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  • #2184061

    Tech Worker Shortage Versus Sanity – You Decide!

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    by the admiral ·

    I look all around and see people like Bill Gates talk about not having enough people to fill positions in Information Technology, then I remember the experience working for a contracting company, and then I see in the news that almost no college students are taking Information Technology as a major. I wonder why they are saying such incorrect things when, if they looked around, I am sure they can find the people.

    My opinion is that first, companies like Microsoft and Oracle imported people to perform the jobs in the dot com craze stating that there is large need and not enough skills, so the rush of college students was on in order to fill those positions. Then when the bubble burst, IT positions were cut and slashed, and nearly all IT professionals pay was cut in order to keep companies alive. The funny thing is that while the people who made sure that the companies infastructure and employees were able to work, the CEO’s who were coming down with the slashes were getting multi-million dollar raises. So the idea that Technology or Techknowlogy as a romantic and prosperous career went out the window with nearly (as I estimate) 60% of those laid off because of the actions of the company filing bankrupcy in the United States.

    And it continues. IT professionals are being outsourced, the rate in which they are getting paid here in the US (not inches but foots) lower toward general laborer wages. At one point in time my son-in-law who is an apartment complex maintenance man, was making more than I was. When wages fall to a point where people can have better careers like that, then why should they even bother with the bureaucracy of working on information systems?

    If Gates and other CEO’s want to have more people to hire in their corporate offices, they have to show that they are serious about hiring people in the United States and paying them, rather then saying “We need more from the education arena” then turn around and say “Outsource more.” What signals are companies sending saying one thing and doing another?

    Now you have the mass migrations from IT to other careers, and those who set this page are now whining. They claim it is because they can’t find people, and I think it is because they have learned that IT work is backstabbing and learned their tricks and don’t want their intelligence insulted.

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    • #3189708

      how aboutthis:

      by jaqui ·

      In reply to Tech Worker Shortage Versus Sanity – You Decide!

      typical corporate insanity.

      loosely translated to:
      they want to have thier cake and eat it too.

      until companies, including government, realise that they have to have realistic in thier planning then they will continue to screw both themselves and the workeforce.

      • #3047534

        Soon to be IT grad

        by texas_gal ·

        In reply to how aboutthis:

        I expect to start at the bottom of the ladder and pay my dues. Hopefully I’ll stay a step ahead of the outsourcing game. No guarantees. As for staying in the lab on New Years’ Eve, I kinda like that kind of stuff. Not being a party animal, it’s just another day to me. I’m not in it to get a fat salary and new car as a signing bonus, though I wouldn’t turn it down! I like what I’ve done so far. You should pick a major and profession based on what you like to do, not the hot career du jour. Now most of the grads will be those who want to be in IT.

        • #3047429

          “Now most of the grads will be those who want to be in IT.” So true!

          by jmgarvin ·

          In reply to Soon to be IT grad

          There was, for a time, a big bandwagon jump to CS and IT for the $$$$$, now you see the people that really want to do it and people jumping on the new bandwagons (HR and MBA) for the $$$$.

        • #3047425

          yup, but then

          by jaqui ·

          In reply to Soon to be IT grad

          you aren’t graduating in the middle of the “dot com boom”
          those that did were in it for the money.
          ( mostly )
          most of current it students are not in it for the money.
          ( here there are 10,000 mcse aplicants for any it job, to many unemployed for it to be a good entry area unless you know someone. )

    • #3176260

      Bill Gates and Corporate America are liars

      by av . ·

      In reply to Tech Worker Shortage Versus Sanity – You Decide!

      Their real reason for saying there are not enough IT workers is so they can justify hiring cheap overseas labor. They’re hoping that the government will eliminate the caps on the H1-b and other visa programs. The more money they save on IT labor, the better the bonuses for Executive row.

      There are lots of available IT workers that have far more expertise than their overseas counterparts, BUT they want to be paid for it. Corporate America doesn’t want to pay a US worker when someone in India will do the job for a 10th of the salary.

      I’ve been in IT for over 20 years, half of which I spent in Corporate America. I have watched it change from a field with great career prospects and a good future to an under-appreciated, under-valued profession. Even though I love IT, I wouldn’t pursue it as a career today because it just isn’t that viable anymore.

      To be an IT person, you have to invest alot in constant education, long hours and commitment. You have to be the kind of person that will, for example, spend their New Year’s Eve in the computer room making sure all the Y2k fixes worked properly and the network is functional. Its a sacrifice and not worth it if you are not paid for it or will be laid off after the crisis is over.

      For those IT people moving to other careers I say good for you. There are many different careers you can choose that can’t be outsourced and are far more appreciated. Don’t end up like I am, and alot of IT people like me; over 40 in a job with no future. I should have studied medicine.

      • #3176252

        Don’t be so down on IT yet…

        by jmgarvin ·

        In reply to Bill Gates and Corporate America are liars

        While outsourcing is the craze now, oursourcers are freaking out because it “only” grew by 7% in 2004. This means two things

        1) Outsourcing isn’t the silver bullet
        2) American IT workers are accepting wages in the $30k to $50k range

        The major thing is this. Computer Scientist/IT majors aren’t a dime a dozen like they were back in the mid to late 90’s. The ones that are still in the field aren’t planning on moving and are happy where they are at. Plus, the certification field is starting to feel the pinch (you just can’t charge so much for a cert anymore)

        I dropped out of the rat race to teach. I’m glad I did. I love teaching, but I’m still an IT guru and I still get to get my hands dirty every now and again.

        • #3176088

          There are still tech jobs

          by av . ·

          In reply to Don’t be so down on IT yet…

          I agree, but I just don’t think the salaries will ever be what they were because of offshoring.

          I’m still in IT – for a smaller law firm. Smaller places, so far, don’t offshore the work. But this, by choice, will be my last IT job. My husband, laid off 2 years ago from his Net Admin job at HP, finally found a job after a year of a really humbling job search, in medical IT. Nothing permanent, mind you and for about 40% of his previous salary.

          You’re right. Its a rat race anymore. Though I love IT, I think my next job will have alot less emphasis on IT and more on something else.

        • #3068240
          Avatar photo

          And Medical It is the PITS!

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to There are still tech jobs

          You are always wrong no matter what happens and you know that peoples lives do hinge on your work.

          I’ve spent far toooooooo long working Medical IT to ever consider going back to that it is under resourced over worked and miracles expected on a hourly basis. The pay is the pits as well and you are just never appreciated but are always held to blame when something goes wrong.

          If I had to do Medical Work again it certainly wouldn’t be Medical IT but something like a Medical tech where I just fix things like MRI’s and the like. At least that way the individuals can not scream at you when things break and it is their fault because they have failed to support the IT staff and provide the required resources.

          Col ]:)

    • #3176005

      solution is at hand!!

      by husp1 ·

      In reply to Tech Worker Shortage Versus Sanity – You Decide!

      HP lets go of 14.500 people and closes that gap up. guess billy was right!!

      • #3066538

        Reply To: Tech Worker Shortage Versus Sanity – You Decide!

        by the admiral ·

        In reply to solution is at hand!!

        If they hire any other people, you can be guaranteed that they will be hired at nearly 40% of what a person was paid 10 years ago.

        Helpdesk technician 1995: $11-13/hr
        Helpdesk technician 2005: $7-9/hr ($9 being max)

        • #3041123

          Left IT, never looked back

          by pickin_grinnin ·

          In reply to Reply To: Tech Worker Shortage Versus Sanity – You Decide!

          I was in IT before the dotcom boom, through it, and after the bust. I saw the worst of corporate America’s growing involvement in the Internet, not to mention the utter absurdity that followed most of the development companies during the boom.

          After about a decade of it, I walked away, went to grad school, and got a Masters in Library Science. I rose through the ranks, and am now making close to what I was making for most of my IT career. I work 40 hours a week in a relatively low-stress, stable job, and still get to play around with IT stuff as much as I want to (the library world is woefully short on folks with IT experience).

          It was the best move I ever made.

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