Discussion on:

Survey shows the top IT paying jobs

As for manufacturing industries, IT companies have started to use high quality / lower cost IT staff from the Western Pacific countries (Malaysia, India, ...). With such an interconnected world, we can expect IT salaries to be impacted. The higher the difference in salaries is, the more IT companies can invest in development sites oversea.

First it was MBA
Next it was MCSE and More Letters behind your name.
Now the call is for MBA ( leadership )and a Mcse (techie ) this combination is like a guy that has good fashion sense or a woman that has house repair sense...Yes there out there, but few in numbers. Best of luck to both of them.

This is just some more nay-saying and propaganda from the corporate friendly psuedo-journalist. I sure do wish that he would stop writing his corporate financed "OPINIONS" to TechRepublic and just keep to being the ITAA's paid lackey writing for Business Week or something.

I mean, come on Bob, either get a backbone and write something true for a change or just start admitting that you are now a paid ITAA employee even though the "paycheck" they give you is "on the sly". (wink wink, nudge nudge)

Of course, that's just my "opinion" based on your previous corporate press releases... Oops, I mean articles.

I think this was a reasonable assessment of what's going on in the IT world. Many of the discussions on TR center around the fact that people need to wake up and face the fact that we don't fix machines or systems, we fix business needs. That means being savvy about your employer's business. It makes the difference between someone who works unnoticed and someone who is truly valued.

As far as the salary surveys go, I would tend to agree that they are a useful tool but certainly not gospel. They need to be weighed against numerous other factors. Just because some survey indicates what an average position of "x" title pays, is that realistic in your area? Could you actually secure a job in that pay range with your talent, backgroundand personality?

In my organization, there are a lot of people who are paid only 1/3 to 1/2 of the average IT wage, and they work their butts off, often around the clock. While I agree that IT professionals need compensation for constant education, odd hours and stress, I read some of the postings on this site and think there are real IT snobs in the world. Let's not lose site of the many other employees that are equally hard working, dedicated and well-intentioned, but they're in fieldsthat don't pay nearly as well. By the way, many of those people are the ones who sing my praises for understanding their business requirements, which influences my salary increases.

IT salaries and Knowledge

In my case, I am a well-paid consultant. My skill set includes technical knowledge, but most importantly, it includes business acumen. Like Koko, I take time to understand my customers and their business, to understandtheir requirements, their obstacles, their concerns, and to deliver solutions within their specified requirements.

Now, our economy depends on our ability to provide good service. Good service is based on our ability to work with our customers in a partnership to solve their problems, from their perspective. To provide good service, we have to let go of the notion we (the IT priesthood) has all the answers. We the IT practitioners must come to terms with the notion that anything for its own sake has little value. Technology is a tool, which can increase, or decrease, organizational value. It is nothing more, nothing less.

Surveys are great. They provide guidelines for consideration and action. They too are tools; and we need to use them with discretion.