Discussion on:

10 IT positions ranked by prestige

Some of us are still very good techs and keep an active hand in by necessity.

Where does the IT Director fit on this list?

the CIO / CTO

At my work, in the ICT room at leasst, he'd rank about 11. Sigh.

myegy
kooora
panet

Most IT Managers I've seen got promoted because they could do a mean Excel spreadsheet or Access Database.

Yes they exist but are rare. Management is management and whether we like or not there primary function is no longer to be the ones to keep up with every single detail that's why you have job as a Admin. Now with that said I have had managers that where completely just clueless as to pretty much anything I did on a daily basis to managers that where not as tech savy as they once where but still keep up enough to ask the right questions. I think that is the biggest difference.

I'd rather have a manager who can manage rather than a technical expert who was promoted beyond his level of competence. I've had both in the past and really would vote the manager any day. My current boss has a reasonable understanding of IT systems and such but is in no way a computer expert, so I can run my projects with his backing and support but without inappropriate interference.

IT Director here... I keep my skills sharp by using them every day. As head of a small IT team, the position is far more crucial than some cushy desk job. As IT staffs shrink under economic and technological pressures, the role of a hands-on IT Director will increase and I dare say improve over time.

Ya know that sometimes they will take a tech who isn't really 'on the ball' and promote him, just to get him away from the equipment so he won't hurt himself or others. If your'e a manager, manage and let the technical stuff to the guys who do THAT for a living. You don't want the techs to tell you how to do your job, do ya?

That is too funny!

M. Gale

Why bother discussing prestige at all? When you get up on a workday and make your way to work you need to feel that what you are going to do will make a difference. Esteem is second from the top on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Prestige is more important than you might think. Managers of those IT roles lacking prestige would be wise to address this basic human need.

I have performed each of these roles except for network admin. For me it all came down to getting the job done as best I could first and expecting prestige to follow. Developer/systems analyst was always the role I enjoyed the most.

As I've mentioned before I have a great deal of respect for technicians. They have helped me more than once solve a problem that allowed me to complete a project on time. One was also a good friend.

I've often wondered how a help desk analyst gets up every morning to make their way to a job the likes of masochism for the technically minded. I couldn't do it. Is it possible that there are people who actually like working the help desk? Maybe. I worked next to the help desk analysts for more than a year and found that it requires a special breed of IT pro to work the help desk. The analysts may not have loved their work bit they seemed comfortable with their jobs.

I've worked the help desk. I know how little respect help desk analysts get. Now whenever I have to call for support I make a special effort to try to brighten the day of the person at the other end of the line. A kind comment or two, a pleasant demeanor and a generous thank you can go a long way to make someone feel appreciated. It's simple common courtesy and if everyone practiced it perhaps then the Rodney Dangerfield's of the IT world would finally feel like they have gotten a little bit of the respect they are due.

6. Managers - Of course, managing is real work and if you don't think so, find yourself in a leadership position and you will quickly find out how challenging a manager's role can be.

As always I will be available to answer any questions or add to the commentary when I have something to add.

Edit: Fix punctuation

Completely in agreement with you on the leadership part, especially a reason why one is chosen to move pieces across projects, matrixed organizations and of course, outsourced personel...

Wow, Alan, has beautifully said it all.
No words more on this

Alan, I agree, however, that could pretty well apply to any job. As far as esteem and respect-- I say continue on to get advanced degrees, MIS, MBA-Global Concentration, then a doctorate.
m. Gale

I was constantly getting denigrating comments from our Programming team, and one of them one morning said "I'd like to see you try to untangle a problem at our level!" I told him I'd like to see him try to learn every area we have well enough to immediately identify the source of a problem and be able to address it the vast majority of the time without any escalation - I know Exchange services, our network setup, problems that the programmers always send me because they don't know how to fix their own desktops, how to walk an irate customer through formatting a Word document, and some programming to boot. Good luck with that. He was peeved but didn't have a comeback. >.^

...agreed with that later comment about hats off to Programmers, it's a tough job. It's just not a job that has any right to spend its time belittling *my* job. ^_^

The best prestige Job is:
Job Satisfaction and going home with a smile on your face. :-D
No matter how hard the day was and how many challenges, money,status doesn't really play a role at the end of the day!
I rather have no prestige and little money than thinking my job is more prestige than my neighbours.
At the end in IT & Automation: we can't live with out each other no matter how big or small your jobs is! We are the gears that fit snuggly together on different shafts and we give the world prestige Infrastructure and Communications (Devices&Hardware & Software&Programming& Projects)
So People ( U all have Prestige & Important Jobs, everyone of U!)
Thanks to our Provider.

I am a good tech, and I love my work. I like fixing problems and teaching. I also like being called magical, a goddess, a superhero and an angel. I get to play for a living, and I always have the newest and best toys.

I don't want to manage, It is too much like work.

I don't think programmers are so highly respected. Even though they are the most important, but from my self experience we only rank slightly high then the technicians.

I have much respect for programmers, because I think being able to create something from scratch and customizing it any way you like is the tops.
Indeed, some companies, especially those in "financial services" don't quite understand how hard it is to create things that they take for granted.

So hats off to programmers, a little frustrated that I couldn't learn to program myself :((

Hi Jon.

The perception is that managers aren't technically proficient since they neither do the "real work" nor communicate their level of expertise. Reality of course may be different.

I've always thought it best to lead by example. I could do this as project lead but I always got the impression that getting one's hands dirty was a no-no for middle and upper management. Perhaps it varies from company to company?

Managers who keep their technical skills up to date and occasionally pitch in to help earn a high level of prestige in my book.