Computer, Technology, & Data Career Field

Two students working hands on a piece of technology

The field of Computer, Technology, & Data is growing as computers have become prevalent in today’s world. Research done by CompTIA found that Minnesota is home to 142,000 tech workers and is expected to grow over the next decade. In addition to tech, positions requiring data analysis skills are also on the rise. A recent survey sponsored by the American Statistical Association found that over the past five years, nearly two-thirds of organizations (65%) increased the number of positions requiring data analysis skills and more than half (59%) expect to increase the number of positions at their organizations over the next five years. If you have an analytical mindset, this field may be a good fit for you.Technology and data professionals can be found in most sectors and industries such as government, healthcare, education, and business. People with strong analytical skills who enjoy working with computers and electronic technology are a good match for this field. Some positions may require a specific degree such as computer science or statistics but others may not, as long as you are gaining the skill set needed for the position. Companies in this career field also need professionals with marketing, social media, finance, and human resources backgrounds. Employment opportunities and advancement potential will vary based on your level of education, so it is important to think about whether an advanced degree will be necessary to achieve your career goals. This career field requires a strong analytical mindset and quantitative reasoning skills.

Click to expand each yellow box below for opportunities in this Career Field!

Use O*NET, a free online database that provides career information including job duties, salary, and job growth information for hundreds of careers to start exploring careers in this field. Read Early Career Profiles to gain insights on how recent graduates are utilizing their degree in Statistics and Watch career profiles of professionals in this field, including UMN alums! For more information, see this list of sample titles to get started:

Computer Programmer

Computer User Support Specialist

Systems Analyst

Data Analyst

Financial Analyst

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialist

Below is a small sampling of organizations and their positions that have recruited CLA students in the past. For a more comprehensive list of job openings, search Handshake, a free database of internship, volunteer, and job postings for UMN students.  

Analyst, Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Analyst, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Fleet Operations Analyst, U.S. General Services Administration

.NET Developer, Minitex

Marketing Analyst, Revlogx

Operating Systems Engineer, Wells Fargo

Application Developer, UnitedHealth Group

Information Architect, Thomson Reuters

Software Development Engineer, Amazon

IT Business Analyst, NEWSCYCLE Solutions

Systems Consultant, Now Micro

Programmer Analyst, CH Robinson

Product Support Specialist, Tripp Lite

Seek out opportunities, such as those listed below, to develop the 10 Core Career Competencies. Analytical & Critical Thinking, Applied Problem Solving, Digital Literacy are especially valued in the Technology, Data, and Analytics career field. 

Internships and Part-Time Jobs

Below is a small sampling of organizations and their positions where CLA students have done internships and part-time jobs in the past. For a more comprehensive, search Handshake, a free database of internship, volunteer, and job postings for UMN students or search for on-campus jobs. As you are looking at opportunities, please keep in mind there are CLA Internship Scholarships you can apply for!

Research Assistant, Species 360

Computer Science Intern, Center for Homicide Research

IT Intern, Avera McKennan Hospital

Research Intern, Minnesota Population Center

Marketing Software Systems Intern, Daikin Applied

eCommerce Assistant, LifeTime Athletics

Software Development Intern, Medtronic

Software Engineering Intern, Target

Big Data Analyst, Joycity Corporation

Healthcare Analytics Intern, Marshfield Clinic Healthcare

Auditing Intern, TADS

Operations Analyst Intern, Optum

Linguistics Tester, Apple

Research Scientist, Pfizer

Electronics Systems Intern, Honeywell

Electrical Process Development Intern, Boston Scientific

Bioinformatics Intern, Be The Match

Site Reliability Intern, Best Buy

Volunteer

The Center for Community-Engaged Learning has advising staff that will help you get connected to one of the 300+ community organizations that match your interests. 

Research

Undergraduate research is valuable for anyone pursuing an advanced degree, especially in this career field. There are many ways to participate in research at the University of Minnesota, so be sure to explore them all.

Join a Student Group

Consider getting involved with a student group. Use the search function to find groups that match your interests. Here is a list of groups that may be of interest to you:

Association of Computing Machinery for Women

mSTEM

oSTEM

Go Abroad

Connect with the Learning Abroad Center!

CLA Career Field Internship Abroad Spotlight | Computer, Tech & Data

Gain experience in Business and deepen cross cultural understanding by interning abroad on a program with business focused curricular and experiential opportunities.

Program: University Study in Australia: University of Sydney

Location: Sydney, Australia

 

This is just one of many internship abroad programs you can engage in through the Learning Abroad Center. Visit the LAC’s Internships Abroad page to learn more about programs where you can gain experience in healthcare or other career fields of interest. 

Other Locations with a strong Tech focus to explore

Study Abroad in Dublin
MSID Programs
 

How to decide which Technology career is for you

Data Science Career Paths: the difference among Data Scientists, Data Engineers and Data Analysts

Data Analyst: Career Path & Qualifications

Job & Internship Search Sites

Handshake - search this free database of internship, volunteer, and job postings for UMN students, you can filter by your career interests to find opportunities that connect with your career goals

Minnesota High Tech Association

Association for Computing Machinery Career & Job Center

Building relationships, also known as networking, is another important strategy, click the "Building Relationships" gray box below for advice for how to approach this!

American Statistical Association Job Web

Talk with and Observe Professionals

Networking can help you explore a career field; start by doing informational interviews which is when you set up a time to have a discussion with people who are in organizations or professions that are of interest to you to ask questions about their career path. Then, find opportunities to observe (or Job Shadow) these professionals at work so you can get a better sense of what that career would be like. Find alumni and professionals to speak with by searching the free to use Maroon & Gold Network which allows students to do highly tailored searches to find alumni and professionals in the community who share their specific career interests. For example, you can browse the network to find individuals who are willing to share insights by industry, college, major, degree type, employer, location and more. You can also find contacts by using the LinkedIn Alumni Tool.

Professional Organizations

Get involved with one or more professional organizations to gain career insights, search for jobs and internships, attend conferences, and/or connect with people in this career field.

Tech professional organizations

American Statistical Association

STATtr@k - a website for new statistics professionals navigating a data-centric world

National Institute of Statistical Sciences

International Statistical Institute

Association for Computing Machinery

 

“In addition to defining your technical skills, it is crucial to get experience working on teams and taking a leadership role. While technical jobs are just that (technical) they also require interpersonal skills to work on diverse teams.” –Magenic, representative

“Update your LinkedIn profile and reach out to companies you want to work for to set up informal networking meetings. Often times leaders are willing to meet with people who show a passion for the company, even if they don't have any current openings.” –Magenic, representative

Below is a list of some CLA courses that may help you explore and/or prepare for this career field. This list is not all inclusive. Please discuss your academic and career interests with your Academic Advisor for guidance.

Computer Applications in Earth & Environmental Sciences, ESCI 3403    

Economics Internship for Academic Credit, ECON 3896

Writing on Issues of Science and Technology, WRIT 3152W

CLA Career Management Courses, including internship reflection courses

You may also want to consider coursework in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science Management, and/or Economics.There is not one major or minor that will prepare you for this field as there are many pathways.

Search for graduate school programs using the Grad School Directory or Peterson's Guide.