A few years ago, my dad asked me what I would do if suddenly, all computers disappeared, and I had to find a new line of work. I laughed at him and said that’ll never happen, there will always be plenty of work in computers. I thought my career was secure and I had nothing to worry about. I figured I’d find that 50-60 K a year job in a few years and someday make 6 figures as a programmer. Now I look back and shake my head at how naive I was.
Back then, there were tons of opportunities and high paying jobs in this field. Most of the high paying jobs are gone. There are few opportunities unless you’re a good saleperson and/or have a lot of connections. And even when you do find a job, you have to deal with the same politics that managers and other business people have to deal with. And they’re making the same amount of money (or more) without having to know as much!
It’s amazing how many disgruntled people are in this field. The negativity on this board is astounding. There are people with degrees, certifications, and experience, and still having trouble finding a job. It’s a damn shame that there are a whole lot of people in their 40s and 50s who have worked their asses off this field and can’t find work.
Some of you speak of keeping your skills up to date. It’s a crapshoot. Unless you have a secure job, how do you know what skills are you supposed to be learning? There are so many things to know that it’s impossible to focus on everything. By the time you become an expert in something, it’s already passe. Employers don’t want to train you. They expect you to have all of the skills that they require.
If there’s no money OR job security in this field, and you have to spend many hours a week studying for certifications outside of work just to (hopefully) stay afloat for a few more years, and you have to deal with the same politics as everyone else, what is the point? Not to mention that the schools are pumping out thousands of graduates per year….
If you’re a manager, you have politics to deal with but you don’t have to spend countless hours outside of work passing certification tests.
If you’re an independent HVAC repairman, you have to know your stuff but the technology doesn’t change as nearly as much as IT. And you don’t have office politics to deal with.
IT people are expected to know everything that there is to know about computers, be excellent communicators, deal with politics, etc.
So what do you do? Continue to devote thousands of hours on your own time learning skills that may or may not help you in the future? Start over and go into a new field? If you learn how to be a bricklayer, you may not make as much money (assuming you’re lucky enough to be employed in IT), but at least you don’t have to re-certify every 3 years.