"Manager," "CEO" and "administrative assistant" are old-school. In the networked economy, there's a whole new class of job titles coming to an HR department near you. Here are some of the technology-related jobs that will be in demand in the 21st century and beyond.
Network Experts
According to a recent study by IT placement agency Robert Half International Consulting, networking is the most in-demand IT specialty. Thirty-two percent of the 1,400 chief information officers surveyed cited networking as the highest growth area within their IT departments.
Gary LaFave, president of InfoTech Contract Services, says, "With telecommuting on the rise and the high demand for sharing and accessibility to data, the person who understands the connection on both the local and global fronts will be in most demand."
These global network architects need to comprehend communication and information at a much higher and more complex level, explains LaFave. They will need to be knowledgeable in Internet, voice, data and cable capabilities as they come together in the next few years.
Information Architect
Part builder and part librarian, an information architect clarifies the mission and vision of a document, balancing the needs of an organization and its audiences. An IA is responsible for learning how users find information in a site by defining the organization, navigation and labeling systems.
Web Site/Database Integrator
Web site/database integrators will need to know standard Web site languages (HTML, PERL, C, JAVA, etc.), database languages (DB2, Oracle, SQL, etc.) and, in the case of legacy systems, some back-end knowledge of accounting packages, financial systems and inventory systems. This job also requires the ability to hook the database(s) to an Internet site or an intranet.
Web Programmers and Developers
As the Internet continues to grow, so will the demand for Web programmers and developers. To land these jobs, you'll need to be well versed in a variety of programming languages including Java, Cold Fusion, C++ and PERL.
Infomediary
Made popular in the new book Net Worth by John Hagel and Marc Singer, an infomediary's primary role will be to act as a third-party agent that brokers client information to vendors in exchange for goods and services for the consumer.