Computer-Assisted Career Decision Making - Essay Example

Running head: Computer ethics Student name: Student number: Course title: Lecturer: Date: Part A Introduction In today’s world, computers play a vital role in everyday life. It is used in many industries which include medicine, telecommunication systems, entertainment and many other areas. Other people who are concerned with the development of the applications used by computers make beneficial contributions to these areas (Forester, & Morrison, 2004). To make sure that these professionals make contributions which are of great benefit to the society, they must contribute to a responsibility to deliver what is beneficial to the society and not things which will bring harm to the people who will be using the applications they have developed. They have the responsibility to make sure the IT profession is respected by all the other disciplines. They have the responsibility of promoting an ethical approach in their practice of their professions. The topic of ethical issues cuts across all the progressions that are taught. Every professional must be taught on how to address this serious issue of ethics. Though every field has their own way of dealing with technical fields, there is a growing concern for the IT professions which, though it has no clear code of conduct set, is fast gaining popularity and is a bother for many companies (Stamatellos, 2007). Given the fact that IT professionals have access to vital data in the databases they keep, and also by the virtue of the work they do, there is need to address these issues of ethics in the field of IT. Their power to access the company system can bring drastic and undesirable results if not well tamed. There should be a code of conduct for these professionals so that whatever they do is tenable and should be in the good of the company. The sad thing is that there are no standardized policies that have been developed. There are many organizations which are coming up and are concerned with the developments of computer ethics which should be adhered to by the IT professionals. One other blow to these efforts is the fact that there is no requirement for one to join these organizations; this could make all the effort to be futile (Morrison, & Forester, 2000). Many ethical issues that entail the IT professionals today concerns more ion the privacy and some of the examples include the fact that, like Joe in the example, someone has the right to do something but instead uses that right to access and do tasks he is not entitled to (Barger, 2008). This example is a difficult one because there are many issues that come up in this scenario: should the IT staff be shown how to do some tasks? The case of Joe, is it right for him to get access to the system that is used to assign rights and add the time limits for users and students? It could also be argues that it is right for Joe to be taught and use this system because he will act as a backup when the manager concerned is not present. He will be tasked with this role as someone who will be assigning the rights. Another case is that of the right to access the managers’ mails. Is it right for an IT support to read the managers’ mails? This is also an ethical issue of concern that should be looked into. There should be ethics that concern the accessibility of private issues like those of accessing the private information like e-mail messages, photos that have been downloaded, and what is more, the company information that are meant to be read by the managers has been disposed because there is a thin line that separates the IT support staff and the managers. There is real world example like if somewhere in the courts of your working you come across company trade secrets. What will happen if you move out and take these secrets with you? What will happen if the company you are working for is a competitor? Is it better if you print the trade secrets or is it a better sin to rely on your memory in such situations? There is a lot to be denied when dealing with the ethical issues in IT (Johnson, 2008). The ethical theories come in handy when dealing with this topic of ethics in IT profession. There three theories of philosophy that describes how people should be when dealing with ethics. The very first theory is that of Kantianism; it states that what a person feels like doing is much different from what a person feels. Doing what one feels is good is different from doing what should be done. There are distinguishing facts that separates the two feelings of happiness. While most professionals would do what they feel is good, there is a difference from what should be done and also from what is actually right. Kant says that what we determine within the laws we have pre-determined what is right and what is wrong. We should follow these principles to guide the decision to follow good ethics in IT professionalism. Nobody should dictate what we are supposed to do; not even our feelings should dictate what we are supposed to do. IT professionals should be trained so that what they do is because they feel that is the right thing to do. There is also the philosophy of Contractianism which states that humans by nature would feel the need and the urge to help one another. Human beings will, from time to time, feel the need to help one another so that they ease pain and struggle for others. A normal human being will feel the need to help those who are crying for help. The same case with IT professionalism and the observance of ethics, the employees who are tasked with protecting and providing services for the organization should make sure that they protect that organization with all their knowledge so that the data is safe from any harm. In the world of politics, human beings are regarded as animals that are in need of protection at any given time. Politicians believe that we should protect what we have at whatever costs. The theory of utilitarianism also gives a description of what is expected of IT professionals. It is expected that IT professionals follow the ethics that are defined in the ethical theories that have been discussed. The theory of utilitarianism states that the promise of doing well should proceed without change of intent. In case there are changes, the same state of happiness should be maintaine With an increase in the use of computers, there has been a lot of concern on the rise of computer fraud by the IT professionals. There has been therefore the need to have the computer ethics awareness aggressively promoted by organizations targeting the computer users. There has been a lot of attention that has been given to computer ethics by media houses. The computer-related disasters have been the main issue that has given this attention to rise. Computer science has its own problems that are ethical in nature. The field of ethics has therefore been developed to a fields of study for many a professionals. It is therefore important to know that the knowledge of having good ethical judgment is of paramount importance to the professionals in the computing field. given the fact that this is a field which is found in all the fields as computers are used everywhere. A code of ethics to be followed when performing the normal day-to-day activities comes up when an occupation developed itself into a profession. It is becoming very important indeed to make sure that the professionals adhere to the code of conduct when they are performing their duties. The IT professionals should understand their duties and the values they are supposed to keep when they are performing their duties. The main aim of this paper is to bring out the importance of teaching ethics in the field of computing. It argues that all the IT professionals should be informed on the boundaries they are to operate from. They are supposed to keep the data and vital information of the company as one of the utmost secrets. The rules on making promises should be maintained. In conclusion, all professionals should observe ethics in whatever thing they are doing. This is one of the causes of the tragedies that we are experiencing in the world today. Ethics is such an important subject in IT today given the number of systems that have been automated and relies heavily on IT professionals. References: Barger, R 2008, Computer ethics: a case-based approach. Cambridge University Press. Forester, T, & Morrison, P 2004, Computer ethics: cautionary tales and ethical dilemmas in computing, Massachusetts: MIT Press. Hoven, J 2007, Computer ethics: philosophical enquiry, np. Johnson, D 2008, Computer ethics, Prentice Hall. Morrison, P, & Forester, T 2000, Computer ethics: the framework of a course, Griffit University Press. Stamatellos, G 2007, Computer ethics: global perspective, Jones & Bartlett Learning. Ward, T, & Rogerson, S 2004, Computer ethics and professional responsibility, Wiley-Blackwell. Part B Executive summary The IT field has grown in leaps and bounds. There are many applications that have been developed; thanks to the development of computer programming languages and the simplicity that have been incorporated in them. There are many fields that make a good career for those who have an interest in the IT profession. There are projections that there will be more fields that will be developed and there will also be others which will be dropped as the field continues to develop. With the introduction of cloud computing in most companies, the fields like server managers will be eradicated I n most organizations as the server management will be left for the cloud computing providing companies. Unlike other professions, the IT field is very dynamic and will change from time to time. For those keen on taking any path in this field, they should be well versed with the structures of an IT field and the required knowledge that is needed to attain their ambitions. In this paper, I will explore two career paths that I have been interested in and look at ways in which should do in order to reach these goals. Table of contents Part A 2 Introduction 2 The ethical theories come in handy when dealing with this topic of ethics in IT profession. There three theories of philosophy that describes how people should be when dealing with ethics. The very first theory is that of Kantianism; it states that what a person feels like doing is much different from what a person feels. Doing what one feels is good is different from doing what should be done. There are distinguishing facts that separates the two feelings of happiness. While most professionals would do what they feel is good, there is a difference from what should be done and also from what is actually right. 4 There is also the philosophy of Contractianism which states that humans by nature would feel the need and the urge to help one another. Human beings will, from time to time, feel the need to help one another so that they ease pain and struggle for others. A normal human being will feel the need to help those who are crying for help. The same case with IT professionalism and the observance of ethics, the employees who are tasked with protecting and providing services for the organization should make sure that they protect that organization with all their knowledge so that the data is safe from any harm. In the world of politics, human beings are regarded as animals that are in need of protection at any given time. Politicians believe that we should protect what we have at whatever costs. 5 References: 7 Part B 8 Executive summary 8 Table of contents 9 Computer career 11 Database administrator 11 Responsibilities 11 Competences 12 Computer programmer 13 Qualifications 14 Responsibilities 14 What programmers do 15 What is takes to be a programmer 15 References 16 Computer career There are many careers that have been developed in the computer science field. In this section, I will discuss the two areas that have been my dream for a long time. One of the motivations to become a computer professional is the fact that when I was young, I was amazed and at how electronic engineers were respected because of their ingenuity (Katz, 2002). They could come up with any form of gadgets, or so we thought. I have described two professions that I really wanted to be part of in the sections that follow. Database administrator Organization: United Nations Human Resources Position: Database administrator Vacancy announce number: 10-IST-UNMIT-424620-R-DILI (EAST TIMOR) Deadline for applications: 3rd Sep. 2010 Organizational unit: United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste Duty station: Dili (East Timor) Remuneration The package will depend on the experience that someone has. There will be competitive package and benefits. Responsibilities The database will be responsible for the following duties: i. Develop systems that will be used to collect and analyze data in the organization where the database administrator is stationed to work. ii. Make the existing database systems to auger well with the operations in the whole organization. iii. Make databases that will be used to facilitate donors iv. Participate in the coordination of programs within the organizational unit. v. Make sure that the design and the presentation of the database has monitoring and evaluation part in it. vi. The administrator should make sure that other parties are incorporated and provide a provision for this. vii. Ensure that there is adequate security that is incorporated to it. viii. Participate in the selection of the team to develop the various systems Competences i. Should have hands-on experience in the area of IT, more specifically, they should be well-experienced in designing and developing databases. ii. They should be good in meeting deadlines. They should not wait until when bit is too late to attend to a project. iii. They should have a commitment to promote gender equality so that the issues of women are taken care of in the organization. iv. They should be good in promoting unity in the team they are working in. v. They should be good in both spoken and written English. vi. Have a spirit to listen to others before presenting their own views. Database programming is fast making shape in the current age of Information age. This is where the person concerned controls how the data is flowing. The database programmers are tasked with the responsibility of making sure that the data and the systems that are designed to manage data are working well in any organization (Burns, 2002). Databases do not work independently as they are integrated into the systems. Programmers who do the programming like the ones that have used to manage the human resources and the ones that are used to manage the work well with the database working for these systems. Databases are becoming very useful. Database programmers are searched by many because of the popularity of data systems. There are a lot of systems that are being developed so that databases are the heart of every organization. Computer programmer Programming (Java programmer) Organisation : World Vision Position: Java programmer Location: Kenya Deadline: 2nd September, 2010 Qualifications i. Should have good knowledge in programming especially Java development. ii. Should be comfortable in developing programs in development environments like JBoss and Eclipse iii. Should be comfortable in using MySQL with Java iv. Should have excellent interpersonal skills v. Should be apt in time management and should meet deadlines. Responsibilities i. The person will be tasked in developing a Web portal using JBoss and the Java portlets ii. He will be developing systems that will be used in the duty station. iii. The person that will be selected will be tasked with developing systems that will integrate well with the database systems in the organization Programming was, and still is, my dream profession when I joined campus. I wanted to program in Java, which I did, though not so much on it, and I loved every bit of experience. One o the things I like with programming is that you have control over the code and you can come up with any system. I had the craziest idea of becoming an operating system programmer; hard things simply amazed me. This is the same reason that made me to do Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in high school yet Physics was an elective. I loved the fact that others revered it as a thing for the Mathematicians. I liked Mathematics as a subject while still at tender age. What programmers do Most programmers write code; this is what is common with all the programmers that we find in the world, ranging from computer games programmers, to operating system programmers. In writing code, they solve problems that have been experienced by the person requiring the code. They are the same people who also develop the algorithms that are to be used in the development of the program (Watcher, & Allen, 2000). Programmers don’t just wake up and program whatever tasks they are given, they first have to write the algorithms and get the solution of the problem that is at hand. What is takes to be a programmer For one to be good in programming, they must show an ability to solve problems that are experienced in the companies. These are commonly the problems that will need automation solutions in the company. They should also be good in calculations, and more importantly, Mathematics and Physics. Programmers should be people who are willing to spend most of their times in analyzing and creating codes. Most of the times are spent behind screens. The programmers and those who are aspiring to be programmers should be prepared for this. References Watcher, J, & Allen, H 2000, Careers in the computer, Barron’s Educational Series. Eberts, M., & Gisler, M. (2006). Careers of computer buffs and other technological types. McGraw-Hill Professional. Burns, K. (2002). Opportunities in computer careers. VGM Career Books. Katz, M. (2002). Computer-assisted career decision making. Routledge. Read More