Computing Fundamentals 1

Introduction to the Profession

Module 003 Introduction to the Profession

At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Have knowledge regarding ICT Career Opportunities
2. Explain the code of ethics for IT professionals
3. Be familiarized with the common applications used by ICT Professionals
4. Discuss ACM membership

Lesson 1: ICT Career Opportunities

It’s very evident that technology in recent years has taken over the economy and our lives.
From the smartphones that we use every day to the more complex machines and operating
systems used in businesses, IT is used everywhere.
And for this reason, the demand for skilled ICT professionals has increased in the past few
years.
This opened up a lot of career opportunities for ICT professionals. These include a variety
of roles and tasks in the field of ICT.
As an ICT student, you should be able to know the different career opportunities in your
field. This can help you set up your goal as you choose your career path in the future.
Here are some of the career opportunities in the field of ICT.

1. Application Developer
An application developer is someone who develops applications for computers. They
basically write computer programs using different programming languages.
Programming languages are tools used by application developers to develop
applications.
An application developer is known by many names, including computer programmer,
system developer, software engineer, and software developer.
They can develop applications for the web, stand-alone PCs, and even mobile devices.
The applications they develop vary depending on the company they are working for.
Some develop business applications and websites, while some develop games.

Figure 1: An Application Developer in Action

Source: https://sdtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/pexels-photo-461146-490x326.jpeg
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Date of Access: August 10, 2018

2. Database Administrator
Database administrators are people who are in charge of a company’s database. A
database is where all the important data and information of a company is stored. This
includes financial information, company strategy, and other important information
about a company.
It’s one of the tasks of a database administrator to keep all these data and information
secured. Part of their task is to maintain and backup databases in case of hardware
failures.

Figure 2: A Database Administrator in Action

Source: https://www.careergirls.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Database_Admin_1920X10180-
550x309.jpg
Date of Access: August 10, 2018

3. Data Analyst
A data analyst is a person in charge of collecting information and data within a
company. These data are then analyzed using specific algorithms to produce useful new
information such as sales numbers and market research. The new information
produced by data analysts can help businesses and organizations to make better
business decisions.

Figure 3: A Database Analyst in Action

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Source: https://www.w3r.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/3-Data-Analyst-Skills-Companies-Want-
You-to-Have.jpg
Date of Access: August 10, 2018

4. Web Developer
A web developer is similar to an application developer. The difference is that a web
developer is focused on websites.
They are responsible for creating and designing web pages. These people are usually
knowledgeable in using scripting languages such as HTML and CSS.

Figure 4: A Web Developer in Action

Source: http://www.createwithimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Tracey_Junior-
Developer_Photo1.jpg
Date of Access: August 10, 2018

5. Network Engineer
A network engineer is someone who is in charge of a company’s computer network.
They make data accessible to all members of an organization using different network
methodologies and techniques. These include local area networks (LANs), wide area
networks (WANs), intranets, and extranets.

Figure 5: A Network Engineer in Action

Source: https://udemy-images.udemy.com/course/750x422/147582_189e_3.jpg
Date of Access: August 10, 2018

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Lesson 2: Code of Ethics for ICT Professionals

The ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) is a well-known organization for

computing professionals. They deliver resources that advance computing as a science and
a profession, enable professional development, and promote policies and research that
benefit society.
An ICT professional’s action can affect society. This can be either in a good or bad way. In
this regard, an ICT professional should be responsible enough for his/her action.
This is the reason why ACM designed the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct -
this serves as a guide on how ICT professionals should ethically use technology.

Figure 6: ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Source: https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics
Date of Access: August 10, 2018

The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct has four parts: general ethical
principles, professional responsibilities, professional leadership principles, and
compliance with the code.

Here is an in-depth discussion of the ACM code of ethics as referenced on their website
https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics.

1. General Ethical Principle

A computing professional should:

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1.1. Contribute to Society and to Human Well-being, Acknowledging that all People
are Stakeholders in Computing
This principle states that as computing professionals, we have an obligation to use our
skills for the benefit of society, the members of society, and the environment surrounding
them.

1.2. Avoid Harm

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should not use our skills to harm
others.

1.3. Be Honest and Trustworthy

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should always be honest. We

should be transparent will our work and give full disclosure of all important system
capabilities and limitations.
We should also avoid making deliberately making misleading claims, falsifying data, and
other misconducts.

1.4. Be fair and take action not to discriminate

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should have respect for others
and observe the value of equality. A computing professional should always be fair.

1.5. Respect the work required to produce new ideas, inventions, creative works, and
computing artifacts.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should give credit to the ideas,
works, and inventions of others. We should respect copyrights, patents, and license
agreements as these are methods to protect other people’s work.

1.6. Respect Privacy

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should always respect the privacy
of other people.

1.7. Honor Confidentiality

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should keep confidential

information and data entrusted to us. These include patents, research data, financial data,
passwords, trade secrets, etc.

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2. Professional Responsibilities

A computing professional should:

2.1. Strive to achieve high quality in both the processes and products of professional
work.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should insist on and support high-
quality work not only from our colleagues but especially ourselves.

2.2. Maintain high standards of professional competence, conduct, and ethical

practice.

This principle states that we should always maintain professional conduct, competence,
and ethical practice as computing professionals. These are the qualities that a high level of
quality of computing depends on.

2.3. Know and respect existing rules pertaining to professional work.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we must always abide by the rules set
by the organization where we are apart. Also, local, national, and even international rules
or laws should be abided by at all times.

2.4. Accept and provide an appropriate professional review.

This principle states that we should always be open about peer reviews and constructive
criticism as computing professionals because this will lead to our growth. We should I turn,
also give constructive and critical reviews of other’s work whenever appropriate.

2.5. Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their
impacts, including analysis of possible risks.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should persevere to be articulate,

perceptive, and objective when presenting, evaluating, and recommending system
descriptions and alternatives.

2.6. Perform work only in areas of competence.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should only work on our areas of
expertise or competence. A computing professional’s ethical judgment will serve as a final
guide if he or she works on a certain project.

2.7. Foster public awareness and understanding of computing, related technologies,

and their consequences.

This principle states that as computing professionals, it is our duty to the community to
share our technical knowledge. The reason for this is for them to understand and have
awareness about computing, it’s benefits, and its consequences.
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2.8. Access computing and communication resources only when authorized or when
compelled by the public good.

This principle states that we should not access another computer, computer system,
software, or data as a computing professional if we are not authorized.

2.9. Design and implement systems that are robustly and usably secure.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should design our system to be
easily utilized by non-technical people, discourage security precautions that are too
confusing, or inhibit legitimate use.

3. Professional Leadership Principles

A computing professional, especially one acting as a leader, should...
3.1. Ensure that the public good is the central concern during all professional
computing work.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should consider that the central
concern for all computing work is the public good. We should keep this focus no matter
which methodologies or techniques they use in their practice.

3.2. Articulate, encourage acceptance of, and evaluate fulfillment of social

responsibilities by members of the organization or group.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should participate in meeting's

relevant responsibilities and discourage the tendency to do otherwise.

3.3. Manage personnel and resources to enhance the quality of working life.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we are considered leaders. As

leaders, we should always make sure that our work enhances and does not degrade our
working life quality.

3.4. Articulate, apply, and support policies and processes that reflect the principles of
the code.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should pursue clearly defined
organizational policies that are consistent with the code and effectively communicate them
to relevant stakeholders.

3.5. Create opportunities for members of the organization or group to grow as

professionals.
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This principle states that as computing professionals, we should create and/or give
opportunities to our team members that will help them improve their knowledge, skills,
and technical specialties.

3.6. Use care when modifying or retiring systems.

This principle states that a computing professional should take proper care when changing
or discontinuing support for system features on which people still depend.

3.7. Recognize and take special care of systems that become integrated into the
infrastructure of society.

This principle states that as computing professionals, we should ensure that appropriate
standards of care exist for systems integrated into society’s infrastructure.

4. Compliance with the Code

A computing professional should...
4.1. Uphold, promote, and respect the principles of the code.

This principle states that a computing professional should always follow and uphold the
code in his/her professional life. The future of computing depends on both technical and
ethical excellence.

4.2. Treat violations of the code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM.

This principle states that we should encourage and support adherence by all computing
professionals regardless of ACM membership as computing professionals.

Lesson 3: Applications of ICT Professionals

An ICT professional is often exposed to a lot of applications as it is part of their day-to-day job.
It is important that you are familiar with the common applications used by ICT Professionals.
Here is a list of some applications used by ICT professionals.

1. Word-processing applications
Word processing applications such as MS Word, Pages, and Writer are just some of the
applications used by an ICT professional when creating documents. You may find one of
these applications installed on every computer in an ICT workplace.

2. E-mail Applications
E-mails have since become a common tool for ICT professionals in sending messages or
files. ICT professionals often use an application in order to handle these. Applications like
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MS Outlook have been commonly used by ICT professionals. It has a lot of features to make
sending and receiving e-mails a breeze.

3. Web-browsers
Internet is something that ICT professionals use in their daily work, whether they are
researching for the current trends in the ICT industry or accessing cloud services like
Dropbox and Google Docs. In accessing the internet, a web browser is used.
A web browser is an application that is used to access the internet. Popular web browsers
include Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

4. Spreadsheet Applications
Spreadsheets are often used by ICT professionals in doing computations. Spreadsheet
applications contain a lot of features that can help ICT professionals. Examples of these
applications are MS Excel, Calc, and Numbers.

5. Presentation Software
Often, ICT professionals use presentation applications when presenting business proposals
to clients or sales reports in the office. Popular presentation software includes MS
PowerPoint, Keynote, and Impress.

6. PDF Readers
One purpose of ICT is to minimize the use of paper. This is to avoid stacks of paper in the
office and, most importantly, to help save the environment. In order to do this, the most
important files within a company or any organization are in PDF format.
A PDF or Portable Document Format is a file format that produces an electronic image of
text and/or images similar to a printed counterpart. This file is usually transmitted and
copied digitally.
A PDF reader allows a computer to read PDFs. Adobe reader is just one of the most
commonly used PDF readers by ICT Professionals.

7. Anti-viruses
Computer viruses and other threats are some of the problems that an ICT professional may
encounter. That is why having anti-virus software installed is something that an ICT
professional use. These kinds of applications help prevent a computer from being damaged
by any kind of computer viruses.

Lesson 4: ACM Membership

As mentioned in Lesson 2, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) is a well-known

organization for computing professionals.
As a student in ICT and a future ICT professional, being a member of the ACM will provide
you with a number of benefits. Here are just some of them.

Benefits of ACM Membership

1. ACM has offered online resources for learning materials; this includes online courses
targeted toward essential IT skills and popular certifications; online books & videos
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from Skillsoft®; online books from Safari®, Morgan Kaufmann, and Syngress; videos
and webinars on hot topics, presented by today’s innovators.

2. You will have the option to subscribe to the full ACM Digital Library, which includes
over 2 million pages of text

3. A subscription to some of ACM’s Magazines and Journals.

4. Special discounts and access to valuable products and services through the ACM’s
Insurance and Discounts and Special Offers program.

Joining ACM
As mentioned above, becoming an ACM member has a lot of benefits. To join ACM, all you
have to do is go to the website https://www.acm.org/membership/join

Figure 7: ACM Webpage

Source: https://www.acm.org/membership/join
Date of Access: August 10, 2018

There is an available online form that you need to fill out in order to become a member.
Although there is a small fee, students have discounts when joining ACM.

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References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Jain, R.K. (2015). IT Tools and Business Systems. Delhi, India: Khanna Book
Publishing
2. McFedries, P. (2016). My Office 2016. Pearson Education
3. Rich, J.R. (2017). Working in the Cloud: Using Web-Based Applications and Tools to
Collaborate Online. Indianapolis, Indiana: QUE Publishing

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. ACM Membership Benefits. https://www.acm.org/membership/membership-
benefits Date of Access: August 10, 2018

2. ACM Code of Ethics. https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics. Date of Access: August

10, 2018

Online Instructional Videos

1. Why I joined ACM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHIbT0e7LTc Date of
Access: August 10, 2018
2. IT Careers: Which one is for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD5MFJWpYo0 Date of Access: August 10,
2018
3. Types of IT Jobs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZXZy4gWWS0 Date of
Access: August 10, 2018

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