Popular Technology Degrees

Make a Career of Convergence Technology

February 13, 2007
by Mary Hobson
Technology Schools Columnist

We increasingly hear about convergence technology and how it's impacting the entertainment world--namely, how different devices can work with one another to let you download Internet videos on your cell phone or beam content from your PC to your TV. But what about convergence in the world of business? The combination of telecommunications and computing bought us the Internet, but what else is new?

Technology Schools Offer Communications Tools

Now we are at the stage where the combination of computing and mobile telephony has become an accepted part of information technology. Some IT degree programs even offer career training remotely. It's their tech-savvy students who are leading the charge for the next wave of information technology convergence.

Telephony has already begun to merge with the Internet so that you can access voicemail on your computer. Extension dialing and emailing Blackberry-style will become commonplace, at an acceptable cost. You'll be able to access documents, schedules and important information through Internet-based links, and process them as you travel with more sophisticated telephones and hand-held devices.

Information Technology Degrees

Getting to know more about this technology is essential if you are interested in a career in IT. Information technology jobs will increasingly demand knowledge of all areas of convergence, and you will find that IT degrees include communications as an integral part of their programs now. Your education dictates the kind of career you can build, so choosing the right technology school and degree program is very important.

Information technology is changing rapidly, and in order for you to be able to have a continuing career in information technology you need to be sure that you have all the basic skills. You can then use these as a foundation for the acquisition of the new skills that changing technologies demand.

Sources

• CNN Business Technology, "Productivity: The everywhere office"
• CNN Business Technology, "Voice communication: A flexible presence"
• Washington State University, "Macro Environment and Telecommunications"

About the Author
Mary Hobson is the Head of IT School at a Polytechnic in New Zealand. She also works as a freelance writer.