A Message from Dr. Andy Snow
McClure School of Information and Telecommunication Systems

Dear ITS Student:

The economic recovery is in full swing and we continue to see growth in job opportunities for our graduates. Jobs (and internships) in IT networking groups at major corporations have always been out there, but they seem to be accelerating in numbers lately. In addition, a few product company/ telecom-carriers have also hired ITS graduates. I believe you are majoring in ITS at exactly the right time. The demand is due to a number of factors:

1. The leading edge of the baby boomer generation (born 1946 to 1963) is starting to leave the work force.
2. The country is out of recession and corporate growth and earning are very strong.
3. The convergence of voice/data technologies and business applications is accelerating.

Employment prospects are good because of economics and demographics. The economics deals with the recession ending while the demographics is the shortage of skilled entry level people in telecommunications/networking. The US Department of labor identifies "data communications analysts" and "network administrators" as two of the top ten jobs for college graduates most in demand by 2012.

A group of our faculty visited Progressive Insurance in Cleveland in December. Progressive Insurance, who hires many of our graduates, now has job opportunities in both Cleveland, OH and Boulder, Colorado. In asking our alums at Progressive what should our current students be doing, they overwhelmingly have said:

1. "Take ITS 475 - it is very valuable" (Internet Engineering)
2. "Don't forget to take the voice electives too."  Be sure to talk to your advisor about your electives.