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Report: Systems engineer is best IT job
* By Herb Torrens

San Francisco-based research and analysis group, Focus, has named systems engineer as the "best job in America."
In determining thebest job, the study looked at positions that will achieve growth in demand by 10 percent or more over the next decade, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates. Focus excluded positions thatdid not require at least a bachelor's degree and two-to-seven years of experience. Focus also eliminated jobs that did poorly during the recession.
According to the study, a systems engineer worksin the information technology sector with pay ranging from $87,100 to $130,000 a year. Focus provides some of the study's results in a chart here.
Systems engineers may have cause for cheer, based onthe study's results. However, it's not exactly clear what they do.
"We actually made no effort to define systems engineer," stated Brian Provost, Focus' vice president of audience development, in ane-mail. "The data was pulled from analysis published by external sources like Payscale.com, CNN/Money Magazine, the BLS and then packaged into our infographic. It was our intent only to merge allthose signals into one, easily consumed piece of content for the end user."
The role of a systems engineer is subject to debate. A University of Arizona definitiondescribes a systems engineer as someonewho oversees the customer's needs over a system's lifecycle. Wikipedia defines systems engineering in terms of design and project management. One of Focus' sources, CNN/Money, defines systemsengineers as "big think managers on complex projects."

Microsoft, in its description, defines a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer as someone "skilled in designing, implementing, and administeringinfrastructures for business solutions based on Microsoft 2000 Windows Server and other Windows server platforms. Implementation responsibilities include installing, configuring, and troubleshooting...