8/24/2004 -- IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology recently found that when IT executives were asked to recommend a career path for greenhorn IT professionals, a plurality recommended networking.

Robert Half’s poll included responses from more than 1,400 CIOs from companies with 100 or more employees. Each of the participating CIOs was asked, “Which one of the following areas of specialization would you recommend to someone just beginning his or her career in information technology?”

A clear plurality – 29 percent – recommended networking. That was 11 percent better than the second most recommended career, information security, and more than twice tally of third place finisher help desk and end-user support.

For the record, data and database management was the fourth most recommended career choice, with 13 percent; project management fifth, with 12 percent; and software development sixth, with 10 percent.

"Networking expertise remains critical within IT departments as firms use their internal systems to share data companywide and power their business-critical applications," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology, in a statement. "A fundamental understanding of network management is also the basis for positions in growing areas such as information systems security, wireless communication, broadband and...VOIP." -Stephen Swoyer