Guest Author - Meredith Eisenberg

There’s one in every office… the person who effortlessly learns new software, helps other people when they get stuck, seems to fix things when they go wrong. Often this person is not the designated IT person, but just someone who likes computers. If you are reading this, it is likely that you are that person in your office. Are you considering a career in computers? There are many paths you can take to turn your skill with computers into a career. To start with, let’s look at three basic types of computer careers.

Careers that Require Basic Computer Skills
If you are already the office computer “guru”, you know that expert knowledge of basic office word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation programs can help you land a variety of jobs. Or, you can go into business for yourself. Virtual Assistants work from home doing a variety of basic computer related tasks for clients locally, nationally and internationally.

Careers that Require Specialized Software Knowledge
Another group of careers require that you learn specialized software. My work as a marketing manager, while not strictly a computer career, requires a good working knowledge of graphics software (i.e. Adobe InDesign) and Web design software (i.e. Dreamweaver). Learning how to create and interpret maps using specialized GIS software can also lead to a career in urban planning or engineering.

Technical Careers
The final group of careers are IT careers. The professionals in this group make the computers work. They run the networks and write the code. Many of these professionals have earned special certifications (i.e. MSCE, Cisco, Sun) to attest to their technical knowledge.

Getting Started – Finding the Path for You
Over the next few months, we’ll be covering some specific careers and ways for getting the skills you need to land a computer job. To find out about different jobs available and the skills the require, I recommend simply going to one of the computer job search sites listed in this topic and reading the job descriptions to see what appeals to you. Basic computer classes are available through local high schools, community colleges or adult education programs. You can also check out books on the different programs and learn by trial and error. I would recommend classes for more expensive programs so that you can have access to the software while you are learning. Many software companies offer discounts to full time students or school employees.

With a little luck and a lot of work, you can have an exciting career in the computer field.