The last three decades have seen a phenomenal growth in the use of computers in all spheres of life. And on the threshold of entering a new century one tends to believe that the use of computers can only increase from here. With such a background it is imperative for young students to understand the different career options in computers.

Today the IT industry can be classified in different segments as per the needs. The simplest could be Software Vs Hardware or Domestic Vs Exports or PCs Vs Mid Range / Mainframes etc.. I would stick to the simplest Software Vs Hardware.

There is an acute shortage of software professionals all over the world. The demand of professionals has decreased considerably from Eastern Asia, with their economic woes, but the demand has strengthened in USA and Europe. In order to understand the software industry better one has to understand the different types of projects. Software projects are basically of two types, Application Software & System Software.

Software Tools Used.

Majority of application software is developed using either Front End Development tools, RDBMS or Internet utilities. So if a candidate wants to enter this field, the candidate will have to have good knowledge of RDBMS such as Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server and front ends such as Powebuilder / Visual Basic, Dev. 2000 etc. Applications will incorporate Client server technology and knowledge of Client Server will always be an added advantage.

Electronic Commerce Projects will be using Internet tools, such as the Core Java Development Kit, Visual J++, Visual Café, Cold Fusion . Projects in Electronic Commerce will increase drastically after the Y2K imbroglio.

ERP Systems are also becoming extremely popular in the western countries. The staggering costs and the long implementation cycle makes it vulnerable to failure. Personnel trying to make a career in ERP systems should tread with caution for the following reasons.

• There is very little scope for most ERP systems in India as of now. Most requirements for ERP professionals in India are met by in house training. So the prospect of getting jobs in India are bleak. e.g. There are hardly any Peoplesoft implementation sites in India.
• It is unlikely that if a person knows a particular ERP say Peoplesoft, he would be recruited for SAP and vice versa. Thus if a particular ERP system fails to deliver in the market place, professionals working on these will suddenly find themselves out of demand.
• Fees for ERP courses are very high.

Euro Currency Conversion / Y2k

These projects are not based on desktop PCs but development is done on Mainframes and Mid range computers such as AS 400 etc.. Databases would be DB2, IDMS, DB/DC etc.. Programming languages would be COBOL, PL/1 etc.. A lot of companies take fresh professionals for these projects. In Pune MBT, KPIT and many others have recruited fresh professionals for Y2K projects and later trained them. Candidates interested in such projects should have a thorough knowledge of the requirements of different companies.

Software tools used would be C/ C++ / VC++.

Hardware industry will cover Networking, Peripherals and manufacture of computers systems (system integration). Jobs in these segments usually involve a lot of Customer Support. Hardware jobs do not offer much scope for Overseas travel in comparision to Software jobs. As the number of PCs and Computer systems is increasing, the number of hardware jobs is only going to increase.

These are fringe segments. If one wants to make a career in any of these segments one should have a liking for the main segment. e.g. Professionals in animation should first have a liking for animation. Also a candidate should first ascertain his capability and interest in the respective segment say Animation and then learn courses in animation.