Exploring the career of a comp

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Master's February 2008

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Exploring the Career of A Computer Programmer I. Job Description A. Role of Computer Programmer B. Nature of Work II. Educational Preparation A. High School B. Postsecondary Education III. Potential Earnings A. Lowest Paid B. Average ( Median ) C. Highest Paid IV. Possible Benefits A. Discounts B. Use of Company Equipment V. Possible Liabilities A. Eye Strain B. Back Discomfort C. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome The rapid spread of computers in today's society has bought forth the demand for more people to build, write programs for, and repair computers. Computer engineers do the building while computer analysts do the repairs, but the ones that write the programs for these machines are computer programmers.

Computer programmers write, code, test, and debug detailed instructions for the computer known as programs. Programs list in a logical order the steps a computer must execute to perform their function. Programmers often are categorized as technicians.

However, many technical innovations in programming such as advanced computing technologies, sophisticated new languages, and programming tools, have cahnged the role of a programmer and elevated much of the programming work done today. It is becoming more difficult to distinguish programmers from other computer specialist since job titles shift so rapidly, reflecting new areas of specialization or changes in technology. Job titles and descriptions also may vary depending on the organization. In this paper, "computer programmer" refers to individuals whose main job function is programming; this group has a wide range of responsibilities and educational backgrounds. ( Eberts 12 ) Computer programs tell the computer what to do, such as which information to identify and access, how to process it, and what equipment to use. Programs vary widely depending upon the type of information to be accessed or generated. For example, the instructions involved in updating financial records are very...