Careers in Information Systems
Four of the five fastest growing jobs requiring a Bachelors degree are in Information Systems (IS) and Information Communication Technology (ICT).
ICT employment has been growing for the past three years and is forecast to grow for the next ten years. Because of demand and the knowledge and skills needed, these jobs are in the top 25% of salaries (visit Australian Government ICT Skills Info for more information).
The School of Information Systems offers many double major and double degree combinations with other Schools in business and Divisions in Curtin such as banking, marketing, accounting, chemistry and health information management.
Jobs in IS/ ICT fall into four main areas:
- Support
- Business related
- Infrastructure related
- IS/ICT Management.
1. Support
Personnel use their expertise in personal computer hardware and simple application programs (like word processors and spreadsheets) or more complex systems to help organisation staff perform work related tasks.Example jobs include:
- Computer support officer
- Help desk operator
2. Business related
IS/ICT personnel use their knowledge of business organisation practice together with technical skills to develop and maintain systems that directly improve an organisation's operations or management.
Graduates start as programmers and programmer analysts before moving to system and business analyst jobs. Some graduates may start directly as analysts or consultants.
Example jobs include:
- Computer Application Programmer/Software Engineer
- Programmer-Analyst
- System Analyst
- Business Analyst
- Database Administrator
- IS/ICT consultant
3. Infrastructure-related IS/ICT
Personnel develop and maintain the technical systems that enable business-related systems to operate. Jobs may be related more to networks or to software, although the two are related. New IS/ICT personnel often start with more narrow tasks and progress to jobs designing larger parts of the infrastructure.
Example jobs include:
- Network and Data Communications Analyst
- Network and Computer System Administrator
- Systems Software Programmers/Software Engineer
- IS/ICT Consultant
4. IS/ICT Management
People in these jobs come from the infrastructure-related and business-related areas often managing smaller areas before moving on to higher and more responsible positions. People in these jobs may seek higher degrees in IS/ICT management or more general management degrees as preparation for these positions.
Example jobs include:
- Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- ICT Business Owner/Operator
All of these skills require technical skills as well as the ability to communicate well and work together with other people. They also require people who can analyse and creatively solve problems.
For more in-depth career information
Visit our business careers finder and see what career opportunities relate to your talents and interests.