The other day in class we discussed the IT industry. This is one of the most varied and fastest growing sectors of the economy, competing with health care, education, and energy industries for the highest growth rate. Although deciding which industry is experiencing the most growth is difficult. most lists have the IT industry featured in the top five growing industries. According to information from the United States Department of labor, over the last ten years seven out of ten of the fastest growing jobs were located in the IT industry. This trend is expected to continue in the future with the main competitor being the health care industry.
In order to talk about the IT industry a brief definition of information technology is needed. Information Technology is defined as the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer based information systems. This generally refers specifically to hardware and software applications. This is the traditional definition of IT. In recent years it has begun to encompass many more aspects of computing and technology.
Jobs in the IT industry have many varied functions. Some of the most common duties are data management, networking, engineering, management of information systems, and database and software design. However these are just a few examples in the near endless new applications that IT professionals are pursuing. Computer technology is becoming more advanced, as well as more widely used in products such as cell phones, televisions, and cars among other areas that it has never been used before. This should make the IT industry of the 21st century an area to watch for.
