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Careers in Law for Business

and create a development plan that programmers can use • Network systems and data communications analysts
in the creation of the new software. • Network and computer systems administrators

• Medical records and health information technicians
IT MANAGEMENT CAREERS
• Computer software engineers
Management positions in IT departments include jobs at
all levels of the design, development, implementation, • Database administrators
evaluation, and sales cycles. Product and process managers • Computer support specialists and systems analysts
are responsible for design, development, and production • Computer programmers
of IT hardware and software components. Once the com-
ponents are available for sale, sales managers are responsi- • Information security specialists
ble for placing the product with customers. Once the
Even in an era of outsourcing and offshoring, the IT
customer has the product, network managers, support
managers, and security managers become responsible for industry still provides lucrative, challenging, and interest-
usability, upkeep, and safety. ing career opportunities. Students who acquire the requi-
site education, skills, and industry training can find
Managers and team leaders with extensive experience rewarding careers in all areas of information technology.
may choose to work independently as consultants. Con-
sultants may work for specific consulting organizations, SEE ALSO Information Processing
such as Deloitte & Touche, Gartner, and EDS, or develop
their own contacts and work on specific projects as inde-
Mark J. Snyder
pendent contractors. In an era of IT layoffs, with jobs Lisa E. Gueldenzoph
being outsourced to foreign workers, more and more
skilled IT personnel are choosing the consultant role. This
provides them independence, increased salary, increased
responsibility, and the opportunity to showcase their CAREERS IN LAW FOR
skills. The downside of independent consulting is the lack
of guaranteed work, no corporate-paid benefits, and the BUSINESS
uncertainty associated with getting the next contract. A wide variety of choices are available for a career in law.
However, work and determination are required to com-
plete law school and pass a state bar examination.
OUTSOURCING AND OFFSHORING
A significant trend in the new millennium is the outsourc- To be admitted to law school, students must have
ing of programming, help desk, software support, and completed a bachelor’s degree, although generally without
restriction concerning the choice of undergraduate major.
related services. Workers in such countries as India,
China, Taiwan, and Pakistan are receiving multiyear con- Law students have bachelor’s degrees in business, engi-
tracts to take over these functions for large- and medium- neering, science, history, politics, and many other disci-
sized organizations. The impact of these job losses directly plines.
affects low- and midlevel programmers and support per-
sonnel whose jobs have been sent overseas. Two reasons ENGAGING IN LAW PRACTICE
are routinely given for these job losses: first, significantly The individual states administer the licensing of lawyers.
lower employee salaries and second, the availability of Requirements for attorneys to enter the law field vary
highly skilled and available workforces. Organizations from state to state. Generally, a prospective lawyer must
who outsource these primary functions report mixed pass a state bar examination following graduation from
results. While costs for employees and management are law school. In a very few states, a person is automatically
substantially reduced, response time, customer satisfac- admitted to practice upon graduation from law school. It
tion, and the ability to directly oversee projects appear to is possible for a person to sit for bar examinations and
be lacking. Outsourcing as a management decision will become licensed to practice in more than one state.
undoubtedly continue at least until foreign workers begin The states also control discipline once lawyers are
to demand comparable salary, benefits, and lifestyle.
admitted to practice. Complaints from clients or others
may be made to the state bar, which reviews them and
SUMMARY imposes discipline, if necessary. Discipline may range
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that from fines or suspensions up to disbarment. In many
between 2002 and 2012 the following occupations would states, the state supreme court reviews disciplinary actions
show the most growth in new jobs: imposed upon lawyers.

92 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION