Advertisement
Everything that happens at Winona’s Merchants National Bank involves computers — whether it’s keeping track of deposits, withdrawals or commercial lending.
“You name it,” says Kip Bolstad, the bank’s information technology manager. “A lot of our work is doing back up and recovery, business continuity and security.”
Commerce and national defense are built on a foundation of computers and information technology. Retail inventory, order tracking, banking and investments, car engines — even pipefitters rely on computers. Those industries increasingly rely on skilled engineers, technicians and teenagers to keep their computers well adjusted and speaking to one another. Until the next transformational invention comes along, there is going to be a broad range of good paying, computer-related jobs that need filling.
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts rapid job growth for computer support specialists and systems administrators over the next eight years. Three of the 10 fastest-growing occupations will be computer related, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In Minnesota, computer-related jobs are expected to grow at triple the rate of the overall market.
That’s why Bolstad not only rides herd on information at his job, but also tries to rustle up skilled computer workers at Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, where he serves on the advisory committee for the computer and information technology program.
“The whole IT thing is geared to everything today,” said Mike Haney, regional manager of the Minnesota Workforce Center in Winona.
Computer-related employment in Southeast Minnesota is expected to outpace the statewide growth. With the increase in jobs, a shortage of qualified workers will keep wages high and rising, according to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.
In Southeast Minnesota, computer systems analysts now earn a median wage of $28.90 an hour, and those jobs are expected to grow 42 percent by 2014. Support specialists in the region make $19.52 an hour. That industry should grow by 32 percent.
Steve Rudnik helped develop a computer program at Southeast Tech in 1999.
His son, who is 25, began using computers in fourth grade. Today, computers can be found at every level of elementary education.
“The fear of dealing with technology is gone,” Rudnik said.
In 2000, the program’s first year, only five of 20 new computer majors had ever taken the case off of a computer to work on it. Last year, 22 of 24 new students had delved inside their computers.
“Today’s students are more computer savvy. The mystique and fear of computers is different than five years ago,” Rudnik said.
Schools like Southeast Tech work to meet the need for entry level workers in an ever-changing field, but they aren’t training enough to meet future needs. This year, there are about 24 first-year students in the computer program and about 18 second-year students.
“We’re driven to the future, what (jobs) are going to be open in the future,” Rudnik said. “Most of the data on Minnesota and the nation shows we will be driven by shortages in the next 10 years.”
Regional employers such as Fastenal, Winona Health, TRW and Ashley Furniture have hired Southeast Tech computer graduates. Even the FBI has come looking.
In the last five years, the federal agency has hired about a dozen Southeast Tech students for computer-related jobs such as fingerprint recognition and DNA analysis.
Computer data security is an increasing problem and will be one of the job opportunity areas of the future, he said. Coping with security issues has been added to the curriculum for both full-time students and workers who attend classes to upgrade their skills. Small and medium-size businesses at some point will have to improve their own security and their skills dealing with the issue, Rudnik said.
Profile: Self-taught entrepreneur says clients appreciate personal service
There are many ways to build a computer career.
Some go to tech school. Others are trained by their employers. Some are self taught, like Brian Buerck of Buerck’s Computer & Consulting in Winona.
In the early years of the desktop computer revolution, the 1980 Winona Senior High graduate played around with DOS computer code while working in the meat department at Midtown Foods. Later, he helped a local business with its computer system and then decided to take classes to get certifications.
After working six years for Jtech Computers, he bought the company and changed its name. He has operated Buerck’s Computer for three years and lists Goodview, Rushford and Randolf schools among his clients.
His is a do-it-all shop. He sells custom-built computers, sells and sets up servers and network systems, repairs computers and removes viruses and spyware.
“To me, viruses have taken a back seat to spyware and adware,” Buerch says. He not only repairs damage caused by the latest bugs, but he offers software to fight the critters.
Offering personal service is how he strives to differentiate himself from the competition.
“The average person who comes into the store is looking for a face and a name to talk to,” he said. They may buy a cheap mail order computer and not know how to operate the software. By being there to help, he hopes to win future business, he said.
Still, computers have gotten easier to use, are faster and cost less than ever before. People aren’t as afraid to use them, he said.
The downside of the computer age, is that people are losing the ability to connect with each other. Text messaging is not social interaction, Buerck said.
Profile: Students seek out Southeast Tech; employers seek out graduates
Students who graduate from the computer and information technology program at Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical can use their degrees to find jobs in many different fields.
Trevor Rutske ended up at Fastenal. Even before he completed his studies, Caleb Holmstrom found a job at Winona Health.
Rutske was a non-traditional student who worked for 10 years as maintenance engineer for Technical Die Casting in Stockton. A married man with family, the 1994 Winona Senior High graduate got his first computer in 2000 and proceeded to pop the top off and figure out what was under the hood.
His interest led him to Southeast Tech, which then led to a full-time job at Fastenal. There, he solves employee computer crashes, builds machines, and loads and troubleshoots software. He sometimes travels throughout the region working at other Fastenal facilities.
“It has been fantastic. I couldn’t ask for a better computer-related job,” he said. “Southeast Tech introduced me to technologies I didn’t know about and gave me the basics.”
Holmstrom of Zimmerman, Minn., works as a part-time help-desk technician at Winona Health while he finishes his degree. He helps doctors and nurses solve their computer problems. He sees it as an entry-level position with room to advance.
“I saw technology everywhere and saw people putzing with computers, and I thought this could be a fun job,” he said.
Holmstrom is confident about the future. His long-term goal is to be a chief security officer working for a large corporation.
Contact David Krotz at dkrotz@winonadailynews.com or (507) 453-3524.
Percy McChicken wrote on Sep 24, 2006 8:18 PM: