TheIndianBlogger
January 23, 2020
0
India has different
identities. It is the second most populated country in the world. It is also a
melting pot of culture and diversity. But in the contemporary business world
its identity has emerged as an IT superpower. When the world started grappling
with Y2K problem, IT engineers and companies from India came forward to
make significant contribution in finding solutions. It was a moment of
reckoning, showcased the expertise of our IT people and provided an
opportunity to entrepreneurs in our country to venture into IT domain and prove
their potential. Today, Indian IT companies have more than 1000 delivery
centers all across the world in nearly 80 countries with diversification
in banking, financial and insurance services, telecommunication and retail
etc. IT and IT enabled services (ITeS ) in India has the advantage of having
one fifth to one sixth cost when compared to developed countries like US,
Australia etc. As per India Brand Equity Foundation website our country's IT
and ITeS grew to US$181 billion in 2018-19.Exports from the industry
increased to US$137 billion in the financial year 2018-19 while domestic
revenues climbed to US$37 billion. IT is powering Digital India.
According to a report
released a few months ago IT and banking created maximum number of jobs in the
country in the recent past. Campus placements by IT companies this year present
an optimistic picture about career opportunities in the field.
Over the years
information technology has evolved and expanded with few parallels.It has
different departments or domains of which some are described as following.
Programming: Computer
programmers have always been in demand and will remain so.They are engaged in
writing,testing and maintaining the programmes or software.They also conceive,
design and test logical structures for deploying computers in problem solving.
Application programmers
write software to deal with a specific job or function. They may also be
required to work on existing software packages for improving their
usability and efficiency etc.
Systems
programmers work on operating systems and may be given the responsibility
of their maintenance and control.
There are various
programming languages to be learnt by programmers.
Web design: We are now
used to surfing various internet sites for knowledge, information and
entertainment. A lot of hard work and creativity goes behind these
websites. Web designers use their skills to integrate text, pictures and images
to create an
interface which is
attractive and user friendly. Websites have to be developed as per client's
requirements and updated as the need be. Web designers may also have to provide
on line support in respect of the accessibility, navigation and display with
regard to the web pages.
Data base specialists:
Computers work with data. Data base specialists design, install, update, modify
and maintain computer databases.Their job may include providing professional
support for existing databases, customising these as per specific needs,
ensuring smooth installation of new databases, programming databases for
a variety of applications and providing training for use of databases.
Data base
management/administration: Organizations using IT processes use/generate huge
amount of data. This data has to be accurate and available as and when needed.
Data base managers/administrators ensure this. This particular function
requires database planning, requirement gathering, conceptual, logical
and transaction design, physical design and implementation. Conversion of
database in a particular format or migrating it from one place to other may
also be needed at times.
Information security:
The field of information security is besieged with various risks which are
growing day by day. Information security is meant to minimise these risks.
Experts from this domain have to develop a secure IT structure which can't be
breached by scrupulous persons. Information security deals with creating
firewalls , encryption, combating data breaches/instances of
phishing/vishing etc.
Game development:
As the term suggests game developers design and produce virtual games that can
be played on screen. These games are more popular amongst children and
teenagers. There are games to be played off line and on line (connected to
internet).Both programming and designing skills are required in game
development. The job involves long ours of work and patience and gives you an
opportunity to create something which is enjoyed by millions of people all over
the world.
Systems Analyst: Systems
Analysts are also referred as systems developer and systems architect.
Their job involves enabling computer technology to meet individual needs of an
organization.They plan and develop new computer systems and devise ways to
apply existing system's resources to new or additional operations. They also
prepare work diagrams and structure charts for programmers to follow.
Software testing: Before
a software is made open to use it has to be ensured that all the parameters are
met and there is sustainability and smoothness in its functioning. For this a
specialised discipline has been developed. Software testers make rigorous
checking of the programmes and software developed and give critical inputs with
regard to their functionality. These inputs have to be considered in all seriousness
to ensure authenticity and credibility of the software as well as its
developer.
Networking: Things
like anywhere banking and reservation in any train at any station have
been possible because of an integrated system in which computers at different
places are networked with each other. If computers in a particular
limited area (office/school etc.) are networked it's a local area network (LAN)
and if it's beyond cities and countries it's wide area network (WAN). A network
specialist attends to installation of required hardware and software that
comprises the network, their accessibility to network server and
troubleshooting.
IT is not limited to
just above areas. There are a lot more. In many cases IT people are
equipped to work in more than one domain. IT may be considered as
specialization but there are super and narrow specializations as well.
Emerging areas in IT: In
addition to the above those who like to work in IT, have opportunities to
engage in emerging areas like Cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT),
Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Blockchain Technology
etc.; some of which have been covered in Employment News before.
Who recruits IT professionals?
Tata Consultancy
Services, Infosys Technologies, WIPRO, Capgemini, HCL, Cognizant,
Accenture, L&T Infotech, Tech Mahindra, Mphasis are amongst biggest IT
companies in India and are also operating abroad. In many cases these companies
go for campus selection for bulk of their manpower requirements. On their
website many of them have kept a window of career opportunities and
applications can be submitted through this link. There are also medium and
small size players in this segment who need people of different IT expertise
.Big IT companies also have an outsourcing model wherein they take the
services of other companies. In such cases employment may be offered in third
party roles.
Entry bars are
considered to be higher for global companies such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn
etc.
E-commerce companies
have expanded in the country like anything. Their entire system including
ordering , delivery management is ITenabled and thus they need IT
people in large numbers. Call centres also offer work opportunities.
Telecommunication
comp-anies, computer hardware manufacturers, mobile handset manufacturers need
IT people in different roles.
State and central
(Including union territories) government departments have vacancies of IT
people. Public sector oil, engineering and gas companies, private companies in
these sectors and in consumer durables, universities, big
hotels/hospitals need IT professionals.
In public sector banks
one may join as specialist officer. Opportunities also exist at
stock exchanges and in private banks, insurance companies, broking
houses, non-banking financial companies etc.
Consultancy firms need
experienced IT professionals from different domains to work for their clients
on various projects that may relate to networking of offices/branches,
strengthening cyber security or introducing HR information system etc.
If you're research
oriented along with IITs/IIITs and other engineering institutes;
organizations like Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC),
Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) can
be considered. IT giants like Microsoft, IBM also provide research
opportunities.
IT offers all low,
middle and high end work opportunities. As IT has many streams, be clear
about your choices. And finally you shouldn't join IT bandwagon just for
the opportunities it offers.Make sure that you've a matching aptitude for it.
Entry routes: Both high end ground level work opportunities are available
in various fields of information technology. Even with a diploma course, IT
jobs can be found. Depending upon individual situation which may cover aptitude
for a particular field, urgency of having a job, financial capacity, and people
may decide their strategy. You'll find below various entry routes available for
an IT career enthusiast.
If IT careers are being
discussed, there has to be a mention of DOECC, established by Department of
Information Technology, Government of India. DOECC grants accreditation to
computer training institutes in non-formal sector, subject to their meeting
defined norms and criteria to conduct specified level courses, ranging from 'O'
level to 'C' level, as per description below:
'O' level-Equivalent to
Foundation Level Course
'A' level- Equivalent to
Advanced Diploma in Computer Applications
'B' level- Equivalent to
MCA
'C' level- Equivalent to
M.Tech. in Computer Science
Eligibility criteria and
career avenues for each of the above is given below:
|
LEVEL
|
ELIGIBILITY
|
CAREER AVENUES
|
|
'O' level
|
10+2 or ITI
certificate followed by relevant experience in IT/2nd year of Polytechnic
Engineering Diploma etc.
|
Assistant
Programmer/EDP Assistant/Web Designer/
Faculty etc.
|
|
'A' level
|
Level 'O'/ Polytechnic
Engineering Diploma/10+2 etc. with one year relevant experience
|
System
Analyst/Database Administrator/Software Engineer/Network System
Administrator/ Faculty etc.
|
|
'B' level
|
Level 'A'/Postgraduate
Diploma in Computer Applications/Graduation etc. with three years relevant
experience
|
Programmer/Web
Administrator/Web Content Developer/ Trouble shooter/ Faculty etc.
|
|
'C' level
|
Level'B'/B.Tech/B.E/MCA/M.Sc.
Computer Science/Masters degree in Mathematics or Statistics or
Operations Research/ MBA with Mathematics or Statistics at graduation level.
One & a half years' relevant experience is mandatory for all
|
Project
Manager/Consultant IT/ Research & Development Scientist/System
Specialist/ Faculty etc.
|
More details can be had
from DOECC website.
Diploma courses: Short and long term diploma courses from 3 months to a year
, are available in Networking, Programming in Web designing &
development, Java programming, Computerised financial accounting, SQL & MySQL,
Software testing etc. available. All these course can be pursued after
10+2 and are conducted mostly by private institutions. For many other IT
diploma courses admission is open to graduates and many universities/affiliated
colleges etc. conduct such courses in addition to private bodies. If you're
planning to study at a private institute, check its credentials, faculty
quality ,fee structure , placement record/assistance etc. beforehand.
3 years Diploma Courses
from Polytechnics in Computer Engineering / Information Technology-Entry
requirement HSC/Matric. Graduate courses can be taken up after HSC (10+2).IT
related graduate courses come in different shapes such as Bachelor of
Science in Information Technology- B.Sc. (IT) Bachelor of Computer Applications-
BCA Bachelor of Engineering/Technology-B.E/ B.Tech. in specified branches like
Electronics/ Electronics & Telecommunication/Computer Science/Software
Engineering/Information Technology. Diploma and graduate engineers in
mechanical engineering may also be considered for certain IT jobs.
Postgraduate Courses-MCA/M.Sc./M.Tech. in Information Technology disciplines
can be also pursued after graduation. Duration is 2-3 years.
MBA with
specialization in Information Technology is also offered at certain institutes.
Recently new courses like MBA in Data Science/ Data Analytics/ Business
Analytics have also come up.
Specific certifications
are provided by certain businesses from that domain. Examples include
Cisco Certified Network Associate/Professional, IBM Security/ Cloud/Blockchain
etc.
Where to study
To meet the demand for
IT education both government and private sector have made valuable
contribution. Depending on the course you want to take, you may seek admission
at any of the following:
Government and private
polytechnics for 3 year Diploma Courses
Indian Institute
of Technology(IITs)/Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs)/
National Institute of Technology(NITs)/Government and private Engineering
colleges for undergraduate/postgraduate courses in
engineering/BCA/MCA/M.Sc.(IT) and Diploma courses MBA (IT) and similar courses
are offered at few management institutes and some IIITs.
If you want to work in
government/public sector, make sure that the course you choose is duly
recognised by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Department of
Electronics (DOE) or UGC, as required.
DOECC accredited private
institutes for courses in networking, animation etc. as described above, can
also be taken.








