Occupation information for

Monitor and control electronic computer and peripheral electronic data processing equipment to process business, scientific, engineering, and other data according to operating instructions. Monitor and respond to operating and error messages. May enter commands at a computer terminal and set controls on computer and peripheral devices.

Currently Employed: 210

Projected Annual Job Openings: 10

Typical Hourly Wage: $18.44 - $28.99

Typical Annual Salary: $38,400 - $60,300

• Enter commands, using computer terminal, and activate controls on computer and peripheral equipment to integrate and operate equipment.
• Oversee the operation of computer hardware systems, including coordinating and scheduling the use of computer terminals and networks to ensure efficient use.
• Monitor the system for equipment failure or errors in performance.
• Answer telephone calls to assist computer users encountering problems.
• Respond to program error messages by finding and correcting problems or terminating the program.
• Retrieve, separate, and sort program output as needed, and send data to specified users.
• Record information such as computer operating time, problems that occurred, and actions taken.
• Notify supervisor or computer maintenance technicians of equipment malfunctions.
• Operate spreadsheet programs and other types of software to load and manipulate data and to produce reports.
• Read job set-up instructions to determine equipment to be used, order of use, material such as disks and paper to be loaded, and control settings.

• Computer servers
• Dot matrix printers
• Hard disk drives
• Paper cutting machines or accessories
• Tape drives

• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Network monitoring software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Operating system software