The world owes the emergence of the profession of a system programmer (IT administrator, system administrator) to Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, the creators of the analytical machine. The name Ada is a programming language. In the mid-20th century, Konrad Zuse assembled the first computer and wrote programs suitable for it. Let's see what skills a modern system programmer should have, as well as what are his immediate responsibilities and professional standards.
Profession Features
The system programmer is developing various components of a computer system. He builds a multi-level structure that combines individual elements - the operation of the processor, network equipment, RAM into a single whole. This is in fact an engineering activity, but with a creative bias. The development of application programs is not the responsibility of the system programmer, it creates the basis for their smooth operation.
The indisputable advantages of this profession are:
- high demand in the labor market;
- wide opportunities;
- the opportunity to gain knowledge in applied informatics.
There are practically no minuses, except that it is a sedentary and routine work. Since a profession is valued by employers, it means it brings a good income. This is confirmed by salary data for November 2019. In Russia, the salary ranges from 50,000 to 190,000 rubles per month, while in Moscow the cost of a good specialist's services varies from 45,000 to 200,000 rubles.
Skills and knowledge
You must know and be able to apply the principles of building different types of system software, adapt ready-made programs to a specific system. You need to work quickly with Open Source software.Knowledge of physics, mathematics, English, as well as Assembler and C ++ will be useful.
In addition, such knowledge will be required.
- Theories of algorithms and methods of writing formal languages.
- The basics of computer graphics, features of the architectural construction of modern computers, reflecting the management of work.
- Ability to write query and data manipulation languages.
- Ways to describe programming languages, syntax, semantics.
- The principles of operation of operating systems.
- Copyright and Related Rights Act.
- Laws, regulations in the field of circulation, production and application of information technology.
- Labor law.
- Occupational health and safety regulations.
Those who wish to study this specialty should have the ability to think logically, draw conclusions, perseverance, high concentration of attention and the ability to organize work.
Responsibilities
The programmer is faced with a number of common tasks.
- Development of new programs.
- Testing the created program.
- If during the first launch there were defects, the specialist will work on the errors.
- Presentation of the work performed to the director.
- Implementation of software in the organization.
- Adjustment of the source data.
- Creating user instructions.
- Registration of all necessary documents - patent for property and copyrights.
- Monitoring the normal operation of the program, troubleshooting.
- Creation of an electronic version of the bases.
- Information security - installation of antiviruses, passwords.
- Assistance to employees, solving emerging issues.
- Optimization of the internal and global network.
- Restriction of the ability of the company personnel to enter entertainment sites during business hours.
The system programmer’s manual refers to the operational and technical documentation, which describes:
- information for verification;
- ensuring the functioning and configuration of the program.
The full list of works is set forth in the “System Programmer's Guide”, developed and executed in accordance with GOST 19.503-79 and the accompanying GOST 19. 101-77 (“Types of program documents”) and GOST 19. 105-78 (“General requirements for program documents”) .
The manual consists of the following sections.
- General information about the program.
- Structure - components and components, their relationship.
- Customization - lists all the necessary actions in specific cases.
- Verification - methods that establish the health of the program.
- Additional features.
- Messages to a specialist - message texts displayed during product setup.
- Applications - pictures, graphs, tables.
Management points are as follows:
- scope and objectives of the software;
- rules for installing components;
- principles of action;
- system requirements;
- instructions for setting up software;
- periodicity and method of monitoring performance;
- software maintenance procedure;
- ways to solve auxiliary problems;
- work in force majeure situations;
- methods of interaction between installed programs and their copies.
Responsibility
The system programmer is responsible if:
- refused or poorly performed his duties;
- discovered violations during operation;
- the company suffered losses through his fault.
