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The Reasons To Study IT - A Personal Insight

October 30th, 2009

I’m not professing that IT training and careers within IT are the be-all and end-all of futures on this planet. God forbid where we would be without the highly paid football stars to entertain us so well on a week by week basis. Yet there has to be a reason why more and more people are studying for careers within the IT industry.

The increase in IT training for those people who are seeking a career change or an enhancement to their existing skill sets has been an interesting development. In reviewing this, I’m curious to find out if this option really is viable, and why IT continues to offer the attraction?

Whilst we all accept that in relationships, people and key elements can change. A boyfriend or girlfriend at the age of 10 is often considered a cute thing, but not expected to last. Relationships at the age of 18-20 are often less transient, but again have a higher rate of short-term lifespan than others later in life.

Equally our young people are asked to plan and make decisions about their working career quite early on in life, and yet historically there appears to be an inherent resistance to change as times progresses. If we accept that life changes, and we also accept that circumstances change, surely it’s prudent for us to accept that career paths should and could change?

The ongoing dependence of today’s society on IT, and factors related to IT, means that many people assume a career in this industry would be well paid and reliable, (based on simple economics of supply and demand). A lot see a direct correlation of how they utilise IT systems in a social environment (such as playing games and social interaction on the internet e.g. facebook etc.) and transfer that into a career. Could this genuinely lead to a career within IT, and what factors would be necessary for a successful career?

I believe that a key element in answering this is an understanding that a career in IT is as dependent on factors such as an employer (or client base if self-employed,) and economic issues, as any other career path. However, there is considerable evidence to suggest that professional people within the IT industry can move between employers and industry sectors more freely, due to the wide dependence on IT services across both geographic and industry models.

The term ‘Professional IT People’ is one of the key elements here - as in any other industry, employers have consistently sought staff where the skills can be proven by both experience and a recognised, approved benchmark. This is the same whether that’s a degree, or recognised apprenticeship culminating in an industry standard qualification, like an electrician or plumber.

It’s no different in the IT industry. Just because many people have a computer at home, and can experience many areas of the IT industry domestically, this is vastly different in many cases from the skills and resources required in the commercial sector. I’m sure we’d all acknowledge that playing games for four hours a night or surfing the internet doesn’t make us a qualified games designer, or a qualified webmaster.

Professional qualifications within the IT field such as MCSE or MCSA are immediately recognisable as an industry standard. Employers can rely upon the skills offered, and as such there is a reduced risk of breach of commercial insurance policies for work and services provided by such people, whether they are self-employed or directly employed.

If you’re seriously considering a future within the IT industry, you must look at how best to position yourself to become attractive to an employer. Holding a professional qualification goes a long way towards this. We should at least be aware of what the employer or client is looking for in recruitment or engagement, as they are the ones paying the salary.

Plenty of data exists to support the view that the growth in the IT sector is faster and more resilient than many other industry sectors. We’re witnessing a transitional shift in industry sectors, from the first world through to the third world, and the rate at which many growing or ‘tiger’ economies are adapting to (and embracing) long standing IT systems is very fast indeed.

Up to now in this article we’ve looked at the trends, which with the slow down and in some cases demise of traditional industry (and therefore traditional job-for-life expectancies), there will be an increasing propensity towards several jobs and career paths over our lifetime.

What’s more, we’ve noted that the IT industry remains attractive consistently as it continues to provide both supply and demand across geographical boundaries and across industry sectors. Todays forecasts also predict the increasing long-term dependence on IT systems overall. This includes the professional individuals who develop, utilise and maintain those systems, as they remain integral to many organisations long-term requirements.

Salary expectations remain high within this field, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that this is achievable. However, it’s worth noting that in many other industries the top-people get paid the top-money, and simply ‘being there’ is not good enough and does not guarantee the top-money.

We’ve also argued the case that employers view recruitment for IT skills as no different to any other facet of their business. They expect the individuals to formally demonstrate their skills and qualifications, in exactly the same way as they expect their accountants and electricians to be professionally qualified to do the work they’re employed to do.

I believe that there is considerable evidence to promote a career within the IT industry as a strong and viable option to many people within today’s economic and social climate. High salaries are definitely achievable. Yet it’s equally clear and, to be fair, common sense to expect to have to achieve a recognisable professional IT qualification to be able to clearly demonstrate one’s own ability, and at the very least the attitude that you are serious about this career path and that your prospective employer can rely on you in the commercial field.

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