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Computer Systems Engineers/Architects

Design and develop solutions to complex applications problems, system administration issues, or network concerns. Perform systems management and integration functions.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Complete models and simulations, using manual or automated tools, to analyze or predict system performance under different operating conditions.
    • Complete models and simulations, using manual or automated tools, to analyze or predict system performance under different operating conditions.
    • Investigate system component suitability for specified purposes, and make recommendations regarding component use.
    • Investigate system component suitability for specified purposes, and make recommendations regarding component use.
    • Direct the installation of operating systems, network or application software, or computer or network hardware.
    • Monitor system operation to detect potential problems.
    • Identify system data, hardware, or software components required to meet user needs.
    • Perform ongoing hardware and software maintenance operations, including installing or upgrading hardware or software.
    • Verify stability, interoperability, portability, security, or scalability of system architecture.
    • Configure servers to meet functional specifications.
    • Provide advice on project costs, design concepts, or design changes.
    • Establish functional or system standards to address operational requirements, quality requirements, and design constraints.
    • Communicate project information through presentations, technical reports, or white papers.
    • Develop efficient and effective system controllers.
    • Develop application-specific software.
    • Develop or approve project plans, schedules, or budgets.
    • Collaborate with engineers or software developers to select appropriate design solutions or ensure the compatibility of system components.
    • Evaluate existing systems to determine effectiveness, and suggest changes to meet organizational requirements.
    • Perform ongoing hardware and software maintenance operations, including installing or upgrading hardware or software.
    • Perform ongoing hardware and software maintenance operations, including installing or upgrading hardware or software.
    • Research, test, or verify proper functioning of software patches and fixes.
    • Evaluate current or emerging technologies to consider factors such as cost, portability, compatibility, or usability.
    • Define and analyze objectives, scope, issues, or organizational impact of information systems.
    • Communicate project information through presentations, technical reports, or white papers.
    • Communicate with staff or clients to understand specific system requirements.
    • Provide customers or installation teams guidelines for implementing secure systems.
    • Direct the analysis, development, and operation of complete computer systems.
    • Research, test, or verify proper functioning of software patches and fixes.
    • Document design specifications, installation instructions, and other system-related information.
    • Train system users in system operation or maintenance.
    • Develop system engineering, software engineering, system integration, or distributed system architectures.
    • Provide technical guidance or support for the development or troubleshooting of systems.
    • Collaborate with engineers or software developers to select appropriate design solutions or ensure the compatibility of system components.
    • Design and conduct hardware or software tests.
    • Design and conduct hardware or software tests.
    • Evaluate existing systems to determine effectiveness, and suggest changes to meet organizational requirements.
    • Perform security analyses of developed or packaged software components.

    Skills

    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    Abilities

    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    131800/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    63.36/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    17,060
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1500

    Personality

    Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Innovation
    • Adaptability
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity

    Tools

    • Access servers
    • Computer servers
    • Desktop computers
    • Graphics or video accelerator cards
    • High capacity removable media drives
    • Mainframe computers
    • Mobile phones
    • Motherboards
    • Network routers
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Radio frequency RF cable
    • Signal cable
    • Tablet computers

    Technology

    • Access software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Application server software
    • Backup or archival software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Cloud-based management software
    • Clustering software
    • Communications server software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer based training software
    • Configuration management software
    • Content workflow software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base reporting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Data mining software
    • Desktop communications software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Development environment software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Enterprise system management software
    • Expert system software
    • File versioning software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphical user interface development software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Human resources software
    • Industrial control software
    • Information retrieval or search software
    • Instant messaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Internet directory services software
    • Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
    • LAN software
    • Medical software
    • Metadata management software
    • Network conferencing software
    • Network monitoring software
    • Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software
    • Network security or virtual private network VPN management software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Object oriented data base management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Portal server software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Program testing software
    • Project management software
    • Requirements analysis and system architecture software
    • Sales and marketing software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Storage networking software
    • Switch or router software
    • Transaction security and virus protection software
    • Transaction server software
    • Video conferencing software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • WAN switching software and firmware
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software