Computing Careers

Computer programmer

Computer programmers write, revise, test, debug, and maintain the programs that instruct computers how to carry out certain tasks. Programmers write these instructions in coding languages like Java or C++, which computers can then follow. The job of a programmer may involve of a great deal of coding to very little coding in the case of some management positions.

Database engineer

Database Engineers develop, implement, manage and maintain databases that enable you to find a friend's profile on your favorite social media network or find an article in an online library. These professionals define all of the parameters needed to store, retrieve, and delete data. Database engineers monitor, test, troubleshoot, and enhance databases as they grow and change.

Desktop support

Desktop support technicians provide technical assistance to an organization's end-users. They solve problems, answer questions, and provide instructions on how to use technology. These professionals may be part of an organization's IT department or hired on a contracting basis.

Helpdesk support

Have you ever had a computer problem and wished there was someone to call? Helpdesk support professionals help end-users or customers by diagnosing and assisting with technical problems. These professionals communicate with users in-person, via phone or electronically to address technical hardware and software issues.

IT operations manager

IT operations managers keep the gears of an organization's technical operations running smoothly. They oversee day-to-day processes including performance management, monitoring and evaluation, measuring success, IT purchasing, compliance with policies, infrastructure improvements, and resource maintenance.

IT Trainer

IT training professionals ensure that employees and end-users remain technologically savvy through the design, delivery and assessment of training programs. Training topics may include desktop applications, internet browsers, or company specific applications. They might also cover IT professional skills such as project management, security protocols, or programming languages.

Network engineer

Network engineers care for an organization's technological "nervous system" by ensuring that communication networks operate smoothly and efficiently for users and customers. They install, maintain, and support IT systems such as T1 lines, routers and firewalls. These professionals may be part of the IT department or be brought in as part of an IT consultancy.

Project manager

Have you ever wondered how the next version of your favorite phone or tablet gets released so quickly? Project managers strive to keep the projects that turn ideas into reality on time, on task and on budget. They marry technical knowledge with supervisory skills to lead a team and ensure that projects are completed efficiently and effectively.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance analysts ensure that technical products, processes, and equipment receive the gold seal of approval before being released to the customer or end user. They are responsible for establishing quality assurance measures and test plans for IT products or processes. They ensure products work effectively and are in compliance with policies, procedures, and specifications.

Requirement/architecture analyst

Have you ever used a technological product or service that was truly designed with you, the user in mind? Thank a requirements analyst. Requirements or architecture analysts find out what end-users need with regards to a technological product, platform or system. They then work closely with the development team to ensure that those needs are met in the finished product.

Sales analyst

Sales analysts connect clients and customers with technological products and services to meet their business needs. They may demonstrate products for customers to help them understand their features. Sales analysts also negotiate sales and follow-up with customers after the sale to ensure satisfaction, identify any problems, maximize usage, and recommend training.

Security analyst

Have you ever wondered how your credit card information is kept safe from hackers when you make an online purchase? Security analysts safeguard and protect an organization's technology and systems from intrusion or harm. They monitor current systems, assess potential threats, and put measures in place to ensure that files are neither deliberately or accidentally changed, damaged, deleted or even stolen.

Software designer

Software designers create software for an organization or its external clients and customers. They often see a project from inception to completion, taking into consideration the needs of clients or stakeholders. Software designers assess the requirements of the software, and ensure that they are met. They may or may not perform the actual coding for the project.

Software developer

Software developers research, design, develop, and test software and systems found in technologies ranging from automobiles, to gaming systems, to life saving medical equipment. A software developer can be involved in many different aspects of a project ranging from coding, to design, to project management.

Software engineer

Software is all around us. It is used in smart phones, GPS systems, and digital cameras. Software engineers are responsible for designing, testing, and evaluating the software that we use every day.

Software maintainer

Software maintenance engineers are responsible for the care and feeding of software programs and applications. These professionals are tasked with updating, debugging, conforming, and enhancing existing software. Software maintenance engineers ensure that software continues performing without problems and meets the changing needs of users or customers.

Software tester

Software testers evaluate software from the perspective of the end-users or customers who will be using it. They must test software from all angles to ensure that there are no existing bugs or problems. If issues are found, software testers must document them and communicate them to the development team so they can be corrected.

Technical author

Technical authors communicate written technical information in a way that is easy for people to understand. Technical authors might create materials such as training manuals, user guides, reference guides, or operating manuals, or even multimedia demos or tutorials.

Web/internet engineer

Web/internet engineers develop web pages and interfaces for an organization's external or internal websites. Responsibilities may include building web sites, internet applications, social media networks, and e-commerce applications through code. They may also include configuring web servers and network security, server-side or client-side scripting, web design and content development.

First computer mouse
Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Engelbart

In 1967, Douglas Engelbart applied for a patent for an "X-Y position indicator for a display system," which he and his team developed at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park, California. The device, a small, wooden box with two metal wheels, was nicknamed a "mouse" because a cable trailing out of the one end resembled a tail.

In addition to the first computer mouse, Engelbart’s team developed computer interface concepts that led to the GUI interface, and were integral to the development of ARPANET--the precursor to today’s Internet. Engelbart received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University in 1948, followed by an MS in 1953 and a Ph.D. in 1955 both from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Liz Gerber - Image credit Lisa Beth Anderson
Liz Gerber
Liz Gerber - Image credit Lisa Beth Anderson

Liz Gerber earned her MS and PhD in Product Design and Management Science and Engineering at Stanford. She specializes in design and human-computer interaction, particularly how social computing supports the innovation process. Her current research investigates crowd-funding as a mechanism for reducing disparities in entrepreneurship.
Gerber's work funded by the US National Science Foundation and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance has appeared in peer-reviewed journals, including Transactions on Computer Human Interactions, Design Studies, and Organization Science.
As an award-winning teacher and researcher, Liz has touched the lives of more than 6,000 students through her teaching at Northwestern's Segal Design Institute and Stanford University's Hasso Plattner's Institute of Design and through her paradigm-shifting creation, Design for America, a national network of students using design to tackle social challenges.

Image credit - Lisa Beth Anderson

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Bletchley Park
Dr. Sue Black
Dr. Sue Black

Dr. Sue Black has demonstrated the power of social networking. She used Web 2.0 technologies to help raise awareness of, and critical funding for, Bletchley Park, the UK World War II center for decrypting enemy messages. She has also been an active campaigner for equality and support for women in technology fields, founding a number of online networking platforms for women technology professionals. A keen researcher, Dr. Black completed a PhD in software measurement in 2001. Her research interests focus on software quality improvements. She has recently won the PepsiCo Women's Inspiration Network award, been named Tech Hero by ITPRO magazine and was awarded the first John Ivinson Award from the British Computer Society. In 2011 Dr. Black set up The goto Foundation, a nonprofit organization which aims to make computer science more meaningful to the public, generate public excitement in the creation of software, and build a tech savvy workforce. Read Sue's blog about The goto Foundation: http://gotofdn.org

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King's Quest
Roberta Williams

Video games immerse users in a world of high tech thrills, stunning visuals, unique challenges, and interactivity. They enable users to become a warrior princess or a gruesome ghoul, create a virtual persona, or even develop worlds that other gamers can play on. But before the games of today became reality, they were the dreams of a few innovative individuals.

Roberta Williams is considered one of the pioneers of gaming as we know it today. During the 80’s and 90’s along with husband Ken Williams through their company On-Line Systems, she developed some of the first graphical adventure games. These included such titles as Mystery House, Wizard and the Princess and the popular King’s Quest series. Williams also helped introduce more girls and women to the world of gaming by bringing games developed from a woman’s perspective to mainstream market.

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Router
Sandra Lerner

It is difficult to imagine a time when computers were not capable of sharing information and resources with great ease. Sandra Lerner pushed the boundaries of network computing as one of the co-founders of Cisco Systems, which introduced one of the first commercially viable routers. The router was born while Sandra was working at Stanford University in the 1980’s after earning her Master’s degree there in Computer Science. To avoid the tedious task of transferring information between computers using floppy disks, she and co-founder of Cisco, Leonard Bosack, created a local area network, or LAN, between their campus offices using a multiprotocol router that Bosack developed. Shortly thereafter the pair started Cisco Systems, and began selling the router which was a success, because it could work with so many different types of computers. After Leaving Cisco in 1990, Lerner started the trendy cosmetics company Urban Decay and became a philanthropist and avid activist for animal rights.

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