Candidates who aspire to work as computer systems analysts know they have the potential to earn high wages but will also have many difficult tasks ahead of them, which makes them wonder what is the hardest thing about working as a computer systems analyst. Computer systems analysts are highly trained professionals who are in charge of an organization’s computer system and processes. If that in itself is not a difficult enough task, these professionals have to deal with a lot of things throughout a day. Here are some of the hardest things computer systems analysts will experience as part of their job.
Uninformed Upper Management
Throughout every organization, there are various employees with their responsibilities. The responsibility of upper management is to oversee how the organization is being run and if it’s running as efficiently and profitably as possible. One of the hardest things about working as a computer systems analyst is trying to get upper management to understand what the computer and network system needs to run efficiently and without the fear of outside threats like cybercrimes. Upper management’s main concern is usually making profits and keeping expenses as low as possible. Computer systems analyst have the job of convincing them of the necessity of the expense.
What the System Needs
Another difficult task facing computer systems analysts is identifying and determining the exact requirements a system must satisfy. Every organization is run differently. A healthcare facility is going to need different software than a financial institution, and the computer systems analyst must understand the needs of each company. They need to know the focus and goals of the company and how the system should be set up to meet those goals. An organization may feel that their system only needs certain things, but a computer systems analyst may realize that it needs additional components, such as software or security measures.
Communicating with Many Other Employees
People who know a lot about computers have often been called computer nerds. Many of these computer specialists are more comfortable around computers than people. Computer systems analysts must have good communication and interpersonal skills because their job requires communication with many other people. They need to speak with the user of the computer they’re fixing, and they need to speak with management to relay the work that needs to be done, and they often need to speak with members of the company’s IT department.
Training Computer Users
Often, computer systems analysts are called in to fix a problem created by the user. This might be opening an attachment with malware or even just pushing the wrong button. Despite computers being used in most businesses, there are still many people that consider themselves as computer ignorant. A computer systems analyst has extensive knowledge of computers, computer systems and computer components, but this doesn’t mean that the people using the computers have that same knowledge or even want to have it. It’s often very difficult to teach users what they need to know to keep the computer running effectively and securely. Not everyone is computer-savvy, and it can be difficult to train others on something that comes naturally to the analyst.
Fixing it Partway
While a computer systems analyst can’t fix computer problems with tangible objects, upper management is often satisfied with minimal repairs as long as the system works “better than before”. This can be very frustrating to a computer systems analyst because, as a professional, he or she knows what the system needs and is not satisfied walking away after only fixing it halfway.
Despite the difficult tasks ahead of them, computer systems analysts can rest assured knowing that the more computers and the internet control our professional and personal lives, the more analysts will be in demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that computer systems analysts should see a nine percent increase in job growth from 2018 – 2028. Even though they may experience some difficult things throughout their careers, computer systems analysts can also be assured of good wages and rewarding work.
Related Resource: What Can I Do With a Computer Science Degree?