Westport, Conn. – Insurance IT professionals can take heart: although the recession is heightening competition for a dwindling number of IT jobs, many in IT are considering alternative fields where computer professionals’ technical knowledge will be advantageous. Depending upon how you view this new trend, this may mean more IT job opening in the insurance sector, or it may mean the vertical market chosen is irrelevant. One thing seems clear: flexibility is the watchword when it comes to finding gainful employment in technology.
According to Debugging Your Information Technology Career (
* A network security administrator could become a broker or underwriter of cyberliability insurance
* An architect's knowledge of best practices in systems design would be a strong asset in a technology due diligence position
* A business analyst who guided logistics staff in defining their IT requirements would be a credible candidate for a strategic alliance management position at a company marketing logistics software
* A NOC manager who upgraded a change-management function would bring a valuable customer's perspective to a role as a change-management software product manager
* A software engineer who supported CRM applications could parlay that experience into a position selling CRM software
* Any IT professional who can assess the commercial potential of new computer technology could qualify for a position as an equity analyst covering the computer industry
Most of the careers can be entered without further education beyond a BS in a computer-related discipline. Several—for example, business continuity planner—require a certification. Some readers may be motivated to become technology attorneys, forensic accountants or healthcare administrators. Many of the fields can be springboards for new consulting practices.
The book offers information on job-hunting techniques tailored to specific fields, including guidance in identifying and approaching employers, and in selecting those aspects of their experience to highlight in their resumes and interviews for greatest impact. Although most of the fields are highly insulated from offshoring, where vulnerability exists, Weinberg suggests job-hunting techniques to minimize one's exposure.
While there are many books providing IT career advice, Weinberg's claims to provide a new, much broader, meaning to the term "computer job," demonstrating that an IT professional's knowledge constitutes precious currency in a world dependent on computer technology.
Sources: PRNewswire, Elegant Fix Press LLC
