10 reasons IT pros get a bad rap

Source: 10 reasons IT pros get a bad rap | TechRepublic

1: We’re considered too well paid
2: We can’t respond to every problem instantly
3: We try to do the impossible
4: We have to do the impossible
5: We offer technical support and not personal service
6: We have a bad image
7: We’re seen as a threat to the average worker’s job
8: We suffer from the “golden boy” syndrome
9: We are indispensable
10: We are too big and intrusive

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Roguetadhg

I get the "Too well paid" even though the people on the floor make more money than I do.

erpadmin

No one in IT is indispensable. At the same time, the skills one has gained in IT can be indispensable. Which is why if many of TR's top ten list is true, it's probably best to find an organization that's more conducive to growing in one's career in IT. I do have a boss who hates that we make as much as we make...but this is because our salaries are not that far behind that of management. Some are at a $1k difference, others are like 14k-20k difference, which can still be miniscule on the grand scheme of things.

RomBUS

Hehe #5 is a funny one I get that all the time, they expect us to be their complete technical personnel on the job and for their home for free.

SteveLord

RomBUS wrote: »

Hehe #5 is a funny one I get that all the time, they expect us to be their complete technical personnel on the job and for their home for free.

Indeed. I offer personal services for those who ask, but at a minimum ya owe me a lunch. Anything that I don't resolve in a few minutes and I do charge people. I am more flexible than your local PC shop and I have 4 kids to feed.

Roguetadhg

Pizza for Computer Repair. Im such a fat man inside. Gotta be the Pizza Hut though, I need my fix every month.

jmritenour

Sorry, you lost me at #1. LOL!

erpadmin

Roguetadhg wrote: »

Pizza for Computer Repair. Im such a fat man inside. Gotta be the Pizza Hut though, I need my fix every month.

Really?! Don't get wrong I like the chain pizzas too (though I'm not crazy about Papa Johns), but if you're in an area where ketchup is considered tomato sauce, you live in the wrong part of the country. (When it comes to regular, non-chain, pizzerias.)

the_Grinch

I always laugh at #1. Ok, do your job without any technology. You wouldn't have a business without it, I assure you.

I stopped doing side work and fight it off as much as I can. I want my home time to be mine and people tend to get snippy when things aren't 100% perfect. Let the Geek Squad deal with it while I hit the bar

erpadmin

the_Grinch wrote: »

I always laugh at #1. Ok, do your job without any technology. You wouldn't have a business without it, I assure you.

That reminds me, I want to post a couple of articles in my grad school thread (pretty much touches on this theme).

The rest of your post I am in agreement with 100% of the time. My sister and I have gotten into almost [verbally] violent fights because I don't want to spend so much as one minute looking at my niece's laptop, or reimage her computer for the tenth time. I spend way to much time dealing with IT issues as it is...I don't want to be doing it at home unless it's affecting me personally. I don't care how much people want to pay me, I'm not doing PC repair work in my off time...I have better ---- to do.

BigMevy

the_Grinch wrote: »

I always laugh at #1. Ok, do your job without any technology. You wouldn't have a business without it, I assure you. I stopped doing side work and fight it off as much as I can. I want my home time to be mine and people tend to get snippy when things aren't 100% perfect. Let the Geek Squad deal with it while I hit the bar

This.
I try to push off people as best I can without being rude. Generally I refer them to a local PC shop (not Geek Squad), they may charge a bit but they do a good job so I don't feel too bad about it. Since I went back to school I've used that as an excuse to pass it off.

veritas_libertas

the_Grinch wrote: »

I always laugh at #1. Ok, do your job without any technology. You wouldn't have a business without it, I assure you. I stopped doing side work and fight it off as much as I can. I want my home time to be mine and people tend to get snippy when things aren't 100% perfect. Let the Geek Squad deal with it while I hit the bar

I'm with you on this. I only do it for some family members, and of course my wife, who is always astonished when I tell her I don't know how something tech related works.

the_Grinch

I don't even recommend any place they should go to. The one time I did, the person came back to me and was complaining about how much they wanted to charge. When I get home, I don't even want to fix my equipment. I save it for the weekend in between bouts with whatever else I'm doing. I get no enjoyment out of fixing things and making small talk with people I see only when there is an issue. I can get that at work....;)

kurosaki00

I think there is still a lot of "miss-knowledge" of what IT is.
You are a Unix admin and the common word around is that you "do stuff with pc"
You repair computers and stuff like that
And I think this has to do in why sometimes (a lot of times), some positions are underpaid.
Because even though your supervisor or team leader knows how vital you are to your company, the guys 3 floors above probably think you're like Geek squad or something like that.

N2IT

@ Kurosaki

This is correct. My friend has been developing Java for 10 years for Boeing and now Lockheed. He has trouble setting up a home network or reimaging his machine. He doesn't have to do it and doesn't really care, but his family always ask him to do silly things like a lot of you mentioned. I get that as well, even though it's more in my wheelhouse I still rather not do it.

MickQ

1: We’re considered too well paid
Skills, ongoing learning, upskilling, keeping pace with new technologies...
2: We can’t respond to every problem instantly
Fools rush in...
3: We try to do the impossible
Because the magic box works when we wave the magic wand.
4: We have to do the impossible
It's expected of us. This year, I will combine an eagle with a pig. Think about it - eagle bacon!
5: We offer technical support and not personal service
I'll fix your laptop, if you sell my car, or fix my house, or babysit.
6: We have a bad image
Hey, I'm a good looking guy!
7: We’re seen as a threat to the average worker’s job
News to me.
8: We suffer from the “golden boy” syndrome
We aspire to be the management and MBA types.
9: We are indispensable
Outsource at your peril.
10: We are too big and intrusive
Ok, so I have a large muscular frame, but I've never had any complaints.

paul78

You could probably substitute "IT Pro" with Doctors, Lawyers, Sales, Marketing, Nurses, Farmers, etc. and probably end up with the same list with varying reasons.

higherho

erpadmin wrote: »

No one in IT is indispensable. At the same time, the skills one has gained in IT can be indispensable. Which is why if many of TR's top ten list is true, it's probably best to find an organization that's more conducive to growing in one's career in IT. I do have a boss who hates that we make as much as we make...but this is because our salaries are not that far behind that of management. Some are at a $1k difference, others are like 14k-20k difference, which can still be miniscule on the grand scheme of things.

I feel that the IT professional backing management is just as important and has the same rights to the same level pay if not higher.

erpadmin

higherho wrote: »

I feel that the IT professional backing management is just as important and has the same rights to the same level pay if not higher.

Even if this IT professional was a CCIE [the holy grail of six-figure salaries], I would have to disagree with this.

If an IT professional was in-tuned to both management and the way an organization is heading, I would most likely see your point. If all the IT professional does is make sure that an infrastructure is running, and otherwise adds no value, then that person can be easily replaced.

Heck, let's be honest with ourselves, anyone with the proper technical aptitude and passion can be trained to do our jobs...I don't care what it is. Configuring a network backbone, Linux/Windows administration, database/ERP administration, whatever. I'm not even going to touch lower level IT work, like level 1/2 help desk [of which I did for the first five years of my career--anyone can really do those jobs.] That is the perception of management...the second they need to cut costs, where do you think they're gonna look at first? The cost-center, which is typically IT.

Now, the second IT becomes both a cost and profit center, that's when IT becomes truly indispensible, but many shops are not there yet. There are some, but those shops aren't in the majority.

networker050184

Reasons like these are why I will never work in house IT. I like to work where technology is the business.

MrBishop

erpadmin wrote: »

Heck, let's be honest with ourselves, anyone with the proper technical aptitude and passion can be trained to do our jobs...I don't care what it is. Configuring a network backbone, Linux/Windows administration, database/ERP administration, whatever. I'm not even going to touch lower level IT work, like level 1/2 help desk [of which I did for the first five years of my career--anyone can really do those jobs.] That is the perception of management...the second they need to cut costs, where do you think they're gonna look at first? The cost-center, which is typically IT.

LOL, you won't get anywhere near configuring a enterprise backbone without the proper skill set and education. Work for a major telecom or big enterprise network and you'll see how fast higher up get on the phone when the network is down. It cost a lot of money and sometimes it can be life threatening if a critical site goes down. I'm sorry I disagree with you that anyone can do these jobs, otherwise the pay wouldn't be so high for network engineers.

erpadmin

networker050184 wrote: »

Reasons like these are why I will never work in house IT. I like to work where technology is the business.

Thankfully, not every organization is going to use MSPs, for a myriad of reasons. Assuming MSPs were the only game in-town, the IT profession would have a lot less people than it does now.

MrBishop wrote: »

LOL, you won't get anywhere near configuring a enterprise backbone without the proper skill set and education. Work for a major telecom or big enterprise network and you'll see how fast higher up get on the phone when the network is down. It cost a lot of money and sometimes it can be life threatening if a critical site goes down. I'm sorry I disagree with you that anyone can do these jobs, otherwise the pay wouldn't be so high for network engineers.

I've been both a proponent and opponent of that argument...it's one I know well.

I didn't mean to claim that a novice could do that job overnight, or even within a few weeks. With the proper training and aptitude, a junior network engineer can get up to speed to support a major telecom or enterprise network. You would still need a senior engineer or two to ensure those guys don't ---- up, but at the end of the day...given some time, those junior guys will become solid network engineers. That's happening every day right now. Why do you think companies like Google, Oracle, Verizon goes to college fairs at tech schools over the country (From Cal. Tech to MIT)? You think they're looking for junior admins to get senior admins coffee?? Please don't kid yourself...we are not that special. We do very important work, but at the end of the day, we need to continue finding ways to add value to our work. There aren't that many MSPs for people to find work where "IT is the business..."

NetworkVeteran

erpadmin wrote: »

Heck, let's be honest with ourselves, anyone with the proper technical aptitude and passion can be trained to do our jobs...I don't care what it is.

Not my job. High-level roles often require business and communication skills.

With the proper training and aptitude, a junior network engineer can get up to speed to support a major telecom or enterprise network. You would still need a senior engineer or two to ensure those guys don't ---- up, but at the end of the day...given some time, those junior guys will become solid network engineers.

Definitely! Given a decade, they'll be ready to take my position, and I'll take the position of those more senior than me now. That is generally how things work in the business world. At least, as long as you keep learning at a reasonable pace and don't choose to stagnate. That is the other option.

Now, the second IT becomes both a cost and profit center, that's when IT becomes truly indispensible, but many shops are not there yet. There are some, but those shops aren't in the majority.

I've been fortunate (picky) to always work on technical teams that drove company profits in some way.

MrBishop

erpadmin wrote: »

Thankfully, not every organization is going to use MSPs, for a myriad of reasons. Assuming MSPs were the only game in-town, the IT profession would have a lot less people than it does now.

I've been both a proponent and opponent of that argument...it's one I know well. I didn't mean to claim that a novice could do that job overnight, or even within a few weeks. With the proper training and aptitude, a junior network engineer can get up to speed to support a major telecom or enterprise network. You would still need a senior engineer or two to ensure those guys don't ---- up, but at the end of the day...given some time, those junior guys will become solid network engineers. That's happening every day right now. Why do you think companies like Google, Oracle, Verizon goes to college fairs at tech schools over the country (From Cal. Tech to MIT)? You think they're looking for junior admins to get senior admins coffee?? Please don't kid yourself...we are not that special. We do very important work, but at the end of the day, we need to continue finding ways to add value to our work. There aren't that many MSPs for people to find work where "IT is the business..."

These companies go to college fairs because they want to attracted the brightest talent along with public PR. If your not supporting education then how is that going to look for a company's reputation? I understand what you mean a little but I'm that special and if you don't feel like that then your basically shorting yourself. I feel people with this mentality lower the standard of pay for the field. If you don't take pride in your work or feel your important to the overall well being of the company then your in the wrong business. Get in there and ask for more responsibilities and make yourself invaluable.

One disgruntle engineer, can cost a company millions of dollars in services and a lifetime of customer relations problems!

higherho

erpadmin wrote: »

Even if this IT professional was a CCIE [the holy grail of six-figure salaries], I would have to disagree with this.

How many CCIE's are their compared to individuals with MBAS?

If an IT professional was in-tuned to both management and the way an organization is heading, I would most likely see your point. If all the IT professional does is make sure that an infrastructure is running, and otherwise adds no value, then that person can be easily replaced.

This can easily be said about mid level managers and even program managers. I think IT skills will provide more value to that individual than just managerial skills. Computer skills in general (programming, engineering, robotics, etc) provides much more to the table for a company (depends on the company) than just a manager.

Heck, let's be honest with ourselves, anyone with the proper technical aptitude and passion can be trained to do our jobs...I don't care what it is. Configuring a network backbone, Linux/Windows administration, database/ERP administration, whatever. I'm not even going to touch lower level IT work, like level 1/2 help desk [of which I did for the first five years of my career--anyone can really do those jobs.] That is the perception of management...the second they need to cut costs, where do you think they're gonna look at first? The cost-center, which is typically IT.

I tend to find business practices easier to mold together than IT skills (at least mid to senior level IT skills). Most mid to senior level IT individuals need to have business / communication skills.

Now, the second IT becomes both a cost and profit center, that's when IT becomes truly indispensible, but many shops are not there yet. There are some, but those shops aren't in the majority.

You need both Management and IT to work together and I think manager skills are easily transferable in comparison to mid to senior level IT skills. Management is overblown in a lot of organizations .

erpadmin

First of all, I love this level of discourse. I actually thrive on this...it is my hope that we can continue this level of discourse, without having a thread closed, hidden, or what-have-you. It is also not lost on me that the opponents of my argument are from the networking side of the house, where self-importance truly runs rampant.

Let's remember to keep this civil, gentlemen.

MrBishop wrote: »

I feel people with this mentality lower the standard of pay for the field. If you don't take pride in your work or feel your important to the overall well being of the company then your in the wrong business. Get in there and ask for more responsibilities and make yourself invaluable.

I've been doing IT for a terribly long time...if I include my hobbying days before I got a W-2 for IT work, it'll be 2 decades. I could hate every aspect of IT (and to be clear, I don't) and I would still be able to take pride in my work and feel that I'm important to the overall well being of my company. I take pride in knowing that every purchase that is done in my organization is because my system is running. Every payment made, because of my system. Every paycheck (including my own) that's paid, because of my system. Why? Cause I'm an ERP Admin, and have been for a decade! Everything I do to better myself (going back to school, reading up on IT trends/management trends/potential trends, following up on new technology) is so that I can remain relevant in this field. Just because I don't get excited over any new piece of technology, doesn't mean I don't know about it. Those days have been over for a long time, but having said that, I will continue to be a contributing factor in IT, where my organization is concerned. I'm just getting ready for the next phase of my career, and I'm still young enough to get there.

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Definitely! Given a decade, they'll be ready to take my position, and I'll take the position of those more senior than me now. That is generally how things work in the business world. At least, as long as you keep learning at a reasonable pace and don't choose to stagnate. That is the other option.

If some idiot Harvard graduate says otherwise, it can be much less than a decade, in spite of what you personally believe. Do not count on what worked yesterday to work today. Otherwise, you do make a valid point. It is not necessarily correct (or incorrect), but it is certainly valid.

higherho wrote: »

How many CCIE's are their compared to individuals with MBAS?

How many of those ~30000 CCIEs are running multi-million dollar businesses compared to even non-MBAs? With all due respect, what was your point?

higherho wrote: »

This can easily be said about mid level managers and even program managers. I think IT skills will provide more value to that individual than just managerial skills. Computer skills in general (programming, engineering, robotics, etc) provides much more to the table for a company (depends on the company) than just a manager.
.
.
.
You need both Management and IT to work together and I think manager skills are easily transferable in comparison to mid to senior level IT skills. Management is overblown in a lot of organizations .

Now this I agree with this. Chiefs need Indians, otherwise there is no tribe. Not everyone is going to be in management, and even management who's already there most likely sucks. BUT...just because an IT professional isn't going to be in management, doesn't mean that he/she shouldn't know what's going on in the business around him. One still needs to know what's trending, lest he/she be subject to a potential layoff. It's best to make a move before that hit comes. OR put oneself in a position where that professional is adding value.

higherho

erpadmin wrote: »

First of all, I love this level of discourse. I actually thrive on this...it is my hope that we can continue this level of discourse, without having a thread closed, hidden, or what-have-you. It is also not lost on me that the opponents of my argument are from the networking side of the house, where self-importance truly runs rampant. Let's remember to keep this civil, gentlemen.

Hey now, I also have some System Admin blood in me as well :P

How many of those ~30000 CCIEs are running multi-million dollar businesses compared to even non-MBAs? With all due respect, what was your point?

I should have expanded on my statement so I do apologize. I wanted to express the difficulty it is to obtain high end skills in IT in comparison to high end degrees / skills in business / managerial. It is more difficult to transfer / learn skills in IT than it is in business. This is just from what I've seen / heard not personally experienced so I could be drastically wrong and my comparison really does not go to well into detail so my bad.

Now this I agree with this. Chiefs need Indians, otherwise there is no tribe. Not everyone is going to be in management, and even management who's already there most likely sucks. BUT...just because an IT professional isn't going to be in management, doesn't mean that he/she shouldn't know what's going on in the business around him. One still needs to know what's trending, lest he/she be subject to a potential layoff. It's best to make a move before that hit comes. OR put oneself in a position where that professional is adding value.

True, this is why I think IT individuals have more value than most managers. The nature of this field is drastically different different than management. The adaption to new technologies , business skills, presentation, and communication skills will put a IT professional above management. I do understand that I'm making a statement that managerial individuals are not required to be very adaptive as an IT professional which is why I think IT professionals are more valuable or at least one of the reasons.

erpadmin

higherho wrote: »

Hey now, I also have some System Admin blood in me as well :P

We system admins are not that pretentious...at least, not anymore.

higherho wrote: »

I wanted to express the difficulty it is to obtain high end skills in IT in comparison to high end degrees / skills in business / managerial. It is more difficult to transfer / learn skills in IT than it is in business. This is just from what I've seen / heard not personally experienced so I could be drastically wrong and my comparison really does not go to well into detail so my bad.

No apologies needed; my intention was to nullify the argument that there are less CCIEs than MBAs without sounding like a jerk.

CCIE preparation isn't something I would ever trivialize. I see smart people from this board, from time to time, gunning for it and it is something that is almost as hard as gunning for a Ph.D. What makes a CCIE difficult to prepare, based on what I read here, isn't just the difficulty in prepping for it, but the amount of preparation that goes into it. Especially if that candidate has a family, a social life, and other distractions. Having said all of this, a CCIE isn't paid for his input on strategy; he's paid for his expert knowledge on networking infrastructure. The guy/gal paying the CCIE to design the best network for the organization is the one that, more or less, understands where the organization is heading and makes decisions on what the best strategy based on the parameters given from upper management. All a CCIE is going to do is provide the best routing possible for an organization (or rather, should.) But bringing my original point home, even a CCIE has to have some level of organizational management to understand where that organization is trending. Some folks can do that, and some can't, which is why they get laid off (or don't move up the totem pole.) There is more to IT than just understanding technology and that is where I think we both agree on based on your last paragraph: that we as IT professionals have to be adaptive.

BradleyHU

jmritenour wrote: »

Sorry, you lost me at #1. LOL!

yeah, i was like wait...since when are we too well paid???

it_consultant

I think there are a couple of reasons why IT pros get a bad rap which aren't on the list. Culturally speaking, most IT people are a different breed. I was talking about this with a coworker recently who has had problems consulting because if his ethnic background. One of my advantages is that I never touched a computer until I was 19. I went to private schools until high school and was HIGHLY liberal arts trained. When I interact with business people, lawyers, doctors, etc, they see a little of themselves in me because our backgrounds are similar.

Many of my IT peers grew up geeking out on slackware linux and playing dungeons and dragons. Plugging them in with regular professionals and expecting no conflict is naive. They think IT people are arrogant because IT people are like "Hey, I have been doing this since I was twelve, quit questioning me - you don't even have enough gravitas with this to ask an intelligent question".

NetworkVeteran

It’s no secret that IT pros aren’t too popular with some clients and end users.

I'm still baffled by the first statement. The teams I've been on have always been popular with clients and end users. If you fall into the "unpopular" category, realize it's not a given. IT organizations and personnel that understand and are responsive to their customers' needs are very popular indeed.