Think about switching careers to IT, could use some advice.

[Mermaidman]

OP should combine his love of computers with his skill/experience in cytotechnology. I recommend investigating a career in medical technology, perhaps working for a company that make medical equipment?

 

[Markbnj]

IT is like everything else: there are good gigs and bad gigs. Anyone with skills can at least find a way to earn a living, but as others have said replicating your current salary will take time. I'm not going to advise you against it. Do what makes you happy.

Also note that programming is not IT. People lump them together organizationally but they have almost nothing in common. I write software for a living, and at 53 I have never had a problem getting a good position. I might run into some ageism if I was trying to get in with a hot startup on the coast, but sometimes people need to remember that hot startups on the coast aren't the sum total of software development. Software is needed everywhere, and more of it is needed all the time, end of story. Those skills aren't going to get any less attractive anytime soon.

Personally I wouldn't work as an IT ops person for a corporation. Just not my thing.

 

[vi edit]

With that kind of background I'd be looking at maybe doing informatics in lab technology. Keep your clinical skills but apply them to IT logistics. These are roles that typically do not require IT experience but are a good way to get your foot into the door.

I've done "regular" IT and I've been doing healthcare IT for the last 10 years now. I'd never go back over to the regular side of things. Healthcare IT is just a lot more interesting and it's cliche...but meaningful.

 

[Albatross]

Start something on the side and see if you like it,make a website dabble in a programming language etc.Cant read...

 

[holden j caufield]

You should just do it because if you don't it'll be in the "what if" in your mind. Just make the jump to some NOC job. It doesn't pay much but you'll get hands on hardware experience with a wide range of stuff, kind of luck of the draw what company you end up with and how the previous person set things up (this is key, some things the previous guy did just requires constant patch work and fixes, some you just run super smooth with low stress).

The problem with working as the admin is you become a jack of all trades, vmware, firewall, hyperv, windows desktop, exchange, you get to know a little of everything but imo there are a lot of guys like this and they'll milk you for everything. You go way over the hours you expect to do and you'll need to do a lot of stuff after hours at night and weekend etc.

If I had to do it over I'd just specialize on something those guys charge a crazy amount and they know a little bit of everything just because of the way everything interacts (and if not you can google it).

 

[BD2003]

OP should combine his love of computers with his skill/experience in cytotechnology. I recommend investigating a career in medical technology, perhaps working for a company that make medical equipment?

I've considered that, but it's a major challenge - the field is small enough as it is (about 10,000 or so nationwide). So you can only imagine how rare the positions are for supportive services. To give you some idea, the "high tech" computerized microscopes we use were originally developed in the 80s, and haven't been updated since because the market is tiny and cornered by a single company.

I'm not being dismissive though, it's something I've seriously considered.

 

[Kaido]

I've been doing IT for 28 years and regret it every single day of my life. The stress is just not worth it. Yes, I make great money being an IT director now but I wish I stayed away from IT back in the 80s and kept it as a hobby.

The IT market right now is so saturated that unless you are a wizard programmer or databse guru I would stay away. Building PCs, today IMO, is not worth it as far as a job goes. PCs are so cheap now that its easier to toss one away and just buy a new one. I personally just replace them rather than troubleshoot.

I hate to say it, but it really is a saturated job market. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my current position probably within the next few years. I'll have to expand my education into hardcore DB stuff if I want to stick with what I'm doing, which is something I'm not super interested in. With things like thin clients & NUC's being all the rage, I just don't think there will be much room for hardware geeks to really do this full-time, outside of a repair or consulting type of position.

I've been buying a ton of those $249 Asus/Toshiba laptops from Best Buy lately for different project - replace old laptops, replace old desktops, setup as mobile thin clients, whatever - they're so cheap (and decent!) that it is really hard to justify the cost of upgrading old machines once you factor in the labor (diagnostic, repair, replacement) & replacement part costs. You can use it as a laptop, as a desktop (VGA or DVI to HDMI), or as a semi-HTPC (HDMI to your flatscreen or projector).

Pretty soon we'll probably all be on those little Android HDMI sticks. Quad-core on a stick with a 128gb MicroSD card for under a hundred bucks...

 

[BD2003]

With that kind of background I'd be looking at maybe doing informatics in lab technology. Keep your clinical skills but apply them to IT logistics. These are roles that typically do not require IT experience but are a good way to get your foot into the door.

I've done "regular" IT and I've been doing healthcare IT for the last 10 years now. I'd never go back over to the regular side of things. Healthcare IT is just a lot more interesting and it's cliche...but meaningful.

Right now this is actually my short term goal, although I had only thought of it as a stepping stone to "real" IT. We have constant issues with the inflexibility of our LIS system, to the point where I've programmed a helper utility to automate a lot of the rote stuff we have to type in for every case. My organization is huge on education/development, and I've floated the idea with my supervisor about getting deeper into that side. So in some sense I already have my foot in the door, but since I'm not eligible for tuition reimbursement yet and they're so short staffed on the clinical side I'm sure he's loathe to have me distracted from that.

Regardless, what specifically about healthcare IT is so much more attractive to you? Perhaps I've got it backwards.

 

[vi edit]

So much of the real architecture side of IT - Storage, networking, server installs, ect is locked away in data centers, cubicles, dark rooms, and closets. They tend to have little interaction with the real world and really end up being social recluses in an organization.

And you also sort of end up putting yourself into a technical silo. There's always new tech in storage or new ways to build out infrastructure, but in the end it's still just networking and servers.

Since I've gotten involved with healthcare IT I've been on the application side of things. I've been in an OR watching OR nurses chart their perioperative stuff and see how to optimize the layout of their screens. I implemented a wireless EKG system that ran over 150 EKG carts across 7 hospitals and over 40 different remote sites and supported the applications behind that. I get to work with all parts of IT when doing imaging based applications (Radiology PACS and Cardiology PACS) setting up the network and storage infrastructure and then supporting the 150+ servers and 300+ workstations that go into running those systems. Today I sat in on the commissioning process of a 3 million dollar radiation medicine linear accelerator.

I get to work with a bunch of different parts of IT. I get to work with dozens of different clinical departments. I get to work around some very cool equipment and applications and really get to learn some interesting workflows and healthcare systems.

At the end of the day I feel a lot better knowing that I helped a patient get faster results or less wait time for a procedure or operation than other fields I've done. I've done IT support for fast food restaurants supporting their retail backend systems and I've also done support for a major online stock broker. They just sort of felt empty compared to what I do now.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I'm in IT right now. If I'm still here within 2 years, I'm going back to school lol.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

The market is saturated with people who are in the first couple years of their career, they got their 4 day IT bootcamp cisco certs, went to ITT tech or whatever 2 year is popular right now, and expect $100k out the door. This was a good way to get into IT 10 years ago. But nowadays pretty much everyone will only hire experienced people as we've all been burned by inexperienced overcertified IT personnel.

And the market is not saturated with experienced IT people. Our last IT hire (network/systems admin level) was a very difficult hire. It took 3 months to find someone with 5-6 years of solid experience. We had plenty of applicants who worked in a non IT field, had certs and 'on paper' experience, and expected middle/upper level IT position salary.

Almost all IT career paths have 4-5 years of "grunt" work. I personally wouldn't get any certifications until you get a grunt level job. Many times the company you work for will pay for training.


At 34, I would not suggest not going down this data center admin path unless you can live on ~$50k/year for the next 5 years. For what you want to do, it's going to take 5 years just to meet your current income level and you will be near the upper end of your (limited) pay range. I strongly suggest connecting with people on linkedin and try to get a real-world in person idea of what you're going into as it's likely just as boring as what you do now.

Instead of watching pathogen paint dry you're going to watch datacenter log paint dry. Almost all big data people require a pretty specific personality, or else they're miserable. You will not interact with outside people. You will look at the same equipment/data/whatever for months at a time until something needs upgraded or fails.

I strongly agree with Vi - look at informatics in lab tech, or some other field where your current knowledge is not wasted. I definitely would not go towards data center support.

 

[HumblePie]

I'm a software developer and have been for decades now. Here's my two cents.

If you really want to break into the field of IT, not all jobs are created equal. Know what you want to before jumping in. If you want to be a software developer, do not work at an entry IT job doing helpdesk or NOC stuff. You'll never get out of it. Not that many people don't like doing that stuff. If that is what you want to do, then more power to you. The pay starts lowers typically, but can end up somewhat comparable to what you make now in your area.

NOC and helpdesk stuff really aren't all that interesting to me since I like being creative and being a problem solver. Which is why I like doing what I do. I solve problems and make stuff. But there is still a fair amount of BS as a software developer you will deal with just like any job. No white collar jobs where you work for someone else will ever get rid of dealing with "management" or should I state mis-management. It happens everywhere. Some places worse than others.

If you plan to be a developer you will need a Bachelors degree. That will get you in the door most places. Although having a nice portfolio of code you've done helps a ton. I do it with some of my work. Remember developers are like artists in a way. You create something that is uniquely your own. You need to be able to show off what you've done to others while being able to explain it.

Stay away from places that grill you with rote memorization syntax questions at an interview. Those are not places you want to work for ever. The amount of minutia in any development language is far to much for any one person to have memorized. That's what the internet and book references are for.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to answer rudimentary questions at least. But anything you can't remember just always remember there is a website with the answer out there more than likely when it comes to "syntax" stuff.

If you switch to a developer though, you will start fairly low in most places. Worst place I ever seen only started people at $20K a year. Which is almost as as minimum wage. Worse in some ways because most of the time you will be working more than 40 hours a week and not getting any OT.

Typically, depending upon area, the entry development jobs are going to pay $35-$50K a year starting out. Some sectors, such as government contract work, will pay quite a bit more, but have their own problems. Mainly being unstable work, and no were to move up. Not to mention you'll be lucky if you have any benefits.

Still, once our foot is in the door, you can actually shine and sky rocket up if you are good. Least those places that let you do so. Some do and some don't. If it looks like you may get a job offer from somewhere I say it behooves to ask how they promote/move people up the pay scale.

I will say development work can be very hectic some days, and laid back others. It can be very fun/challenging some days, and boring as hell on others. More than likely you'll get pigeon holed though just like in the medical arena. How you are pigeonholed is based upon the OS you work in and the tools you work with. Microsoft or Linux are the two biggest OS's out there. Then there is C, C++, C#, Java, and web development as the next major category of being stuck into. Although there is some lesser stuff like COBOL, Python, and such. The last category is either being a backend, front end, graphical, mobile, or embedded developer.

Or you can be sill like me and get stuck in places that make you do ALL those things at once. Which brings about its own headaches when you do it all. Ugh.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

And also....anyone here actually like their IT job?

I like the big paycheck, but otherwise, not really. Over the course of my 20-year career, I have had jobs that I loved, but even those were filled with a lot of unnecessary BS, cost cutting, etc. If I had it to do over again, I probably would not have gone into IT. Unlike you though, I'm not courageous enough to try switching to another career. At my age (I'll be 44 this year), I'm stuck in a position where I'll have to ride it out. What will likely happen is that I will have to go ahead and do the PMP, which I've been avoiding because I really have no desire to do that job.

Funny that this thread came up today -- a coworker and I have been discussing starting our own IT firm. That has been her dream for a number of years and she is really excited about it, but I bluntly told her today that it would likely take regular 80-100 hour weeks for years to make it successful and quite frankly, I'm at a stage in life where that doesn't interest me.

Oh, and $70K-$80K? That will likely take you years to make in IT at this point.

 

[BD2003]

So much of the real architecture side of IT - Storage, networking, server installs, ect is locked away in data centers, cubicles, dark rooms, and closets. They tend to have little interaction with the real world and really end up being social recluses in an organization.

And you also sort of end up putting yourself into a technical silo. There's always new tech in storage or new ways to build out infrastructure, but in the end it's still just networking and servers.

Since I've gotten involved with healthcare IT I've been on the application side of things. I've been in an OR watching OR nurses chart their perioperative stuff and see how to optimize the layout of their screens. I implemented a wireless EKG system that ran over 150 EKG carts across 7 hospitals and over 40 different remote sites and supported the applications behind that. I get to work with all parts of IT when doing imaging based applications (Radiology PACS and Cardiology PACS) setting up the network and storage infrastructure and then supporting the 150+ servers and 300+ workstations that go into running those systems. Today I sat in on the commissioning process of a 3 million dollar radiation medicine linear accelerator.

I get to work with a bunch of different parts of IT. I get to work with dozens of different clinical departments. I get to work around some very cool equipment and applications and really get to learn some interesting workflows and healthcare systems.

At the end of the day I feel a lot better knowing that I helped a patient get faster results or less wait time for a procedure or operation than other fields I've done. I've done IT support for fast food restaurants supporting their retail backend systems and I've also done support for a major online stock broker. They just sort of felt empty compared to what I do now.

This actually does sound like it'd be right down my alley. I'm already part of procedures in the OR, CT scan, endo, ultrasound, etc rooms on a constant basis and can see tons of ways their tech and workflow can be improved. I've made suggestions and seen them go nowhere because my managers don't understand tech, and there's this mile wide gap between them and the IT/IS dept. And it can be really frustrating when they say something can't be done, because I know damn well it can...they either don't know how or just don't want to, and my supervisors can't tell when they're being BSed. I also see my supervisors frequently approve the purchase of genuinely bad tech because they got a good sales pitch and don't understand the finer points of the tech or even the day to day workflow.

How did you get into that role from where you were? Our org is HUGE and super compartmentalized - the IT people and clinical people don't overlap.

If there was a degree program in "medical tech guy" I'd def look into it, but all I've found is a certificate program in LIS...databases, medical records, etc.

 

[HumblePie]

This actually does sound like it'd be right down my alley. I'm already part of procedures in the OR, CT scan, endo, ultrasound, etc rooms on a constant basis and can see tons of ways their tech and workflow can be improved. I've made suggestions and seen them go nowhere because my managers don't understand tech, and there's this mile wide gap between them and the IT/IS dept. And it can be really frustrating when they say something can't be done, because I know damn well it can...they either don't know how or just don't want to, and my supervisors can't tell when they're being BSed. I also see my supervisors frequently approve the purchase of genuinely bad tech because they got a good sales pitch and don't understand the finer points of the tech or even the day to day workflow.

How did you get into that role from where you were? Our org is HUGE and super compartmentalized - the IT people and clinical people don't overlap.

If there was a degree program in "medical tech guy" I'd def look into it, but all I've found is a certificate program in LIS...databases, medical records, etc.

Managers anywhere don't always understand tech. Especially the higher you go. This goes for IT tech places and development shops.

I will state that a lateral movement into the IT field for medical tech wouldn't be that hard for you. Look for medical tech companies in your field or expanding into it. Call them up. Talk to them and tell them you are interested as a medical professional in possibly joining their organization in the future in a technical position. Perhaps in development or something else that suits your fancy. They may hire you now, or at least give you guidance on what they are looking for in possible future relations with you. If they said that they would hire you if you also had a BS in Com Sci, then you go a roadway to guide you.

This way you can "switch" professions in a gradual sense. You are still working for the medical industry and leveraging your current skill set somewhat, but are instead in the IT field for a medical IT company.

 

[Mide]

Here's the problem. Infrastructure peeps usually had to work many years to get to that position. You just getting a degree will not open the door. You'll have to either get lucky or work in the trenches of IT. At your age and such I would not attempt it. Just be happy where you are in life.

 

[alkemyst]

I've been doing IT for 28 years and regret it every single day of my life. The stress is just not worth it. Yes, I make great money being an IT director now but I wish I stayed away from IT back in the 80s and kept it as a hobby.

The IT market right now is so saturated that unless you are a wizard programmer or databse guru I would stay away. Building PCs, today IMO, is not worth it as far as a job goes. PCs are so cheap now that its easier to toss one away and just buy a new one. I personally just replace them rather than troubleshoot.

You are doing it wrong. What you have talked about is hardly IT.

IT Directors are a dime a dozen. It got you to stay in the game despite you hating it.

Everything you discuss here is not real IT.