When one decides to become an IT generalist, or information technology generalist, that person needs to plan out how to make this career field work. The career field can stand alone as one's career goal, but the decision to become an IT generalist more often is considered a temporary stop on the route to another type of job in the IT field. People who become IT generalists may go on to work as network administrators, software programmers or database administrators.
An IT generalist typically has some college education. Some jobs require a bachelor’s degree, while others will accept an associate’s degree. Before one decides to become an IT generalist, he should determine whether additional education is necessary. IT generalists also can increase their job advancement and earnings by getting additional training and certification. Some of the certifications are from specific companies and tend to focus on the companies' products, while others are more general.
An employer typically expects a wide variety of tasks from an IT generalist. Such IT workers typically do routine maintenance on office workers’ computers. This maintenance includes both hardware and software installation and troubleshooting problems that employees have with their computers. An IT generalist can expect to do this work as an entry-level employee. People who become IT generalists tend to earn less than those in the higher-ranking jobs to which IT generalists aspire, yet their starting salary still is relatively strong.
Others who work under the “IT generalist” title may perform other administrative duties. For example, they may monitor a company's network and report any problems. Being able to complete these duties will help someone who chooses to become an IT generalist to move into different, often higher-paid positions.
The IT generalist typically reports to an immediate supervisor. With enough experience and educational training, one may move into an IT management position from the IT generalist entry-level job. IT generalists with substantial experience often will work independently, reporting to a supervisor only occasionally.
In the U.S., the federal government is the largest employer of people in computer occupations. Non-software companies are the next largest employers. These companies provide services in fields outside the computer industry, and law offices and insurance companies are examples of these types of employers. The next biggest employers of IT generalists are colleges and software companies. The earnings are not considerably different within any of these fields.
