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Stay in IT or leave?

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by sda 2 views

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With this slugish economy and the lack of IT jobs avaliable. I wanted to know if people are considering moving completly out of IT? I've been talking with some IT people and many seem to be leaning away from IT and into other fields. I myself am leaning towards an MBA degree in business. I have my B.S. in Computer Science along with some Certificates but none of that is helping. So I wanted to know would it be better to leave IT or stay and wait it out?

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by timwalsh

I think "It depends" is becoming my favorite answer in this forum.

Do you currently have a job with reasonable job security? If your current job is reasonably secure (i.e. "downsizing" or out-sourcing is impending), now is not necessarily the time to change careers, unless you are really beginning to hate yours. If you are currently looking for a job (or KNOW you will be soon), everyone acknowledges that the IT job market is very tight, and will remain so until the economy manages to turn itself around.

Why are you in IT to begin with? Are you in it because at the time you started, it was THE place to be to make money? Or are you in it because it is your passion?

The bottom line here is that the need for IT professionals is not going to go away. EVER!

The present tight job market has more to do with fewer companies that manage to stay alive over the long term. It also has to do with the fact that those that do stay alive have to watch their costs in order to do so. Many of them (unwisely, in my mind) tend to choose IT as one of those areas where services (and jobs) can be sacrificed (and thus will) reduce costs.

So I guess my bottom line advice here is IF you currently have a job, and IF it is reasonably secure, and IF you're in IT because you really can't imagine doing anything else (unless forced to), then stick it out!

by oldefar

As much as I would like to agree with you Tim, I am afraid the changes in the IT sector are permanent and represent a trend. That trend is towards commodity solutions with little customization.

The precedent can be found within and outside of the IT sector. Inside, look at the change that has occurred since 1980 in the end user support sector. Used to be a trained technician would install the equipment, and would be back on a regular basis to clean keyboards, adjust monitors, align modems, and repair printers, as well as taking care of controllers and doing MAC. Today, a technician visit is becoming rarer. MAC is a user responsibility, and peripherals are replaced rather than repaired. Align a modem to the circuit? Users install their own routers now.

Outside of IT, look at radio and TV repair, shoe makers, tailors, and tool makers. As the end market has grown, the skill level required to support the industry has dropped. Ever get a visit from the watch repairman these days? What has happened to the auto workers? It isn't just that jobs moved overseas. Jobs were eliminated.

The IT job market will never dissappear totally, but the boom from the dot bomb was an anomally.

by john_wills

Perhaps you are restless not because of your position in the general economy but because you are in the general economy. Most of us are called to such work, but, if you have no family obligations, perhaps you should consider whether you would be happier with much less material wealth. Is God calling you to a contemplative life in a Trappist or Carthusian monastery - where your experience might make you the one who spends a couple of hours a week tending the website used to sell the monatery's fruitcake - ? If so, remember me in your prayers.

by clearsmashdrop

The problem with leaving IT , is where you going to go? I dont see any sectors doing much hiring, especially for people changing careers.

IT needs will continue to change as technology changes. As users get more and more used to technology the amount of computers a individual can administer will grow.

I thought of getting out of IT, because I like helping people. Thats why I work in IT. But I also like learning something new everyday. Which is often in IT. So, Im staying for now. But its tough, since I dont have a permanenet job.

by davidpmartin

I will answer your question with a question. Is this your calling in life? Or is IT something that puts 'bread' on the table and gas in the car? How you answer that question should determine what you ultimately do - life is too short to be secure - but stressed out all the time.

Does IT really get your blood pumping - or is it something that you do to fuel your other hobbies or passions? Personally, I'm in IT because I love what I do - I love troubleshooting, I like to 'put the pieces together' so they make sense, I like the challenge of helping people learn about IT, and the never-ending cycle of learning. I mean I really have a passion about it - and will stay in this career field until I retire. It also helps that most IT jobs pay well.

That being said, IT is NOT for everyone. It can be VERY stressful, especially if you work in an environment where you are not appreciated by the non-technical staff or you are working for a 'jerk'. IT management tends to come from the technical ranks and as such, many have little experience in dealing with other people - that may be the source of your real frustration. In that case, you have to weigh the benifits of being employed against the psychological and phyical costs of all that stess. Unfortunately, only you can make the final decision to leave or go.

I wish you God speed.

by lordinfidel

But I view myself as a doctor views himself, I don't have a job.

I have a career, a lifestyle. It's not something that you just give up. Your either dedicated to it or your not.

I guess it's different if your a generalizd help desk slob. But when you are at an admin level, or specialized field such as security, a WAN admin or a UNIX admin. It's not just something you give up and switch fields.

So i'm not sure who you are talking to. But I would take into account what they do, how good they are, and are they truly dedicated to their career.

I just can't picture myself working in mcdonalds or being a manager at a publix, or even sales. That's not me. I would be very unhappy doing so. If I lost my job and had to take a non-IT one, I would, that is just survival. But I would not stop looking for an IT job because of it.

by ghstinshll

All I can say is that I find it really hard to imagine leaving all the hard work I've put in to learning all I have over the years to just give it up. Like Infidel said, when you're at a specialized admin level, you have a passion for this and you live and breathe it. Hell, I won't think about quitting until I think about retiring, and even that will be hard to let go... I'm that kind though, work is addicting some times.

Don't leave unless you have the means to... Are you going to become atrauma or surgery nurse? Those jobs pay well, but only as well as what I make right now... Want to sell insurance? I don't think so... Every other desirable field I can think of requires more college, so instead pick up a 2nd job and work on bettering your finances so that if you truly do need to leave or jump you're able to. I can't see myself doing it unless I were to go back to school and go to med school, but who wants to go back for that at 26? Stick with it, but find a new area that interests you... DBA? Exchange? Sounds cool to me!

by dbgirl

Do what you enjoy, and enjoy what you do. Making career choices just because of how much 'easier' it is to find a job, or how much money you can make isn't always a good idea.

You need to think of what you would do if money were not an issue. Then, because money is usually an issue, figure out what you can do for a living that will bring you closer to what you truly want to do.

I'm extremely burnt out by my current IT job. It makes me want to go do something else sometimes. But when Istart trying to pursue some other type of job, I feel like I am leaving something very important behind. Bottom line is, if you can't switch careers without looking back, don't do it. If you can switch careers without looking back, find something you enjoy more. I for one am looking for a different IT job. It may take awhile, and I may have to take a pay-cut, but the peace of mind that comes with doing what I love is worth it.

by mhfl

Hello,

I agree with everybody here... In other words, what people are saying, and it is our "advice", is that you should do something you liked (of course, it is not possible to do this all the time...). The market is not good for IT, but it is not for other areas as well, no matter where in the world you are...
Again, life is too short to do something you don?t like.. If you like IT, maybe would be good to try again, or have a correlate area where you can use your IT skills...

If you don?t like IT, try to find something you like, something that will bring to you happiness and that will fill your needs and wishes..

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