Information Systems / IT Jobs and MBA Programs in North Dakota

There are plenty of job and employment prospects for computer operations managers in North Dakota. In North Dakota, there are currently 460 jobs for computer operations managers and this is projected to grow by 26 percent to 670 jobs by 2016. Over the next 10 years, the national job pool is projected to rise by 16 percent, short of the state growth for computer operations managers. In general, computer operations managers create and implement information systems for a client firm and supervise their maintenance.

North Dakota photo by Bobak Ha'Eri

State figures show that computer operations managers in North Dakota earn $39 per hour or $80,000 per year on average. In the U.S. as a whole, their income is $57 hourly or $118,000 per year on average.

Nicknamed the Flickertail State, North Dakota is home to 646,844 people. It's population has increased 0.7 percent over the last 10 years. The state capital is Bismarck. There were 498,718 total jobs in 2008 and workers in North Dakota earned more than the previous year with an average annual income of $39,874, up from $36,678. The unemployment rate in North Dakota was 4.3 percent in 2009. It went up by 1.1 percentage points since the previous year. The number of residents with a college degree is 22.0 percent. This is under the national average.

The top employing fields in North Dakota include farm product raw material merchant wholesalers, farm machinery merchant wholesalers, lawn equipment stores and farm supply stores.

While being known for many things, one of the most noteworthy, Devils Lake is the largest natural body of water in North Dakota. Devils Lake derives its name from the Native American name Miniwaukan. Early explorers incorrectly translated the word to mean Bad Spirit. Bolstered by the many legends of drowned warriors and lake monsters the name evolved into Devils Lake. This very fertile prairie lake grows large numbers of the fish known as walleye, northern pike, and white bass. The lake has earned the reputation of being the Perch Capital of the World. One of the unique tidbits about North Dakota is Dakota Gasification Company in Beulah is the nation's only synthetic natural gas producer.

Information Systems / IT

Computer operations managers create and implement information systems for a client firm and supervise their maintenance.

While working, they inspect project plans to develop and direct project activity. Also, they meet with department heads to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.

They are required to evaluate the effectiveness of systems in order to improve their performance and pay attention to ongoing situations and monitor them as they develop.

Computer operations managers must be able to articulate ideas and problems. They should also have the ability to listen to and understand others in meetings.

In order to be successful in the workplace, computer operations managers must have exceptional integrity and be reliable.