Why go IT?

learningIT

Why should someone go IT anymore?

There are so many other fields you can work in where you can run circles around almost all IT salaries, benifits... Try medical for instance --so much more secure, maybe a little bloody, but who cares? Look at these numbers. lol I think computers are just going to be my side-hobby while I go to 8 years of college to become a doctor. Fortunately, I will be going to college completely free! I don't think being looking at sick people and cutting people open would be too bad a job --you're helping people. You don't even need to do that --just talk to people for a living and be a psychiatrist.

Courtesy of the WebMaster: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos074.htm

Anesthesiology
$306,964
Surgery, general
255,438
Obstetrics/gynecology
233,061
Psychiatry
163,144
Internal medicine
155,530
Pediatrics/adolescent medicine
152,690
Family practice (without obstetrics)
150,267

Some people do have a passion for IT, but where it's at is in the medical field. There will always be sick people. (By the way, next week on the 24th I'll be taking my A+ OS test)

james3302

I am looking at being an actuary. I should not have to go back to college to get the job, just pass the first of 5 exams. After passing the first then I probably can get an entry level job and the the company pays for all the study material and exams for the other 4. I'm sure they would not mind me going back to college either. This is the only job that I can think of that pays decent(35,000+) starting out and I should not have to go to college for in the beginning. I am really good at math too, I just need to learn calculus. I would have a better chance at getting an entry level actuary job then an entry level IT job.

New User

Blah

turtlenodhead

From the link wrote:

- Many physicians and surgeons work long, irregular hours; almost one-third of physicians worked 60 or more hours a week in 2002.

- Formal education and training requirements are among the most demanding of any occupation, but earnings are among the highest.

It's not easy money...
It's not easy to get in...
It's not easy to be a surgeon...

It's too late for many of us to go back to school and take 8 year degree to become a surgeon...

theICE

lol maybe because some people are more happy working with computers then becoming a doctor or being in the medical field! i know i don't care how much i make as long as i can survive and enjoy doing it. so while u can make more in the medical field that does not mean everyone would be happier doing it rather than something in IT or any other field!

kicker22

neither networking job is easy!
networking field is HUGE!
if you want to become network Admin... then you are getting no where above $80,000..
but how about this.... (Global Network Infrastructure Engineer) what do you think of that title?
well, you might get it after you pass CCIE with 15 years of experience

that is good money!

garv221

learningIT wrote:

Why should someone go IT anymore?

Being in the medical field is NOT easy. Long hours, alot to learn and you will be sued. If it’s as easy and beneficial as you say EVERYONE would be in the medical field. You sound like you have no clue on what you want to do except go where you think the money is. IT is just like any other profession, the amount of money you make is subject to where you take yourself in it. Like Kicker said "15 years experience and a CCIE" your talking money. I'm sorry but your not just going to walk into a field and make tons of money; anything you do takes dedication and hard work. Oh, you wanna know where the money really is?? "NBA" "NFL" LOL get a clue

ajs1976

How much of those big salaries are eaten up with Medical Malpractice insurance?

moe2810

What ever happened to just being happy with what you do. I mean, trust me, there are plenty of Doctors out there that make allot of money that are not very happy people. If you are a network administrator making 70,000.00 a year and you can provide for your family and you are happy, what’s wrong with that. Don’t get me wrong, I think everybody would like to make more money, but that is really up to the individual. Most people will work from the time they are 25 up until they are in there 60’s, and if you are going to a job in the morning that you don’t enjoy, weather that is in the IT field or the medical field money isn’t going to fix your problems.

/usr

What ever happened to just being happy with what you do. I mean, trust me, there are plenty of Doctors out there that make allot of money that are not very happy people. If you are a network administrator making 70,000.00 a year and you can provide for your family and you are happy, what’s wrong with that. Don’t get me wrong, I think everybody would like to make more money, but that is really up to the individual. Most people will work from the time they are 25 up until they are in there 60’s, and if you are going to a job in the morning that you don’t enjoy, weather that is in the IT field or the medical field money isn’t going to fix your problems.

I agree 100%.

learningIT

Thanks for all the good advice. I still have a ways to go to decide what career I want to go in. But so far it has been IT and Medical. But IT is kind of shaky and I would be the first to be booted in a recession. In medical there are always sick people and so that field always has jobs. A doctor will not be without work. Finding a job isn't all about money, but that is high my list (it kind of depends on who you are sometimes). You've all said that happiness with your job is important. I agree. But I don't think that helping people everyday will keep me from being happy. "We've operated on you for almost 16 hours, how do you feel?" I don't know how enjoyable cutting people up would be, but I think I could at least stand it. But, as for jobs, I really don't know. So far I have about 5 or 6 different ideas of where I want to go. Some business ideas (speaking of which, today I got an offer from a CTO offering to help me start an IT business with his son), some jobs, some product ideas...a lot. I'm just another confused kid who fears failure and poverty. Hopefully in time it will become clear. Right now I'm just exploring, maybe I should take a peek in other areas? I have been with computers since I was born, so I think that might be a hint as to where I'm headed?...but life is full of surprises too. We'll see what happens.

As for lawsuits...who says that I must stay here in lawsuit-happy-America, and live with "If you screw up I'm going to sue you"? Everyone undergoing treatment must realize that not everyone comes out better than before, perfect or cured. There are risks with every job...

/usr

It takes time. I've been there myself and I know what it's like. I considered other fields at first, but ended up kicking myself for not choosing IT to begin with, due to the fact that I had been involved with pc's my entire life. Then again, that doesn't mean IT is for you. Some people take years to figure out what they really want to do, it's just one of those things you have to wait on. If you're going to college and aren't in a huge hurry, I would suggest taking some classes in fields you may be interested in. Most times an entry level class will give you a good idea of what you're in for. If you don't have this option, I would just do some research. Try to also consider the stressfullness of the job. A doctor is most likely one of the most stressfull jobs you could have. Not trying to discourage you from anything, but you should just consider all aspects.

Let us know if you need any other help.

garv221

Why go IT? IT is a broad field with alot of options. You can develop networks, software/database, engineer an infrastructure, administer a fiber backbone, get into the business side of consulting, teach classes & be a professor, sell Cisco equipment, you can even work in a hospital…IT is what you make it. You could be lazy and not better yourself in IT and do help desk untill you die or you could man up hit the pavement get some names, certifications, experience and make some top dollars in a fast paced field.

viper75

[quote=Try to also consider the stressfullness of the job. A doctor is most likely one of the most stressfull jobs you could have. Not trying to discourage you from anything, but you should just consider all aspects.[/quote]


I agree...a Dr. has to bust his behind for many, many years when he\she 1st starts out. Working like 12-16hrs. a day, missed time with family members do to the busy work days\week. I have a friend that's becoming a Dr. and he sleeps a lot less then he works. The hours are crazy!!! His relationship with his girlfriend of 6yrs. went down the tubes.

I think you should go into a field that you feel is you. Don't go into a field just because the $$$ is there or else you will not be truly happy.
I don't know how old you are, but you sound pretty young so you still have a lot of time to decide what you want to do. Another thing...just because you have been around computers all your life does not mean that, that's where you're going to end up. I think that people are born with what they become in life. Some people are born to be Dr.'s, Lawyers, waiters, CEO's, LAN Admins, IT Specialist....and so on. The day will come when you decide what you want to do. Hope you choose the right field for you. Good Luck!!!

Transatlantic

Why go IT? Good question, could be because I enjoy having a life outside of work, as a doctor, you can be on call for 7 days or longer, getting maybe 1 or 2 hours of sleep per day. Occasionally I may have to work after my 9 to 5 job ends, to fix a problem, that I can deal with.

Believe me I work with a lot of medical people, it is not easy money, also as long as you make decent recovery plans there is very little you can do to a computer or a network you cannot fix if you make a mistake. People, thats a different matter, if I'm going to play with peoples lives I'd rather have more motivation than just money.

viper75

I could of chose to be a Dr.....but that's not my thing. I enjoy IT work. I enjoy working with Networks and the whole logic behind it...Like I said before...some people are just made for what career they choose in life. Mine was IT.

turtlenodhead

My friend in pharmacy, in new jersey makes 70k a year, 40 hour a week.
I think it need 5 years to pass university, and also get a doctor degree in pharmacy.

That is also a decent career option. Decent pay, not too difficult job, and alot easier than becoming a surgeon.

It's your life so choose as you wish.

2lazybutsmart

If you don't like the job, lose it man, before it's too late.

I'm currently planning to quit my job; not that I hate what I do, but it's just gotten at me at last. You don't wanna spend your life cranking out code when you could be sitting in a leather chair, drinking coffee and cutting jokes with your secretary/(secretaries). Ok Ok, I know a programmer could end up in a leather chair with an office that has a full view of the lake or whatever, but he'll always be straightening out and debugging code while taking a leak

I want to take a break and spend a year in a non-IT field. Don't know when that'll happen, but it's on my 'wish' list. Not that I'm dumping IT for good, no. Once you start eating breakfast and lunch and dinner on your keyboard, it's about time you take a break. But still, you're an addict (and that's true, you'll become a computer addict) so you won't be away from the field for long.

How about working in QA at Coca-Cola????

2lbs.

/usr

Give me a command prompt and text editor over the secretary any day.

clusterdkid

I have just read through all of the posts. Everyone has a valid point of thier own. I chose IT not because of money but because this is what I love and this is really all I can do. If, or more like when, I have nightmares about Solaris config files or LDAP tables I will find something else. But until then I am IT all the way! And proud of it!

garv221

LostInSpace wrote:

Give me a command prompt and text editor over the secretary any day.

Ouch! Give me the secretary any day. Maybe a command prompt "NET SEND SECRETARY WHATS UP?" .... Computers is a job. I do not mess with computers outside of work. I study like I want to know more but man I can only take 8 hours a day. You know the project engineer doesn't go home and start up projects to engineer..lol

/usr

That was more of a comment towards how I would rather be in the middle of things, as opposed to just sitting back and observing. I certainly get tired of troubleshooting pc's and rarely want to do anything with them outside of work. Hence the reason it's so hard for me to go home and study after being around pc's all day.
Though I do like to code and mess around on occasion, outside of work.

learningIT

Thanks again for the advice and suggestions. I agree, it would be a good idea to check out other fields a little to see what I like. Personally, I like management positions . If I go any direction I want to go far, my reputation and the way I've lived my life so far calls for it. Sometimes I did 16 hours with work and school, but usually I bounced around 13 hours a day. I was usually frustrated that I had no free-time. I can handle long hours in IT work, but in medical I am not sure. The medical profession was more of a suggestion by my parents (of course it is just a thought still). I think a lot of people get suggested into that field, rather than just of their own choosing. I know some people who are going medical just because it is a family trend.

But I think I'll try my luck with IT for a bit still, and see how things go. I still have a lot to learn and a lot of skills to acquire. But I don't know...what is going to happen. I've so many doors it's confusing at times to choose which one (what's even worse is that more doors keep opening!). I think I will just keep learning, and hopefully in time I will know which door to go through. I need more skill, that's all I need to worry about right now (which is frustrating), otherwise I'm going nowhere. I am still a fearful and confused kid.

garv221

Good luck with whatever do, you'll be fine.

viper75

When the time is right you'll know what road to take. If you don't mind me asking...how old are you?

You might just be stressing yourself out right now instead of being out there having fun! When you get older there will be less time for yourself...that's when you will feel it the most. Trust me...I work full time as a LAN Admin. I attend College P\T 2 nights a week from 6pm-10:45pm On top of studying for more Certs.


If you're still young enough I say go out there and enjoy your youth... Don't stress this out too much.

learningIT

I'm 17. I take life seriously, I don't really mess around. But I do enjoy IT, it's fun. I don't know what will happen, we'll see.

But I'll be having a good time soon, I'm going on vacation in less than 2 weeks. I will be thousands of miles away, and awayyyy from technology.

Thanks everyone.

mobri09

First off Being a surgeon is not easy. Most surgeons have a hard life and you probably would rarely see your family as well. Money is not everything. Its all about what you love to do!

bighit1

Learning IT, I completely understand what you are going through. And although, I wouldn't mine putting my CCNA to some use, I've decided to go to college and study respiratory therapy this summer. It's an interesting field(that fact that I'm asthmatic also played a role) and like IT, you have to keep learning inorder to be employed. You also have to take a state board exam every 3 years. Unlike IT, you will have a job for life.

You don't have to be a Doctor to make money in the medical field. Nurses make very good money. Whatever you decide to do, there must be a passion to succeed, if not, you will be unhappy but make a lot of money.

It's your life, make a decision that works for you!!!

learningIT

So far I've been going IT in what I do, and in my every day life. I don't have many other choices since I'm surrounded by computers and books almost 24/7. The thing that worries me is how many IT people were out of jobs in that .com crash and the recession. The only thing we could do was watch and learn. The Washington State area was hit especially hard (major IT area), with Boeing laying off tens of thousands, .coms dropping like flies, companies like Microsoft outsourcing, and everyone wanting to go IT --what a bad mix! It seems that things are looking a little better now for companies, as they shave off the outsourceable or extra employees ("one person can do more" is the theory now). I think one thing I worry about is job security, but then again I like IT, but then again, I have never tried any other fields (perhaps some of you too).

I will take a few medical college courses to try out what these other fields are about. But I think business is where I'm headed. If I start my own IT business someday, hey, that would be fun! But I think a medical facility could be equally rewarding. Right now I'm just playing around with IT, and seeing how I like different areas of it. A little experience in each might help me decide. Right now, I'm working with another guy trying to bring a start-up IT business off the ground, which is kind of fun. If that idea fails or sits for a while, then I'll try again in a different specialty or field. I enjoy helping people, and I think medical and IT both have a lot of that.

Who knows what will happen? Thank you for understanding. Just today I got my A+, so that's a boost to my IT morale.