Working In The IT Indsutry Task5

The Work

Librarians are responsible for the day-to-day running of library services. They work in public libraries, where people can borrow books, music and multimedia, or in libraries in organisations such as universities, colleges, schools and hospitals.
As a librarian, your duties would vary depending on the size and function of the library, but could include:

Hours

You would usually work from around 9am to 5pm, but may also work some evenings, and on Saturdays with time off during the week. Part-time hours or job-share may be available.
You would normally be based at one library, but in some jobs you may travel between different sites, or in a mobile library, or be involved in community events.

Income

Salaries vary depending on the type of library. CILIP produces salary scale guidelines which are updated each year. Currently for public libraries these are:

• Newly qualified librarians £19,427 to £23,473 a year.
• Chartered librarians £23,473 to £29,714.
• Heads of service £49,000 or more.

Entry Requirements

• study for a university qualification before starting work
• find a job as a library assistant or similar (see Library Assistant profile) and qualify by gaining experience and work-based training.

Training and Development

If you are working as a librarian or studying on a relevant course, you can apply to join CILIP. There are five levels of membership, depending on your experience and qualifications. Membership will give you access to support and advice, and opportunities for professional development training.
You can develop your skills and knowledge by attending short courses organised by CILIP or the Association for Information Management ASLIB).
You could also study for a relevant Masters degree. These are often available part-time or through distance learning.
To gain professional status recognised by public and academic libraries, you will usually work towards chartered membership of CILIP. To apply for chartered status, you will need one of the following:

Skills and Knowledge

• customer service skills
• organisational skills
• good spoken and written communication skills
• computer skills, particularly in using databases and the internet
• the ability to supervise others
• good research skills
• good general knowledge, or an understanding of a particular field of knowledge if working in a specialist library.

Opportunities

Although most jobs are in public library services, you could also work in school, college or university libraries, or libraries for specialist areas, such as health care and law.
In larger libraries you could progress to a senior job with management responsibilities, or be given responsibility for a specialist service or collection.
CILIP publishes vacancy information for members, graduates and final year undergraduates. You may also find the following links useful for job vacancies and further reading (links open in new window):

Task 4 - Working In The IT Industry

Software Developer

The Work : As a software developer, or programmer, you would design and build computer programs that help organisations to work more effectively. Your work could involve

Hours :

You would work between 37 and 40 hours a week

Income :

Starting salaries for graduates can be between £20,000 and £26,000 a year.

Entry Requierments :

You normally need a degree, foundation degree or BTEC HNC/HND to become a software developer.

Training Devolopment :

Once you are working, you could develop your career by taking professional qualifications, such as:

• e-skills UK Professional Programme
• British Computer Society Certificate, Diploma and Professional Graduate Diploma
• Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS) programmes
• Institution of Analysts and Programmers (IAP) programmes.

Skills and Knowledge

• a good knowledge of hardware, software and programming languages
• the ability to interpret and follow technical plans
• a creative approach to problem solving
• an understanding of Computer Aided (Assisted) Software Engineering (CASE) tools
• excellent communication and customer care skills
• the ability to work with people at all levels, including non-technical staff
• good project management skills
• the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• good teamworking skills
• an appreciation of the client's business needs
• an understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues.

Oppotunities

You can find work as a software developer across a range of businesses and industries, public services, utilities, defence and research.
With experience, you could become a senior developer with responsibility for project management, planning and research, or move into related areas, such as systems design, IT architecture and business systems analysis.

Working In The IT Industry Task3

The Work

IT support technicians help to find and correct software and hardware problems for computer users.
As a technician, you could work on site or remotely by phone, email or by using web-based applications. Your duties would typically include:

• talking to the client to find out the exact nature of a fault
• working out the reasons for the fault and explaining these to the user
• fixing equipment, including printers and scanners (known as 'peripherals')
• setting up new equipment and upgrading existing systems
• testing and servicing equipment
• recording problems and their solutions for future reference
• training clients on new systems or software applications.

You may work as part of a team within a company, or support outside business clients.

Hours

You would usually work 37 to 40 hours a week. Some jobs involve on-call duties and shiftwork, including weekends.
You would be office based, but may have to visit other departments within your company. You may need to travel to external clients, or to different locations if your department supports several sites.

Salaries are between £17,000 and £20,000 a year.

• Experienced staff can earn between £21,000 and £27,000.
• Senior staff with management responsibility can earn over £30,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry Requirements

You could get into this career as a trainee technician if you have a good working knowledge of computer systems, but you may improve your career prospects by gaining IT qualifications, such as:

• BTEC National Certificate/Diploma for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support) Level 3
• City & Guilds (E-Quals) IT Practitioners Diploma/Advanced Diploma (7266) Level 3
• OCR (iPRO) Certificate for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support) Level 3.

You could take these courses full- or part-time at local colleges or private training centres. The courses contain optional units taken from CompTIA, Cisco and Microsoft certifications. See the Training and Development section for more details about certifications.
Alternatively, you may be able to find work through an electronics or information technology Apprenticeship. This would usually include working towards NVQ levels 1-3 in IT Practitioners/Professionals.
The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers.

Task2 - Working In The IT Industry

Web Designer

Expected working hours :

Normally you would work 37 - 40 hours a week monday to friday

Income / Salary :

Starting wage starts from £15,000 - £20,000 a year


Experienced designers can earn up to £30,000 a year


those with specialist skills can earn over £40,000 a year

Entry Requierments :

To become a web designer there are no set qualifications needed of A - C  grades, however you may need experience in other designing departments. it also works in your favour if you have good designing knowledge in hard coded format, such as CSS, HTML, Javascript.

Task2 Working In The IT Industry

Computer Games Tester
Hours

• You will oftern work long and unsocial hours, espically in the run-up to a games release. game testers can become addictaed, repetitve and stressful at times. this type of work is very office based and you would spend alot of time at a computer.

Expected salary range

• Starting salaries are between £12,000 and £18,000 per year. with experience you can earn upto £25,000 a year. as a "QA" team leader you can reach upto £30,000 a year.

Entry requierments

• QA testing is a popular way of breaking into the games industry, particularly if you are not already qualified as an artist or programmer. It can be a great way to find out about the business as a whole.
• You do not need formal qualifications to become a tester, as your playing skills and knowledge of the games market will be more important to employers. However, it will be useful to have basic knowledge of programming, and experience of using spreadsheets and database packages.
• Employers will want to see proof of your knowledge and enthusiasm for the games industry. Attending games festivals and keeping yourself up to date with gaming magazines and websites can help you in this.
Persons specification including skills and knowledge  

• excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• a passion for games playing, with the ability to play at high levels
• good written and spoken communication skills
• the ability to work well as part of a team
• a tactful manner
• good negotiation skills
• the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• patience and persistence, for repetitive work
• a methodical and disciplined approach
• excellent attention to detail
• a good knowledge of the games market
• good office computer skills.

Task 1 - Working In The IT Industry

Attitude	Why employers are looking for it
Determination	Work can sometimes be difficult and there may be problems to overcome, so having this attitude to succeed and solve problems is important.
Independence	In your first job in IT you probably won’t be working on your own, but employers will expect you to develop the ability to work unsupervised and to use your own initiative rather than always waiting for instructions.
Integrity	Being honest and truthful in the workplace is vital, because employers want people they can trust.
Tolerance	In life we need to open-minded of other peoples differences, whether differences of attitude, culture or personality.  When working in a team you need to do your best to get on with all team members.
Dependability	Employers rely on their employees to run their business efficiently and effectively.  Workers who turn up late every day, who take too much time off sick or who don’t complete the tasks they are set won’t last long in most jobs.  To get on in your career you will need to show that you are reliable.
Leadership	While you are unlikely to be in charge of a team or project in your first job, your employer will be looking for these qualities in you.
Confidence	An arrogant person will not fit in well in the workplace.  Their arroganceis likely to upset other people, and in technical matters can easily leadto mistakes being made.
Self-motivation	Work can sometimes be difficult and may become repetitive.  People who lack the ability to work without supervision may not do a difficult or repetitive job properly or may give up all together, leaving other people to pick up the pieces.