The IT engineer is not the same thing as the web developer or the software developer. Just because you have a college degree does not mean that you are qualified to be an IT engineer.
What is an IT Engineer?
For some reason, articles on IT jobs do not tend to take into account the fact that this job title is much more broad than it used to be. Back in the day, IT engineers were primarily responsible for managing operating systems, programming and hardware engineering. Today, many small businesses are so small, they have no need for a software engineer or data engineer at all (let alone one who is also an IT engineer).
The following infographic from www.careerbuilder.com shows what a typical IT job looks like in 2016:
I can’t say we are surprised by these findings; after all, there’s nothing wrong with being a “software guy” or “data guy”; but it is helpful to understand that the engineering role of IT engineers has changed significantly in the last decade or so. The role of an IT engineer isn’t just about software development anymore — it is also about integration and design of new systems, managing existing systems and platforms that they support as well as developing new ones. In other words, an effective IT engineer should be responsible for assessing business needs at every level — from business requirements through implementation and maintenance as well as troubleshooting problems if something goes wrong (or something doesn’t work well).
A lot of people don’t realize this because they only hear about software development and forget about hardware engineering (or vice versa), but when you talk to most people who have worked in both fields they will almost always tell you that hardware is more difficult than software. This is true even if you ask them which field requires more skill or experience:
For example, many will tell you that hardware engineering requires more experience than software engineering but that software engineers need less skill because most of their code will never see the light of day (operating system code has been around since I was born!). And many will also tell you that there are many more systems out there today than there were 10 years ago and it is easier to maintain them than it was then; but then again…it depends! The difference between 10 years ago and now is vast–so vast that companies like Cisco Systems have been able to dramatically reduce their staff by outsourcing their manufacturing process entirely over the last decade or so (as opposed to having any employees at all).
So when people mention things like “hardware engineering” or “software engineering” I have to ask them whether this defines their job description for them
Where to Find a Job as an IT Engineer?
If you’re looking for an IT job, there are a few main places to look:
- On-campus jobs. Internships, co-op programs, and R&D programs are all on-campus options. If you don’t have a degree in Computer Science, there is no reason not to pursue one. But make sure that you do have a degree.
- Off-campus jobs. These can be found by contacting companies that have off-campus recruitment programs or by searching for job listings on Indeed or Monster; the latter is probably the most effective way to find IT job listings.
- The Internet. If you want to look for an IT job online, it’s best to get your resume out into the open and search for jobs using sites such as Monster (which has been cited as an important source of IT work over the years) and Indeed (which is useful but often doesn’t have any listings). This is not easy because of the stigma associated with technology; however, it can be done if you work hard enough and keep your resume current! You can also search for specific keywords in Google (i.e., “it engineer jobs”) so that you know what types of positions are being advertised on those sites at a particular time.
One thing that these places all offer in common is an opportunity to learn more about certain topics — in particular programming languages, networking technologies, software engineering practices, security issues, and other topics related to computer science — so it may be worth your while learning more about them before you apply (or at least knowing more than what’s on your resume).
What does an IT Engineer do?
In the last year, there has been a lot of discussion around what an IT engineer does. I’ve had a chance to read up on the latest issues in this field and found it interesting that there is some disagreement about what an IT engineer does.
I’ll offer a few points that I think are important, as well as my opinions on how each of these topics relates to your product.
- Main focus should be on fix-it jobs
Most companies want you to do more and more integration work for them. This means fixing their hardware, software, and network systems at the same time you work on your product. In fact, this is the main reason why people join a company: they want to fix their own problems so they can get on with making the product they want instead of waiting for someone else to figure it out for them.
- You need to be good at integration
You don’t need a degree in computer science or engineering or anything else – all you need to do is understand basic principles so you can adapt your code (and then work out how it works) quickly enough that it doesn’t actually take you longer than normal to fix any problem reported by customers (which is typically within the first few hours of use). Some people even say you shouldn’t even have to understand code – just reading about computers will make you good enough – but I think that’s too limiting and that makes it hard for people new to software development (and would cause most experienced programmers problems if they believed this).
- Women are better suited for some types of IT engineering jobs than others [because] women tend not…
This is one case where your gender should influence how much you apply yourself – if women aren’t naturally inclined towards certain types of technical roles then try your best not to choose those roles yourself and let other people do so instead, or find ways of encouraging women into those roles in other ways like helping them meet deadlines or share responsibility etc.. In other cases such as systems administration or mobile device management, I think women and men have different approaches but regardless, it may be worth trying something based on gender rather than just job title if anything. After all, who cares what “IT engineer” actually means? Hopefully no one! 🙂
- Working in tech often means working with a lot of cultural diversity [because] most professional development happens across cultures
How to Become an IT Engineer?
The first step in becoming an IT engineer is to join a technical job, which is the easiest way to learn the platform you will be working on.
As a general rule, there’s no need for any kind of qualification other than basic literacy; however, it is worth noting that recent surveys have revealed a few specific qualifications which are seen as highly desirable by employers:
- Number of years employed at the company (preferably)
- Degree from a top university (preferably)
- Proficiency with software development (preferably)
- Expertise with internal IT systems (preferably)
As mentioned earlier, becoming an IT engineer requires special skills and knowledge: most students who go on to get this degree have had experience within IT and are familiar with programming languages such as C# or Java. However, the vast majority of people interested in this career path do not attend college, so they will have very little prior experience with computers. Furthermore, it should be noted that many companies don’t even hire college graduates. This means that you will have to take a risk by going to your local community college and taking classes in computer science if you want to be considered for an IT engineering career. That said, many people choose not to continue their education after high school because they believe that doing so will delay their earning potential. Self-taught people often find it difficult to gain employment when applying for entry-level positions in their first year at university or from the industry itself since there are very few existing guidelines.[citation needed] Therefore, those who wish to pursue this career are advised not only to attend college but also take part-time classes outside of school while studying full time (classroom hours can be used during the day).
Conclusion
There are two types of IT engineers:
The first type is called a hardware engineer. They design, build, and maintain computer hardware such as servers, routers, security systems, and other specialized computers. The second type of engineer is called a software engineer. They design, build, test, and maintain computer software like operating systems or databases. The top IT engineers in our industry are both hardware and software engineers.
By the time you read this article you should have a good grasp on what it means to be an IT engineer: your understanding of the field will likely be deepened by this overview of the industry at large.
