Sometimes it seems that working in IT is a constant battle--a job where you're the proverbial meat-in-the-sandwich between what your users are crying out for, and what you have the budget or resources to provide. It's a role that forces you to balance restrictions placed by the CEO and/or CFO on your department, with the need to discover strategic solutions from a business point-of-view.
You could add a number of other issues to the list: overtime, stressed staff, vulnerabilities and viruses, projects running over time and budget, all of which make a strong case for searching the job ads for another industry.
But, if you're working in IT, hopefully there's something more than just money keeping you there. Is it the people? The technology? Lack of viable alternatives?
I've had a number of e-mails in recent months from IT professionals who left their roles to work in other industries and areas. Their reasons for leaving are varied and include: burnout, redundancy aand corporate collapses.
While for some this may be a permanent shift in focus, for others it can be a temporary hiatus. In fact, many of the aforementioned IT professionals that had left the IT world have expressed eagerness at the prospect of rejoining the IT ranks. Often they've been looking both in Australia and overseas to find positions that might suit.
Many feel compelled to return to technical positions, for reasons such as the satisfaction of seeing projects completed successfully, the intellectual satisfaction of thinking laterally to find a solution to a user's problem, or even other team members.
Are you happy working as an IT professional? What are the reasons you want to stay or leave the tech sector? Please send your comments to Talkback below or e-mail us your tips to itmanager@zdnet.com.au
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For me, its the satisfaction in completing a project. Passing on information and experience to busy non-tech or tech-on-the-rise types. It’s all about making a difference to a business’s bottom line. Working with them to make their business more effective and efficient. Enabling them to do more of what they are passionate about. If it’s a small company manufacturing car parts, why should the Company owner skill himself or herself up to fix an application, operating system glitch or hardware? It’s not their business focus.
The problem I have found in achieving these wonderful ideals is Ego. The clients, the boss, my peer's and mine :). The conflict between wielding hard and soft skills within a budget or strategic direction or clients ideals / expectations will always be between me, and achieving the appreciation that “you have done your best”. So much of the decisions within the business world are reliant on relationships. Effective balancing of soft and hard skills at all levels within I.T. would greatly improve Client, Peer, Boss and Self-appreciation. :)