Exactly. I did desktop support for a while myself as a side dish to other job responsibilities. It hones your people skills, which MANY people in IT could use a refresher on. (Heh, and that's not limited to IT either... <cough> icebergslim </cough>)
Exactly. I did desktop support for a while myself as a side dish to other job responsibilities. It hones your people skills, which MANY people in IT could use a refresher on. (Heh, and that's not limited to IT either... <cough> icebergslim </cough>)
exactly......you dont need a degree to do it and any HS drop out could do the job with a little bit of training and on the job experience.
I agree to get ahead in this field you need to constantly improve and develop your skills. One problem is, it's so overwhelming, there are so many certs and skills you can pursue, it's hard to know where to focus your time, effort, and money. By the time you get whatever cert or skill it is you were after, the next hot thing is making money and you're left out. When I started college, the hot thing was getting an MIS degree. At the college I went to, local companies were literally asking for the names of MIS graduates and throwing money at them. By the time I graduated the dotcom boom was busted and the bottom fell out.
My biggest barrier to improving my skillset is lack of desire. When I started this "career" I was passionate about computers, technologies, etc. I learned all I could, and I enjoyed it. But now I'm just burned out. I know advancing in this career involves self improvement and education, but I've found it hard to do so because, I'm just not interested in it anymore. In the past reading about new technologies interested me, now it puts me to sleep. But changing careers completely can be a daunting task.
My biggest barrier to improving my skillset is lack of desire. When I started this "career" I was passionate about computers, technologies, etc. I learned all I could, and I enjoyed it. But now I'm just burned out. I know advancing in this career involves self improvement and education, but I've found it hard to do so because, I'm just not interested in it anymore. In the past reading about new technologies interested me, now it puts me to sleep. But changing careers completely can be a daunting task.
I disagree.
If you are flexible and willing to travel a lot, a lot of money can be made in consultancy when you are an experienced IT monkey. My brother is working as an independant consultant and he makes a ton. Flexibility is the key word here. Experienced people who are willing to go abroad all the time are hard to find so the big tech companies are willing to pay ...
If you are flexible and willing to travel a lot, a lot of money can be made in consultancy when you are an experienced IT monkey. My brother is working as an independant consultant and he makes a ton. Flexibility is the key word here. Experienced people who are willing to go abroad all the time are hard to find so the big tech companies are willing to pay ...
Like any other field. if you become the top 1% in your field you can write your own ticket. Choose a focus and run with it. Anandtech was founded by someone who was top 1% hardware guru in the country and he is damn successful. if you really like networking learn everything about it to the point where you can architect wans for fortune 500 companies with 20,000 remote sites connecting through vpn with dual and triple redunceny in multiple data centers with your eyes closed while your sleeping. you willl have no problem getting a high paying job. If you arent the best at anything you wont stand out and you wont get far. the best always rise to the top and get compensated for it.
so in summary choose a direction and focus soley on that. a jack of all trades but a master of none is still only mediocre at the end of the day.
I totally feel your pain: I'm in the same boat... but we need to call a spade a spade
. Dead end != career burnout.Originally posted by: acemcmac
Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Alright, I'm cool then
DB I'd definitely consider to be the strongest place to be in IT. I'd be concerned depending on what kind of programming I'm doing about the potential for outsourcing. I also know that I don't have the gumption to be continually learning new languages.
Having been both, I completely disagree. DBA is a much more limited career path when considering development.
Everytime I hear someone talk about outsourcing and development I feel like my head is going to pop off. I've been hearing this for almost a decade now, and in that entire decade I've interacted with hundreds of very successful developers. It's simply not the issue some have it to be, and most of these people aren't even in the industry. I say this considering that much of my work is interacting with these offshore companies, the prime example being Hexaware. There's a lot of market share out there, and anyone in the industry knows outsourcing is neither the panacea nor the plague.
I know I'm a broken record at this point, but I feel obligated to say it in every IT thread
Shut up, ass. Most IT people started at the position, regardless of their experience. It's often the only way to get your foot in the door. No one is a lesser person for taking that route; it's often the only one available. It's up to the person, however, to motivate themselves beyond that point.
I think there's a future in it for me...then again I jumped right into IT management right out of school.
yllus
Elite Member & Lifer
- Aug 20, 2000
- 20,577
- 432
- 126
Can we break that out into finer terms?
If by 'IT' we mean "I fix computers when people in an office break them," then yes, there's not an enormous chance that IT will lead you anywhere.
If by 'IT' we mean software development, network operations, project management... Enormous growth potential. Even if you've not an ambitious bone in your body, you can easily stay employed for life by going from company to company and doing some moderate upkeep on your knowledge level.
If by 'IT' we mean "I fix computers when people in an office break them," then yes, there's not an enormous chance that IT will lead you anywhere.
If by 'IT' we mean software development, network operations, project management... Enormous growth potential. Even if you've not an ambitious bone in your body, you can easily stay employed for life by going from company to company and doing some moderate upkeep on your knowledge level.
Stop following trends. All non-secular markets are cyclical (is that a tautology?), so it's to be expected. The same thing happens with other skilled fields, including nursing, construction (and all the industries that support construction: electrical, plumbing, hvac, etc.). They have huge influxes of talent, and inevitably the market declines and only the truly skilled survive. It happened in software in the 90s, it happened again in the mid-2000s, and we're starting to experience another uptrend in software again.
So, don't follow the trends and you'll be fine.
Indeed, and that's the problem with following trends. People get into something because it's hot, and they only later realize they wasted 4 years and $60,000 (or more) on an education in a field they don't even enjoy. The unfortunate reality about IT is that your real education comes after school, and if you have no interest in it you simply won't make it; those that do enjoy it will be light years ahead, and when the industry keeps moving it's the people behind the tide that get left behind. It happens, it's unfortunate, but it's real.
Personally, if I didn't enjoy what I do I'd quit in a heartbeat. This would be a miserable industry if I didn't enjoy it. No one can say they enjoy spending sometimes as much as 16 hours a day sitting in front of a machine working on something that only your peers really understand; it's thankless, banal, and stressful; however, like all things, the results often elicit enough excitement and personal pride that it extends you into the next project.
Good luck to you though. I empathize with you, truly. I hope you find your way through it all.
I work in the IT field as a Security/Systems Engineer and I love my job. I get paid very well for what I do and there's still plenty of room for me to move around within the dept and do various other things.
i guess it depends geographically. here it would look good as an internship but certainly not anything i'd be content with after dropping $$$ on a 4 year degree. They only get paid like $14/hr. I'd freelance myself out before I took that for a high stress, low pay , no appreciation job like that.
I actually DID enjoy it, I majored in it because it was something I enjoyed, the being the "hot thing" was just a bonus. I loved computers, technology, everything. I liked setting up networks and troubleshooting just for fun. Then I started doing this as a job. The problem is, doing this as a career has killed my interest in everything computer related.
I think you're missing the point. If you're talking entry level help desk, then you don't have the skills to freelance. If you're fresh out of college, in most cases, you don't have the skills to freelance.
Most people do help desk out of necessity, not because they want it. It's not a matter of not knowing better; it's a matter of not having other options in a very saturated market.
ultimatebob
Lifer
- Jul 1, 2001
- 25,134
- 2,445
- 126
I'm a Systems Administator, and I agree that it's a pretty dead end career path. It seems a lot easier to get promoted to a management position through Sales or Finance than it is through IT.
u need to think about relocating if the job market is that horrible in your area that HD is your only out........so im really gonna buy the victim of a saturated market stuff because that simply isn't the norm in this country.
That's a problem with your corporate culture. I work in IT for a construction company (not generally considered an IT haven
) and the IT department is a critical part of how we do business and the upper management types understand that.Meh... I don't believe that at all. If you're in Sales or Finance, then you're promoted up through the Sales and Finance chains. If you're in IT, then you're promoted up through the IT chains. Today's System's Administrator can be tomorrow's manager of IT operations. On the development side:
Programmer > Programmer/Analyst > Sr. Programmer/Analyst > Team Lead > Systems Architect > Manager, VP, etc.
There's plenty of room for growth. But like Descartes said - and he knows what he's talking about - you have to be willing to work for it. If you're doing it for the money, you ****** up.
Do you even work in this field or are you just speculating out your ass? I've been in it for almost 10 years and have been involved in almost every facet of it. It is VERY difficult to start in an above-entry-level position these days in IT/IS. Honestly, even getting in at held desk can be a chore. Too many people jumped on the train. This is a FACT.
meh, I disagree
I'm a network engineer (and a damn good one) and the only way to get promoted is to go into management. There is only one problem, I'm not interested in team management.
For what it costs to go to college there are probably some more profitable fields. Personally, I dont think it makes sense to have a college education to work at the help desk, where the answers are read out of a book. All it really takes is a few technical courses.
JoLLyRoGer
Diamond Member
- Aug 24, 2000
- 4,153
- 4
- 81
False.
<--works in IT and makes over 50K (currently considering another offer for 65)
Basically you have to get highly specialized into something, land a nitch job, and make yourself difficult to replace.
<--works in IT and makes over 50K (currently considering another offer for 65)
Basically you have to get highly specialized into something, land a nitch job, and make yourself difficult to replace.
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