Career Options

Example Organizations

Top companies in the technology industry include large corporations such as Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Verizon, IBM, Adobe, AT&T, Uber, Intel, Google,and Samsung. However, many people have technology jobs in companies and organizations that are not in the tech industry. 

Business Development 

Alliances and partnerships between and among sites are one of the driving features of online business. Business development professionals identify new partners and maintain relationships in addition to, negotiating and closing deals. For example, in a large technology firm (e.g., Google), a business development professional would research social media start-ups to identify potential candidates for collaboration.  The department then collects information about the candidate company and its technology, and prepares a report for further review. Ultimately, the representative would then manage the relationship building process with the candidate company. (Firsthand Career Guide to Internet and Social Media).   

Corporate Finance

Corporate finance professionals in technology manage the company’s finances as well as its legal relationships with investors, creditors, and employees.  Their roles typically involve financial modeling, planning and results reporting, budgeting, mergers and acquisitions, overseeing initial public offerings, and other financial business functions.   

Marketing

Technology marketing associates conceive and execute advertising campaigns and product launches in the virtual and physical worlds and play a key role in building a company’s brand.  This can also entail driving market and competitive intelligence, doing pricing analyses, demand planning, and product development.  For social media platforms, websites, and search engines, marketing professionals work to create greater value for advertisers by developing marketing materials and strategies to help them engage in more cost-effective and successful practices. An understanding of search engine marketing and online advertising is beneficial. 

Operations

Operations professionals are responsible for developing and implementing best practices to improve business processes in various areas within a technology company, including client interaction, sales and services, marketing, and product development. Problem-solving skills, strategic planning skills, and the ability to analyze and present growth and performance metrics are valuable competencies in operations. 

Product Management 

Product managers are in charge of the logistics of a product or product family from its inception to release, guiding products through the execution cycle, with focus on analyzing, positioning, packaging, promoting and tailoring solutions to the markets where the company does business. Because product management is involved with each stage of the product life cycle, it requires working relationships across multiple domains, including development, programming, and marketing. Product managers determine what service or product they'll sell to the end user, then help develop it.  Products may include mobile devices and applications, wireless services, computers and tablets, or software. Product managers need to understand the functionality and physical components of the technology they manage. This position generally requires an MBA or similar experience with another company, preferably in networking or data communications.   

 Project Management

Successful project management is increasingly vital to all organizations, driven by the demands of global competition, rapid technological growth, and faster time to market. (Fundamentals of Technology Project Management).  It is the process of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals in scientific or daily problems. In other words, the project manager's job is to ensure that the various pieces of a multimedia puzzle— a website, for example—stay on track. This means ensuring that the creative, technical, and business people are all in sync and on track to deliver a product or solution in the necessary timeframe. A project manager usually has substantial experience on the business or design side of a company.

Global Opportunities

The technology industry is highly globalized and most large U.S. tech companies have offices worldwide and source applicants from all locations.