What IT Bachelor Degree Jobs Can You Get?
IT is a multitrillion-dollar industry that touches nearly every aspect of modern society. Governments, companies, nonprofit agencies, and private citizens all rely on trained IT professionals to keep systems running smoothly and private data safe and secure. If you pursue a Bachelor’s Degree with an IT focus, you’ll have access to a variety of career paths. From data administration and analysis to systems service and security, entry-level positions in the field can springboard to long-term career advancement and personal fulfillment. While there are hundreds of IT jobs out there, here are just a few you may want to consider:
Database Administrator
If you were a database administrator, you would be responsible for making sure data are stored, secured, and made accessible to authorized personnel within your organization. You would use software specific to your industry to provide data analysts with the information they need to do their jobs. Just as analysts can work across industries, so can you.
Your job would include working with the top people in your company to understand the kind of data they need to assess and improve the health of the business. But most of your day-to-day work would be to secure the system and make sure it performs the way it needs to. You would also implement and update security measures, ensure the integrity of the data stored on your systems, and conduct regular backups.
Some tasks you might perform include:
- Align user needs with systems capabilities
- Ensure efficient and error-free operation of systems
- Maintain and modify database as required
- Conduct regular tests and security measures
- Create and update user permissions
- Merge old databases into new ones
- Perform patches to fix bugs
- Back up and restore data
You can be a general database administrator or choose between systems and applications. With a focus on systems, you’ll be involved with the physical and technical components of the database. As an application database administrator, you would service a particular software.
The median salary of database administrators in 2020 was $98,860.
Information Security Analyst
Although everyone who works in IT knows the critical need to maintain security measures for hardware, software, and systems, as an information security analyst, it would be your primary goal. Your job isn’t just to secure data and systems; it’s to anticipate and prevent attacks. You’re probably well aware of what cyberattacks can do to an organization. Whether they cause major outages, data breaches, identity theft, or ransom attacks, they can cost millions and even billions of dollars. A secure line of defense is the only prevention.
As an information security analyst, you would
- Create plans and measures to protect your organization’s computer networks and systems
- Assess systems risk and vulnerabilities to determine weaknesses
- Install software like firewalls, encryption, and intrusion detection to protect computer networks
- Set up new administrators and users and change access status as required
- Devise innovative solutions that prevent information breaches
- Develop and implement proper security protocols and instruct employees on procedures
- Stay up to date with industry best practices and regulatory requirements
The median salary for information security analysts in 2020 was $103,590.
Network and Computer Systems Administrator
As a network and computer systems administrator, you would oversee the organization, installation, maintenance and security of IT systems. Your overall goal is to support your organization’s goals by the use of technology. At the outset, you might assess needs and align computers, software, and networks, including local area networks (LANs) and wide-area networks (WANs) and communication intranets. Once you set up and install the proper systems, you would track their performance. Is everything running the way it should?
Some of your other responsibilities would include:
- Evaluate, choose, and install new hardware and software
- Ensure proper function of systems and optimize performance
- Install regular security measures
- Evaluate and optimize network or system performance
- Upgrade and make repairs to networks when necessary
- Add users to workstations and networks, and assign security permissions
- Oversee internal communication systems
- Train users on the proper use of hardware, software, and systems
- Troubleshoot tech issues and solve problems
The median salary for network and computer systems administrators in 2020 was $84,810.
Your Future Career in IT
Regardless of the path you choose, a bachelor’s degree is a good way to enter the IT field. And demand for computer and information technology occupation is expected to grow faster than average through 2030. Hallmark University offers a BS in Information Systems, a B.S. in Information Systems with a concertation in Cybersecurity, and a B.S. in Cybersecurity, which can be completed on-campus or online.
Get in touch with us to get started on a rewarding career path.