Making it as a programmer analyst is about so much more than learning how to code.

This occupation demands a surprisingly broad skillset that ranges from IT mastery to creativity to communications to problem-solving to diplomacy to business savvy.

What exactly does a programmer analyst do? Part coder, part systems analyst, a programmer analyst is typically hired by a company to write, modify, test, and maintain a variety of computer and software applications.

Programmer analysts work in multiple industries (financial services, IT, healthcare, education, media, government), offering graduates a range of job options and work environments to choose from.  Each industry—and company—will define the precise role of the programmer analyst in somewhat different ways, depending on their business needs and goals.