IT Employment

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Where do I go from here?

0 helpful
23 replies

by jbillie0809

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.
I have been in the IT field for almost 20 years. I started with mainframe and now I have been doing desktop support for the past 10 years. Desktop seems to be going no where these days (over flooded and low pay). I love the IT field but I need to maintain a decent salary to support a wife and 2 kids. What in the IT field hot? What can I study for the future?

23 replies

by mjd420nova

I haven't seen it yet, but I understand that
internet appliances are supposed to be the
HOT button. I mean that everything you plug
into the wall can be under control via a LAN.
I presently use a serial net that controls
the current drawn by each wall outlet socket.
Other serial devices send signals from window
switches, door and lock switches along with
analog infra-red, ultra-sonic and particulate
sensors. Kind of like a security system but
with out a camera. Is this the future?? only
using a LAN (don't forget WI-FI) instead of
dedicated serial cables.

by ed woychowsky

Have you considered XML development? Believe it or not, some mainframe skills carry over well. Consider for instance IMS, IBM?s behemoth database, the hierarchical concepts translate rather nicely to accessing XML. Remember that not all dinosaurs died-out, some sprouted feathers and are with us still.

by jdmercha

Network security seems to be all the rage these days.

If you have cobol skills, keep them going. Every year more cobol programmers retire. And cobol is not being taught to younger programmers. Large financial instituitions will still be usining cobol for many years. And the supply of cobol programmers keeps shrinking every year.

by mckinnej

Totally agree with the security field advice. My company even has a special pay band for those folks.

by amit sharma

As a matter of fact, you belongs to IT only & you are a veteran of it (i respect that), but the only problem is that desktop management is going nowhere offlate & i suggest from desktop support you should move to server support as that is the only closest & feasible solution i see.

So first confirm what servers/plateform have been installed at your place/your firm & then study them or you can go for some certification which belongs to those plateform only.

Let it be M$ or *nix.
IT doesnt see age, it only needs dedication. So cheer up & get ready to face new challenges.

by dotxen

Infrastructure design around such technologies as J2EE (SOA), Virtualisation (that is the correct spelling!) and Multi-Core processing.

Put that together and you are on the way to being a Gartner Analyst - and they get paid a lot of dosh for telling us what we already know.

by vieuxing

lately It seems that security is on everyones plate as the thecnology to grab a handle on. I belive that having the ability to maintain and setup a secure networking environment is where future is as well as Disaster Recorvery. Take a look at some of these technologies. Another Huge technology is the Wireless infrastructure over a MAN. High demand for those individuals that can set it up and maintain them. Hope this helps

by cjbowser

One area that seems to be booming, at least around here, is managed services. Drop an SNMP or WMI probe on somebodies network and view all the network's essential info (connectivity, backup, processors, processes, etc.) at the click of a mouse. It's a lot like home security. People pay you a monthly fee just in case something goes wrong, instead of waiting for when something goes wrong.

by cgbullock

We are in the process of hiring a new IT employee and we have found that most "experienced" applicants >10 years exp, lack in the current technologies. They brag about knowing how to rapair a x286 computer but seem reluctant to learn anything new. We had a few applicants come in and say that if they didn't know a certain technology they would rather not have the job if it meant learning something new.

by thegs68

I agree with the concept of ?Keep Learning?. I don?t understand how someone in IT cannot want to learn as this field is always in a state of flux. To not want to learn new technologies strikes me, as they no longer want to work in this field or at all, they better hope the lotteries come through. At some time the companies they work for will no longer need their ?field of expertise? and they will be stuck.

Unfortunately finding time to learning something new can be very difficult if your company does not see it being beneficial, wanting to keep you where you are because your good at it, thus leaving it up to you to find the course and time outside of work. As with all Family situation this even makes it harder, all members of the your Family need attention, even the Family pet. This leaves very little ?me? time to learn. Depending on the ages with in the Family this can be worked around with discussions but is still mind taxing as after a day at work it makes it harder to concentrate and learn new things, but we all know that.
This leads me to my problem. I am presently looking for other work because I see no future where I am. And as I mentioned earlier if a company does not see the ?benefit? in you learning something new you could get stagnate, thus making it difficult to move on. I made this even more difficult by working to many hours and not giving myself the benefit of more education, I am presently not making that mistake. In the case of applying for new positions that are out of my knowledge skills most companies are reluctant to hire and to give me the opportunity to learn as they want a ?Qualified? person, this could just be my area, and I?m sure I?m not the only one. This is very frustrating for people like myself that want to learn and are not being given the opportunity to learn. To find a company willing to teach "experienced" applicants >10 years exp, would be great and applicants should be thankful that you are willing to, because there are very few that are.
Hope you find the ?Open? minded person that you are looking for.

by mail

Few companies are investing in people now - they just want instant results and want to make maximum use of your current expertise. As a result when your skills become outdated, you will be replaced by someone who has kept up to date. Moral - You owe it to yourself to find the time to keep up to date. When you no longer enjoy doing that, then you are in the wrong profession. Greg

by dawgit

GIS is not new, but it is hot. (How many people can use computers AND read a map?) if you want more info let me know.... and the are looking for experienced computer people all over.

by too old for it

Find a good location with decent parking.

Take 12 oz coffee, a cup, a lid, a stir-stick, cream, sugar (or sweetener) and a sleeve for the cup. Cost = 45?

Sell for $1.50

Repeat.

Install a wireless hot-spot, and you have the sweetest job in IT!!!

by too old for it

... at the round table in the corner with some of my writer friends ... solving the worlds problems while I keep an eye on the store.

by rcsteinbach

And don't forget Hot Dogs and Taquitos. They sell well too.

As for me....Selling fixed LCD monitors, refurbished PCs, and stuff.

by bob

It is a bit of a difficult road to take, but if you are good at managing, it may be a viable road for you. Now with 20 years experience, you could help small to med sized businesses maintain their infrastructure on an as needed basis or with a service level agreement. Now this is not easy as it takes time to start your own business, plus a lot of non-billable work in the form of invoicing and billing etc... Plus you have to be on top of taxes and other tax related issues like write offs. Plus with a wife and 2 kids, health insurance is pretty expensive. So there are some down sides, but once you get going, you could be making some good money.

You should start trying to get some of your own clients, but in meantime find a person or company that does consulting and start with some sub-contracting to bring in some money until you are ready stable enough to go at it alone and hire some contractors for your company.

Oh...this goes without saying, but you need to be a people person ;-)

Regards,
Bob

by gcarmody

I have been in the healthcare field for 25 years. I recently moved from HIM management to IT as a healthcare consultant and I almost doubled my income. I have a wife and 7 kids, five still living at home. I would recommend healthcare application/software support.

by flmagman

Everyone has valid responses, but I think first you have to focus on what it is you love to do (in IT, if that's where you want to stay), and then look at how you can get the money you need doing that. If you just go for the money, without looking at everything else, you're bound to be disappointed. Or else, maybe I'm not making enough!

by frwagne

A natural transition for me was into Kofax Ascent document capture, and management of the FileNet Content Services back end. In many organizations, this is set up by consultants, and they provide the help at a price. Both products have 1-week training courses, and you can sign up for vendor-direct support, cut the consultants out of the picture. If you have something like this already, see if you can move into it - it's a natural transition from Desktop Support. Same with being a departmental support - run the servers and keep the apps updated for department-specific applications - that's how I got into Kofax/FileNet, now run it for the enterprise.

by pravat

Hi Jb,
I just read your post and got a bit upset after reading that, after so much of work exposer you might have seen the world moving and you should have changed with the time. But no worries "better late then never". The next thing you have to do is select the field you wana enter in to. Field in the sense, you are in IT but specialisation is more important today, if you god in Windows stuff, today Exchange Server side is very good, but if you are Linux side guy then web hosting and mailing services are always hot. As far as I am concerned, am a Linux Professional with Double Redhat certification which ultimate hot in the market. Any more details on my side, you can always mail me at pravatsantra@gmail.com

by pravat

Hi JB
I just read your post and got a bit upset after reading that, after so much of work exposer you might have seen the world moving and you should have changed with the time. But no worries "better late then never". The next thing you have to do is select the field you wana enter in to. Field in the sense, you are in IT but specialisation is more important today, if you god in Windows stuff, today Exchange Server side is very good, but if you are Linux side guy then web hosting and mailing services are always hot. As far as I am concerned, am a Linux Professional with Double Redhat certification which ultimate hot in the market. Any more details on my side, you can always mail me at pravatsantra@gmail.com

This discussion is closed to new replies.