12/05/2013
Information Technology: Better alternative for Liberian youth
For years now in our Liberian society, we’ve seen youth at the senior secondary level struggle in finding a suitable career leading to over stay after graduation at various universities and even sometimes graduating without passion in the course done by them. In secondary school for example, you will see a senior student still don’t know which course to do after graduation and eventually following a friend to do nursing even though he/she has no good control in that field of study. Researchers have notice that it is the lack of awareness in the various careers that have cause this kind of hindrance for the youthful populace of our society; therefore, as students of Information Technology, which is newly taught in very few schools in Liberia, We have decided to give the youth of our beloved country an alternative in choosing a career. We would like you to know that Information Technology (IT) is that alternative. Information Technology (IT) is the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also includes other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. Humans have been storing, retrieving, manipulating and communicating information since the Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed writing in about 3000 BC, but the term "Information Technology" in its modern sense first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review; the authors Leavitt and Whisler commented that since "the new technology does not yet have a single established name. We shall call it information Technology (IT)." In a business context, the Information Technology Association of America has defined information technology (IT) as "the study, design, development, application, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems". In an academic context, the Association for Computing Machinery defines it as "undergraduate degree programs that prepare students to meet the computer technology needs of business, government, healthcare, schools, and other kinds of organizations.
Those that specialize in Information Technology are called Information Technology specialist or IT specialist for short. Information Technology is broad and is subdivided into sections like Network Engineering, Database Administration, A+, among others. The responsibility of an IT specialist is to select hardware and software products appropriate for an organization, incorporate those products with organizational needs and infrastructure, and install, customize, and maintain those applications for the organization’s computer users. Examples of these responsibilities include the installation of networks; network administration and security; the design of web pages; the development of multimedia resources; the installation of communication components; the oversight of email systems; and the planning and management of the technology lifecycle by which an organization’s technology is maintained, upgraded, and replaced.
The salaries of IT specialists has increased over the years encouraging more people into the field in the part of the world and even in Africa. From recent research, Information Technology is the third wealthy career in the world behind Law and the Medical field.
In this regard, I’m asking all youth in our society to choose Information Technology (IT) as career so that our technological sector can improve as we strive to make our nation better, so that we can take over from foreigners that control various technological sectors in Liberia. By choosing IT as a career, I can assure you that together we’ll make the technical sector of our dear country truly independent and vibrant.
I want to say a big thank you for your performance in providing the best when it comes to technological education to the young people of this great nation (Liberia). Technology, as we considered the focus point of an economy with respect to this 21st century. I also want to thank the STARZ College of Technology family as they continue to offer quality technology education to Liberian youth and all those who share this dream and aspiration with us. Thank you and May God bless you!
NOTE: Some information above are subjected to change............. BY : JJ. HOFF JR AND POWER BY FEDESCO TOLBERT OF THE STARZ COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY IN LIBERIA
