Computer Systems Programmer/Analysts

In the 1940s, computers were so big that they easily filled entire warehouses and were only used for government projects.

Semiconductor technology led to smaller and less expensive computers, allowing businesses to adapt computers to their needs. Today, computers are everywhere.

The need for systems programmer/analysts grew out of the proliferation of hardware and software products on the market. While many offices have an unofficial "computer expert," whose main job may be in accounting, word processing, or office administration, most medium size to larger companies that have invested in expensive computer systems have found the need to employ, either full time or on a consulting basis, a systems analyst or programmer analyst.

In addition, the computer revolution brought with it awareness that choosing the appropriate system from the start is crucial to business success. Purchasing decisions are based on many complicated scientific and mathematical models as well as on practical business sense. Therefore, systems analysts have become essential to business decision-making.

Businesses and organizations also discovered that, like all new technology, computer systems break down a lot. It has become more cost effective for many organizations to have full-time systems analysts on-site instead of calling computer repairers to fix every small glitch.