So what makes you want to be in the IT field?

theitpro

What are you looking for in a job?

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

mattlee09

theitpro wrote: »

What are you looking for in a job?

My first inclination was to give you a response akin to something we've all heard... "Everything is on these darn stinkin' computers nowadays".

IT just seems like the place to be. I would probably say the same for stuff like solar/renewable energy, certain medical disciplines, etc, but IT was just what I was introduced to first at a young age (probably the same with most of us). The job benefits usually aren't the greatest, especially at entry-level, with the amount of grunt work necessary and a majority of said work needing to be done during non-business hours. I am a huge 'techie', so this isn't such a negative for me, if I wasn't doing whatever it is at work, I'd probably be at home labbing the same concepts.

I'd like to think arriving at my destination job would be something like a few around here have going on (if I remember correctly), a systems architect with the freedom to research and develop plans for implementing, where someone respects my opinions (and where I have the cred to back up my proposals).

Or something like that. I'm finding out that part of the journey is figuring out where I want to end up 2, 5, 10, and even 20 years from now, so that above is subject to change.

Hope this is something along the lines of what your topic was suggesting.

mikedisd2

theitpro wrote: »

What are you looking for in a job?

A chance to make a difference, being able to achieve absolute satisfaction in what I do, a feeling of inspiration when I get up in the morning.

Then I woke up and went into systems administration.

Pash

IT is such a broad industry I really think the average IT "user" doesn't actually realise that sometimes. Just because you work in IT support you are meant to know how to fix peoples ipads/ipods/insert gadget name here.

There are some really talented guys/girls on these boards who already have their ideal jobs/enjoy what they currently do and I honestly think that's great. It isn't that common though, especially in IT.

For me personally IT managed services has killed any enjoyment I had for IT in general. I cannot express how much I would advise people to stay away from MS.

I have a plan to move away from infrastructure and do the only thing that still interests me within the IT field and it's going well so far

blargoe

I'm not good at anything else.

bertieb

I wasn't good enough at either football or cricket to make a living. Plus, it beats working outside in the winter etc.

Pash wrote: »

For me personally IT managed services has killed any enjoyment I had for IT in general. I cannot express how much I would advise people to stay away from MS.

Depends whom you work for, the role within MS and the clients you have. I love the work with some clients, others I wish I could get shot of - frequently rude, sometimes offensive, expecting to get free work and never easy to stay calm and professional.
I too have a plan though, sounds like we're in a similar boat! Hope it works out mate.

Bl8ckr0uter

theitpro wrote: »

What are you looking for in a job?

Money.

When it no longer becomes profitable to be in IT (or when I go to law school, pass the bar and start working on being a judge/da/expert witness) I will no longer work in IT.

I also want to work for myself and I can see myself being a security consultant for SMBs to Enterprises in a few years. Being able to work completely for myself before I am 30 would be awesome. I think IT is also probably the only field that you can reasonably get to the 50-75K salary range within about 5 years. This is also important to me because I refuse to carry college loans for 10-20 years.

hex_omega

blargoe wrote: »

I'm not good at anything else.

This.

Also, I did it for the chicks.

Pash

bertieb wrote: »

I wasn't good enough at either football or cricket to make a living. Plus, it beats working outside in the winter etc.

Depends whom you work for, the role within MS and the clients you have. I love the work with some clients, others I wish I could get shot of - frequently rude, sometimes offensive, expecting to get free work and never easy to stay calm and professional.
I too have a plan though, sounds like we're in a similar boat! Hope it works out mate.

I totally agree mate and best of luck to you too. I have found the best MS gig is often in-house support for a client. You are still protected by your management but at the same time you can support a single customer entirely. Unfortunately this was taken away from me because we lost the contract, so I should mention remote support for several clients as well as project work is a real downer sometimes. You are expected to be bothered when they pay you peanuts

instant000

theitpro wrote:

What are you looking for in a job?

Bl8ckr0uter wrote:

Money.

^^^ This!

dictionary.com wrote:

Job Noun: A paid position of regular employment.

cyberguypr

The only reason I got into IT is to at least have a chance to do something when Skynet becomes self-aware. I refuse to let the machines win.

veritas_libertas

Because I can't imagine doing anything else.

networker050184

What I'm looking for in a job is something challenging and interesting. I like to go to work and use my brain to solve complex problems. I absolutely hate sitting idle or doing mundane, thoughtless tasks.

Eventually I'd like to be the top architect for some large service provider, but I don't have the experience yet. One day though.

Of course money is a factor also, but if I didn't enjoy technology there are plenty of other fields that pay well also.

AlexM

It's just a hobby that became a job.

Job satisfaction, continued learning, new challenges and a decent salary would be good too though (unfortunately I have none of these in my current job).

(I now have new hobbies, though still play with computers and tech in my own time).

rsutton

IT is fun when you don't have to deal with users or "mission critical" servers/applications. I can't think of many jobs that don't have to deal with one of those things.

instant000

rsutton wrote: »

IT is fun when you don't have to deal with users or "mission critical" servers/applications. I can't think of many jobs that don't have to deal with one of those things.

Hah. If not for "users" there is no job. An app no one uses is one that is not needed.

And, if it's not "mission critical" why are they paying you so much to deal with it?

it_consultant

Money and mental stimulation.

Forsaken_GA

I had no intention of going into IT. When I was a little kid, I always planned on becoming a lawyer.

Unfortunately, that didn't work out, and when it came time to be a grown up and decide what I wanted to do with my life, I was pretty good at making computers do my bidding.

On the downside, having my hobby become my career took alot of fun out of it.

On the upside, I'm basically paid to sit on my ass and play with some really expensive toys.

I'm ok with it.

Everyone

I grew up with computers during a time when it still was uncommon to grow up with computers. I always liked it, so I made a career out of it.

it_consultant

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I had no intention of going into IT. When I was a little kid, I always planned on becoming a lawyer.

Unfortunately, that didn't work out, and when it came time to be a grown up and decide what I wanted to do with my life, I was pretty good at making computers do my bidding.

On the downside, having my hobby become my career took alot of fun out of it.

On the upside, I'm basically paid to sit on my ass and play with some really expensive toys.

I'm ok with it.

This is kind of the same way I came into IT. I was late too, about 19 before I learned anything useful about a computer.

Forsaken_GA

it_consultant wrote: »

This is kind of the same way I came into IT. I was late too, about 19 before I learned anything useful about a computer.

Well, I'd picked up computers at an early age. In 1st grade, our teacher had an old Texas Instruments computer that she allowed us to spend time playing games on as a reward when we did well. That began my infatuation. I worked in my school libraries because I liked to read and because it let me play with the computers. I enrolled in every computer class I could get into (really hated the Lotus 1-2-3 classes though). I taught myself pascal at 14 because software I wanted to use didn't exist, so I decided it was easier to write it myself. I got my first job at 16 simply so I could buy my own computer and phone line so I could put up a BBS.

So I was always a computer nerd, but it was always just a hobby. I used it to augment the other things I liked to do, like play games, or write (I was very into journalism in school as well, and being good with computers helped me out alot when I joined the school newspaper. Since I did most of the formatting and typesetting and the like, it saved me from having to do the boring ass crap like going door to door at local businesses trying to sell ads)

I looked on it in the same vein as going outside to play baseball or football with the other kids in the neighborhood. So it was always just a natural affinity of mine, and one I pretty much took for granted, until it was time to grow up and find gainful employment.

drew726

Loved computers. I had a computer since I was 10 when I had a 386 dx33 and even messing around in DOS was fun for me. When I got a 486, I would take it apart and one day the hard drive stopped working and my parents would yell at me. Turns out I put the IDE ribbon upside down...oops lol. Ever since then I've been a computer guy and like what others have said, I'm not good at anything else.

Dakinggamer87

My passion for technology, challenges, nice pay, are a few of the many reasons I'm in the IT field.

millworx

I always had a passion for computers. My father was en electrical engineer all his life. And when I was in kindergarten he used to teach me about computers. I remember I started reading programming the Zilog80 in assembly. I didnt understand much, but even so it started peaking my curiosity.

In first grade the principal used to call me in to fix his printer when it would break since I was fairly competant. At age 8 I told my dad I wanted to learn computer programming, so he started teaching me C.

At age 9 I programmed a data entry program for a psychologist family friend so he could track his patients.

By age 14 I started taking the Cisco Netacademy Classes. Passed CCNA when I was 16. Dropped public school at that age to go to homeschool and got my first job as a network administrator.

I've just always had the passion. I'm 28 now and am doing pretty good. I'll never stop.

shodown

Been in engineering type programs for minorities my entire life. Decided around high school that I didn't like creating new technology I liked solving problems with existing technology and went to school for electronic technology in the military. Woke up one day and realized that electronics was dying in the current form and most things that people use are easily thrown away and looked at a career in IT. Never looked back.

lockdnloaded

The constant challenge keeps me from getting bored.

Pander

I ask myself this question a lot too... I suppose I am not really that good at anything else.
Like lockdnloaded, constant challenge keeps the boredom away. I also find IT changes a lot too which is amazing for someone with as much ADHD as I have!

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

Seems like half the people on these boards were child prodigies. While some of you were programming applications, I was watching cartoons, shooting my little sisters with super soakers, and making "Indian weapons" out of sticks.

With that said, I didn't get involved in computers until around 16 or 17, and it was only so I could play games on some crappy pc that my uncle gave me. From that point on I realized that messing around and building computers was kind of fun. I looked into several IT careers during my Senior year of high school and freshmen year of college. During that time I saw that it seemed like a stable industry where there will always be a need for technical people. Plus, once you get past the lower rank positions the pay aint bad either

geeksquad09

Ive always had a passion for computers and technology related things and it keep me occupied and not bored, Plus it was a hobby growing up so i decided to try and make it my career. Its challenging but all worth it.

NetworkingStudent

theitpro wrote: »

What are you looking for in a job?

I’m looking for a help desk or support role. Ultimately, I would love to work for a nonprofit and help give back to the community.

Why am I in IT?
Because I want to have a brain the size of these guys some day ..haha. Fortean Times UK

Honestly, I have loved computers since the day of the Commodore 64 and later on AOL. Growing up I never fixed computers or repaired them liked others have. However, I would love to fix computers for a job. I have fixed a few computers in my time. I love being the resource or go to guy that people turn to when something goes wrong with their computer. I love helping people and it give gives me great pleasure to see someone understand technology and to see those “ahh ha” moments. Moreover, I like being the guy that has the answer, or the guy that knows how to find the answer to someone’s technical problem(google).

I’m the main person people turn to for their computer questions at my work. ( it’s a non IT job) I didn’t have the confidence when I was younger to troubleshoot computers. Although, now I feel like I could tackle most problems that come my way.

CodeBlox

Alif_Sadida_Ekin wrote: »

Seems like half the people on these boards were child prodigies. While some of you were programming applications, I was watching cartoons, shooting my little sisters with super soakers, and making "Indian weapons" out of sticks.

With that said, I didn't get involved in computers until around 16 or 17, and it was only so I could play games on some crappy pc that my uncle gave me. From that point on I realized that messing around and building computers was kind of fun. I looked into several IT careers during my Senior year of high school and freshmen year of college. During that time I saw that it seemed like a stable industry where there will always be a need for technical people. Plus, once you get past the lower rank positions the pay aint bad either

This sounds like me! I hadn't gotten into computers until I was about 16 and even then, it was just to play games on some crappy pentium II PC. BTW, I've fixed that machine up and now it STILL runs in great shape. Although, I really only use it as a file server on my home network.