IT Employment·20,069 discussions

What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

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I’m putting together a list of the 10 best jobs in IT. What job would you love to have? It can be a job description like Chief Software Architect or a job role at a particular company, such as lead network engineer at Disney Land. Either way, please explain what’s so appealing about that position. You can do this as a list of the jobs that most appeal to you or you can simply explain your No. 1 ideal job.

Also check out my post on the “10 worst jobs in IT”:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-11181-0.html?forumID=6&threadID=185987&start=0

Topic

My idea of

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

a job that seems great would be a position at NASA. Presumably, the work would be interesting and I always thought they had a good comaraderie.

worst job in IT

In reply to My idea of

Any IT job in a public company.

I love my public job…

In reply to worst job in IT

I manage a network and help desk for a doctors office and I get everything from the “what is this pop up?” to “the network is down” on a saturday. I love my job and make a decent dollar, I say that govtment workers are typically less motivated or people who cant hack it in the “public” work world. Unless your someone who likes to make alot less for the benifits

what a bunch of C**P

In reply to I love my public job…

How can you single out governemnt workers that way. that is as bad as classifying by the color of their skin or by what religion they hold (or don’t hold). I have worked in Many different sectors, small medium and large, privately and publicly held, and yes, Government jobs too. right now I am the IT guy for a small government research facility. I have a college student that works for me part time. yes, there are those in any organization that do not pull their weight. In big companies and big government they hide easily, in smaller organizations they stick out like a sore thumb. it is who you are not what kind of organization you work at that motivates you.
BTW, I think supporting IT infrastructure in a small research environment is the best job I have ever had. I still get to do development to build gadgets for the scientists and their experiments. but ht deadlines are lax. My only complaint is getting money is like pulling blood from a turnip. but that’s OK because every $ spen on IT is a dollar not spent on direct research.

re: what a bunch of C**P

In reply to what a bunch of C**P

I spent 22 years on active duty with the Air Force. As a whole, govt civilians are some of the laziest people I have ever met. Of course there are really good people, but because of the way the system is designed, it encourages abuse of the system. It is quite difficult to get rid of a useless person in govt. service.

Re: what a bunch of C**P

In reply to what a bunch of C**P

Non-emergency civilian government workers are about 50%-70% useless. If a consulting firm was able to go in and fix the government about half of all workers would be terminated. And they likely wouldn’t be able to cut it in the increasingly ruthless private sector.

you have no IDEA

In reply to I love my public job…

I agree with dryflies. How can you post such a generalization about a population? I’ve worked in public, private, military and consulting for over 15 years. I have seen lazy people in all sectors as well as some of the hardest working people you will ever meet.
You should get out more.

YOU DON”T KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!!!

In reply to I love my public job…

I have worked in both the public and goverment sectors and believe me when I say “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT”.

Gov employees are just as motivated and just as good at their counter-parts in the public or private (whichever you prefer) sector. Don’t forget that our employers do not make a profit (and in many cases do not pay overtime)to cover up their blunders or wastefulness so we end up keeping our systems up and running with LESS resources.

As our governor put it again this year “We will have to do more (meaning keep our present systems running and provide new services) with less (meaning that since our tax basis is dwindling we have less money and personnel.)

Yes, we earn less money, even less than the contractors who the political types bring in to work with us.

You are probably saying that if gov employees are so good, why do you need contractors. Who says we do! Many times we are teaching the contractors about the software that we have developed so that they can work with it! We don’t ask for their help, the political heads are the ones who bring them in for what ever reason.

You mentioned benefits. Yes we do have good benefits and a retirement. That is what a lot of it is all about for us.

My own brother, who happens to be a contractor, is always whining about working in the real world from one side of his mouth and complaining that government should be doing more for him out of the other. He complains that “he (my brother) doesn’t have a retirement why should I (meaning me)”. My answer is simple “You chose to work where you are. No one twisted your arm and since you make 50% more than me, why don’t you set up your own retirement”. Even our new employees (1996 and newer) have to set up their own retirement.

Why don’t you get your head out and look at the world as it really is, rather than knocking the people that provide many services for you. Believe me, if you didn’t have those services available you would be whining even worse.

the best job in IT

In reply to YOU DON”T KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!!!

the best job in IT is actuary. it has been aprroved by the united states as there most popular IT job

Government workers earn more than private workers in 41 states.

In reply to YOU DON”T KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!!!

“Yes, we earn less money, even less than the contractors who the political types bring in to work with us. ”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-01-1Apublicworkers01_ST_N.htm

Agreed!

In reply to worst job in IT

I have been with a company that was private for 10 years, and in the past 4 they just went public.

The IT department here is riduculous now since going public. What I would give to have the company be private again…

Work for a Non-Profit

In reply to worst job in IT

I manage the Helpdesk and am a network admin for a non-profit social service agency.

I’ve had a long career in IT and this is one of the best career moves I’ve made. Why ??

Although my salary is lower than at for-profit orgs, the folks I support are generally a kind, caring bunch. Of course, there are some demanding sorts, but they are a few. Most people really care about our mission and are generally patient when our staff is overloaded (when we have large moves and such).

What’s great is that I have the best boss who is a warm, caring person, as well as a great techie.

I also have the opportunity to work with a variety of equipment (since we get donations) and problems. I’m rarely bored and am always learning.

Are there folks here with little knowledge ?? Yes, of course, but they are in every organization. We just have a little more patience for them.

Consider a non-profit.

Non-profit Nightmares

In reply to Work for a Non-Profit

I disagree. I have worked for two non-profits as a systems administrator for a housing program and a traveling computer technician for a large school district. I was very underpaid, had no money to fix anything, and worked with very nasty people. I have not had a problem working with corporations. Things get fixed and they get fixed fast at the corporate level.

Position at NASA

In reply to My idea of

The work is the most fascinating on earth. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and program elimination, space flight work is hard to come by (either direct or with an aerospace company – Boeing, Rocketdyne, UTC, SSLoral, Lockheed, etc.) The next generation Shuttle Engine and CEV offer promise, but I.T. support doesn’t show any promise until late 2006 (software engineering) and 2007 (I.T. support systems – app development, database support/admin, LAN administration/support). If I could find work at KSC doing IT support in 2007, that would be my dream job!

Don’t recommend NASA…

In reply to My idea of

Worked for Martin Marietta Manned Space Systems (thay make the External Tank for the Space Shuttle), and what I experienced of the NASA boys was that there was a lot of older technology, way too much politics and nepotism as well…

I agree…

In reply to Don’t recommend NASA…

…Way too much Cronyism.

I concur…am I am in the thick of it…..get your boots ready

In reply to I agree…

NASA is definitely not the place to be. Innovation in IT is not occuring here and all the prior posts of cronyism, sexism, nepotism, and all around political in – fighting are very true. If you are looking for a IT dream job….definitely look elsewhere.

NASA-JOBs

In reply to I concur…am I am in the thick of it…..get your boots ready

I worked at NASA for 10 years, there is lots of old equipment, politics and favortism. Not a good place for advancement unless you are minority.
You cannot find so much paperwork any place else. Every job has one “real-contract” worker and five NASA managers.

YES! Agreed!

In reply to NASA-JOBs

Yes, yes and yes! I can only agree! I spent five years at NASA as well and although the mission related programs are great, the support programs are saturated with burocracy and shiftlessness people.

Help Desk is Best

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I love working at a help desk more than I do anything else. I really enjoy helping end users and solving their problems. I know what it feels like to be on the other end of that phone call just wishing someone would understand my frustration and give a hoot if I fix my little problem, and not laugh at me, but with me instead. We’ve all gotten those dumb callers that haven’t turned on their power, or not plugged into the wall socket, or other “overlooks” but we can’t forget they are human.

Jack of all trade rocks

In reply to Help Desk is Best

I started my IT career as a jack of all trades person. My job title is Network Administrator but thats only one part of my job. Working for a Medium sized business with 4 in the IT team we have to cover everything from software development to laying cables into new offices. We never outsource anything so we have complete controll over everything. In the 3 years that i have been working here, ive been in charge of rolling out windows 2003 terminal server network, helped program and develop out accounting programs, wried up new offices, setup servers and workstations, been a support person over the phone and in person, driven 1000’s of kilometres to remote branches to sort out problems and much much more.

Best thing, no day is the same and there are always new problems to figure out.

The only problem i have is that im on pretty lame pay and my boss is a real tight arse. But other than that, i love my job.

Reply To: What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

In reply to Jack of all trade rocks

I’m in a similar position… Jack of All Trades. I like it because I learn alot. My official title is “System Administrator” Some days its putting on the Super Cape and helping people out with minor help desk issues, some days its programming routers, some days its setting up VPNs, some days building/installing/configuring servers, sometimes crawling through ceilings running cable, installing wireless IP phones, builing iSCSI storage systems, etc, etc. I admit its rough sometimes being on a team of 3 in a company of over 900 people spread out at 15 locations in a 300 mile radius with no budget to speak of, but in all honesty its not that terrible overall. The pay is not industry average but its enough to keep me here and fund all of my rediculous hobbies.

Jack of all trade rocks; Part II

In reply to Jack of all trade rocks

I defiantly agree with the fact that the position of “Jack of all trades” is the best job I’ve come across thus far. I started my career as a PC Technician/Phone Tech Support for a small ISP servicing the public with dialup, web hosting, email & PC repair. Two jobs later, I landed a position for a communications company that the ownership had been taken over 6 months prior. I’ve been with the company for a touch over 3.5 years now, so really with the new ownership being taken care of (4 years ago) I’ve been with the company since then and feel that my input has only helped with progression of the company. Starting at the bottom of the totem pole deploying fixed wireless infrastructure, 3 years later, I have been moved into a higher position where I oversee the IT/Internet department of the company. It was only 2 years ago where the decision to take me out from the field, and put me into this position that I could only take for granted. Since I’ve come aboard, we’ve expanded our services from 2 cities, to over 9, and with plans to continue on (4 more next year). Not to mention with the ongoing changes in technology, I have also put on to work with our clients do make life easier for them whether it be working from home, or creating automated systems that in turn, makes life simply easier. VPN’s, Terminal Services, VOIP, still working with the “voice & data division” on designing & implimenting structured cabling systems for any new or older building. Again, the pay isn’t all that great, but it can only get better. Not all too bad for a 24yo bachelor.

I don’t mind being a jack-of-all…but…

In reply to Jack of all trade rocks; Part II

depending on where you work. My 4 years of being in tech support and my educational background throughly (sp) prepared me for my current position. I’m a tech ie at my current job, but because of my background, I’m the “jack” in my division. I don’t mind being that, actually at one time I love it. I love it because I was able to work on developing my skills in programming, database design & administration and system analysis. What made me stop loving my job was the people I work for and with.

Because of my background, my knowledge and experience far exceeded many persons in my positions in other divisions within the organization ( a small liberal arts college). Even moreso, my knowledge and experience is more than the MIS director of the college. Simply, I wasn’t allowed to perform many duties which could save time and money. A very strange opposite of what you would think. So, I would say in my case, seeing how everything is the opposite, I agree that Tech Support/Help Desk/etc is the worst job in IT. Because even if you have the skills that are needed, you still aren’t respected by the very persons who need you.

Disagree about respect

In reply to I don’t mind being a jack-of-all…but…

I’ll have to disagree about the respect part.

I have a long career in IT and have worked in many organizations. In those organizations, I have been viewed and treated differently, depending on the culture and the top honcho… In my current position, the CEO is appreciative of his employees. I’m the same person, and as a techie, most people “love” me and respect me and the work that I do. I’m able to continue to grow and my opinion counts. In my last position, it was the opposite: my ideas were squashed and I was pigeon-holed into one narrow function.

Users only respect you when you fix their problem

In reply to Disagree about respect

In my many years of IT experience, if I fix a user’s computer issue (normally it’s something stupid), they would praise me. If I could not fix it fast enough to satify them (5 seconds 🙂 ) they would call my manager and complain about the poor service (total crap). Getting respect in the IT field is like finding a needle in a haystack, unfortunetely.

re: Help Desk – your attitude!

In reply to Help Desk is Best

Hi, I know that given your attitude, I hope that the next time I need help-desk help, I get you, or someone like you! Your attitude has got to be the best to encounter when the chips are down!

I agree !!

In reply to Help Desk is Best

I also work at a help desk. It’s for a school district. I am very lucky to work with a group of people that actually appreciate the help desk. I’m usually as happy as my callers when they hang up and the problem is solved and they appreciate being treated like humans…And I like to know that they are smiling after talking to me when they were originally very stressed.

I agree !!

In reply to Help Desk is Best

I also work at a help desk. It’s for a school district. I am very lucky to work with a group of people that actually appreciate the help desk. I’m usually as happy as my callers when they hang up and the problem is solved and they appreciate being treated like humans…And I like to know that they are smiling after talking to me when they were originally very stressed.

I agree !!

In reply to Help Desk is Best

I also work at a help desk. It’s for a school district. I am very lucky to work with a group of people that actually appreciate the help desk. I’m usually as happy as my callers when they hang up and the problem is solved and they appreciate being treated like humans…And I like to know that they are smiling after talking to me when they were originally very stressed.

Project Coordinator

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

We are a functional organizational structure and I have the title of project coordinator. I set up the EPM using Project 2003 and train project managers (who are really analysts since we are not a matrix) on basic PMP and Project 2003 functionality. I get to work with a lot of different people on a lot of different projects.

what about system analyst?

In reply to Project Coordinator

i’m just entering into the work world, whats the situation of being a system analst?

love being a systems analyst

In reply to what about system analyst?

I’ve been a systems analyst for about 10 years now and love it. Lots of new challenges and projects, never a dull moment.

Reply To: What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

In reply to love being a systems analyst

I just graduated with a BS in MIS, whats would u recommend i do for my graduate studies?

still looking . . .

In reply to Reply To: What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I’m still struggling over the same. I’m trying to stay away from “Project Management” myself. I work for an Insurance company so right now my concentration is licensing in that area (with all the new laws and Bills being proposed). Sorry could be of more help.

Move on by MSCIS

In reply to Reply To: What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I have got my BS in CSE and my MS in CIS (Computer Information System) and working as Sr. database developer/analyst for a good size company with a good pay. These two degrees gave me good prospective of IT and business information. The fact is the IT and Business go side by side and one would need both to move up in the ladder. I think you do have a good base of education. Now, you need to know what you want to do as an IT. MSCIS give you a good ground for managing any type of IT business. To grasp a job in industry you need to have some IT Skills as well.
I hope these could help you out and gives some points.

thanks for the info!

In reply to Move on by MSCIS

thanks for the info!

Project Coordinator seconded

In reply to Project Coordinator

Project Coordinator
Also hold the role of project coordinator. Have also worked at Helpdesk for 7 months and I enjoyed it. At the moment, the company I work for is running a project for converging its myriad of ERP systems from different end markets in Africa and Middle East to 2 instances of SAP. I administer the documents repository, configuration management, assist in production of the newsletter, updating the project plans and also do reports. It is basically project office support but I have had an excellent chance to interact with solution developers, End market IT teams and the our global programmes office. While there are some aspects of the job which can get pretty mundane..the learnings and the interactions make it worth the while. I also view it as a good opportunity to test the ropes of project management.

Sex must be better than this?!

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I am an Infrastructure Technical Architect for a UK group, at least that’s what it says on my contract.

This has to be the loneliest, most frustrating, confusing and interesting job in IT.

I am servant to Project Managers, Operations Managers, IT Managing Director, Dev and Test. Whatever I suggest is either too expensive or “Doesn’t meet the Business need”.

I am accused of “Solutionising”, making “Technical Statements” and ignoring the Business.

I come from a hands-on technical background. I made my bones when all these other good folk were studying at University (a place which, in my experience, immediatley negates you from having any technical understanding of network systems) I have 15 years as a network systems engineer. I am working with pen-pushers who don’t know which end of a screw-driver to use!

My opinion is that the Business Need can only be satisfied by a Technical Solution.

Anybody want to swap jobs? I quite like walking dogs actually.

WORK AT NASA

In reply to Sex must be better than this?!

I worked at NASA LeRC now GeRC in Cleveland with Allied Signal Aoerospace as system engineer for 10 years and loved it. They lost contract and my job. Job at NASA is very interesting, you get to work on so many systems and as many different people. Love to get back.

IT serves the business period

In reply to Sex must be better than this?!

We all serve somebody. The CEO serves the shareholders. The CIO serves the CEO. And so on…

This is why so many IT shops get outsourced – they were too expensive and didn’t meet the needs of the business.

I too come from a hands on technical background. Thats no exuse.

For any given problem, there are a myriad of solutions. You’d don’t and shouldn’t always feel obliged to give them one solution. You should present them with a number of feasable solutions, and give them enough information to come to the same conclusions you did.

And your reverse snobbishness regarding university comes across as whining.

James

You had me going until …

In reply to IT serves the business period

“And your reverse snobbishness regarding university comes across as whining.”

And the snobbishness displayed by the average college graduate comes across as?

(My favorite interview question from the late 70’s used to be “Why did you waste your time in the Marine Corps rather than going to college?”)

Join The Club

In reply to Sex must be better than this?!

What I found what works sometimes is to find a business leader, and get to know them well. Solicit your ideas and improvements through someone with clout.

ROFL

In reply to Sex must be better than this?!

“I am accused of “Solutionising”, making “Technical Statements” and ignoring the Business.”

At one or the other of the gawd-awful places I have contracted at, I was supposed to help organise the chaos after a bad manager was hired and numerous key employees retired or otherwise left.

They would ask for suggestions, all couched in terms of “we have no budget”, and at the end of the day I was accused of making “pop-off comments”.

I think companies come up with HR-babble like this becuase they really want the employee turnover.

Account Manager

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I am a BA/PM candidate. I love A/C Manager’s role because it’s more customer facing and brings along with it a lot of tangible & intangible benefits. You in a way represent the company to the client, Makes you feel important

TELECOM ENGINEER

In reply to Account Manager

Hi All,
Being in IT + TELECOM field is the most thrilling job profile.Due to one mighty reason,you need to be good in system administration and have a sound knowledge of Mobile telecommunication.

In short ONE JOB BUT TWO DOMAINS to handle which multiplies your skill set and abilities to nurture your future.

To be efficient in both domains we have to spent long time in collecting info as well as work on it.This says that stagnancy is donkey years from the day you join to be perfect and efficient.

Iam in TCS and working for NORTEL client.i work as an ASSISTANT SYSTEM ENGINEER and love my job profile.

It is really a good feeling to help out peoples in both the domain through the same profile.

IT + Telecom

In reply to TELECOM ENGINEER

hi shailesh..

i totally agree with you, i’m working with TATA Consulting Engineers doing Core Engineering & thinking of shifting from my consultancy job to a Telecom & IT job….

any leads though about how to make that jump..

Aerospace I.T. jobs

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

Best jobs will be for aerospace, once NASA gets their budget inline and new programs are available for proposal:
-LAN Administration
-Database Admins (Oracle, MS SQL)
-Web Developers
-VB app developers

Any one of these jobs will be cool because NASA makes sure that they send out Astronauts to award employees for their accomplishments or send employees to KSC for launches (Shuttle, rockets).

But how to find it….

In reply to Aerospace I.T. jobs

I have always dreamed of working in the aerospace industry. My graduate degree is in structural engineering and I always dreamed of doing the structural/dynamic engineering for the space station. Now I’m a software developer but the dream is still there…So the question remains: How in the world do you find these kind of jobs?

Network Administrator

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

You get your hands dirty (troubleshooting, fixing, advising … and then doing it yourself; you have the bird’s eyeview of the network. You have to study/research to stay abreast. You get to know to know the politics – and to dance the dance, but also to walk the talk. You’re the guy that brings it all together for them (from the ordinary user to the powers that be). Ain’t that great? 🙂

Not sure where my position falls here

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I am an IT Coordinator for a small to medium sized health care industry company. I generally cover anything that plugs in or has buttons because I’m the only man in the office. Now dont get me wrong I’m not being sexist but I just get handed those little jobs by default alot i.e. Changing lightbulbs, fixing those 12 O’clock flashers, etc…I dont mind I just call them additional duties and specified. I have been with my employer for just 2yrs now, and more than 75% of the employees here did not have a pc until I started, so I had alot of projects to start with like everything from basic user training, building a webpage to a LAN for the office. Im left alone to manage myself and my projects mostly, the rest of the time I’m acting as a help desk and a liason to some of the software companies we work with. Not to mention having to learn accounting for electronic billing and the like, ugh …ever work with medicare or medicaid? Any how to an extent I love my job, I get to do mostly what I want but at the same time I am the help desk for approximately 30-40 women ranging in age from something like 20 – 60 some years old. Not always fun. Pay is definatley in the lower range for my position, but I can live with that. My dream IT position would be working on government contracts for the bad ass pay and benefits, or just running my own IT consulting business.

Coffee shop (with Wi-Fi) owner

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

`nuff said!!

my best IT jobs…

In reply to Coffee shop (with Wi-Fi) owner

If I could have any job on earth…

1. Executive games tester.

2. Patent owner of Microsoft technology (my lawyer would probably like that too)

3. Personal tech support for local young, beautiful, single billionaire

I got the best job

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I am a web designer, owner of my own business in South Florida. I make more money than I would be making as an employee. My job requires me to travel around South Florida meeting all sorts of different people at various locations (the beach, for example). I often find developing sites for Actress/Models, or ladies who just need a bit of advertising (I also do digital photography for their sites). I decide how many hours I work, and the money I make helps me live comfortably. I have no boss, and I rent an office for a day when I need one.

Best Job Novell Engineer

In reply to I got the best job

I would say my job is great, to work with a product that works, a directory service easy to configure, and servers that actually do what they are supposed to do. Not to mention administering an email system (GroupWise) that doesn’t have all the security holes needing plugging on a daily basis. I am a very Happy Enginner.

Can I come work with you??

In reply to I got the best job

Please???
I’m a “Senior Analyst” for a large oil company in Oklahoma. I definitely do NOT see exotic locations or supermodels.. no insult to “Okies” intended…
My husband and I have started dabbling in digital photography. Beaches? Models? I wanna be YOU when I grow up !!!

Sounds like porn

In reply to I got the best job

Do you do porn sites?

One word….Disney

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

For me, my dream job would be a Network Admin/Engineer for Disney World. I live just outside of Orlando, and in fact moved to this area just for this reason. My goal is to get into Disney’s IT department. I just think it would be too cool to have full access to all of the secret passages and see the systems they use to run all of the “magic”.

Second that…

In reply to One word….Disney

As you can tell from my site alias, I have a special place in my heart for a particular irratible dwarf from Disney 🙂 Disney would be a cool job.

Industry analyst

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

My favorite job would be one where I travel around the country attending trade shows, surfing the Web, and talking to vendor execs about the newest technologies and writing about how they would or wouldn’t work in various environments: SMB, higher ed, medical, and so on. Wait a second… is Gartner hiring?

Penetration Tester/Forensics analysis

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

Right now, I am a network engineer and a big part of my job is locking down my network and looking for intrusions and anomalies. When one happens and the panic sets in, there usually isn’t time to fully understand what’s going on. You just have to kind of react. Once it’s over, you have to move on to the next crisis.

If I could be involved in it from the other side, actively breaking things and analyzing what happened I just think that would be so cool.

Video game tester! or these 2 others..

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

Or something which involves running over cisco gear with a steam roller.

Uninstalling legacy networks would be fun shit too. Get to take home some sweet legacy servers/machines destin for the dumps and breath some new life into them, that would be paradise.

The best jobs in IT.

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

1) Vice President, IT (visionary & has the most influencial power)
2) CIO (strategic and has the power)
3) Director, IT (decision making role)
4) Project Manager (very challenging role especially in an organization with a matrix structure )

Worste and Best can be the same

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I wrote this for the other thread, ‘The Worste Jobs in IT’, but I think it is fair to put it here because it is also about the best. You decide.
.
Worste or best?
As a contractor programmer coming into any position I learned the drill. They tell you their problem and you come back with a prototype that is a screen showing what features and controls you envisage. They are ecstatic. Two weeks later they want to see it. in four weeks they really want to see it. “It was complete. They saw it.” You reply that it was just a pretty picture you created. Now it will take a little longer to give it life. Six weeks is when they start to hate you. They’re not going to say anything, but it’s clear. They hate you. You have dashed their dreams. The stress is enormous. You scramble to make the thing work. You will not be able to show progress until you have a design that correctly models the problem. Re-designs happen and you had better be able to re-configure your code fast. Did you design well enough for the program to be adapted? You will know.
‘Now at any time this can change to the best job. You have it working. It’s not done, but it’s working enough to make your bosses confident and secure again. They love you. They really really love you. It’s a cruise then. Almost no stress. If you did a good design further development is a controlled additive process. You can take the job where ever you want.
‘My job is a thrash. An OS and database conversion. Absolutely no documentation in system or code. Management cannot communicate and has little desire to.
‘I work for a boss who is paranoid and rages uncontrollably. Family company. When he walks in in the morning, you know. You know from the sound of the footsteps how angry he is.
‘This is a bad thing. He brooks no arguement and can twist anything into any shape. I’m here because I wanted to learn the technology, but my reason makes it no less painful. He tolerates no defence.
‘I learned the technology and got an offer from another company. I give notice, but I had misgivings. The new company would want a lot of time. This system here was a breeze to maintain after the first year or so of panic. I have reason to consider, so does my boss. We talk. I say I want the basics any other company would give me. “OK”. “We will call it an anger problem, not madness”. I say OK. We will avoid psychological theatrics and communicate. OK. I know and he knows that the anger will not go away. We will deal with it when it happens.
‘I add that I have projects I want to do and finish. I want to finish my book. Development and maintenence will not take all my time. “Your company needs will come first, but I want to study, write and read undisturbed”. Strange words, but he knew he wanted/needed to keep me so he said to tell him when I was on my own work. I refused, but that’s how these things go. Oh, a raise too. I’ve got a lot done already in a short time. We’ll see how the anger thing plays out.

The perfect job = pure research and constant learning

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

If I were rich enough to never have to worry about working again to survive, I would travel around and take different classes of teh technologies thet I was interested in… Not just what my job wants me to learn.

Then I would spend my time on Sourceforge.net helping all the open source projects that fascinate me.

I would spend all of my time doing research without having to worry about deliverables or billable hours.

That would be bliss.

Business Analyst is Best if you like People

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I have a BS in CIS (and a BA in Psychology) and have been a Business Analyst ever since I graduated. I’ve worked for huge companies (HP) and tiny companies (my current job) and others in between in all kinds of industries. No matter where I have been, being the liasion between a customer (internal or external) and a technical person is extremely rewarding, even when we have to take the blame. We have to know all aspects of a business, from processes of each department to who to go to when you need a piece of information. We get to design the systems that the developers build so we get freedom of creativity. The job is about pleasing the customer but also about seeing a system come together of which you are the expert. I now lead a team of BAs and I can’t imagine a better niche in IT.

Business Analyst

In reply to Business Analyst is Best if you like People

I totally agree. It is very rewarding even if the finger seems to always be pointing in your direction. Do you have any advice for someone that is going to finally get a degree in order to promote to Senior BS? Is a BS in CIS the direction I should go?

Education is overrated

In reply to Business Analyst

I’d say that while I learned some good skills in terms of analysis and team work when in business school earning my BS in CIS, I have learned far more in the real world. I could have come into the field with my degree in Psychology or anything to be honest and done fine. It’s about your personality and your skills in the workplace. If you’re already a BA, you don’t need a degree to get promoted; you need to be good at what you do. I have worked with many other BAs who never completed or even went to college, and some had far better skills than I did at the time.

If you love school and feel there is no other way to get ahead where you are (or if you company is willing to pay for school), it’s the best degree for the field. If you feel that you can do without the degree, focus on the work. Take a professional development course (your company should pay for that) in requirements documentation or use case development. Check out the PMI website for links to courses. You’ll learn more about how to apply skills in the real world in those courses than you will in a college classroom.

Also, for all business analysts out there, check out IIBA.org, a new group with hopes of being to BAs what PMI is to project managers.

Hope this helps!

not overrated when looking for a job

In reply to Education is overrated

Yes I learn alot more in the field then I ever did while in school. But as with pretty much all IT jobs a college degree is required to get an interview. Without it you need a recomendation from within and that rarely ever happens. So getting an education is needed but the skills you “learn” are pretty useless IMHO.

too true

In reply to not overrated when looking for a job

When your resume is one in a pile of resumes, unless you are friends with the recruiter, you need to be sure that you meet the minimum requirements for the job. In many cases the minimum requirements include a 4 year degree, regardless of what is included in the job description.

I went back to finish my bachelors degree in MIS and I don’t regret it for a minute. I’d been in the field for about three years already but in going back, I was able to fill in some of the theoretical gaps that practical hands on training did not provide.

(respondine to “reveretts”) education versus experience . . . .

In reply to Business Analyst is Best if you like People

is exactly what my issue is with my supervisor. I have more experience at my current job (20 yrs in Insurance industry & 10 as a BS) then most of the Senior Analyst that I work with (and have to train most of the time). Thank you for confirming what I’ve felt all along. I’ll have to make a decision.

help desk man!

In reply to Business Analyst is Best if you like People

Im still in school and I’ve working for a mid size software company here in Indy. In october we rolled out a help desk intranet thing, now I’m working on rolling out MS sharepoint for document management. Its nice being the helpdesk, I like helping people over the phone, plus this job has great perks. I get to work on more than just helpdesk stuff which makes it fun, I’m learning new things every day. school still blows and I learn way more being in the field.

GIS – the best IT job around

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I am working as the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Manager for a local government agency. This has got to be one of the best jobs on the planet. Spatial analysis, software development, process refinement, community interaction, business/marketing components of economic development, RDBMS management of massive datasets – the list goes on and on. Projects are short, and the results are huge. And, looking at the earth from above all day is can be a lot of fun.

GIS Work is Awesome

In reply to GIS – the best IT job around

As a Geography major, I have been programing GIS since the late 70’s, when a vector plotter was the only way to crate a map. Graphic programming is the most fun Ii have had as you essentially are drawing pictures for a living and exercising the other half of the brain. Nothing is more satisfying that seeing a real-time map knowing that you wrote the code to make it happen.

Linux sysadmin

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

My machines typically stay up for 180 days at a shot – even with software upgrades. I have nary a care about viruses. If one of my customers has a problem, I can ssh in and just fix it. I don’t have to pay for licenses, nor do I have to worry about license management.

Life is sweet.

Best job in IT is just having one at all!!

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

When you’ve been looking for over two years to find a IT position, you’ll find that you will be in a mindset to accept almost anything! With 30+ yrs in IT, mostly as a Cobol programmer, but also spending a great deal of time with NT 3.5, NT 4.0, Win2K, Exchange, SQL, etc., it is quite frustrating that absolutely no job offers have materialized, i.e. Helpdesk, PC Tech, Sys Admin, IT mgr for small company (which I was before the co went bankrupt), Project Coordinator…..

Excellent discussion.

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

At this point in my life I am very much enjoying being out in the field, managing my own accounts, customer and territories. I simply love it working out of my own house and the self management part. What can I say? I hope this never ends.

In order to answer the general question, is there really such a thing as the 10 best IT jobs? I mean one mans’s dream job is another man’s nightmare? I would think that if anyone loves technology and willing to learn as much as possible about business and tech will find almost any job worthwhile.

Just my 2 cents. Merry Christmas.

I agree, this type of thing can be superficial, but…

In reply to Excellent discussion.

the responses themselves are always very telling and informative about the mindset of people working in the field. It has exposes the general attitudes and perceptions of certain jobs.

Mine is okay, but I can think of a better one

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I used to be a Help Desk/Programmer here. Now I solely program using SQL for report writing. It’s interesting, and I know T-SQL like the back my hand now. I get lucky sometimes and get to do some VBS for ASP extensions on the software we use, but that is very infrequent.

My dream job is to work for a video game developer. If I could choose one thing to do for the rest of my life, that would be it. I would love to program games. Consoles, XBox, PSx, Nintendo, PC, whatever.

My second favorite thing would be something in the realm of CGI. I’d do that for a game developer too, but heck, I would do it for whoever. I do it as a hobby now.

Consulting is the best

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

Owning and operating my own consulting business has been the best IT job I have ever had. I had been the IT general help and database creator/system administrator for a number of years prior to starting my own business and find it very rewarding. Like many others, I see a wide range of problems and projects which helps to keep my skills sharp, plus my clients respect my opinions and insights. Rather than providing support and being stuck in one particular company/culture, I get to provide service for many different organizations and types of businesses. The challenge is great, but the rewards have been greater.

PCH initiated…

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

PCH / Lottery / etc initiated early retirement…

or HS Computer Science Teacher….but Comp Sci degrees are not allowed to teach in PA…:(

Gotta Love Variety

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I absolutely love the variety of my IT Admin/Security position in a small 60 person, $6.0 Million manufacturing business. I would be totally bored if I was say just in charge of Exchange Sever, but I get to do it all from managing switches, network cabling, monitoring spam, virus activity, trouble shooting all the applications from accounting to CRM to e-mail. Solving FTP issues with customers even the simple things like what are those dark lines coming out of my printer. Then in addition I monitor the building security system who’s coming and who’s going. I have the pleasure of reporting directly to the CFO and President who acutally listen to my suggestions. The only thing that could be better would be a bigger budget. But that goes back to Sales and stronger profits.

IT Systems Manager

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I work as an IT systems manager for a medium size telecommunications company (about 300 employees) with six office between Texas and Florida. It’s small enough where I still get plenty of hands-on time, and I am paid quite well. This is a $100 million dollar a year business, so if we budget for something and have good justification, we normally get it. It looks like we might very well be rolling into a VoIP solution in the next three to six months, so I am very excited about that!

Database Administrator

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I love being a DBA. You’re essentially the high priest explaning to the developers, business analysts, etc., what that big black box filled with data is, what it does, and how it can help them. Once you’ve got yourself to the point where you know what you’re doing, you can automate a lot of tasks…leaves you with lots of free time during the workday. Best of all, the pay is great!

DBA?

In reply to Database Administrator

You are very fortunate…especially to “have lots of free time”! In Central Ohio, a DBA must be well versed in MySQL, Oracle, Msoft SQL Server, Access, C#, C++, VB 6.0/.NET, toss in a MCSE, MCDBA, and in some cases…a CCDP/CCIE. Also, instead of working with…you ARE the developer/business analyst. To get the position, you best have at least 5-10 years of experience, and a Master’s.

strange but true

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

I actually took a job as a client side Support Engineer after working as a server side Web Developer for about seven years. I work for a 3rd party vendor so many of the support issues deal with web developers who are integrating our product with their code. I am able to see a huge range of code samples and I have to stay on my toes to support the requests that come in, especially when the developers are using technology that is relatively new. I love the variety and I love being able to learn new things on the job. I even love it when I am able to calm down someone who is particularly frustrated and help them find a solution. To me, this is much more satisfying than working with code alone.

Depends on the Individual

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

The best job in IT is one that you enjoy doing, where you work with good people, are respected and are well compensated and can anticipate good salary increases.

Aside from that, it depends on your personality and on what you like – some people do better with things like management, others are more nose-to-the-keyboard. Some do well with a lot of activity and interruptions, others need to be able to sit and concentrate on one task at a time. Some like consulting in which they go from one job to another, and others do better with a relatively small, static scope of duties.

Principle Architect

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

In professional services, hands down “principle architect”

best jobs of 2009..and the winners are..

In reply to What are the 10 best jobs in IT?

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2009/index.html

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