」 is not limited to design but also includes coding, so an understanding of web-related programming languages is essential.

Knowledge and familiarity with Adobe Dreamweaver and Home Page Builder, software for creating websites, and Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, essential software for web design, are also necessary. 

Knowledge of Adobe Flash and JavaScript for creating web animations and games is also recommended.

Other qualifications that you may wish to obtain are the 「Color Coordinator Certification.」

Since you will often work in teams with other creators, you need to be cooperative, sociable, and good communication skills.