Best Career Choice Web Administrator

Abstract

This proposal will provide the information that a high school student will need to make a decision on a career choice in the field of web administration. The results of the research conducted, will provide an insight into how students can turn their passion for computers into a life long career. The profession is full of opportunities and earning potential. Students can begin to prepare themselves in their early stages of their education in order to reach their desired goals.

I have a basic reason for submitting this proposal. Up until the last year of my mother’s life, I was a very good high school student with a bright and promising future. As my mother was dying, I was finding it difficult to keep my grades up. Consequently, I decided to pay a visit to my guidance counselor for academic assistance, as I wanted to graduate with my class. As I described my plight to her, she said to me, “You should drop out Sweetie, the odds are against you.” I decided that my future dreams and goals were not going to end there.

I had no one to counsel me or give me the tools I needed to make decisions for my future. My love for computers and the internet, led me to pursue a career in information technology. It is my desire to provide high schools students with information that will help them make critical decisions about their future.

Many high school students spend countless hours facing a computer screen. These students have become experts at internet surfing and at designing personal web pages such as: Myspace.com and Facebook. What is the definition of success for these students? Success can be obtained by channeling their interest in computers, into a career choice that will lead them into the technological future.

I conducted a survey to unearth the interest people have in web design and web administration. I selected the following categories to develop my survey: age group, educational background, employment status, computer knowledge, and internet surfing, interest in web design, and web administration. I used Microsoft Excel to analyze the data and create the pie charts representing the data in percentage form.

I discovered that 83% of those surveyed indicated having interest in web design. Not surprising, 83% of participants have used computers for many years. The majority of participants are comfortable surfing the internet.

The data collected indicated that the educational background for those surveyed ranged between, only having a high school diploma or GED, and having a master’s degree or higher. On average, most respondents have attended college and completed some undergraduate college work. The survey revealed that 49% of the participants are currently pursuing a college degree. After analyzing the data, I concluded that most participants consider obtaining higher education important.

The survey results lead me to conduct research on the steps high school students can take to achieve the goal of becoming a web administrator or webmaster. In general, high school students take English and Algebra courses as part of their core curriculum. For those students that are interested in pursuing a web administration career, computer science and programming classes are critical. Aspiring webmasters should develop disciplined study habits, take a well-rounded curriculum, and sharpen their communication and interpersonal skills (WEBMASTER 2003, October).

Students can transfer the skills they have acquired from their online social networking web sites to prepare for their future. I have visited many student web pages and, have discovered highly technical and artistic expressions created by students as young as 15 years old. These web pages give students a voice that is often not heard by many adults. The time has come to provide an open door of opportunity for those that have the potential.

Most high school students are computer savvy and may think that college is not necessary. In order to be considered for a well paying position, a college degree is often necessary. College graduates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, information science, or management information systems (MIS) should enjoy favorable prospects, particularly if they have supplemented their formal education with practical experience. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Handbook, 2008-09 Edition).

Employers generally require at least a two-year technical institute diploma or university degree in computer science, computer programming, or computer graphic design along with at least two years of experience with World Wide Web technologies (WEBMASTER 2003, October).

Webmasters are responsible for all technical aspects of a Web site, including performance issues such as speed of access, and for approving the content of the site. Internet developers or Web developers, also called Web designers, are responsible for day-to-day site creation, and design (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Handbook, 2008-09 Edition).

The working conditions of a web administrator vary from one employer to the next. Currently most businesses and corporations have a web page on the internet. Employers have realized that web design and administration positions are important in the marketplace. Large corporations may expect the web administrator to strategize with the senior management team on goals and objectives for the company. Typically, these goals and objectives will help shape the content of the company’s web site. A small company may require the web administrator to create and develop the actual web site. Duties usually include coding the text, designing the graphics, marketing and promoting the site, maintaining and updating pages and hyperlinks, and reporting on the site’s usage (WEBMASTER 2003, October).

Robert Half International, a firm providing specialized staffing services, noted the following salary ranges for computer-related occupations in their 2007 Salary Guide:

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Handbook, 2008-09 Edition).

The chart above describes the potential