Why technology careers are in such high demand

(BPT) - Technology professionals continue to be in high demand across a wide array of industries. Health care, technical consulting and computer system design are just a few of the growing career directions grads can choose with a technology degree.

The technology industry remains one of the fastest growing career fields. Employment in computer systems designs and related services is anticipated to grow by 47 percent through 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. By contrast, employment expectations are decreasing by 1 percent during the same time period in the manufacturing fields and by 6 percent in utilities, mostly due to outsourcing of industry for manufacturing and improvements in technology for utilities.

Because businesses will need technical advice on planning and logistics, as well as adding or using new technologies to help improve business services, there is a need for technical consultants to fill these jobs, in many different industries.

"With the rate of change in the IT industry where new information is doubling in 18 to 24 month intervals, the demand for IT personnel with proven learning abilities is very desirable," says Dr. W. Lynn McKinney, computer information science program director at Everest University in Melbourne, Fla. "Our premise is to teach people how to learn."

In addition, as more complex technologies continue to develop, companies seek employees who stay up to date with new technologies. "While some of our students have just graduated, we also find that many students in our computer technology courses have worked before and are coming to us because they want to stay on top of advances in the field. They realize that a technology degree can give them the career they are looking for," says Eric Hodge, academic program chair of Everest University in Pompano Beach, Fla., one of Florida's computer training schools.

In addition to good computer technology training, businesses are searching for employees with problem-solving abilities. "Employers are increasingly telling us that they don't want employees with just computer knowledge, they want employees who use computer know-how to solve problems," says Hodge.

Cybersecurity is a high demand field right now, and the growth is not anticipated to slow down anytime soon. This is due to businesses in both the public and private sectors becoming more aware of the need for information security. "As more companies and individuals are doing business on the Internet, companies are finding they need to build and maintain databases to store important information on their customers, products and sales," says Hodge. "Companies increasingly store sensitive information electronically, and as a result, they need to protect that information."

"Because of the growth in the technology industry, there is a huge demand for information technology graduates right now," says Hodge. To learn more about career opportunities in the fields of technology and mathematics, visit www.everest.edu.