The IT Career
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IT is fun I do it because it is easy, I am a consultant but I have not made any money. If there is good pay I have not seen it, I am a programmer because I see more opportunities in programming.
Kind regards,
Gift Peddie -
I agreed with Jasmine, programming will not faded away. If the computer can do anything, then it does not even need Captain Kirk, actually it becomes the 'TERMINATOR'.
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I don't think any of this will fade away. Are cars that much better than they were 30 years ago? I still see lots of mechanics out there.
I know TVs are different in that they are electronic, less moving parts, etc., but the real issue with TVs is they are cheap. So cheap that when one dies, you just buy another. We learned over time that it wasn't worth fixing them.
The computer hardware is the same way. Look at Google; they don't bother tracking failed computers in their data centers, they just put up more and if they find one, they toss it. But the systems are complex, and there's a huge investment and we will always have people to maintain them.
I heard nearly 20 years ago that big ERP implementations would end and we'd get them down to a science and being an SAP consultant, your days are numbered. I'm not sure that's true. If anything, you become a consultant to the SAP software service.
We're human, we make mistakes, and software is incredibly complex. I don't see this career field going away anytime soon.
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(We're human, we make mistakes, and software is incredibly complex. I don't see this career field going away anytime soon.)
I had this conversion with an employee of a former employer human brains are created to solve problems not retain information humans should not be trusted with very important information. I remember the CRT my step dad was a EE who was the production manager of a Sanyo factory a very long while back. My recommendation for IT do something you love, because I code in pursuit of happiness.
Kind regards,
Gift Peddie -
IT will never fade away. There is too much under the hood that is complicated to allow automation to take over. There will always be a need for someone with the skills to lift the bonnet (hood for the yanks) and fix what goes on in the engine.
The analogy with mechanics and tvs are good. Cars are much improved, but mechanics are still required -they just have a slightly different skill set. TV's just get replaced because it's cheaper than a repair man.
Understand what you are doing in IT and you can stay there for a long time. Often it is not the knowledge of technology that makes you skilled, but you understadning of how technology should be applied.
This comes back to the statements made where apptitude is one of the key criteria to decide on a career path. Teach our kids to do something they enjoy that they are capable of doing. For instance, there would be no point in me trying to be a jockey (if I liked riding horses - which I don't), because I weigh twice as much as a jockey should (poor horsey).
Doing something you are suited to do will mean that you achieve things and this is very satisfying and self empowering.
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"I heard nearly 20 years ago that big ERP implementations would end and we'd get them down to a science and being an SAP consultant, your days are numbered. I'm not sure that's true. If anything, you become a consultant to the SAP software service."
I might believe that if I ever saw an SAP implementation that took less than 20 years to complete.
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I'd be interested to know how many programmers out there are also mechanics. When I was racing, a lot of the people were in this biz, if they weren't professional racers.
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I'm actually having Toshiba come and repair my TV this Friday! So I guess even the TV repairman is still around. And yes, I was shocked when they told me they would come fix it instead of just sending out a new one. Might be the size/cost of these new HD TV's making repairs more economical....
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I think that's Toshiba, actually. They came and fixed one of mine too, but then the repair guy said it was 'totalled', even though he fixed it. I got my money back for the original purchase price. Worked fine for several years after that and then I sold it at a garbage sale for 5 bucks. Toshiba just has good service.
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I'd recommend you DON'T do what you love for your job. If you do, work ends up being your life. Instead have a job that you are good at, that not a lot of other people are good at. That means employers will treat you well (because there aren't 100 people behind you willing to work for free) and you will more likely work reasonable hours, so you have time for family and what you really love doing (which should be a hobby, so you can balance your life.)
Brian
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I have to agree with Fred. Sore-Box (Sarbanes-Oxley) has done more to kill creativity and morale than anything I've seen in my 8 years in the field. The reactive interpretations can turn an accomplished shop into a group of paper-pushers who no longer get to solve any problems. And once you are no longer solving problems, bean counters smell blood and start making cuts. And outsourcing becomes more attractive.
That said, I love IT and the opportunities it has provided. BUT, if you want to get some satisfaction in creating solutions, STEER CLEAR of publicly traded companies. I have, and I'm sure I'll never regret IT.
Eddie
"If you don't take the time to do it right, when are you going to find the time to do it over?" -
Well I wish to be the best at what I do. I measure sucess in a few ways.
1. That you make enough money that you can do what you want to do.
2. That you wake up and want to go to work.
3. That the people you work with respect you.
4. That you can get the atonamy you want and the ability to hang yourself if you want to.
5. That your choices are as close to the final say as possible.
I'm currently An IT Manager for a smaller company. I feel I'm doing pretty well with #2, #3, and #4 being true for my situation. I think #1 is working itself out and that #5 will come with time. I came out of a big IT group with managers, directors, and a CIO. It feels good to have more of the control like a Director and CIO. I look forward to having a quality staff working to help me reach my Vision; That's what I want to reach before the end of my Carreer in IT. I've got a goal. God willing I will reach it.
I think there's a lot of people in the IT biz that don't belong. I wish they never got into it. They often did it for the same reasons. Money. Look pay is not as high as it was in the 90's. But there are sitll high paying jobs for the people with the right resume. If you've done stuff. If you are sharp and a go getter you can rise to top of whatever you do. I came from blue collor people that made it doing hard work. I know plenty of familys that are well off by slinging hammers and even pumping out waste from septic tanks. They liked doing what they did because it provided for their familys. Most of us aren't Paris Hilton so we need to work for a living. Best to do something that you want to do. Todays grad's expect too much when they graduate. Why? There pretty much useless to the biz world when they come out. I was working full time in IT before I even finished my BS in CS because I was in the right place in the right time. Nothing in the CS program made me usefull in my Carreer. The fact that "computers' were a natural thing to do and came easy to me is why I got into it.
Just gointo IT if you belong in IT. Otherwise go sell something and hopefully stuff for IT, we've got more then enough people trying to do that already.
Sean~
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