Applications Software Developers

• Prepare data for analysis.
• Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
• Develop testing routines or procedures.
• Design software applications.
• Develop performance metrics or standards related to information technology.
• Modify software programs to improve performance.
• Analyze project data to determine specifications or requirements.
• Apply mathematical principles or statistical approaches to solve problems in scientific or applied fields.
• Monitor computer system performance to ensure proper operation.
• Provide recommendations to others about computer hardware.

• Using e-mail.
• Sitting.
• Working with a group or team.
• The importance of being accurate or exact.
• Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
• Meeting strict deadlines.
• Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
• High levels of competition.

• Computer Programming, Specific Applications
• Computer Programming/Programmer, General
• Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation

• Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians
• Computer Programming
• Computer Software and Media Applications

Enrolling in a community college can be a great place to start your four-year degree. While all 31 Minnesota State community colleges, technical colleges and universities offer all or part of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (a 40-credit package of general education courses accepted for transfer to other state colleges and universities, the University of Minnesota, and some private colleges and universities), not all two-year colleges offer degrees intended to transfer to a four-year bachelor's degree.

If you plan to transfer to obtain a four-year bachelor's degree, it is important to know which degree path is right for you:

• Associate of Arts (AA) degrees offered at community colleges are designed to transfer into liberal arts four-year majors.
• Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degrees offered at community and technical colleges transfer into specific four-year majors and will likely require completing additional general education courses at a university.
• Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees offered at technical and community colleges are not designed to transfer. They lead to immediate entry into the workplace.
• Diplomas and certificates offered at technical colleges are not designed to transfer. They lead to immediate entry into the workplace.

Talk to a transfer specialist as early as possible to determine the best associate degree for your goals. Be sure to review your Degree Audit Report (DARS) each semester to best prepare for transfer. Get more help understanding transfer using the tools below.

• Visit Transferology to see if your courses will transfer.
• Search Articulation Agreements to find formal transfer agreements between schools.

• Programming Computers —Writing computer programs for various purposes.
• Evaluating a System or Organization—Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
• Troubleshooting—Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Understanding a System or Organization—Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
• Making Decisions—Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Solving Complex Problems—Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Mathematics—Using mathematics to solve problems.

• Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology—Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Design—Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Telecommunications—Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Administration and Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Personnel and Human Resources—Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

• Investigative—Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic—Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

• Computer Programmers
• Systems Software Developers
• Software Quality Assurance Engineers
• Web Developers
• Computer Network Architects
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Security Analysts
• Database Administrators
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• Computer Systems Engineers/Architects

• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Publishing Industries (except Internet)
• Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
• Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
• Management of Companies and Enterprises

• Computer Programmers
• Systems Software Developers
• Software Quality Assurance Engineers
• Web Developers
• Computer Network Architects
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Security Analysts
• Database Administrators
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• Computer Systems Engineers/Architects