What are my career opportunities?

For an aspiring Hardware and Networking professional what are the career opportunities available? Is it a good career? How to go about it?

• Hi, can you please let me know in detail what all are the available career option for me if I want to make my career in Hardware and Networking field, request you to please let me know as much details as possible as I am not much aware of the field but I am very much interested in to it.

• Answer:

  Hi Dear, Let me first answer the second part of your question and to be very precise these days offices, homes and industries making extensive use of Computers, Telephone, Cellphone, ATMs, television programming, data center, websites etc, all require network connectivity, and network connectivity require Networking & Hardware professionals! The career opportunities in the field of Computer Hardware & Networking are really huge. As you can see: from railways to airways, to banks and retail outlets, there is extensive computerization. Companies in hardware manufacturing, system design, software development, call center business and telecom - all offer good jobs to hardware professionals. Apart from that these days many hardware and networking engineers are being employed in WI-Fi broadband setup and installation. The government of India has plans of implementing the Unique Identification card (UID Card) project (Aadhaar) which will generate around 3.5 lakh new jobs most of which consulting, IT services, business process re-engineering, hardware and training maintenance. There are various types of job opportunities exist in computer hardware & networking, each with different average salaries and long-term potential, and one should possess a clear understanding of these. Well the basic job titles one sees for computer networking related positions are as following: Network Administrator A Network administrator is a person who is responsible for maintenance of computer network including the maintenance and monitoring of active data network or infrastructure and related network equipment. It also includes monitoring for failure, security attack and installation of OS & softwares. Network System Engineer The main role of network system engineer is to setup, maintain and troubleshoot the problems of network and its connected devices like server, computers, switches, router, hubs etc. Network Technicians This profile is blend of electrical and computer networking, the main responsibilities are to setup, maintain and troubleshoot the problem of network more at hardware and connectivity level. For e.g. suppose in the datacenter a machine is connected to a router, and there is problem in connectivity so his/her role is to identify what the problem behind it and how to fix it. Service Technicians Generally you see when you got some problem in your home broadband  internet connection (like Airtel) and you call customer support then a service engineer visit your home to fix the problem this person is basically a Service Technician. Network Programmer and Analyst In connected network of multiple computers for ex. in datacenter where hundreds of computers connected together, here the main role of Network Programmer is to write shell scripts to do the automation of task like installing common softwares on a newly configured computer, configuring email server etc. Network Information Systems Manager Basically the primary roles and responsibilities of a Network information systems manager is to plan, coordinate and direct research, and also manage and design the computer-related activities of firms. Computer Hardware engineer Computer hardware engineers research, design, develop, test, and look after the installation of computer hardware. Computer hardware includes computer chips, circuit boards, systems, modems, keyboards, and printers. Computer hardware engineers are much like electronics engineers, but work only with computers. Network Security engineer Network security engineers are generally responsible for the security aspect of networking systems. In essence, they must ensure that networking systems can withstand or, in the event of mishaps, speedily bounce back from problems caused by hacker attacks, natural disasters or other means. Network architect You can define a Network architect as a person who is an interface at the business level as well as with the technical side. They apply the "hard" technology skills to supporting complex network design while drawing on soft skills to communicate the value of the technology to their colleagues and managers. Desktop Support engineer The primary responsibility of  a desktop support engineering includes supporting Microsoft products such as Windows and Office, phone-systems and the day to day tasks of running a busy office environment. IT Help Desk Support A person with this profile provides investigation, diagnosis, resolution and recovery for hardware/software problems, also manage service requests, software installations, new computer setups, upgrades, etc. They usually support the following technologies: Microsoft Office 2007 products – Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Internet Explorer, Windows XP, desktops, laptops, printers, networked copiers, NIC’s, basic LAN/WAN connectivity and others as assigned. Voice based IT help desk support The roles and responsibilities of this profile are similar to as mentioned above in IT Help Desk support however here the person do support activity on voice based support system like phone, IP telephony etc. Customer Support engineer The Customer Support engineer is the primary contact point for customers and is responsible for ensuring a timely and successful resolution of customer issues, they escalate customer product issues to the technical team, and work with support and development teams to resolve issues. Network Support engineer A network support engineer focuses on the maintenance of an existing network of a company, either as part of the organization's internal IT support team or as technical support staff of a third-party network technology provider. The core responsibilities may include testing and troubleshooting of network problems, regular maintenance of network. Server Support engineer The primary role of server support engineer includes configures and troubleshoots a company's server hardware, operating systems, applications and networking equipment. He/She also manages applications, databases, secure the company's network, recommend improvements to the current infrastructure, back up data and provide technical support to users Information Security Analyst The core responsibilities includes plan, implement, upgrade, or monitor security measures for the protection of computer networks and information. Ensure appropriate security controls are in place that will safeguard digital files and vital electronic infrastructure, respond to computer security breaches and viruses. Computer Maintenance Engineer Generally Computer maintenance engineer work as a member of an IT support team in a large organisation, or on annual maitance contract service (AMC) for an IT servicing company, or as a field technician for a computer manufacturer. The primary role includes: installing software, upgrading/replacing existing hardware, visiting home users to fix their computer issues, servicing printers, scanner, UPS and other office equipments. Server Administrator A server administrator, or admin has the overall control of a server. The primary role is to design, install, administer, and optimize servers and related components to achieve high performance of the various business applications supported by tuning the servers as necessary. Intranet Administrator Many companies uses internal communication network for sharing files and other sensitive information within company network which is not accessible by outside world. Intranet administrator is a person who creates and manages this internal communication interwork. Network Pre-Post Sales Support Consultant They play an important role in technology companies where sales of IT services or product involed, they are the technical sales person who talk to customer over phone or face to face and help them understand the technical aspects of product or services of the company, and after sale of product they help customer to solve their technical issues. Cloud Network Administrators As these days many companies are moving to cloud, where Cloud network administrator plays a very important role, he configure and maintain the cloud platform, he is the person who is responsible for creating cloud instances, maintenance and monitoring, load balancing among the cloud instances . It also includes monitoring for failure, security attack and installation of OS & softwares. Cloud Solution Advisor The primary role of cloud solution advisor is to suggest and design the cloud infrasture which is best fit as per the need of a business, mainly he/she is an interface at the business level as well as with the technical side. They apply the "hard" technology skills to supporting complex cloud computing network design while drawing on soft skills to communicate the value of the technology to their colleagues and managers.       How you can get there? There is no dearth of private institutes offering certificate programs and courses in hardware and networking. For a 6 month to 1 year long certificate course in PC Hardware and Networking, passing 10+2 (science background preferred) or having an ITI certificate, graduates or BE/BTech degree is more than enough. What basic skills you need? Good understanding of network protocols and how services and systems interact with each other and the user Intuition and good troubleshooting skills. A drive to continuously learn new and old technologies and the ability to look outside the box to find better solutions to problems. Interpersonal skills: necessary while interacting with clients/customers. Ability to work under pressure and for long hours. Where you can work? Well where-ever there is an IT or ITeS related work involved there is a need of computer hardware and networking engineer, following are list of industries and sectors where there are ample of job opportunites available for computer hardware and network engineers: Core IT ITeS / BPO Education Banking Telecom Insurance Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Media, entertainment & broadcasting. Healthcare I tried to cover as much as details I can but if still you have further career queries or concerns you can do one-one discussion with our career experts at http://www.CareerGuide.com All the Best!!