degreetutor.com — The information technology field is highly competitive, and it’s only getting worse. As more fresh-faced college kids flood into the employment pool, getting a good paying job has become an upstream swim. Here is a comprehensive overview on how to make more money in IT and learn valuable skills in the process.
Mar 8, 2007 View in Crawl 4
techscribeMar 9, 2007
Why digg down Mrswirl? He's absolutely right. Of course, there are prima donnas in every profession who can't handle a little constructive criticism, and I guess that may be the source of the digg downs.civicex2g, your comment applied the first time you used it, but not here.
civicex2gMar 9, 2007
After looking at my comment, I have something else to state.I don't mean to call you an Idiot, but it just bothers me this mindset that people have about us IT folks. Sure we love computers and we understand the Tech stuff, but just because some of the IT people are pricks (I have run into a couple) doesn't mean people have to start saying that we are all pompous jerks who think our sh*t don't stink.I for one have a passion for cars...THAT is my number 1 hobby, IT is just something I understand and really like, and something that comes naturally to me.I go out and have a few drinks with my non-IT friends. Most of my other friends who are into this IT field are the same as me... normal. We understand the business end of things, my minor was in Business, and now I'm 1/2 way into getting my MBA.OK. gotta go fix a printer for a lower life form.. :-)
mrswirlMar 9, 2007
I wasn't trying to denegrate IT folks because I was one once, and in a lot of ways, still consider myself one. I install and maintain our rack servers; I do software installs and tech support; I still code a little bit here and there....but my role has evolved away from being a straight tech guy now.I guess my main point was that my career did not really take off until I started to look at the business as a whole and not just the individual technical parts. Once I got to start meeting with customers and sales prospects and really started to understand what the IT functions were attempting to support, it really changed my perspective on things. Now I try to really understand what the business needs are that we're working to solve - what are the underlying problems that IT can address and how can that be leveraged into either making money or saving money for the company. You can find a lot of people who will trip all over themselves willing to port your SQL server database to MySQL or can build the next whiz-bang AJAX interface; but find me somebody who can intelligently explain to me WHY we need an AJAX interface and what it will do to save/make me money and I'll be willing to pay a premium for that talent.
dangermouse9Mar 9, 2007
Isn't that the truth. Your interpersonal skills is pretty much the most important skill in determining the success in your career. You may not be the best developer, or most knowledgeable tech, but if the people you're helping like you and don't feel like you're being condescending or insulting to their intelligence you will go much further than if you're the one they dread having to deal with.
siekosunfireMar 10, 2007
Instead of focusing on a field like IT, which tends to be the lowest common denominator as far as technology jobs are concerned, go into something worthwhile like Electrical/Computer Engineering. I guarantee the starting pay is far better for CENs/EEs with just a Bachelors when compared to someone with a Masters in CIS/MIS.
spudlyoMar 10, 2007
I've worked in the industry for over 15 years. I started out doing phone support, I then moved to QA. I became a Windows programmer, then a Unix programmer, now I'm an SA. If the company I work for keeps having kick ass quarters I'll probably pull down six figures this year thanks to bonuses. I do not have a high school degree or a GED, although I do have 24 upper division Computer Science credits from some university classes I took as a non-matriculated student. I almost always see job posting that say something like "BS Computer Science or equivalent experience", which to me is a clear indicator that a degree is not a hard and fast requirement. Education is important, although it need not be formal.
leg0zMar 10, 2007
95% of the people I see going from college to IT think it's some kind of get-rich-quick scheme... they may even land a good job... but they won't hold it for long... and soon enough, they go work for a relative or worse, GeekSquad.People should really think twice about going into IT... there are still plenty of good jobs in engineering fields.
n0otherMar 10, 2007
I agree with you completely as the same thing can be observed in my university. People think "I spend most of my time in front of my PC so I should study IT, the pay is good I hear" - but the problem is, most of that time is spent playing video games or "socializing" on the web. Another group of people think about IT in a dated way, they are usually good at math and think that IT is all about that. IT is about knowing how to use things correctly, about solving real world problems and not drifting behind the continuous flow of innovation.
sarahmaddelsonMay 11, 2007
Wow! But I'm not surpised.
betacmag4uDec 19, 2009
......dropped Banyan Vines out of my mind....