The Cyber Age is upon us, and without tech geeks, our society may perish. Tech geeks design and build most of the things we consider essential nowadays—cellphones, personal computers, and an internet connection, for example. If we didn’t have these types of intellectual people in our world, we would still be in the Stone Age. Many tech geeks go through their young adult lives seeking careers that will push their boundaries to create the unimaginable. They also work in fields that require them to maintain our current technology in optimal conditions.
If you are fond of technology but have a hard time picking a field to apply and express your technological gift, you’re not alone. There are so many career paths out there for you, and you have the opportunity to experience as many as you challenge yourself with, with the right preparation and skills, of course. Be it in network engineering, machine learning, or artificial intelligence, whatever your field, there is a career for you.
Here are some examples of computer careers for the ultimate tech geek.
Computer Engineer
Computer engineering provides people the chance to work on the complete process of coming up with a new product. As an engineer in this field, you will be able to plan, design, and produce a solution for any given problem. Problems may be (or sound) as simple as malware or as difficult as a defective integrated circuit for a commercial airplane’s flight control panel. This field will require you to match hardware and software technology to produce an appropriate solution for a problem in a short period of time. Although it may be stressful, it is beyond rewarding.
Data Scientist
Data scientists analyze algorithms and statistics to predict behaviors. They must be equipped with analytical skills and machine learning and can often be found working with artificial intelligence and big data. Some real-life examples of machine learning include classification (i.e., categorizing data), image recognition (i.e., face detection), and video surveillance (i.e., identification of people on video footage). Other domains where machine learning can be applied are deep learning, news bots, financial security, transportation systems like Google Maps, and speech recognition.
Network Engineer
Network engineers—or network architects—are responsible for installing network security measures such as firewalls to fight cybersecurity threats such as hackers. To succeed in this field, you must be passionate about computer networks, routers, and switches. Some network engineer qualifications you should have to land a job as a network engineer include Cisco or CompTIA certifications, which can be obtained through training companies like NexGenT.
Ethical Hacker
Ethical hackers—also known as white-hat hackers—are considered the good guys when dealing with hackers. Black-hat hackers, on the other hand, are malicious and take over information systems for their benefit. Ethical hackers will work to find vulnerabilities or faults in computer systems and implement solutions to battle cybersecurity breaches in a company’s system. They need to have networking and programming skills, as well as knowledge of Linux and cryptography.
Computer Scientist
Computer scientists, much like their engineering equivalent, need to have programming and analytical skills. They can write software programs that enhance the interaction between humans and computer systems through applications, for example. They also help improve hardware performance and provide solutions that address issues in the field. Workers in the computer science field possess a bachelor’s degree in the subject and proceed to acquire a master’s degree when looking for managerial or lead engineering positions.
It’s important to remember these are not the only careers for tech geeks. There are other paths that branch out from these and can be pursued with the right experience and dedication. Don’t wait any longer and pursue a rewarding and passionate career in the computer industry.
