HAT KINDS OF COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIZATIONS ARE AVAILABLE?

On your desk and in your kitchen, in the phone in your pocket and under the hood of your car, Computers and Technology are shaping our lives more than ever before. That’s why workers with degrees in these fields are in greater demand with every passing year.

You can give yourself a competitive edge in this growing job market by developing your skills in a specific area of focus. Choosing a specialization in Computers and Technology can open doors to some of the most exciting tech jobs around.

Learn more about the field from our Computers and Technology homepage.

Computer Design and Engineering

Are you fascinated by the ways that computers use their physical components along with software to do everything from performing calculations to playing music?

In this area of concentration, you’ll learn the fundamentals of both computer science and electrical engineering, gaining familiarity with computer hardware as well as software and programming.

Studying this degree could lead to a job title like software product manager. In this role, you’d be in charge of working with internal teams to manage programming, marketing, and the commercialization of software products. The median salary for this job was $90,384 per year in 2017.

Information Security

Are you the kind of person who can find and mitigate problems before they become disasters? Are you meticulous, persistent, and levelheaded? If this sounds like you, a career in information security (a.k.a. InfoSec) might be a perfect fit.

Information security specialists review information systems and test them for vulnerabilities. They develop strategies for dealing with cyberattacks or other emergencies, and then document and communicate these strategies to decision-makers in their organization. Because so much depends on being able to communicate your findings, people skills are a must in this role.

With a degree in this area of concentration, you could one day hold a job title like risk management manager. In this role, you would manage a group of information security analysts to find and assess security risks. And with a median salary of around $92,000, this degree can really pay off.

Web Design

Do you want a job that draws on all of your creative and analytical talents? Something where your work will be appreciated by people all over the world?

Web designers are responsible for designing and programming websites. You will learn to work on both the front end (what the general public can see) and the back end (the databases and code that allow the site to function).

One position you could land with a few years of experience in this specialization is senior web developer. In this role, you’d collaborate with creative teams to create or maintain websites. You could work for a web design agency and design for a variety of clients, or you could work in-house for a business or corporation.

Because there is so much variety in this career, there’s also a pretty broad salary range. According to PayScale, total compensation runs from $60,000 to $126,000 annually.

Computer graphics

From video games to feature films, work done by computer graphics professionals shows up everywhere in popular culture. This is a field that combines technical know-how with skilled artistry – in fact, this specialization is frequently taught at art schools!

With this educational background, you could end up working as a 3D animator. You could be hired to create CGI animations for websites, films, and even television commercials.

The median annual salary for 3D animators is around $50,200. And after a few years in this role, PayScale reports that 3D animators typically move into other roles, with job titles like art director or senior animator.