Data processing careers: Which one of the following roles is most typically classified under data processing operations (as opposed to systems development)?

Introduction / Context:
Information technology departments distinguish between operations roles that run and monitor systems and development roles that design and build them. Clarifying which jobs sit in data processing operations helps learners understand career paths and control responsibilities in an IT organization.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Operations includes running jobs, monitoring consoles, managing backups, and handling batch processing.
• Development includes requirements, design, coding, and testing.
• Legacy terms like “key-punch operator” refer to historical input roles, not modern operations management.

Concept / Approach:
A computer operator is a prototypical operations role: scheduling jobs, supervising batch runs, responding to alerts, mounting media, and coordinating with help desk and network teams. Programmers and system analysts specify and build applications. While key-punch operators historically supported data capture, the core ongoing operations seat in today’s framing is the computer operator role.

Step-by-Step Solution:
List responsibilities associated with each role.Match operations-domain tasks (run-time oversight) to the “computer operator.”Eliminate roles that primarily create or analyze systems (programmer, system analyst).

Verification / Alternative check:
Organizational charts commonly group computer operations under IT operations or infrastructure, distinct from application development teams.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Programmer: systems development.
• System Analyst: requirements/design, not run-time operations.
• Key-punch operator: historic data-entry function; not central to modern operations management.

Common Pitfalls:
Equating any non-programming task with “operations.” Operations is focused on running and safeguarding production systems.

Final Answer:
Computer operator