Choosing a career in computer information systems

Based on the information you have given us pertaining to your degree in Computer Information Systems, we have selected two specific career paths for you. This report will outline various aspects of both career paths of Web Development and Computer Forensics. The following Is a list of areas I will describe In detail for an overview of these two career choices: Examining work responsibilities * Considering salary and benefits * Analyzing career advancements Thank you for choosing Open Options as your leader in career counseling solutions. As you move forward in your academic Journey, Open Options is here whenever you deed advice.

Tough competitors in this field are a great reason to gain some background knowledge and insight before you leave college. I have compiled this report to give you a comparison of two career paths I believe you would enjoy. Examining Work Responsibilities The computer information systems field consists of various professions. I have chosen to give you an overview of the web development and computer forensics careers. A web developer creates applications and the technical features off website. This Job entails the responsibility of creating websites and programming every feature.

On a different tier of computer information systems, there are technicians whose knowledge of computers helps them combat crimes and convict criminals. As a computer forensics investigator, recovering documents from computers and hacking into networks is a part of your daily Job. Viewing Education Requirements similar to each other. You can pursue either career at an entry-level position with an associates degree or enroll in a training program. A bachelor’s degree in computer information systems is preferred in order to advance in either of these career choices.

Formal education is essential for entering the work force of web development or computer forensics. However, to keep up with current and future technological advancements, various types of certificate programs are also available with either degree. Considering Salary and Benefits Working in the field of computer information systems gives you many opportunities to choose a path you would like to take. Web developing is a field that is in high demand and will continue to grow. As a web developer, you are creating websites from the ground up, making the websites that we browse each day.

Computer forensics, on the other hand, is a field that is in high demand due to the increased amount of cybercafé in the past few years. In this career, you can work for companies that need network security as well as maintain their networks to protect against cyber. You could also work for your local law enforcement or FBI agency cracking down on criminals who commit cyber-crimes. Analyzing Career Advancements By deciding to take control of your life, you place yourself in a position to go far with your degree in computer information systems.

The versatility of this field gives you efferent avenues to focus on and obtain knowledge about. Whether you are more interested in the programming aspects of the field or the preventing threats aspect, a career in computer information systems will be valuable in our future economy. The world operates primarily online and through interacting via the internet. Knowing how to navigate, develop, and maintain these internet systems makes you marketable to nearly any company of your choosing. INTRODUCTION After conducting our initial interview with you on January 17, 2013, I have comprised a report to help guide you on your career path.

The Computer Information Systems degree at Diver University offers several career-specific specializations. In this report, I will focus on describing the career choices of web development and computer forensics. The purpose of this report is to analyze the similarities and differences between them. Computer information systems specialists study how organizations use information technology, while performing daily business operations. As a specialist, you will work on designing, building, analyzing, and implementing software solutions for existing systems. Your work will help discover new ways to optimize system performance. Yes to maintain and improve their existing systems. Therefore, we project that the computer information systems professional degree will be in demand. The following quote taken from the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2012 – 13th editions demonstrates that, ” Many companies note that it is difficult to find qualified applicants for (Computer Information Systems Management) positions” (Computer and information systems managers, 2012). After reviewing the answers you provided me with during your interview, I am recommending you take advantage of the information pertaining to computer forensics.

This report will present research from both careers. This report will also compare the characteristics of each career while suggesting one path over the other. This report will compare work responsibilities, educational requirements, salaries with benefits, and career advancements between the two professions of web development and computer forensics. The information I have provided in this report comes from reputable sources such as The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational Outlook Handbook to help assist you in successfully choosing a path to suite your career goals. Examining a Career in Web Development

First, imagine yourself behind your keyboard writing scripts of code for websites. Your days will be full of coding and debugging languages such as HTML and XML. Providing you have an interest in building and monitoring websites, web development would be a route to consider. Your outlook in this career path is directly dependent on your abilities to create websites and applications for them. Work Responsibilities As a web developer, you are responsible for constructing websites and maintaining the overall performance of the sites. Your task is to ensure the technical aspects of the website are working well.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, web developers’ responsibilities consist of the following: * Work within a group and assembling with other developers and web designers in order to maintain and update the website * Create code structures to accomplish tasks successfully for web projects and goals. * Develop and layout the content of the website * Monitor the amount and the speed of traffic the website can handle * Program web applications, test for errors, and periodically perform maintenance (Information security analysts, web developers, and computer network architects, 2012)

The overall goal of a web developer is to ensure your client is satisfied with your work. Your Job is to make the vision of their website become a reality. To become a web developer at an entry-level position, most companies require an associates degree (Web development degrees: Associates & bachelor’s degrees info, n. D. ). A bachelor’s degree gives you a broader education with the potential to lead you into a position of management. Many companies expect their candidates to have a certificate in their field of choice. New technology arises regularly, so it is important for web developers to continue to gain knowledge and skill.

The willingness to further your education will give you a competitive edge over other candidates. The list below will introduce you to the trend of degrees offered by schools with programs in web development. Web Design Programs offered Nationwide Associates Degree | 319 | Bachelor’s Degree | 91 | Master’s Degree | 9 | Doctorate’s Degree I o I Certificates | 272 | Total | 691 | (Career index, n. D. ) Salary and Benefits Salaries for web developing vary on the experience you have; most web developers gain majority of their knowledge after 5 years.

An entry-level web developer starts around an average of $60, 000 a year and as you gain experience, your salary can increase to as much as $95, 000. As a web developer, you can work for companies related to computer system designs, or you can choose self-employment. If you choose to work for a company, most employers may require you work full time. This choice takes time away from your family and appears to be less luxurious than making your own schedule. With such a high interest in web developing, the growth rate of this field has a chance of rising nearly 22% from 2013 to 2020 bib outlook, 012).

I have provided you with a bar graph in Figure 1 to give you a visual of the salary comparison between web development and computer forensics. (Figure 1) Career Advancements As a web developer, you are able to move forward in your career, satisfied with knowing you are working in a growing field. Web developing is such a diverse field beginning in this field, work hard on not limiting yourself to the amount of additional tutelage you can gain. Having a diverse knowledge of different types of programming languages will be beneficial for you as a web developer.

Because the world has quickly become an environment based on exchanging ideas via the internet, your skills will be useful should you choose this career path. Information taken from the Occupational Outlook Handbook expects the employment outlook for web developers to increase 22 percent between 2010 and 2020 (Computer and information systems managers, 2012). This increase in employment is faster than the average growth for other occupations; however, I want you to think about how hard you would have to compete within this career field. Pursuing a Career in Computer Forensics Have you ever given thought to an exciting career in criminology?

Does the idea of helping law enforcement agents solve crimes give you a feeling of nobility? A career in computer forensics gives you an honorable and commendable lifestyle that will make you and your family proud. This career matches with many of your thoughts we discussed during your interview. Stopping criminals from harming the innocent and providing innovative methods to help the law recover evidence is morally rewarding. Computer forensic investigators are similar to private investigators and detectives. The difference between these careers is computer forensics focuses on the technical did of investigations.

Computer forensic investigators analyze and present information obtained from computers in order to use collected materials to solve crimes. While you work in this field, you can enjoy tasks such as: * Recovering lost, encrypted, or deleted documents from emails * Extracting data from hard drives and flash drives * Maintaining proper documentation of steps taken to retrieve information * Interpreting evidence obtained from seized equipment * Preserving information from various technologies in order to help officers investigate the findings

After you have obtained information from computers and databases, as a computer forensics investigator, you are often required to present this information in court. Critical thinking, problem solving and enduring long hours is vital in this career path (Long, 2009). Educational Requirements Educational requirements for obtaining a career in computer forensics are short enforcement. Instead of strictly regulated rules or set guidelines, employers of this field focus more on merit.

The education requirements for computer forensics vary by employer. A certificate program, an associates degree, or a bachelor’s degree is tankard for gaining employment in this field. Certificates allow specialized training without necessarily pursuing a degree. Some companies want a minimum off bachelor’s degree along with some specialized type of certification (Du-requirement, 2011). The chart below shows how combative you will need to be if you think you have what it takes to learn more and strive higher in this field.

Associates Degree | 5 Bachelor’s Degree | 1 Master’s Degree I o I Doctorate’s Degree I O Certificates | 2 | Total 18 1 Entering the field of computer forensics with little experience will give you a yearly alarm of around an average of $43, 000. Two factors that directly affect your salary are if you decide to work for law enforcement or if you decide to work for a company needing help from hackers. While working for a local law enforcement or FBI agency, you are working to help stop cyber-crime and track down perpetrators.

This type of job requires you to climb the agency ranks in order to acquire a higher paying salary (Computer forensics salary, 2013). However, working for a company who requires network security is different. You would monitor their security network by searching or flaws and fixing them in order to prevent outside threats from stealing valuable information. This type of Job is more beneficial to your salary as it is not dependent on your rank, but rather of the years of experience gained in this position.

This field is continuing to grow due to the increased amount of cyber-crime in the past several years and has great potential for future employment. Working as a computer forensics analyst in Georgia could bring you a salary that is higher or lower compared too different state seen in the graph presented in Figure 2. (Figure 2) Making headway in the field of computer forensics should prove to be satisfying for your tastes in a career choice. This field of study offers you the challenge of detecting cyber-criminal activity in a variety of mediums.

Not only will you need to stay current with your programming modalities, knowledge of cryptology, reverse flexibility to truly understand and comprehend how computers and computer programs work. The broader knowledge of skills you have in computer storage devices, operating systems, programming languages and software applications the more available opportunities will become (Knick, n. . ). Because technology in our world is constantly advancing, skills in computer forensics will be important to catch and prevent cyber criminals.

You would enjoy learning intricate details about computers to help stop these criminals and protect valuable computer equipment. Conclusions and Recommendation The computer information systems field is growing constantly with advancing technologies. This advancement helps in presenting numerous Job opportunities. As a web developer or a computer forensics investigator, your tasks and assignments will differ greatly. The commonality in both careers is the fact that you will use skills of manipulating software and hardware for computers to receive the desired outcome.

Choosing a career happens only when you drive yourself to excel and reach your goals. How successful do you imagine yourself being while working in a field where your primary task is babysitting websites? Sure, the money may look better as a web developer, but take time to think about your fulfillment to yourself and your family. Recommending a career in computer forensics is the best option to give you the enjoyment of a career worth more than money. For more information on this career, visit websites online such as www. Carpentered. Com or visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This choice in your life is extremely important. From the Open Options Family, I would like to thank you for choosing us to help counsel you with your career. We look forward to you becoming successful in your line of work. I hope the information presented in this report will help you consider the path of a computer forensics analyst. Defining who you are is a part of life. Thank you for allowing Open Options to help you along the way. APPENDIX Client Interview Questions and Answers . Why did you choose to get a degree in Computer Information Systems? Technology has always intrigued me growing up.

Fascinated by the way computers and programs worked, I started researching and practicing certain aspects of computers. I realized this was something I enjoyed and saw myself successfully making a career. 2. What type of benefits are you looking for from a career? Besides the monetary benefits associated with a career, I want to become a part of something larger than coming to work and leaving. A company that donates their time and money to charity would yield numerous intangible benefits for me. . Would you be willing to travel and/or relocate for a position?

I would be willing to travel temporarily to Job sites and other business ventures, however relocating would be very difficult. My home and family is in Georgia, and leaving them is nearly impossible. 4. Do you plan to continue your education? I would love to continue my education and obtain a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems. Education and experience are always required when trying to excel in your career. If you obtain a solid educational foundation, gaining the experience should be easy. 5. Do you think employers should consider prospects’ grades before they hire?

Yes, employers should consider prospects’ grades before hiring them. Grades can determine if a prospect worked hard, or did Just enough to graduate. If I were an employer, I would more than likely hire the prospect who acquired a 4. 0 GAP. 6. What are your salary requirements? After researching the careers in my field, the minimum salary I would accept would be $60, 000. However, I am not in this field for the money. As long as I am doing something I enjoy, I only need enough money to maintain a decent way of life. 7. What are your short term, and long-term goals?