Buying a house or getting married are often regarded as the most important life decisions that we will ever have to make. Months, or sometimes years, of planning goes into making these decisions, accompanied by careful and detailed analysis.
Choosing a career is as important, but I believe that the average person often applies a fundamental lack of thought in making informed life decisions regarding employment opportunities. An ill-informed choice more often than not leads to an unnecessary amount of distress when we find ourselves in a position that is unfulfilling or that doesn`t tap into our inherent skills.
Although the reward potential is high in IT, it is also a harder career in some respects.
Jill Hamlyn, MD, People Business
Let us first look at the reality of our working life. Assuming that, in general, an average person enters the workforce at the age of 18, and that the average age of retirement is 65 years, then, on average, we will spend a full 33 1/2 years of our life working. This obviously excludes weekends. With this in mind, it is surely imperative that we set out on our "career journey" armed with facts regarding ourselves and our abilities, and then combine this analysis with a reality check that enables us to tap into the current economic prospects that await us.
In my opinion, this exercise can be applied at any stage in our careers but fundamentally means that school- and university-leavers must seriously consider their career options very carefully if they are to make the most out of their lives.
Right now, a career in IT is the flavour of the month. Many young people view working in the computer field as the ultimate job. Where else can you be continually intellectually challenged and earn a large salary? Coupled with the sometimes very extravagant promises made by some of the IT training companies with regard to earning potential, this attractive viewpoint is self-perpetuating and becomes an exceptionally attractive proposition.
The notion of high earnings is often a major motivating factor for people entering the IT industry. Unlike any other profession, there is no entry examination or professional degree that precludes anyone from entering into this particular industry.
One of the people with whom I have been working recently is 27-year-old Stacy. She has been an achiever all her life and with a multitude of career options before her, she chose to train as a computer programmer, believing that the salary would bring her the lifestyle she craved.
The financial rewards have lived up to her expectations, but Stacy is not as happy as she could be. Although wanting to use her ability in a leadership role, she is being paid to remain on a technical level due to the shortage of skilled people in her field.
Her comments to me included statements such as "I would much prefer to work with the public, but it would be difficult for me to give up my area of specialisation. I often feel bored and frustrated, but I`m used to the lifestyle that my salary provides, and at this point I am not prepared to lower my standard of living."
Ryan`s case was very different. Fascinated by computer technology, he nevertheless chose to read for a BA with majors in Psychology and Philosophy. In his second year, Ryan saw a gap in the IT industry and formed his own computing company. He finally left university in his third year to devote more time to his first love, computers. Today he has a thriving computer consultancy.
"I love what I do," he says. "I must be one of the few people who genuinely look forward to Mondays." This outlook is certainly passed on to the people who work for him and it is a pleasure to recruit for him as his business grows and develops under his passionate leadership.
With these two case studies in mind, I believe that before anyone considers an IT career, they have to be made aware of the realities, the opportunities and the pitfalls of working within the industry. In my opinion, there is a very real need for specialised vocational counselling so that school- or university-leavers are able to appraise their interests, aptitudes and personality traits. By gaining self-awareness, students are then better equipped to make decisions vital to their professional future.
How does one go about determining which particular path to follow, be it in IT or in any other career path? A thorough self-assessment is a mandatory part of the process. You need to be aware of your likes and dislikes, abilities, interests, attitudes, strengths and weaknesses.
It is also necessary to have a good idea regarding vocational interests, whether social, artistic, investigative or conventional. Ask yourself what your career means to you and what kind of work environment would suit you. Most importantly, you need to identify your inherent talents that, when effectively applied, make you immediately successful in the matching tasks that you undertake.
Once a potential career has been decided on, it is extremely important to talk to people in that field to obtain a more realistic picture of what the job entails. An even better way to find out is to shadow a person in the job you perceive to be ideal, observing and perhaps helping them as they interact with their working environment.
If you do decide to embark on a career path in IT, you may need further training and certification by network or software suppliers. Although important, it is essential to remember that certification does not necessarily guarantee a job or any significant increase in salary. It is what you do with your qualification that makes the difference. Although the reward potential is high in IT, it is also a harder career in some respects.
The work is demanding and it is virtually impossible to take any lengthy amount of time off since the technology evolves at such a rapid pace. One needs to continually have a finger on the industry`s pulse or risk being left behind.
The enjoyment in our lives is very often determined by our employment choices. Enjoying the journey is important, and a fulfilling and rewarding career is very much a part of that. When you and your career do not tally, the situation can, at best, be described as being a purely economic exchange of life energy for money. This "sacrifice" is an incredibly high price to pay for the life that you have been given.
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