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Although the professional activities in IT all revolve around IT, they look very different depending on the specialist area. Accordingly, two specializations are offered in basic vocational training in IT:
Until 2020, basic vocational training in business informatics was the third specialization of the EFZ IT degree. From summer 2021, there will be a separate apprenticeship for "Business IT Specialist EFZ".
Application developers develop and program programs, usually called applications or "apps" for short. The typical workflow goes like this: they clarify what customers and future users want and what exactly the application needs to do. This forms the basis for the subsequent implementation steps, as the requirements for an online store are very different from a fitness app or access security for employees working from home.
They then formulate the requirements in IT language, consider various possible solutions and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages in terms of programming effort, breadth of possible applications, user-friendliness, security, etc. They program the solution that most convinces all those involved and test it thoroughly before it is installed for the users. It is often the application developers who also carry out the training and receive direct user feedback in order to incorporate the first improvements and corrections in the next round.
Computer scientists specializing in platform development connect computers, servers and end devices such as printers, scanners or production machines via networks so that they work together perfectly. They understand the structure and functionality of networks and are responsible for their correct operation. They set up and maintain networks, distribute and install new software versions or applications, monitor security and regularly maintain the components.
In smaller companies, they look after the entire IT system, support users, define data backup and archiving guidelines and monitor their implementation. They set up new workstations, devices and systems and ensure that they are correctly integrated into the network. In very large and globally active companies, you may be responsible for specific tasks in collaboration with many other network administrators.
Business IT specialists take on both systems engineering and application development tasks. They are all-rounders and are primarily concerned with ensuring that all of a company's employees can work efficiently.
Depending on the company and job profile, they look after the networks, ensure data security, set up workstations, install peripheral devices and are quickly on site in the event of faults. They train users on new applications and are also responsible for general support.
