February 12, 2015 at 1:12 am
I find that this varies from company to company, sometimes team to team or even from project manager to project manager. In fact I would go so far as to say that it is completely unsurprising that when dealing with different people that the level of understanding, expectation and demand varies.
I would happily recommend a career in IT to someone with aptitude, determination and commitment. It is not for all regardless of how it is tried to be sold. As for the statement that "Our skills are easy to acquire, with any of us able to learn new skills and gaining knowledge as quickly as we are able." I would say that this is only applicable to some. I have worked with many where this certainly does not apply.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
May 28, 2019 at 2:39 pm
We're all bored to tears at work right now. Finding busy-work just to keep ourselves occupied.
We're waiting for a big production rollout. We go into a "holding pattern" for several weeks while the companies formal processes catch up as production rollout dates approach.
We're all set! We're ready to go to Production!
If this rollout holds true to pattern, then as the 11th hour approaches the requirements will change, and of course the deadlines won't budge. Then its "all hands on deck" while management says "You've had weeks to prepare! You said you were ready! You do this every time!".
Mass layoffs on the way here, and morale reflects it. Some good people have already left, while many who remain are hoping for a "package".
I'm the old man of my team. I've been in IT for nearly 40 years. Lot of managers are close to my grandkid's ages, and have about as much sense. I can't recommend IT as a career field for them. I recommend they do something that requires their physical presence, like "electrician" or "plumber". Skip college and all the debt, and go to a trade school instead.
May 29, 2019 at 12:54 am
I've been coding for around 40 years but only working in IT for 18. My current job offers a high degree of autonomy and a wide variety of problems to solve but lots and lots of work. The work is rewarding in that I get to roll out novel solutions to grateful users and I learn more every day so I can do a better job tomorrow. Though I'm adequately rewarded, to an extent I would do my job without pay and, while I work long hours I don't begrudge the time.
The reason the job is so captivating is solely due to the variety of interesting problems, and IT folk are nothing if not problem solvers. Some say that nobody ever regrets not spending more time at work. I'm not so sure. Our work helps define us and without it we have little to contribute to anything worthwhile. In some ways, our outputs are among the few things that live on when we shuffle off.
I agree with djackson - our skills are not easy to acquire. Most of our value to an organization lies in our domain knowledge - we know where stuff is, how it fits together, who wants it and why it's important.
All the above said, I no longer have responsibilities of a young family but I still have time for the important family stuff and to enjoy physical challenges in the outdoors.
I don't stress about the amount of work. I simply do the next thing and take the time to do a good job. I can do poor work more quickly, but that goes against my instincts, so I put in more time to strive for excellence. If work wasn't fun, interesting and challenging I'd be looking for a different job.
So I won't complain about workload. Set realistic expectations and remain stoic in the face of those who expect too much. They'll eventually figure out where the line is.
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