Computer Network Architects

• Configure computer networks.
• Install computer hardware.
• Install computer software.
• Resolve computer network problems.
• Conduct research to gain information about products or processes.
• Analyze data to identify or resolve operational problems.
• Update knowledge about emerging industry or technology trends.
• Create electronic data backup to prevent loss of information.
• Implement security measures for computer or information systems.
• Install computer hardware.

• Using e-mail.
• Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
• Sitting.
• Working with a group or team.
• The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
• Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
• High levels of competition.

• Computer Engineering, General
• Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
• Network and System Administration/Administrator

• Computer Engineering
• Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
• Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management

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.

• Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Mathematics—Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Understanding a System or Organization—Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
• 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.
• Writing—Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Telecommunications—Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• Design—Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Public Safety and Security—Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

• Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• 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.

• Systems Software Developers
• Applications Software Developers
• Computer Hardware Engineers
• Computer and Information Systems Managers
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Security Analysts
• Database Administrators
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
• Electronics Engineers

• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
• Management of Companies and Enterprises
• Telecommunications
• Administrative and Support Services

• Systems Software Developers
• Applications Software Developers
• Computer Hardware Engineers
• Computer and Information Systems Managers
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Security Analysts
• Database Administrators
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
• Electronics Engineers