From the reality of your experience...What's Your Opinion

cxzar20

alexfox wrote: »

I was thinking about moving to accounting...
Did you heard about CMA?

Yes, but to make any real money you need a CPA. Accounting is a stable job but it is very, very tedious. I couldn't do that my whole life. My current career in networking can be tedious, but I also run into a lot of strange issues and its nature is to constantly change so things stay (somewhat) interesting.

As a side note, I have found that elitism runs higher in IT than accounting which surprised me quite a bit. I actually take a lot of fun in making the arrogant look stupid.

powerfool

You can even have remorse for good decisions...

Last week, which was a bad week for me, I was considering going back to school to become a pharmacist; I am over this week.

Stuff happens.

PC509

Devilsbane wrote: »

Look at it this way... what else would you do?

Be an astronaut. Bad back, wear glasses, short, and colorblind. Didn't work out...

My dreams of becoming a **** star were not realized, either. Wasn't qualified...

Armymanis

it_consultant wrote: »

Do you ever get the feeling that people who constantly complain in IT would constantly complain no matter what job they had? There are things I would change in this industry if I were emperor of IT, but that does not mean that on the whole this is not a really good career choice. My main beef is that there is not enough women in our ranks and too many gamer-geeks.

I can be guilty of this. I complain when there is nothing to do on a contract job because they have hired to many people. Or I complained about being in the stock room with all the IT equipment and not getting to go out and hook up everything with the other guy's who were at the same level I was. Instead of complaining forever, I took action and told my manager that I wanted to get out and be on the layout team which was mount computer's to desks and cable manage.

I am glad I did, because 3 weeks into my job I was on the layout team and out mounting computers to desks and cable managing. I also have learned a lot about HP products while out doing work instead of being stuck in the stockroom. My advice is take action and find something to do. You have the right to complain a little if there is nothing to do and you want something to do after you have asked people if there is anything to do. I think it shows motivation, but that is me. Not sure what others think.

Leonardo Fantastico

Leonardo Fantastico wrote: »

I could write a small novel about this topic, but yeah - I'm sorry I ever got involved in this field but I feel like I have spent too much time and effort to start doing something else.

LoMo wrote: »

I'd like to read it.

The thread below would be the opening chapter in my novel.

http://www.techexams.net/forums/general-certification/68494-i-knew-i-had-made-terrible-mistake-entering-field-long-story.html#post547872

Forsaken_GA

Crucio666 wrote: »

I regret working in IT when I have to deal with a lot of internal Politics. Managers can be a real pain sometimes. However, this comes with any job.

Amen to this. Love playing with the technology. Freaking HATE dealing with the people. If people would just drop a ticket with what they wanted and shut up, we'd all be alot happier. Instead, I have to go to meetings, smile at the bosses jokes, and engage my mental filter when my brain is about to start telling a user just how braindead they really are.

But as you say, the people are a part of any job, so I figure I might as well take solace in the times that I do get to play with the really expensive toys.

PC509 wrote: »

Be an astronaut. Bad back, wear glasses, short, and colorblind. Didn't work out...

Look on the bright side... after last week, their job market prospects are probably worse than your average IT guy.

cxzar20 wrote: »

As a side note, I have found that elitism runs higher in IT than accounting which surprised me quite a bit. I actually take a lot of fun in making the arrogant look stupid.

The problem is that sometimes folks start believing their own press. I can't count the number of times I've done some stupid simple task, like resetting a password, and gotten a 'THANKS MAN, YOU'RE AWESOME!' or 'damn, I wish i had your leet skillz' from the average user base. I think this is a large part of the reason I don't react well to praise. By and large, I find it to be either blatantly fake corporate speak, or misplaced. I've never gotten praise for waking my ass up at 3am and fixing an infrastructure crippling problem, but the upper floor execs are all smiles when I enable the second switchport in their office.

So I brush all that crap off, and just keep that Nietzsche cliche about fighting with monsters and staring into the abyss in mind.

On the other hand, when a peer does something blatantly stupid, when they should know better.... they're going to hear about it, and it probably won't be a pleasant conversation. Sometimes you just have to give people a whack with the cluebat.

blargoe

People not in IT or young people looking for their start in the workforce have been made to think that IT is a path to certain financial security and steady work. This has continued to be perpetuated despite the IT bust with .com and is gotten worse now that people are desperate with the economic downturn of recent years.

It isn't always a glamorous career choice, despite those radio ads begging people to buy for-profit "college courses" promising high salaries and job security. I don't know why people are so shocked to find out this isn't automatically the case.

Devilsbane

blargoe wrote: »

It isn't always a glamorous career choice, despite those radio ads begging people to buy for-profit "college courses" promising high salaries and job security. I don't know why people are so shocked to find out this isn't automatically the case.

I laugh every time I hear the PC Pro ad on the radio. Microsoft Certified in Desktop Support and Helpdesk in 6 months!

Thats funny, I didn't realize Microsoft offered a Helpdesk certification. I also find it hard to believe that someone could go from off the street to having the knowledge needed to pass any Microsoft test in 6 months (without significant previous knowledge gained from using). But people eat this $**t up and think they can go from never using a computer to being filthy rich and hand over their cash.

blargoe

"In just 6 months, you can be making 50, 60, 70 thousand dollars or more, and have the financial security YOU DESERVE!!!"

Usually, they come after these ads:

"You are at the end of your rope with credit card debt, and it's not your fault! Get the peace of mind you deserve!"

Leonardo Fantastico

The best way to think about the IT field is a quote from someone who gave advice on whether to be a writer or not.

This person said, "Becoming a writer is a terrible career choice these days. Don't become a writer unless you can't imagine doing anything else."

Don't go into IT unless you can't imagine doing anything else. It's not good enough to like computers. You have to love computers with all your heart, and if you want to be really good you have to study computers so much that you become a one-dimensional person.

I tried to explain this to my sister who works in the hotel industry.

"Imagine if all your co-workers talked about was hotels. They spent hours and hours each day reading about hotels. They were constantly studying trying to pass hotel exams. They talked about hotels in message boards. They bought the latest and greatest hotel gear that came out. You would think your co-workers were insane."

That is just the way things are in IT. Plus, productivity improvements mean that tons of people are being let go.

One last bit of encouragement: I saw a position for a NOC Tech today that pays significantly less than when I delivered pizzas when I was 18.

MrRyte

Leonardo Fantastico wrote: »

Don't go into IT unless you can't imagine doing anything else. It's not good enough to like computers. You have to love computers with all your heart, and if you want to be really good you have to study computers so much that you become a one-dimensional person.

I tried to explain this to my sister who works in the hotel industry.

"Imagine if all your co-workers talked about was hotels. They spent hours and hours each day reading about hotels. They were constantly studying trying to pass hotel exams. They talked about hotels in message boards. They bought the latest and greatest hotel gear that came out. You would think your co-workers were insane."

Hopefully if they are THAT compelled to learn and master the hotel/restaraunt industry, the quality of their work and how well they serve their guests will shine through.

What can I say? If you want to be good at CS/IT, you need to invest the time in it and make sacrifices (as with any other skill you intend to master). But that doesn't mean that you have to become some extreme introvert in the process.

rsutton

Leonardo Fantastico wrote: »

Don't go into IT unless you can't imagine doing anything else. It's not good enough to like computers. You have to love computers with all your heart, and if you want to be really good you have to study computers so much that you become a one-dimensional person.

I don't love computers or technology, but I do like them. Things I love include whiskey, my son, music, motorcycles and Mexican food. I would much rather work in IT (and have been since the 90's) than any of those other areas. I do agree that it is not a good fit for everyone and it is good to know if you are a right fit.

kingslayer

Devilsbane wrote: »

I like it. It isn't completely perfect, but nothing is.

Look at it this way... what else would you do?

Exactly.

There's a lot I dont like about my job, but I honestly don't think I could work in anything but IT.

SteveO86

I've recently had this kind of discussion with one of my co-workers.. He's recently been promoted from a Desktop role to a Server Admin role..

I enjoy the world/work of IT.. that's just me. I mean I have good days and bad days that comes with every job and field. (along with life) Do I regret working in IT no. Simply take the challenges and run with it.

I'm content with the way my career and life is going, no way I would turn back now.