Opportunities Abound In Information Technology

Information technology business opportunities are as many and varied as the types of technology themselves. In this age of ever increasing technology use, this is one field that continues to expand, offering a multitude of possibilities for IT savvy individuals who want to start up their own business. It's easier than ever to be successful in IT, as long as you know where to look and aren't afraid to take that first step. It's really quite a simple idea: it seems like every time we turn around another new technological wonder is being created and people want to take advantage. Unfortunately, many people are left behind by the tidal wave of technology because it is just beyond their comprehension or they can't seem to keep up. That's where IT experts come in and it is exactly why it can be so easy to find money making opportunities if you have the proper amount of technology based knowledge. So exactly what kind of information technology business opportunities are out there? For individuals who want to start their own business, consulting is the big draw. There is any number of ways that you can market yourself as an IT consultant and have a successful business. Almost any kind of use for technology will open itself up to a need for training and if you've got the know-how to provide it, then you're good to go. With the Internet marketplace continuing to grow at an astronomical pace, the need for IT consultants is also growing exponentially. Business owners need to create websites, learn their way around social media marketing, or just simply learn to use their own computer system more efficiently. As an IT expert, you can offer your services to guide them through these processes and improve their business as a result. Two of the newer information technology business opportunities are blog consulting and video design. Blogs are becoming an important marketing tool for business but they will only provide good results if they are produced properly. Many people are at a loss when it comes to managing their blogs and a skilled IT consultant can help them dramatically in this area. At the same time, videos are also taking center stage in marketing... one viral video can make all the difference for a business... but designing, producing and positioning them to best advantage can be a mystery that an IT expert can help solve. Of course, there are still the old standbys of IT: data entry, computer training and computer maintenance. These are areas that many business owners can't handle on their own or don't want to devote the necessary time to. As an independent IT consultant, you can step in and take over these jobs, making yourself a good amount of money while you help to ease the headaches of over-stressed business owners. This is just a general overview, but you get the picture. If you're an IT expert, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to find your niche and start making money. The information technology business opportunities you're interested in are out there, you just have to take the right steps and market yourself as that go-to IT guy no business can live without!

Online Information Technology Learning Programs

The technology behind computers has evolved to the point that almost every business and organization utilizes it. Students that complete information technology training are able to step into a wide range of careers. Online colleges offer students several programs and concentrations that will prepare them for the industry. Education is available at every level including the option to complete a certificate program. Students are taught to work with a businesses technological component to ensure accessibility and security. With the high level of information stored within a businesses computer system professionals are used to manage the entire network on multiple levels. Online education provides students with a variety of opportunities to enter careers in information technology. Possible areas of study may include:Computer Information ScienceComputer Information SystemsInformation SecurityTo understand what these educational opportunities teach students should research the field of information technology. Concentrated programs are usually available at the undergraduate degree level. Many students that seek graduate training complete information technology degree programs. Exploring the field will give students an idea of what professionals do within different careers. Certificate and associate's degree programs in information technology give students the basic skill set to enter careers as technician specialists. A broad understanding is gained inside certificate programs. Computer operation, programming, and system manipulation are some areas of study that may be included inside a program. Some colleges offer students the chance to use certificate and associates degree programs to gain a wide knowledge base that can be used inside a specialization. Website design, technical writing, and information architecture are some areas available to students. The ability to help computer users solve problems and examine technological needs can be gained inside a bachelor's degree program. The availability and security of data within a framework of IT services is the goal of understanding the different components that make up the industry. Networking, application development, and digital media publishing are some subjects integrated into a four-year bachelor's degree program. Students should be ready to complete around 130 credit hours that involve general business, English, and math courses. Specific topics prepare students to work as hardware analysts, programmers, database managers, and more. Students learn how the structure of data is created and how to efficiently manage an entire information system. Pursuing education at the graduate degree level has students studying advanced technological components and allows them enter careers as managers. Distance learning master's degree programs have students developing projects where they learn how to set up networks that are usable and controlled. Systems development, risk assessment, technology management, and multimedia configuration are some program topics that help student's transition into careers. Empirical research and leadership skills are highly stressed within a PhD program. Complicated technology systems are studied such as supply chains, information processing systems, and manufacturing systems. Students explore the deep connection between technologies and the businesses economic endurance. Upper-level positions exist for students that complete graduate training. Students have many accredited educational choices to choose from to begin careers in information technology. Full accreditation provides proof of a quality training program. Agencies like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology ( http://www.accsc.org/ ) are approved to accredit qualifying programs. Once an area is selected students can study the necessary skills to become working professionals.

Information Technology Training Programs

The dependability on computers has only grown as technology as provided a way for almost everyone to own one. This is seen in the way that colleges, businesses, government agencies, and more have integrated the use of computers into their daily function. Students can learn how to work with all aspects of computer usage by entering information technology training programs. Training programs are designed to teach students how a computer processes and how to maintain all the information used by one. This may seem like a basic undertaking but the work done includes working with all areas of information technology. Students can expect to learn how to design hardware, design software, secure a network, build an Internet application, and much more. The broad range of responsibilities makes earning an education the prime way to successfully enter a career. Before stepping into a specific career a few key steps have to be taken by students to ensure they have the needed knowledge to work effectively. The first major step before work can start is for students to complete undergraduate degree programs. Both the associate's and bachelor's degree level of education are focused on providing students with a fundamental and foundational education in computer science and communications networks. Excluding general education requirements students work through many industry related courses that center on: computer interfaces web design techniques information systems business applications operating systems programming languages The overall industry focus teaches students to apply, develop, and maintain technologies related to computer information by working to create user-friendly interfaces. The knowledge gained trains students to assist computer users, solve problems, and evaluate technological requirements of a business or individual. A troubleshooting course introduces students to hardware and software management. The process of diagnosing, following procedure, and producing a solution is covered through hands on experience. These courses help students step into advanced study or a career. Working to complete a graduate degree is step two especially for students that want to enter a specialized area within information technology. Areas can include training in network support, software design, information security, and computer programming. Many of these specializations can be taken as a concentration in an undergraduate degree but to learn advanced techniques and procedures students should continue education into a graduate degree. Many programs focus on applying information technology to global business applications that work together to support the financial and organizational part of a business. A graduate degree in information technology covers a number of specialties that teach students how to work as organization leaders in regards to global economics and international business. Curriculum covers these areas by providing in depth explanation of dynamic programming, parallel computation, data compression, and nonlinear programming. The knowledge gained prepares students to work as researchers, technology specialists, and professors. The ability to work with computers on a technological level presents numerous opportunities for trained students. Working to find and complete programs from accredited information technology schools and colleges can make the desire to enter a career a real possibility. The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges ( http://www.accsc.org/ ) can fully accredit programs that offer quality training programs to students. Students should start education now and begin training in information technology.

Artificial Intelligence Around Us

During the 1980's, in America there was much interest in the field of Artificial Intelligence. The great expectations of the 1980's were followed by the skepticism of the 1990's, at which time the limitations of capabilities of our current computers were emphasized. The skepticism of the 1990's has now for the most part passed, and one of the main scientific and industrial challenges of the 21st century is the development of Artificial Intelligent Systems (AIS). The development of AIS is aimed at the creation of new technologies that will provide solutions to problems in the areas of electronics and heavy industries, agriculture, energy and resource conservation, transportation, human health, public safety, national security, and other fields. Speaking at a conference in Buenos Aires in 1995, Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. (Vice President of the United States from 1993-2001 under President Bill Clinton) remarked, 'These highways, or more accurately, networks of distributed intelligence, will allow us to share information, to connect, and to communicate as a global community. From these connections we will derive robust and sustainable economic progress, strong democracies, better solutions to global and local environmental challenges, improved health care, and ultimately, a greater sense of shared stewardship of our small planet'. From a historical point of view, AIS appeared in the last century as result of the evolution of man-machine systems, in which the functions of man and machine are interrelated for the operation of these systems. For example, a craftsman operating a working lathe, a driver and his running car, and the workers and machines at a power station all form man-machine systems. In a man-machine system, the human operator supplies the goal, the direction, and the integration. The machine executes everything according to the given directions, and provides feedback. In the process of man-machine systems evolution, the role of man has decreased relative to the role of the machines he operates. To execute routine functions, machines have been increasingly equipped with control subsystems, and the resulting man-machines systems were referred to as "semi-automatic" systems. Progressively, many semi-automatic systems have transformed into automatic systems. Thanks to computer systems, a fantastic change has taken place in many areas of technology during the last few decades. Previous machines had the role of executing tasks given to them by human beings. Today, these machines are equipped with very advanced programmable control systems and various kinds of sensory devices, enabling them to execute many human tasks, including creative problem solving. Meanwhile, engineers and scientists working on bionic technologies are getting closer to creating machines that can perform some human functions for people with disabilities. As a result, the preconditions for the birth of artificial intelligence appeared. Ray Kurzweil, in his very interesting book, The Singularity is Real, found an appropriate metaphor to describe the process of computer systems dissemination. He commented, 'Advancing computer performance is like water slowly flooding the landscape. A half century ago, it began to drown the lowlands, driving out human calculators and record clerks, but leaving most of us dry. Now the flood has reached the foothills, and our outposts there are contemplating retreat. We feel safe on our peaks, but at the present rate, those too will be submerged within another half century.' It is fair statement regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well. In the past few years, some AI programs and systems have successfully copied selected human brain functions, and extended human cognitive and decision-making abilities. As a result, some machines in existence now can execute the knowledge-based functions of a human operator, but with better quality. The inventor of the Lisp programming language, John McCarthy, who also coined term "Artificial Intelligence" in his proposal for the 1956 Dartmouth Conference, defines AI as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines." The term "intelligence" is derived from the Latin, "intellectus", and is defined as "mind, powers of human thinking". According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "intelligence" has many meanings: o the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations: for example, the skilled use of reason or the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria o information concerning an enemy or possible enemy or an area; and an agency engaged in obtaining such information o mental acuteness o the basic eternal quality of the Divine Mind (Christian Science) o the ability to perform computer function It makes sense to analyze the definition, "the ability to perform computer function". At first glance, an executable computer program, which provides computer function (for example, calculation or text writing), doesn't have intelligence. However, consider for a moment that "human or animal instinct", is the inherent disposition of a living organism toward a particular behavior. Based on our knowledge of computers, we can count "instinct" as a group of programs written on genetic material such as DNA When a worker performs his tasks automatically, it means he has in his brain the "programs" necessary for automatic actions. In part, these programs were created by the special training he received to enable him to do his job. Congenital and acquired programs are all part of human intellect, or intelligence. It is the same for an executable computer program. The program bears a portion of the intellect of its creators, translated into a language (code) that the machine understands. Therefore, an executable computer program has some intelligence. Modern computer systems that can, for example, choose an optimal decision, or make a rational analysis of external influences for this decision, are intelligent systems. This is the reason why AI is a powerful resource for solutions to a diverse range of problems (including those not formalized) for which there are currently no known solutions. Historically, the term "intelligence" was connected with government organizations (agencies) devoted to the gathering of information for purposes of national security and defense, such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in America. Today, this term has a broader meaning, with practical applications to real systems and products. AI methods include elements found in cybernetics, computer science, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, linguistics, operations research, economics, control theory, and math, among others. AI also connects and overlaps with such fields as robotics, control systems, scheduling, data mining, and logistics. Artificial Intelligence Systems are the realization of artificial intelligence science. In other words, AI could be called, "Application of Artificial Intelligence". The term, "AI" is also used to describe an intelligence property of new machines or programs. Many AI experts are predicting that by the middle of this century, intelligent machines will be all around us. Machines such as robots already touch our lives. Automobiles, electronic devices, and aircraft are assembled and tested with the help of various robotic machines. The reality that computers have saved the world from information explosion, while becoming affordable to students and other everyday users, is largely due to the use of intelligent machines. Just about all of the machines around us are rapidly becoming "intelligent", with help of the intelligent applications. Revenues generated by the AI and robotic industries are now measured in the billions of dollars annually. With the advanced computer-based systems used in traffic control or manufacturing control, it is reasonable to retain human ability to solve bottleneck problems in real time. Man-machine systems can exist with different levels of automation (from manual to autonomous), and Artificial intelligence systems can have different grades, from simple to very complex. Today, many applications of Artificial Intelligence are present in industry, business, medicine, automobile navigation, communication, military operations, space exploration, and so on. The average person may have little or no knowledge of the current applications of AI, yet he encounters the results of AI many times every day. For example, the amazing functionality of everyday machines like a car, a sewing machine, kitchen appliances, and the Internet, or the quality of TV images, movies, and telephone communications are all a result of the Artificial Intelligence Systems being used in many common high-tech products. AIS will most certainly become commonplace in the very near future, as the widespread use of these systems will bring more prosperity and enhanced well-being to the entire population of our planet. Intelligent automation systems, various advisory programs and robots can, and will, do the work that we either can not or desire not to do. Article is an excerpt from the book of the author " Artificial Intelligence Around Us", published by Bookstand Publishing