What is an information technology professional and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Ranganathan Chandrasekaran,

Alexey Kolmogorov Ph.D.

An information technology professional works with computer systems, software, and networks to ensure proper functioning and security. They design, develop, and maintain technology solutions. IT professionals may work in programming, database management, cybersecurity, network administration, and technical support. They also troubleshoot issues, diagnose problems, and implement solutions to maintain system performance. In addition, IT professionals stay up-to-date with technologies and trends to ensure they can provide the best service possible.

What general advice would you give to an information technology professional?

Ranganathan Chandrasekaran

Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University of Illinois

As we roll into another month of the COVID-19 pandemic, graduating students are facing one of the worst moments of their lives. They face several uncertainties; due to financial challenges, uncertainty about completing their degrees on time, adjusting to online and hybrid modes of learning, and worst of all, facing the worst job market. As a result, I see the stress and anxiety levels among the graduating students to be significantly higher, at levels I have not experienced in my academic career.

Several businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, and they have rolled back their offers made to students for internships and jobs. Businesses have also resorted to downsizing and layoffs, and we are likely to see that continue, at least in the near term. However, two sectors that are showing promises of a quick turnaround are technology and healthcare.

It might take many months for the economy to get back on track, but the demand for information systems graduates is likely to grow, as a large number of businesses have turned to increased use of technology in this pandemic period. As more companies go digital, we need more professionals to manage the remote-work, technological infrastructure and meet the other demands of the business. Students pursuing education in information systems, computer science, and healthcare are going to be in greater demand.

On the positive side, the uncertainties induced by the pandemic have also helped students to prepare themselves better for a tougher job market. I found many students rise up and use the lockdown period to have a serious introspection and invest their time and effort in upgrading their knowledge and skills. The internship drought and rescinding of job/internship offers brought their dreams crashing down, but I found several students to quickly get over their disappointments, and engage in improving their skillsets utilizing the pandemic lockdown as an opportunity. I am aware of many students, especially in the information systems disciple, who spent time doing online courses, completing certification programs, and take up DIY projects on data analysis, developing analytical and forecasting models, and visualization of various aspects of the pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in massive amounts of data, released by several organizations worldwide, that have provided a stimulant for students to indulge in DIY-projects. I had several students approach me over summer to do some projects, and we have done some interesting projects using public datasets related to COVID-19.

ScoreInformation Technology ProfessionalUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,686

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 12.42%

Black or African American 10.94%

Hispanic or Latino 15.91%

Unknown 5.36%

White 54.98%

Gender

female 22.68%

male 77.32%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an information technology professional?

Pros

Opportunities for career advancement
Ability to work remotely
Diverse range of job roles and responsibilities
High job satisfaction rates reported
Potential to make a positive impact on society

Cons

High pressure to meet deadlines and deliver results
Can be highly competitive, especially in certain areas of IT
Risk of burnout due to high workload and stress levels
Can be highly technical, requiring specialized knowledge and skills
Can involve dealing with difficult or demanding clients or stakeholders

Key steps to become an information technology professional

Explore information technology professional education requirements

Most common information technology professional degrees

Bachelor's

60.6 %

Associate

18.8 %

Master's

12.2 %

Start to develop specific information technology professional skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	8.31%
Network Administration	7.79%
Project Management	7.28%
Java	6.55%
SQL Server	5.40%

Complete relevant information technology professional training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New information technology professionals learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an information technology professional based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real information technology professional resumes.

Gain additional information technology professional certifications

Information technology professional certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific information technology professional certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for information technology professionals include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

More About Certifications

Research information technology professional duties and responsibilities

Lead virtualization efforts to reduce hardware, enhance lab infrastructure, and achieve high availability within server environment.
Lead the architecture, installation, and migration to SAN environment from SCSI attach infrastructure.
Install new networking cabinet, run new cables, install new switch, manage SonicWall firewall, manage VPN users.
Create and effectively manage important HIPAA compliance programming.

Prepare your information technology professional resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your information technology professional resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an information technology professional resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable information technology professional resume templates

Build a professional information technology professional resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your information technology professional resume.

Apply for information technology professional jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an information technology professional job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average information technology professional salary

The average information technology professional salary in the United States is $74,686 per year or $36 per hour. Information technology professional salaries range between $52,000 and $106,000 per year.

Average information technology professional salary

$74,686 Yearly

$35.91 hourly

How do information technology professionals rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Information technology professional reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

talking to people

Cons

outside weather, I work as a network technician and the main problem I always encounter is the cold weather.

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

The opportunity to render services to client, and managing technology by giving key information to customers.

Cons

Not meeting up to expectation of a client.

What is an information technology professional and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an information technology professional?

What are the pros and cons of being an information technology professional?

Information technology professional career paths

Key steps to become an information technology professional

Explore information technology professional education requirements

Most common information technology professional degrees

Start to develop specific information technology professional skills

Complete relevant information technology professional training and internships

Gain additional information technology professional certifications

Research information technology professional duties and responsibilities

Prepare your information technology professional resume

Choose from 10+ customizable information technology professional resume templates

Apply for information technology professional jobs

How did you land your first information technology professional job

Average information technology professional salary

How do information technology professionals rate their job?

Information technology professional reviews

Information technology professional jobs by state