What does IT stand for? Complete guide to understanding IT

IT stands for “Information technology” and is the use of any computers, storage, networking, and other physical devices, infrastructure, and processes to create, process, store, secure, and exchange all forms of electronic data.
If you’re looking to get a grip on what information technology is and the other aspects of this topic, then you’ve come to the right place. I have done the necessary excavation to create this beginner’s guide to the field. Let’s get started!!

What is Information Technology?

IT is the most common acronyms; still, few know what this field is all about. In a common man’s word, this is a study which covers the use of computer systems. Maybe that is why IT has become a synonym of computers for a common man. However, IT has many more things to offer and is not just limited to the boundaries of the computer system. It is used to study the use of variable systems, such as telecommunications.

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary,

 Information Technology is “the study or use of electronic equipment, especially computers, for storing, accessing, analyzing and sending information”.

When the term IT was first used?

The telephone was created by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.  All such emerging technologies that led to big advances in the information technology field.

Merriam-Webster states that the term was first used in 1978.

Computers existed before 1978, but they were mainly used to perform complicated calculations. Once computers were applied to indexing and sorting written information, the term “information technology” was invented.

History of Information Technology

Information technology is known as long as people have been around because there have always been ways of communicating through technology available then. IT is a rapidly evolving field, and anyone choosing a career in information technology should expect to encounter change regularly. IT staff often retrain as new technology arrives and older systems are retired. A brief review of the history of IT will illustrate how much the field has changed in a relatively short period.

4 main ages divide up the history of information technology. Only the latest age (electronic) and some of the electromechanical age affects us today, but it is important to learn about how we got to the point, we are at, with technology today.

Ages

1. Pre-mechanical

The pre-mechanical age is the earliest age. It can be defined as the time between 3000B.C. and 1450A.D. I am talking about when humans first started communicating.

Now that people are writing a lot of information down, they needed ways to keep it all in permanent storage. This is where the first books and libraries are developed. You’ve probably heard of Egyptian scrolls which were popular ways of writing down information to save.

 

2. Mechanical

The mechanical age is when we first start to see the connections between our current technology and its ancestors. This age can be defined as the time between 1450 and 1840. A lot of new technologies are developed in this era as there is a large explosion in interest in this area.

 

3. Electromechanical

Now we are finally getting close to some technologies that resemble our modern-day technology. The electromechanical age can be defined as the time between 1840 and 1940. These are the beginnings of telecommunication.

 

4. Electronic

The electronic age is when we currently live in. It can be defined as the time between 1940 and right now.

The capabilities and design of computers developed rapidly through the forties and fifties, with the first office application appearing in 1951.

Future Scope of Information Technology

Wearing victory on the sleeves, Information Technology (IT) offers a promising career. The accepted king of the engineering field, IT is growing enormously with time. However, everybody is aware of the fact that this stream is not devoid of challenges.

Undoubtedly, a student with a degree today either a Master’s or Bachelor’s in IT can get a job easily, but what about tomorrow. So, following a rule of thumb – “explore things before finalizing”. Choosing this field has to deal with many things like the infrastructure, development, storage, processing, and networking of devices apart from exchanging various forms of electronic data and its security. Security has become a major threat to the future of IT.

What makes IT a promising choice?

The popularity of IT is due to its potential for improving the lives of the common man. An expression for smart life, Information technology has been the main catalyst to make the existence of the world simpler, smoother, and easier. In the modern world, a man with information has the power to turn the wheels of fortune.

In addition to this, IT also challenges the competence of an individual and motivates them to come up with ideas that can transform the structure of human life. The prodigious role of Information Technology is well reflected in multi-national corporations, large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap businesses that involve management of data, inventory, customer relationships, Information Systems, etc.

Some of the impressive ideas which are passing on the wheels of IT are:

• Social media networking
• Patient portals
• Digital marketing
• Mobile Applications
• Website Applications
• Online Shopping Portals
• Internet Banking

Benefits of taking IT Courses

IT helps in expanding one’s ability and identity. People with good communication skills, curiosity to come up with new ideas, and passion to improve their knowledge in the IT industry can get the fast-track in this profession.

The most enticing part of this field is that there is no shortage of job options at both entry-level and expert level, as the IT sector is expanding by a quantum fold.

Here, some of the job profiles served by candidates after attaining a degree in the IT industry have been highlighted:

• Computer Programmer
• Data Analyst
• Web developer
• Software Analyst
• Software engineer
• Information security analyst

These are just a few important positions available for IT students. Once the individual enters the industry, they can find innumerable other job outcomes with whopping remuneration.

Majors in IT

IT sector can be said as a pot of chances that give many opportunities to reach the top in life. The chief strength of this field is that one can reach success by just having some qualities like creativity, self-will to learn new things, the ability to stand firm in any situation, and confidence.

IT people have a lot of scope for their future. Since the technologies and IT sectors are increasing daily, the need for employers is also accelerating. But just reaching the IT field for the sake of a degree and a job won’t give success. Because in the coming future the IT industries do not adopt employers having degrees for a short term course, they need talented and well-experienced employers to do their job.

In-Demand Technology Skills to Learn in 2021

Hunting to get a job and get into tech, but don’t know what skills you need to set up your career? Maximize your marketability by chasing tech skills in demand for the forthcoming! The best part to jump into the world of information technology is, to get a diploma or a degree, either a master’s degree or a research course. I have listed down few demanding courses in the future that an IT aspirant looks for.

• Artificial Intelligence.
• Machine Learning.
• Data Science & Analytics.
• Data Engineering.
• Data Visualization.
• Network and Information Security
• Cloud Computing/AWS.

Conclusion

IT field is in their developing path. There will never be any degrading in its opportunities. IT may be the best field for those searching for self-employment.

Undoubtedly, IT is a stream, which can positively change one’s destiny. There is no shortage of job options for skilled and passionate people in this stream. However, one has to accept the fact that the caliber plays a crucial role in the success of their career. The income depends extravagantly on the ability and experience of the individual in the field. So, look for those fields in IT today where there is a potential for advancement in the future. Because looking at the pace of development in science and technology, it would be much difficult to get hands on it at a later stage.