With a big data business growing exponentially and an emerging tech ecosystem in every industry, the IT sector is increasingly becoming a key player in job creation and retention.
But what exactly does it mean to be a IT professional?
And where does IT fit into a broader job market?
This series explores some of the key questions about the IT industry and the jobs IT professionals need to be successful.
Start with the basics: Where does IT work?
The IT workforce is comprised of almost two-thirds of U.S. workers and employs more than 2.5 million people.
It is also the largest employer in the U.K. with about 1.7 million people employed in its IT sector.
The vast majority of the workforce in the IT space is male, with more than half of those male workers making up the top 20 percent of the work force in the industry.
The number of women working in the sector has grown from 2.3 percent of employees in 2008 to 3.4 percent in 2015.
And there are some striking differences between the genders.
Women make up just under 30 percent of IT professionals in the United States and account for about 50 percent of those working in IT. In the U
