# How is the IT field in todays economy?



## audiobahn1000 (Dec 7, 2005)

I have a question for the forums' more senior members, those working in the IT field and IT related employers. I have worked in the IT field for four years for the US Navy and now that I have separated from active duty, I am going to be going to school. I am contemplating if sticking in the IT field is a smart choice, or if I should change my career. If I stick with the IT field, I will study for a bachelor's of science in IT networking fundamentals/ network security. Basically LAN/WAN admin and security related stuff. So my question, will I be graduating with a useless degree in a dead end field that will require me to submit 750 resumes before I can find a job? In today economy, most degrees are starting to become useless, college grads in many fields are locked out of their field, unable to find a job. RN use to be a hot job field, you could easily get a job out of college, but now its locked up, RN graduates with no experience cant get a job to save their life in many parts of the country. HOWEVER if you are an RN with a few years of experience, you are fine, just college grads are not in demand.

So I am just wondering if IT networking is one of those dead end fields for a recent college grad.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Its not a dead end but it is very very competative and that goes for the basic low end IT support jobs all the way up.

If someone has no experience it could take a long time for someone to give them a chance whilst someone who has experience stands a better chance.

Experience is king in IT it has been for a long time (since the .com bubble burst) where as before that you could get a degree and get a decent job however this is no longer the case.

Back in the day you could do a degree in networking or get some certs in networking and you stood a very good chance of getting a networking job. Now unless you are very lucky you have to progress into a networking job regardless of wether you have a degree,certs or both.

It took me 5 years to get into IT and that was before the recession.


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## audiobahn1000 (Dec 7, 2005)

greenbrucelee said:


> Its not a dead end but it is very very competative and that goes for the basic low end IT support jobs all the way up.
> 
> If someone has no experience it could take a long time for someone to give them a chance whilst someone who has experience stands a better chance.
> 
> ...


Thats interesting, so I must ask why IT related occupations are continuously listed in the top 10 "best jobs" or on "most in demand for the next decade" list and so on. Just Google "top 10 jobs" and IT comes up in almost every list.

Also, hows pay for entry level IT jobs? Say Tier II support? I would imagine thats a job you could get with a degree and nothing else, not? Is it still a reasonably high paying field?


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## JimFlagg (Aug 23, 2011)

> Also, hows pay for entry level IT jobs? Say Tier II support? I would imagine thats a job you could get with a degree and nothing else, not? Is it still a reasonably high paying field?


Not true. I got a tier 2 with no degree at 2 Wire but I was going to school at the time. I just started as a tier 1 and got promoted.

I do agree that there are plenty of IT jobs out to be had. There are two problems though because of the current economy. First, entry level IT jobs pay sucks. You could probably make more at McDonalds unless you get one that has sales too and you get commission. The degree does not always get you the job it helps you get a job and some times it helps with the pay.

The second problem is the competition. With all of the lay offs there are people out there with 7+ years of experience that you are going up against. They are going to get any of the decent jobs.

So the problem is not so much getting a job it is the quality of the job you get. Call Centers suck but they are always hiring. 

I worked at 2 Wire for a year and it was one of the worst but easiest jobs ever. I just hated explaining to people what a space bar is and no there is no phone book for the internet.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

what he said ^

A lot of people have to start in call centers and the pay does suck and will be a lot lower than you would think.

I know people who started in call centers a few months ago on either side of the pond earning just above minimum wage. Unfortnatley IT isn't the big money it used to be until you have experience regardless of what these training companies and schools say.

A degree is not a neccesity to work in IT support or networking and neither are certifications but you will need to demonstrate a desire to learn and work hard. IT is a constant learning experience if your not the sort of person who can take things in adn study them and get paid sod all for it then IT isn't for you.

Also you wont walk into a tier 2 support job regardless of your degree you will have start at the bottom resetting passwords and asking people have you switched it on then off again when they phone to say their computer doesn't work.

The IT career field is very long winded and you have to work your way to where you want to be and if your only in IT for the moeny then forget it because you could be waiting a very long time.


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## Shelley Watson (Sep 13, 2011)

IT industry can never become dead as the world keeps on advancing with more scopes for technology. Though it takes some time to completely stand in this career, but surely this time is lesser as compared to other careers. Computer professionals are also getting a very good positions in various sectors as well as a sound salary also. I came across a site which mentioned about the average salary a computer technician receives. Computer Technician : Computer Technician Salary Information
So looking at this site I can say that IT career can never loose it's importance in the world.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

yes IT will never be a dead end but nver believe those sites or especially training providers which say things like the average salary in IT is 37k or whatever because what they dont tell you is that is the average wage after you have gotten a couple or even more years experience.


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## LitZ (Sep 22, 2011)

In my field 0% unemployment ... However, it takes a very special mindset to obtain the major and fully understand the field.

What is it? Information Assurance aka InfoSec.

LitZ


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## enocperez (Aug 9, 2011)

It is what you know and what you do with it. I only have two years of IT school but man is my heart for IT. Now 8 years later I am making over 100k a year. I am only 28 years old, with two years of school. I have worked for CDC.gov and FBI.gov. Knowing how to sell your self helps too. There are Books for this. So is school good yes but that is nothing with out passion for the JOB. I can stay up hour reading and studying IT books and CBT. Fine something you like and passion about and you will go far.


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## cluberti (Aug 26, 2010)

Been in the industry for 15 years, and it's just as competitive from bottom to top as it ever was, and even more so for entry-level jobs - the difference between the mid 90s and now comes down to the quality of potential employees. Specifically, the quality of people coming out of school is atrocious (not just IT admin stuff, but CS grads with no decent development, test, or debugging skills - all skills a *good* admin should have as well, regardless of the platform you support/admin). If you have a degree *and* experience, you have a *much* better shot at getting a decent job. Yes, you might have to interview at a few places, but a decent resume and a degree (and yes, military experience counts as something good too) makes you a top-of-the-list interviewee. If you have social and political skills, are articulate, and can shower, shave, and dress yourself, you will find more doors open for you than the average. Experience is still key, but for a *good* job with less experience (less than 10 years) the degree and military experience should make up for it.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

cluberti said:


> Been in the industry for 15 years, and it's just as competitive from bottom to top as it ever was, and even more so for entry-level jobs - the difference between the mid 90s and now comes down to the quality of potential employees. Specifically, the quality of people coming out of school is atrocious (not just IT admin stuff, but CS grads with no decent development, test, or debugging skills - all skills a *good* admin should have as well, regardless of the platform you support/admin). If you have a degree *and* experience, you have a *much* better shot at getting a decent job. Yes, you might have to interview at a few places, but a decent resume and a degree (and yes, military experience counts as something good too) makes you a top-of-the-list interviewee. If you have social and political skills, are articulate, and can shower, shave, and dress yourself, you will find more doors open for you than the average. Experience is still key, but for a *good* job with less experience (less than 10 years) the degree and military experience should make up for it.


100% agreed.

Too many people braindumping certs who haven't got a clue what they are doing.

We had a guy who joined us and he had the MCSE, he left the backup tapes that had employee records on them in the corridor in a cardboard box and cleaners assumed it was rubbish and threw in the trash.

he wasn't there much longer especially after he mentioned he used the most famous BD provider to pass his exams. I wont mention their name.


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## cluberti (Aug 26, 2010)

Certs only mean something if you have experience - there are far too many MCSEs and CCNAs out there that don't appear to know anything about what they were tested on. They simply braindump and pass, leaving potential employers uncertain about the certs (and thus somewhat devaluing them). The MCTS and MCITP tracks are indeed a lot harder to get certs from without experience, but not impossible, so hopefully that will help, but ultimately there's no replacement for experience and knowledge.


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## cl0udedth0ught (Sep 29, 2004)

If you are in the D.C./VA/MD area, gov't contractors are good to work for. They love to hire people transitioning from the military. I work for one and about 70% of the people I work with were in the military at some point in their lives. Plus, if you have a degree and a security clearance, your almost guranteed a job.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

cluberti said:


> Certs only mean something if you have experience - there are far too many MCSEs and CCNAs out there that don't appear to know anything about what they were tested on. They simply braindump and pass, leaving potential employers uncertain about the certs (and thus somewhat devaluing them). The MCTS and MCITP tracks are indeed a lot harder to get certs from without experience, but not impossible, so hopefully that will help, but ultimately there's no replacement for experience and knowledge.


yep. The braindumpers have made it almost impossible for noobs to the IT field to get jobs.

There are people out there with the MCSE who can't even spell and wouldn't know what x86 or 64bit is.


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