IT is cool, it just doesn't pay
And without pay, it's nearly impossible to keep up the investment in the skill set. I have done desk top support, network support, development, project management, and dba work. I now drive a tour bus. I make good money, cannot be outsourced, have the time and resources to take on IT projects in my spare time, and I am never on call 24x7x365. I now get to enjoy my vacations, and while having my smart phone go down is never fun, it doesn't keep me from making a living. I had a chat with a head hunter the other day and he said his clients are looking for young kids fresh out of school that they can "mold" into the type of IT workforce they envision. I was there once....18 hour days, no weekends, calls on my vacation and traveling everywhere with a laptop so that I could spend my time on someone else's project....all for a salary that sounded good when I was just out of school but doesn't come close to compensating me for the stress or the time I put into the job. So last time the economy took a dive and all the non-revenue generating positions were reduced, I traded my cubicle for a corner office with a lot of glass and set out to see the world. I loved IT. I loved the work, still do. I hated what the job became. So now IT is my passion and my hobby - I pay for training because I want to learn or know, I take on projects because they appeal to me and make my money doing something completely different.
