Technology Degrees Needed For Growing Industry




by Michelle Conner


As technology continues to make the business practices of many companies more efficient, several positions have become obsolete. Researching degree in science will help you get back on your feet and into a new career. Because the recession has made the job market additionally difficult, individuals who are searching for a new career may want to consider enrolling in a technology-related college degree program. Already, the number of adults returning to colleges, universities and technical schools is said to be contributing to enrollment increases throughout the country.

When businesses seek out ways to cut costs, they might adopt new technologies that can do the work of several employees. This could be discouraging for displaced workers facing a tight and competitive job market. On the other hand, a technology degree could help displaced workers fill industry demands that are expected to grow.

The healthcare industry in particular is expected to fuel a growth in technology-related employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In April, Bellevue College in Washington State was provided a $3.3 million federal government grant to lead a multi-state expansion of healthcare information technology training, the Center of Excellence for Information and Computer Technology noted. Take advantage of this funding and learn more about online accredited degrees so you can have a bright future. Students might also consider campus and online degree programs that can lead to high-growth technology occupations.

One of the occupations that is expected to experience growth is that of the network architect, or network engineer, Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts for 2008 to 2018 show. Network architects and engineers might work designing, planning and maintaining local and wide area networks (LANs and WANs) where computers within close proximities to each other or within a geographic range are connected through a network that they can all access. Many businesses within a single building and those that operate out of several locations rely on LANs and WANs for communications and accessing work.

Students looking for an undergraduate degree online might consider institutions such as Westwood College, which provides a bachelor's level program in computer network engineering. With the online degree program at Westwood College, students are assigned hands-on projects, case studies and more, according to the program website. An information technology master's degree online from Capella University, on the other hand, comes with a network architecture specialization. Students in the Capella University online degree program, through a Virtual Lab Environment, gain hands-on experiences, the program's website shows.

In addition to hands-on experiences, many online courses and online degree programs include instruction that's provided in multimedia formats such as webcasts, podcasts and video. Online college, university and technical students might interact with instructors and classmates via message boards, as well as e-mail. Online college and university courses are particularly popular because of their flexibility, which allows students to schedule studies when the demands of family and work subside.

Students who obtain degrees in network engineering and architecture might improve their prospects through certification in "cloud services," such as creating plug and play web apps and software that would be exclusive to companies, a recent ITWorld.com article suggests. This is also only a sampling of technology degrees from which students in campus or online degree programs might choose, however. Technology also is considered among the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subject areas, where scholarships are available to encourage studies in the field.




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