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Support Professionals provide technical assistance, support, and advice to individuals and organisations that depend on information technology. They work within organisations that use computer systems, for computer hardware or software vendors, or for third-party organisations that provide support services on a contract basis, such as help-desk service firms.
Support professionals respond to inquiries from their organisations' computer users and may run automatic diagnostics programs to resolve problems.
Web designers are typically responsible for the visual appearance of websites, navigation and general construction. On the other hand Web developers are responsible for the technical aspects of Web site creation. Using software languages and tools, they create applications for the Web. They determine the information that the site will contain and how it will be organised, and may use Web development software to integrate databases and other information systems e.g. online payment.
Network and computer systems administrators design, install, and support an organisation's computer systems. They are responsible for LANs, WANs, network segments, and Internet and intranet systems. They work in a variety of environments, including large corporations, small businesses, and government organisations. They install and maintain network hardware and software, analyse problems, and monitor networks to ensure their availability to users. These workers gather data to evaluate a system's performance, identify user needs, and determine system and network requirements.
Computer programmers write programs. After computer software engineers and systems analysts design software programs, the programmer converts that design into a logical series of instructions that the computer can follow. The programmer codes these instructions in any of a number of programming languages, depending on the need.
Computer programmers also update, repair, modify, and expand existing programs. Some, especially those working on large projects that involve many programmers, use computer-assisted software engineering (CASE) tools to automate much of the coding process. These tools enable a programmer to concentrate on writing the unique parts of a program.
Database administrators work with database management software and determine ways to store, organise, analyse, use, and present data. They identify user needs and set up new computer databases. In many cases, database administrators must integrate data from old systems into a new system. They also test and coordinate modifications to the system when needed, and troubleshoot problems when they occur. Because many databases are connected to the Internet, database administrators also must plan and coordinate security measures with network administrators.