Systems Analyst: A Day in the Life

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has just hired you through a temp agency, and you've agreed to a six-month contract to help develop a new system for accounting and budgets. You start your day talking with key players in the agency. After the initial meetings, you start researching the best approaches to data security and disaster recovery. After an hour on the computer, you take a break—your eyes are getting tired, and it will also help avoid repetitive strain injury. Next, you meet with the in-house programmers who will be customizing and debugging some off-the-shelf programs that will be part of the new system. You end the day by heading back to your computer to fill in flow-chart boxes on the master plan you've started to develop.