Information Technology is concerned with the use of technology in managing and processing information, especially in large organizations.In particular, IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information. For that reason, computer professionals are often called IT specialists or Business Process Consultants, and the division of a company or university that deals with software technology is often called the IT department. Other names for the latter are information services (IS) or management information services (MIS), managed service providers (MSP).

In the United Kingdom education system, information technology was formally integrated into the school curriculum when the National Curriculum was devised. It was quickly realised that the work covered was useful in all subjects. With the arrival of the Internet and the broadband connections to all schools, the application of IT knowledge, skills and understanding in all subjects became a reality. This change in emphasis has resulted in a change of name from Information Technology to Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT in Education can be understood as the application of digital equipment to all aspects of teaching and learning. It is present in almost all schools and is of growing influence.

The growth of use of Information and Communications Technology and its tools in the field of Education has seen tremendous growth in the recent past. Technology has entered the classroom in a big way to become part of the teaching and learning process.

 

Statistics

 

The following are some of jobs available in the Information Technology field and the required education level and the median salary.

 

Education	Job Classification	Flint Median Salary
Certificate	LAN Support I	$43,051
Certificate	LAN Support II	$59,592
Certificate	LAN Support III	$75,398
Associate + exp. Bachelors preferred	Management Network Planning	$103,549
Bachelor + exp.	Management + PC Support	$93,996
Associate	Network Administrator	$59,629
Associate	Network Planning Analyst I	$55,565
Associate + exp.	Network Planning Analyst II	$69,756
Associate	UNIX Administrator	$89,604
Associate	Hardware Engineer I	$52,354

 

The chart below indicates the raise in annual base salary.

 

The Internet keeps expanding as a business platform. Electronic-commerce Web sites enjoy their greatest popularity, and almost every company is looking to exploit the Internet for all it's worth.

Little wonder, then, that the Internet is one of the hottest areas of IT management. According to InformationWeek's National IT Salary Survey of more than 21,000 online respondents, Internet managers report the second-highest median annual percentage increase--12.9% over last year--among all managers surveyed. They also enjoy a healthy median annual salary of $70,000.

But it's not just Internet managers. IT professionals of all ranks are having another big year. The median annual salary increase across the board was a hefty 8.9%, bringing median base pay for all respondents--managers and staff--to $61,000, according to results of the survey, among the largest employee studies of IT compensation ever (see chart, below). IT pay--and pay raises--continues to outpace inflation and the salaries of non-IT workers.

 

Careers in Information Technology

Education Options