Career in Information Technology: Courses, job opportunities & salary offered
Today, there is a wide scope of career and opportunities available for students studying Information Technology. One can opt to work at an aerospace-building organisation or even a food delivering startup based on their interest. 
Apart from industrial and high-risk tasks, every day-to-day activity is now governed and performed through the use of Information Technology (IT). While most people confuse IT courses with computer science the latter is only a component of the complete study. Information Technology is everywhere in our daily lives – from building a spaceship, to delivering food at our doorsteps through the use of applications. In such a scenario, a career in IT is the most relevant and financially rewarding path to follow for students.
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- How to prepare for a career in the IT sector
- Subject list: IT
- Cost involved in studying IT
- Top colleges in India offering IT specialisation courses
- Job Roles, Salary Expectations, Top Recruiters and Future Growth in IT
How to prepare for a career in the IT sector
Students, who study IT in over 4,000 institutes in India, can opt for a wide range of job options across the globe. Students can initiate their education for a head start in the IT sector by opting for computer science in their curriculum. This sets up a strong base for the focused education and training required to be a high-earning IT professional.
To gain admission in public institutes, students of the general category must obtain a minimum of 50 per cent marks and students of the reserved categories must obtain a minimum of 45 per cent marks in their XIIth examination as mandated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Autonomous private institutes can set eligibility criteria of their own and can keep the minimum passing mark as their cut-off.
IT courses that can be pursued at undergraduate and postgraduate levels are
- Bachelor of Engineering (BE)
- Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech)
- Bachelor of Science (B.Sc)
- Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA)
- Masters in Engineering (ME)
- Masters in Technology (M.Tech)
- Masters in Science (M.Sc)
- Masters in Computer Application (MCA)
Following are the eligibility criteria set by IT colleges for the above IT courses
- For BE/B.Tech, BCA, and B.Sc in IT, students must have passed their XII in Science stream or equivalent examination from a recognised board or university. Electing for Computer Science in the stream is desirable
- For M.Tech in IT, students must have obtained their B.Tech/BE or MSc or any other relevant degree from a recognized Board or University
- For MCA and M.Sc in IT, the students must have obtained their Bachelor's degree of minimum three years duration in the IT courses of BCA or B.Sc. with Mathematics as a course at 10+2 level or undergraduate level
- Apart from the abovementioned eligibility criteria, the students can opt to write entrance examinations. Some common entrance examinations whose pass mark is accepted in IT colleges are – WBJEE JECA (West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination for MCA), MAH MCA CET (Maharashtra MCA Common Entrance Test), BITS MCA Entrance Test, and NIMCET.
Subject list: IT
Information Technology as a study is a specialised section of the undergraduate and postgraduate courses mentioned above so the subject list might vary from course to course, but the core subjects remain similar. The topics covered in IT colleges are:
- Operating Systems
- Computer Architecture & Organization
- Software Engineering
- Object-Oriented Programming
- Data Warehousing and Mining
- JAVA Programming and Website Design
- Data Structures
- Foundations of Computer Systems
- Design and Analysis of Algorithms
- Database Management Systems
- Multimedia Applications
- Electronics
- E-Commerce and ERP
- Computer Networks
- Engineering Mathematics
Cost involved in studying IT
The average cost that will be incurred by students to complete their three-year full-time undergraduate programme specialising in Information Technology is in the range of Rs 2.40-3 lakh in total. The average cost for an IT postgraduate programme is in the range of Rs 2.2-3.2 lakh. Diploma courses cost lesser than their full-time UG and PG counterparts.
Apart from this fee, the students have to pay for their living expenses separately (hostel fee, canteen fee, transportation fee, etc).
Top colleges in India offering IT specialisation courses
India is the heartland for Information Technology, and as such has many reputed and renowned colleges that offer this specialization course. The top IT colleges in India are:
| Name |
Annual Fee (in Rs lakh) |
|---|---|
| SRM Engineering College, Kanchipuram |
10 |
| 6.45 |
|
| 3.19 |
|
| Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University |
9.34 |
| Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad |
6.04 |
| 3.5 |
|
| Shaheed Udham Singh College of Engineering and Technology (SUSCET), Mohali |
2.5 |
Job Roles, Salary Expectations, Top Recruiters and Future Growth in IT
The IT sector generates the most jobs in today’s market and these jobs help set up an organization, and also regulate its day-to-day operations. An IT professional can start his/her career by assuming these job roles –
- Database administrators
- Junior programmer
- Software developer
- Data analyst
From these roles, the IT professional can climb the ladder fairly quicker than most other professional counterparts. Listed below are the job roles that are given to IT professionals and their corresponding salaries
| Role |
Average Annual Salary (in Rs lakh) |
|---|---|
| Software Engineer |
3.65 |
| IT Administrator |
4.9 |
| Project Manager |
9.7 |
| IT Business Consultant |
10.2 |
| Senior Software Programmer/Developer |
8.1 |
| Systems Development |
5.8 |
The top recruiters in the IT sector in India are:
- WIPRO
- TCS
- Cognizant
- IBM
- Tech Mahindra
- Infosys
- Accenture
- Oracle
- Amazon
Although having a job in the booming IT sector rarely has cons for someone who has become successful, yet there are a few demerits to be aware of:
- Time restraint: Most tasks will have rigid time restraints that one must follow
- Reduced leisure time: IT professionals experience a loss in leisure time because of a duopoly of work pressure and time restraint of the tasks
- Initial low remuneration: Since IT is a job wherein one has to constantly learn and upgrade their skills, freshers do not possess all the requisite skills to perform most tasks in time and efficiently, therefore their salaries at the beginning are lesser than in other professions.
Apart from the above-mentioned demerits, the future is bright for the IT sector because of the realization of the Artificial Intelligence idea. The technology required to run every task for this new development is developed by the IT sector. And with greater dependence on machines for every physical job, developers and programmers will be in high demand for years to come. It is truly an exciting time to be a part of this ever-growing industry.