A look at technical job titles and what they mean:
– Chief information officer: Responsible for all of a company’s information technology, both at the operational and developmental level. Usually reports to the chief executive officer or president.
– Computer engineer: Designs computers, systems or networks. Functions vary greatly by industry.
– Systems analyst: Analyzes specific computer applications or systems in light of value added to the end user and makes recommendations for development or modification of systems.
– Computer programmer: Writes operationally-oriented computing programs.
– Network engineer: Designs, develops, assesses, recommends and implements computer networks. Sometimes called Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN) engineer.
– Network administrator: Monitors the network for functionality and operability. Responsible for network upgrades, running scripts, and possibly code writing. A hands-on job.
– Software developer: Designs software packages with specific functions and usually does the actual code writing. Developers often work in large international teams, splitting the job on a project.
– Computer service technician: Hands-on person who actually services the computers. Usually a hardware person with only basic software knowledge.
– Web master: Has complete responsibility for operational areas of a company’s Internet and Intranet. Many Webmasters have development responsibilities for the look and content of a site as well as its operation.
– Database administrator: Responsible for the general upkeep and integrity of a specific type of database.
– Computer operator: Responsible for rote tasks involved in the operation of the computer system, such as the physical loading of programs and the making of backup tapes.
