Job security when you are in your 50's. Tech expert / ProjectManagement / Management

petedude

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

. . .Kindles/Nooks/iPads are great for being mobile and with them and studying.

I'm finding one of my best expenditures of the last couple years was my Kobo E-reader. I bought this $30 gadget, used once, off eBay. I dig tablets, but they just don't have the battery life and have to be recharged too frequently. Tablet E-reader apps also have compatibility and memory/storage issues. Anyway, I can take the E-reader places where I wouldn't take a tablet.

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

(Obviously, you should also budget a significant portion of your evening for engaging them! My boss, a sharp executive, has always budgeted a couple hours per day for reading to his daughter. He excelled at more technical roles when she was younger. Another strategy is to take advantage of their sleep cycles and do intensive study after they go to sleep or before they wake up.)

My kids are elementary school age, and this has just recently been a big deal. My family wants attention, but I still have to put in the time to study. It's been quite the challenge.

pusher

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

I would add, I see people use their family as excuses all the time. "I don't have time to exercise because I have a toddler." Seriously? I was always running after mine! One of my colleagues completed an across-America road-trip with their elementary-school kids, and Kindles/Nooks/iPads are great for being mobile and with them and studying.

(Obviously, you should also budget a significant portion of your evening for engaging them! My boss, a sharp executive, has always budgeted a couple hours per day for reading to his daughter. He excelled at more technical roles when she was younger. Another strategy is to take advantage of their sleep cycles and do intensive study after they go to sleep or before they wake up.)

When you are older with or without kids, budgeting time is obviously a must especially if you want to keep up with technology. Well, who said life was a cake walk?

010101

One thing that strikes me about this thread. Things change fast for Server guys.
Windows/VM/etc

Things don't seem to really change much for Router guys, SAN guys, etc.

Maybe the smart thing to do, instead of learning the newest version of Windows server every 2 years, or learning the newest hot 'thing' every 2 years, maybe it's smarter to just get a CCIE and be done with it. How much does Cisco stuff really change?

It also makes me second thing security. Security seems to change at a rate 10x of what server stuff does. You have to eat breath and live it 24x7 to be relivant. Probably not a smart long term career?

.

wes allen

While exploits and some of the tech changes quickly - security controls change at a much slower pace. So, while you may have had a couple generations of firewalls in the last few years, having a firewall as a control hasn't changed all that much. How often does the CISSP CBK change? So, just maybe less wires, pliers and CLI, and more higher level security work might be a good way to go?

Polynomial

pusher wrote: »

On that note, is there any techie who have transitioned to IT Management, PMP, and/or CISSP? How do you like it now? Would you have done anything different in hindsight?

I think I'm one of the few people on this forum who actually is TRYING to get into IT/Project management. I just know I'm better suited to it versus becoming the "VMware" guy or the "SCCM" guy etc.

010101

wes allen wrote: »

While exploits and some of the tech changes quickly - security controls change at a much slower pace. So, while you may have had a couple generations of firewalls in the last few years, having a firewall as a control hasn't changed all that much. How often does the CISSP CBK change? So, just maybe less wires, pliers and CLI, and more higher level security work might be a good way to go?

Yeah I guess saying 'security' is a broad term.
For Pen-Testers, you have to eat, breath and live it.
Stuff changes quick.

QHalo

blargoe wrote: »

I'm beginning to wonder if I should shift to something like database admin (demand for this has been high forever) or something more business-focused like BI.

I've given some serious thought to looking into Big Data stuff like Hadoop. Looks like a great area to get into.

pusher

Polynomial wrote: »

I think I'm one of the few people on this forum who actually is TRYING to get into IT/Project management. I just know I'm better suited to it versus becoming the "VMware" guy or the "SCCM" guy etc.

So how is it so far? Is it difficult to deal with the non-techie stuff without falling asleep?

pusher

010101 wrote: »

One thing that strikes me about this thread. Things change fast for Server guys.
Windows/VM/etc

Things don't seem to really change much for Router guys, SAN guys, etc.

Maybe the smart thing to do, instead of learning the newest version of Windows server every 2 years, or learning the newest hot 'thing' every 2 years, maybe it's smarter to just get a CCIE and be done with it. How much does Cisco stuff really change?

It also makes me second thing security. Security seems to change at a rate 10x of what server stuff does. You have to eat breath and live it 24x7 to be relivant. Probably not a smart long term career?

.

Well, networking guys are not safe from the constant change in IT. I am sure you have heard of Software Defined Network (SDN). SAN and Networking guys belong to infrastructure and the "cloud" will encompass all that. The infrastructure guy will have to know all of that to deploy the "cloud" so networking and san will have to adapt to this new paradigm.

I am an infrastructure guy, although I don't have deep tech knowledge about routing protocol and all that, but I know enough networking to deploy a complete virtulization infrastructure which includes networking and san.

I think that in IT, the technologies or field that value experiences are in programming and database where the more you know the more valuable you become just like wine. Whereas for infrastructure guys, what you know 5/10 years ago (e.g. novell netware, Windows NT, etc) don't really apply much anymore. Sad...really. I kind of regret being in IT now. I really like learning, but I don't think I can keep up with this race when I'm in my 50's and 60's. So, again, it's probably better to get the heck out of technology and get into something that doesn't change every 3 to 5 years.

pusher

QHalo wrote: »

I've given some serious thought to looking into Big Data stuff like Hadoop. Looks like a great area to get into.

And starting at the bottom again? I would like to change direction and go into database but dread starting at the bottom.

QHalo

Those jobs aren't really start at the bottom types of jobs though. If you have experience in other areas that relate, it should be easier to get into. Starting over isn't really starting over unless they want to pay you 30k.

Moon Child

I worked with a guy in his mid 50's who was new to IT and decided to try to go into it because the company he worked at his whole life went out of business. The discrimination this guy faced at the company because of his age was awful. He was the blunt of everyones jokes including the boss. Everyday it was a "look how stupid this guy is" comedy. They treated him so awful and were verbally abusive to him. I couldn't figure out why he was still working at the company 3 years later after I left if the bosses thought he was that stupid and that awful at his job. Then I realized he wasn't being paid for his skills, the bosses were keeping him because everyone loved getting their laughs and treating him as the company clown.

paul78

Moon Child wrote: »

... the bosses were keeping him because everyone loved getting their laughs and treating him as the company clown.

It sickens me to read your story. I hope you never participated in this dispicable activity. I frankly will never understand this type of callous and immature behavior. I suppose that I am fortunate to have the seniority that this will never happen on my watch.

I am a bit sheltered but does this type of hideous behavior really still happen?

JDMurray

I'll assume that the reason for this treatment involved factors other than age.

pinkydapimp

I think this is why its best to build as much knowledge as your can early on. doing things like getting a comp sci degree i feel can make it easier to learn other technologies and transition into other roles later in ones career.

petedude

paul78 wrote: »

I am a bit sheltered but does this type of hideous behavior really still happen?

Having worked in corporate IT as long as I have, little surprises me anymore.

Even if, in reality, they are poking fun at this older worker for reasons other than his age, the truth is they have an extremely actionable situation on their hands. For all they know, he could be waiting until he's ready to retire and no longer needs good references to launch a suit. Most normal juries could likely be swayed to believe age discrimination was the root cause of (or implicit in) the behavior, whether or not that is the case. The company could end up paying for his retirement and then some. Or, he could sue his boss directly and bankrupt the fellow.

You just don't do this stuff.

Polynomial

pusher wrote: »

So how is it so far? Is it difficult to deal with the non-techie stuff without falling asleep?

Its funny. Its a little like talking about video games more than actually playing them. Its a context (in our case, tech) I like and understand. Management is my goal and technology is the context I know I could make it in. (Not to mention its where the highest salaries are!) I'm a people person first and I literally get old coworkers pinging me about opportunities because of the impressions I have left all the time.

Its probably why I've always ascribed to Captain Picard instead of Geordi.

paul78

JDMurray wrote: »

I'll assume that the reason for this treatment involved factors other than age.

Yeah - I assumed the same. But regardless of the reason - the treatment is deplorable. It sounds like just plain playground bullying. I would have hope that most adults matured beyond their sophomoric phase.

@petedude - agreed - while there are legal liabilities, in my mind, I was thinking that it's just plain morally wrong.

@Polynomial - good luck in your endeavors - engage warp speed