Computer Systems Analysts

People in this career often have these skills:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

• Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Troubleshoot issues with computer applications or systems.
• Provide technical support for software maintenance or use.
• Monitor computer system performance to ensure proper operation.
• Test software performance.
• Coordinate software or hardware installation.

• Apply information technology to solve business or other applied problems.
• Configure computer networks.
• Write computer programming code.
• Analyze project data to determine specifications or requirements.
• Design integrated computer systems.
• Analyze data to identify or resolve operational problems.
• Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
• Modify software programs to improve performance.
• Collect data about customer needs.
• Train others in computer interface or software use.
• Supervise information technology personnel.
• Manage information technology projects or system activities.
• Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies.
• Identify information technology project resource requirements.
• Read documents to gather technical information.
• Develop testing routines or procedures.
• Document design or development procedures.
• Provide recommendations to others about computer hardware.
• Develop diagrams or flow charts of system operation.
• Estimate time or monetary resources needed to complete projects.

• Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

• Computer Network Architects

• Database Administrators

• Network and Computer Systems Administrators

• Information Security Analysts

• Web Developers

• Web Administrators

• Computer Programmers