I’m not suggesting that IT training and IT careers are the be-all and end-all of life on this planet. Can you imagine, for example, where we would be without the football superstars who entertain us so well on a weekly basis? Yet there’s got to be a reason why more and more people are training for careers within the IT industry.
An interesting development has been the increase in IT training for those people who are seeking a career change or an enhancement to their existing skill sets. In reviewing this, I’m curious as to why IT continues to offer the attraction, and is this option really viable?
When looking at relationships, we all accept that people and key elements can change. A girlfriend or boyfriend at the age of 10 is often thought a cute thing, but it’s not expected to last. Relationships at the age of 18-20 can be less transient, but again have a greater rate of short-term life span than those formed later in life.
We ask young people to make decisions and plan their working career fairly early on in life. Yet historically there seems to be an inherent resistance to change as times passes. So if we accept that life changes, and we accept that circumstances also change, isn’t it prudent for us to accept that career paths can and indeed ought to change?
The ongoing dependence of today’s society on IT, and factors related to IT, means that many people assume a career in this industry would be well paid and reliable, (based on simple economics of supply and demand). A lot see a direct correlation of how they utilise IT systems in a social environment (such as playing games and social interaction on the internet e.g. facebook etc.) and transfer that into a career. Could this genuinely lead to a career within IT, and what factors would be necessary for a successful career?
A key element in answering this, I believe, is an understanding that a career in IT is as dependent on factors such as a client base (if self-employed,) or an employer and economic issues, as any other career path. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that professional people within the IT industry can move between employers and industry sectors more freely. This is due to the wide dependence on IT services across both geographic and industry models.
The term ‘Professional IT People’ is one of the key elements here - as in any other industry, employers have consistently sought staff where the skills can be proven by both experience and a recognised, approved benchmark. This is the same whether that’s a degree, or recognised apprenticeship culminating in an industry standard qualification, like an electrician or plumber.
The IT industry is no different. Just because many people have access to a computer at home, and can experience many factors of the IT industry in a refined environment, this is in many cases vastly different from the skills and resources required in the commercial sector. I’m sure we’d all agree that spending four hours a night playing games or surfing the internet doesn’t make us a qualified games designer, or a qualified webmaster.
Professional qualifications such as MCSE or MCSA within the IT field are instantly recognisable as an industry standard. Employers can rely upon the skills offered. This means there’s a reduced risk of breach of commercial insurance policies for work and services provided by such people, whether they are directly employed or self-employed.
Anybody seriously thinking about a future in this field must look at how best to position themselves to become interesting to an employer - and clearly having a professional qualification will go a long way towards this. It’s the employer or client who pays the salary, so we should at least be aware of what they’re seeking in recruitment or engagement.
Data exists in abundance to support the view that the growth in the IT sector is more resilient and faster than many other industry sectors. We’re experiencing a transitional shift in industry sectors, from the first world through to the third world. The rate at which many growing or ‘tiger’ economies are embracing and adapting to long standing IT systems is very fast indeed.
Within this article so far we’ve considered the trends, which along with the demise of traditional industry and therefore traditional expectancies of a job-for-life, there will be a growing propensity towards multiple jobs and career paths throughout our working life.
In addition, we’ve observed that as the IT industry provides both consistencies in supply and demand across industry sectors and across geographical boundaries, it remains consistently attractive. Current forecasts also predict the increasing reliance on both IT systems overall, and the professional people who develop, use and maintain those systems, as they remain integral to many organisations requirements long-term.
Expectations for salaries continue to be high within this field, and plenty of evidence suggests that this is achievable. However, it is worth noting that the top-people get paid the top-money in many other industries. It’s not good enough to simply ‘be there’ and does not guarantee the top-money.
We’ve also argued the case that employers view recruitment for IT skills as no different to any other facet of their business. They expect the individuals to formally demonstrate their skills and qualifications, in exactly the same way as they expect their accountants and electricians to be professionally qualified to do the work they’re employed to do.
I believe that there is considerable evidence to promote a career within the IT industry as a strong and viable option to many people within today’s economic and social climate. High salaries are definitely achievable. Yet it’s equally clear and, to be fair, common sense to expect to have to achieve a recognisable professional IT qualification to be able to clearly demonstrate one’s own ability, and at the very least the attitude that you are serious about this career path and that your prospective employer can rely on you in the commercial field.