Want to work in computers? Don’t!

(Learn stuff anyway)

Wait, did I say that right? … I believe I did!

Don’t work in the computer field! Oh no. A bloggy rant is coming.

Wait! Hold on! Just listen for a moment here. All these teachers, family, friends, industry — everyone says that computers are the way of the future. Well, they aren’t wrong. However, your traditional dream of working in computers is long dead and past for most people already.

Let me back track a little. Hi! I’m Amber — my nickname is Ally. I am a Computer Systems / OS / Automation Engineer. And yes, I repeat myself, don’t work in computers.

Okay, how can I say that, considering what I do for a career? Well, I lied. Working in computers and technology is great. It is rewarding (sometimes), it challenges the mind (errr… sometimes), it’s challenging (wait…), it pays well (now hold on), the people you meet are fantastic (which people?)

Okay, I’ll be serious for one little, teeny, tiny moment. IT work is the spawn of Satan. Just about every person who enters IT dreams of these big solutions, working in big Data Warehouses, vast complicated programs, hacking, huge designs, amazing companies like Google, super lightning fast systems to develop on… I could keep going. I’m sure you have an idea of what I’m getting at by now. That dream of IT is mostly an illusion.

Turn on Netflix and watch the show called “The IT Crowd”. It’s short, hilarious, and pretty much spot on for about what I have mostly seen in the IT field. Sure, there are some places that have that dream amazing experience, but like most career fields, it’s become over glorified. Why is that though?

Over-Saturation. Everyone has a computer, usually at least one, if not multiple children in the house / family can outdo even the smart computer savvy adults. Children are growing up around it. They live technology, breath technology, basically they are little artificial intelligent creatures wrapped up in a meat suit that just happened to bless themselves into your life. What I’m getting at though, is by the time you try to get into technology, it is so far surpassed where you are.

This is far from being a bad thing though. In fact, it is an amazingly, wonderful situation. Our entire livelihood is improving (and sometimes worsening) because of technology. Every day, tech improves, solutions are found, and the quality of life becomes better. People with disabilities can lead ‘normal’ lives (what’s normal these days though?) People who live across the world… or even are in outer space can communicate instantly, without having to be near one another. We can even print replacement body parts and organs!

So why the dismay in a career in computers? It’s… not. It’s the traditional route of a tech career.

Traditionally, you go to school, get your degree, a few certs, then start out anywhere from Helpdesk, to tech, to some low level administration entry level position for programming or servers, or even contract work. From there, it’s just moving up the food chain, building skills and networks, improving yourself while trying to improve the world around you.

If IT is rewarding to you, and you just want to improve the world, that is great. If you are trying to earn the big bucks quickly, simply, getting up to that is a lot of hard work, and even more dumb luck. Sometimes having the skill isn’t enough, you need that dumb luck to guide yourself further. Sometimes, you have to play the politics game — and that can get really… really… messy.

I have been working in IT for over the last 10 years, and in that time, I can count the number of very well skilled administrators and technicians between two hands. These are the people I looked up to, the people I wanted to learn from, the people I strive to compete with and perform at the same level. However… The number of incompetent that I have crossed paths with; I lost count. It’s nothing truly against them — most everyone, aside from a person here or there, they are all really nice. What happens now is that people think computers are an easy job; they think that anyone can do them (well, they aren’t wrong, but they aren’t -that- easy), they think that computers will pay well. Worst off, these technicians and administrators that are jumping into the field because they didn’t know what else to do and computers were ‘easy’ — the ones I’m talking about here are -only- the ones that aren’t truly willing to learn. So if you feel like I’m talking about you, please don’t take offense! The technicians that are in this field, most of the time are taking the easy way out and preventing jobs for the computer oriented people who could improve technologies — but they might never get the chance now.

What does this lead to? A highly over-saturated computer market that starts with Help Desk, Technicians, managers, and low level administrators who barely know what’s going on; and those less than ten people who are heaving the majority of work on their shoulders, sometimes single handed.

And I’ve been there. I’ve also seen others at that point too. It’s hard. Really hard.

Now the reason why I said earlier “Don’t work in computers” should start to be making sense by now. Either it applies to the person who doesn’t truly know computers, or the person who does — and doesn’t realize that sometimes the jobs aren’t there anymore.

But those of us who are already here, those of us who already have a good skill set, and a position where we can help. We need to band together, and truly -help-. Not just fix the problem and hand it off. No, we need to become scholars, mentors, and ultimately students of each other to continue learning and teaching. We need to take those with less skills under our wing, leading them to learn how to find the solution — not just what the solution was. We need to take those users who are in the field, and help them achieve their dreams. We need to make sure they can reach their path, instead of just surpassing them and letting them fall. We need the computer field to continue to grow; not become stagnant because there are too many in the field. No, we need to use those numbers for our advantage — like pulling together a wall of systems into a super computer.

So I urge you, take someone under your wing and ask them “What is your path? Where do you want to go?” Help them achieve that. If you are still trying to find your path, make friends with an administrator, shadow them as much as you can, soak in their knowledge, learn from their mistakes — and go out there and make some of your own. Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid to try. The best way to learn something well, is to break it 100 times first before ever getting it to work.

So I ask again, do you want to work in computers? The pay is mostly dirt, the managers treat you sometimes like you aren’t human, the hours are horrible and you won’t get to see family a lot of the times, a lot of the work is brainless because managers don’t want the knowledge, they want a working — living machine. Do you want to go through all of that, at a chance to get a shot at doing something meaningful with computers?

Absolutely do it. It is worth every single, horrible moment along the path to where you want to be. So yes, work in computers, just expect that someone is going to try to beat you with a stick on your way there, and that you will have to compete for those positions with others who shouldn’t be in the field — and sometimes will get the position over you. Keep picking yourself up, it will happen eventually. Keep learning, testing, and breaking things (purposely).

Amber Lea Kirkendoll

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