Overview & Job Duties
Computer Systems Analysts, sometimes called systems architects, study an organizations current computer systems and procedures, and design solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively. They bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both.
According to the Department of Labors Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), traditional job duties include: consulting with managers to determine the role of IT systems in an organization; researching emerging technologies to decide if installing them can increase the organizations efficiency and effectiveness; preparing costs and benefits analyses so that management can decide if IT systems and computing infrastructure upgrades are financially worthwhile; devising ways to add new functionality to existing computer systems; designing and implementing new systems by choosing and configuring hardware and software; overseeing the installation and configuration of new systems; conducting testing to ensure that the systems work as expected; and training the systems end users and writing instruction manuals.
Requirements
To qualify for TN status as a computer systems analyst, an applicant must possess one of the following:
- Bachelors (Baccalaureate) or Licenciatura degree; or
- Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate and three years of experience.
Please note: a qualifying degree must be in the same field or a closely related field. Adjudicating officers are instructed to use good judgment in determining whether a degree in an allied field is appropriate.
Common Issues
Individuals applying for TN status as a computer systems analyst may run into trouble if their job in the U.S. involves programming. According to the CBP Inspectors Field Manual, he computer systems analyst category does not include programmers. The position may inevitably involve a relatively small degree of programming, but the TN category has not been expanded to include programmers.