Am I professing that IT training and careers within IT are the be-all and end-all of futures on this planet? God forbid, no. Where would we all be without the highly paid football stars who entertain us so well on a week by week basis? But there has to be a reason why increasing numbers of people are studying for careers within the IT industry.
A development I find interesting has been the increase in IT training amongst people who are seeking a career change or an enhancement to their existing skill sets. Reviewing this, I’m intrigued as to why IT continues to offer the attraction, and is this really a viable option?
Whilst we all accept that in relationships, people and key elements can change. A boyfriend or girlfriend at the age of 10 is often considered a cute thing, but not expected to last. Relationships at the age of 18-20 are often less transient, but again have a higher rate of short-term lifespan than others later in life.
Equally we ask our young people to plan and make decisions as to their working career fairly early on in life, and yet historically there seems to be an inherent resistance to change as times goes on. If we accept that life changes, and we also accept that circumstances also change, then isn’t it prudent for us to accept that career paths should and could change?
The continued dependence of modern society on IT, and IT related factors, leads many people to assume that a career in this field would be reliable and well paid, based on simple economics of supply and demand. Many people see a direct transfer of how they utilise IT systems in a social environment (such as playing games and social interaction on the internet e.g. facebook etc.) into a career. Is this a genuine realism of a career within IT, and what factors would actually lead towards a successful career?
I would suggest that a key element in answering this is acknowledging that a career in IT is as dependent on factors such as an employer (or client base if self-employed,) and economic circumstances, as any other career path. There is, however considerable evidence to show that professional IT personnel can move between employers and industry sectors more freely, due to the great dependence on IT services across both geographic and industry models.
One of the key elements is the term ‘Professional IT People’ - just as in any other industry, employers have consistently sought human resources where the skills can be proven by both experience and an approved benchmark. This applies whether that is a degree, or recognised apprenticeship culminating in an industry standard qualification, such as electrician and 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 within the IT field such as MCSE or MCSA are immediately recognisable as an industry standard. Employers can rely upon the skills offered, and as such there is a reduced risk of breach of commercial insurance policies for work and services provided by such people, whether they are self-employed or directly employed.
Anyone seriously considering a future within this field must look at how best to position themselves to become attractive to an employer - and surely holding a professional qualification goes a long way towards this. As it’s the employer or client who pays the salary, we should at least be aware of what they’re looking for 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.
So far within this article we’ve considered the trends, which with the demise of traditional industry and therefore traditional job-for-life expectancies, there will be an increasing propensity towards multiple jobs and career paths throughout our life span.
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.
The case has also been put forward that employers review recruitment for IT skills in exactly the same way as any other facet of their business. Applicants are expected to formally demonstrate their qualifications and skills, no different to the way employers might expect their electricians and accountants to be professionally qualified to do the work they’re employed to do.
I concur that there is substantial evidence to promote a career within the IT industry as a robust and viable option to many individuals within today’s economic and social climate. High renumeration is definitely achievable. However, it’s equally clear and, in fairness, common sense, to expect to have to achieve a recognisable professional IT certification to be able to demonstrate clearly one’s own ability; at the very least it demonstrates the attitude that you are serious about this career path and that any prospective employer can rely on you commercially.
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