Want to be an Information Technology Specialist for the Government?

Information Technology Specialist

Would you be interested in:

• Planning and coordinating the installation, testing, operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance of hardware and software systems.
• The planning, analysis, design, development, testing, quality assurance, configuration, installation, implementation, integration, maintenance, and/or management of networked systems used for the transmission of information in voice, data, and/or video formats.
• Ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems, networks, and data through the planning, analysis, development, implementation, maintenance, and enhancement of information systems security programs, policies, procedures, and tools.
• The design, documentation, development, modification, testing, installation, implementation, and support of new or existing applications software.
• The planning, development, implementation, and administration of systems for the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of data.

What you need to know:

IT Specialists typically have a degree in Computer Science, Information Science, or Information Systems Management or they may have a degree in a field such as Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research or Engineering where there is a heavy concentration of computer science/information science coursework. Candidates may also qualify based on experience in the Information Technology field.
Listed below are examples of the kinds of courses they would expect to see listed in the transcript of someone who applies for either a IT specialist or computer scientist position.

• C Programming
• Introduction to UNIX
• Database Management Systems
• C++ and Elementary Data Structures
• Object Oriented Technology
• Microcomputer Applications
• Information Systems Development
• Introduction to COBOL
• Introduction to Discrete Structures
• Data Structures
• Database Design and Applications
• Software Design and Development
• Software Testing
• Software Engineering
• Human Factors in Software Development
• Computer Organization
• Logic Design of Digital Systems
• Digital Signal Processing
• Communication Systems
• Communication Networks
• Network Administration
• UNIX Systems Administration
• Internet and Other Networks
• Internet/Intranet Development
• Data Encryption and Security

To learn more about being an IT Specialist in the government follow this link.

Military Skills Translator

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VA for Vets offers a new tool, the Military Skills Translator, which helps veterans translate their skills, experience and training into potential civilian opportunities that match your capabilities.

Your military experience can be translated in the click of a button! Simply provide your service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard), pay grade and job title to find out the equivalent civilian job matches. (Note: Any and all results do not mean you are automatically qualified for the position. Qualifications assessments are left up to the relevant hiring authority).

Use the Military Skills Translator, https://mst.vaforvets.va.gov/mst/va/mos-translator, and get your job search started today!

Happy Father's Day!

The idea of Father's Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Father's Day celebration, June 17, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane's mayor because it was the month of Smart's birth. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Father's Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

How Many Fathers?

70.1 million

Estimated number of fathers across the nation in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available.
Source: Unpublished data from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation

24.4 million

Number of fathers who were part of married-couple families with children younger than 18 in 2012.

--21 percent were raising three or more children younger than 18 (among married-couple family households only).

--3 percent were a subfamily living in someone else's home.

Source: America's Families and Living Arrangements <http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2012.html> Tables FG1 and FG3

1.96 million

Number of single fathers in 2012; 16 percent of single parents were men.

--Nine percent were raising three or more children younger than 18.

--About 44 percent were divorced, 31 percent were never married, 20 percent were separated, and 5 percent were widowed.

--42 percent had an annual family income of $50,000 or more.

Source: America's Families and Living Arrangements <http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2012.html> Table FG6.

 Thinking of You, Dad

7,368

The number of men's clothing stores around the country (as of 2010), a good place to buy dad a tie or shirt.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS code (44811), <http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

15,542

The number of hardware stores (as of 2010), a place to buy hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers and other items high on the list of Father's Day gifts. Additionally, there were 6,764 home centers across the country in 2010.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS codes (444130) and (444110), <http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

21,418

Number of sporting goods stores in 2010. These stores are good places to purchase traditional gifts for dad, such as fishing rods and golf clubs. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS code (451110), <http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

79.1 million

The number of Americans who participated in a barbecue in 2010. It’s probably safe to assume many of these barbecues took place on Father's Day. Source: GFK Mediamark Research and Intelligence as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012, Table 1240.

http://www.gfkmri.com

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab

Stay at Home Dads

189,000

Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2012. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for at least one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wife works outside the home. These fathers cared for upward of 369,000 children. Source: America's Families and Living Arrangements <http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2012.html> Tables FG8 and C3

18%

In spring 2011, the percentage of preschoolers regularly cared for by their father during their mother's working hours.
Source: Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011
<http://www.census.gov/hhes/childcare/data/sipp/2011/tables.html>

 

Child-Support Payments

$1.9 billion

Amount of child support received by custodial fathers in 2009; they were due $3.5 billion. In contrast, custodial mothers received $19.5 billion of the $31.7 billion in support that was due.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2009 

<http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p60-240.pdf>

34%

Percentage of custodial fathers who received all child support that was due in 2009, not significantly different from the corresponding percentage for custodial mothers, 42 percent. Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2009 

<http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p60-240.pdf>

70%

Percentage of custodial fathers receiving noncash support, such as gifts or coverage of expenses, on behalf of their children. The corresponding proportion for mothers was 58 percent. Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2009 

<http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p60-240.pdf>