Path to IT job

[pseudonym]

This thread has been a major help to me as I explore more options.

I'll bump this to keep it going.

 

[thenanyu]

Originally Posted by v0rtex

Programming is saturated at the lower end, where you're basically a code-monkey. There's no real barrier to entry for programming - which means there's a lot of people who woke up one day and decided that they're programmers but 90% of them are terrible at it.

+ 1000. The amount of guys coming in to interview with 10 years experience who can't code their way out of a bag is astonishing.

There are only two things that matter in getting a good IT job.

1. Can you have an intelligent conversation with your interviewer? Show them you are not a dick and you are pleasant to work with.

2. Can you pass with flying colors when they grill you technically? Good companies will give you a programming exercise/exam and a few hours to show them what you can do. Most companies will ask you trivia about whatever your stated expertise is - if you can teach them something, they will hire you.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by thenanyu

2. Can you pass with flying colors when they grill you technically? Good companies will give you a programming exercise/exam and a few hours to show them what you can do. Most companies will ask you trivia about whatever your stated expertise is - if you can teach them something, they will hire you.

That is why I got hired.

Originally Posted by holymadness

Are you qualified to do any of these things? Are they going to hold your interest or do you just want to make a guaranteed dollar in an industry you perceive as stable? If the answer to either of these questions is no, you are either headed for massive failure in the short term, or else job dissatisfaction and a mid-life crisis in the long term.

There is truth here. There are a lot of people in IT that are unsuited for it. You have to enjoy it if you want a successful career and to be happy in the long run. The reality is, things are always changing, which means you have to keep up, which means constant training. I don't know about other people, but if I'm not interested in something, studying it is torture and it's difficult to force yourself to do it. You can tread water if you want to, but eventually it will catch up to you and you will become unemployable. I would say that you have to keep up in all professions if you want to be good at your job, but in IT, there are very clear markers as to whether you are keeping up or not.

That said, it can be very difficult, and require a little luck, to find the right area. It's a wide field and the only way to figure out what you like is to try it.

 

[thenanyu]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

You can tread water if you want to, but eventually it will catch up to you and you will become unemployable. I would say that you have to keep up in all professions if you want to be good at your job, but in IT, there are very clear markers as to whether you are keeping up or not.

The smart ones who don't feel like keeping up go into management, though the good managers still have a decent understanding of newer stuff.