Would You Recommend a Career in Information Technology?

Working in the Information Technology Industry is a career that many people on the outside would think is well paid and secure, and offers many different opportunities.

While IT work can be very varied, and include scientific programming, working with graphics and creating video games etc, the majority of people involved in the industry perform more mundane roles, working with Communications, PC Repair, Networking, Systems Analysis and Computer Programming with Accounting Systems.

20 years ago before companies had networks of PC's, before the internet, and back when the sale of computers for use in the corporate world was still exceeding the numbers of people being trained how to program them, it was easy to get into IT, especially as an analyst or programmer.

Now however, most larger companies already have enough people in the IT Departments, and with the recession and staff downsizing, it's more likely that their IT Departments are going to suffer layoffs than for them to be hiring new people.

The other problem is that when a company does want to hire someone for their IT Department, they are far more likely to require someone who already has at least several years of experience, rather than a trainee who has only been on a programming course.

The Computer Industry is one where it's not just enough to know how to write a program. A programmer needs to understand the company business, and needs to be aware of the problems that they will face in the real world, that of having to try and anticipate what the user "really" wants, as against what they ask them to produce, and to ensure that their programs are as "bullet proof" as possible when it comes to data validation etc.

Most of these skills cannot be taught in college though, they have to be learned on the job, so even though you might have taken a class in computer programming, you might not be any closer to landing a job as a computer programmer than if you had not.

Looking back to 20 years ago again, there were still opportunities to get into computing at the bottom, and many companies still believed that it was better to employ a Junior Programmer for less money than to spend far more on a Senior Programmer.

Times have changed though, and most companies are now aware that it can take up to two years for a programmer to come up to speed, and to write programs that do what they are required to. It's therefore more cost effective to take on someone who already has the work experience and can be put straight to work. Chances are that they will bring additional skills to the company which will benefit them further.

In the "Golden Age" of computing, the late 1970's and 1980's, when sales of mini-computers were booming, getting into the IT Industry was a great choice, and once you had developed your skills, you could often name your price when it came to being offered a job.

If someone was to ask me now though if it was a good idea to think about a career in the IT Industry, I would suggest that they think twice. It's far harder these days to get in on the ground floor, even with a degree in IT, and there is no longer any more job security in IT than with any other career.

About The Author

Tony Payne has worked in the IT Industry since 1977, and has worked with the IBM Midrange platform since 1980. He has worked in the UK, New Zealand and the USA for a number of companies, and seen his position disappear three times due to corporate downsizing and company takeovers.