Career Opportunities

Graduates with a knowledge of information technology who can also deal successfully with problems that are broader than technical matters are likely to be successful in today's business world. Management Information Systems coursework will qualify students for an interesting range of entry-level positions in industry. A sample list of positions includes:

• consultant for an information technology consulting company;
• programmer/systems analyst in the information technology division of a large corporation;
• internal technology consultant supporting end users;
• within a functional department as a systems builder (accounting, marketing, or product design groups), the role might be to combine functional expertise and your systems skills to create information systems that deal with unique departmental tasks;
• manager of the technology infrastructure of a small company or a department of a large company;
• staff assistant to a senior manager, such as a vice president of information technology;
• director of corporate planning.

Featured Career Path: Business Information Security

What is Information Security and why is it important?

Information security deals with assuring the correctness, availability and confidentiality of information as it is processed by different organizations. This involves a wide range of tasks from protecting the medical histories of the patient to preventing identity theft to making sure that your systems will be quickly restored in case of a natural disaster. Today, information security is critical to the well-being of individuals, business, nations and global economy. It is a challenging but very rewarding field to work in.

What skills do I need?

To be a successful information security specialist, you need to combine some technical as well as managerial skills, such as :

• Knowledge of computer networks and security protocols
• Knowledge of security software programs
• Knowledge of information risks and ways to mitigate them
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills
• Creative approach to problem solving

What are typical position titles and focus areas in information security?

A sample of job titles include:

• Security Consultant
• Security Auditor
• Security Administrator
• Security Analyst
• Director of Information Security
• Chief Information Security Officer (CSO/CISO)

You can become an Information Security Administrator with 0-2 years of job experience. It takes about 4 years to become a Security Analyst, 7 years for an Information Security Manager and 9-10 years for a Director or CSO position.

What are the salaries in the area of Information Security?

Based on a survey of Janco Associates, in January 2008, an average salary for a Data Security Administrator was $78,000; for a Network Control Analyst - $66,000; for Disaster Recovery Coordinator - $86,000. Overall, Information Security skills are in high demand and command higher than average salaries.

Questions? Please contact the Operations and Information Management Department
Telephone: (860) 486-5295
Fax: (860) 486-4839
Website: http://www.business.uconn.edu/opim

Last Edited on April 6, 2008