Experience Requirements Overview

  • Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
  • A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
  • Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
  • Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree

Related Work Experience: Over 6 years, up to and including 8 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Detailed Work Activities

  • Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
  • Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
  • Document technical specifications or requirements.
  • Test computer system operations to ensure proper functioning.
  • Coordinate project activities with other personnel or departments.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

  • Verify stability, interoperability, portability, security, or scalability of system architecture.
  • Develop system engineering, software engineering, system integration, or distributed system architectures.
  • Collaborate with engineers or software developers to select appropriate design solutions or ensure the compatibility of system components.
  • Identify system data, hardware, or software components required to meet user needs.
  • Communicate with staff or clients to understand specific system requirements.
  • Research, test, or verify proper functioning of software patches and fixes.
  • Provide advice on project costs, design concepts, or design changes.
  • Perform security analyses of developed or packaged software components.
  • Provide technical guidance or support for the development or troubleshooting of systems.
  • Document design specifications, installation instructions, and other system-related information.
  • Communicate project information through presentations, technical reports, or white papers.
  • Define and analyze objectives, scope, issues, or organizational impact of information systems.
  • Monitor system operation to detect potential problems.
  • Design and conduct hardware or software tests.
  • Evaluate current or emerging technologies to consider factors such as cost, portability, compatibility, or usability.
  • Provide customers or installation teams guidelines for implementing secure systems.
  • Establish functional or system standards to address operational requirements, quality requirements, and design constraints.
  • Investigate system component suitability for specified purposes, and make recommendations regarding component use.
  • Complete models and simulations, using manual or automated tools, to analyze or predict system performance under different operating conditions.
  • Develop or approve project plans, schedules, or budgets.
  • Develop efficient and effective system controllers.
  • Evaluate existing systems to determine effectiveness, and suggest changes to meet organizational requirements.
  • Configure servers to meet functional specifications.
  • Direct the analysis, development, and operation of complete computer systems.
  • Develop application-specific software.
  • Perform ongoing hardware and software maintenance operations, including installing or upgrading hardware or software.
  • Direct the installation of operating systems, network or application software, or computer or network hardware.
  • Train system users in system operation or maintenance.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.