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I am in my late 20s and always had "blue collar" jobs until 3 or 4 years ago where I started working in IT. I haven't advanced far in my career and most jobs I've had are mostly Helpdesk and Technical Support. Recently, I've been losing interests in IT as a career. Mostly because of the fast based changes and high turnover rate.
I just want a job I can tolerate and pays decently without worrying about losing it. My current job is a Helpdesk and I've never been more miserable. I can deal with that because I know I will get a better job eventually. The part that worries me is my coworkers have a lot of experience and degrees, yet they're stuck at this job because of the job security. My coworker had a job $65,000 a year which ended in 2 years because the assignment is done. This part adds my frustration with IT since I want a job that lasts at least 5 years without worrying about losing it. Additionally, most jobs now are similar to technical support and dealing with customers.
I was thinking about Development and Coding and I was planning to invest over $10,000 in it. Mostly because it's in high demand right now, and most importantly I wouldn't deal with customers as much. But, as for my current job as a Helpdesk I can't stay in it until this change happens, I am literally losing my mind and wishe I'd die before going back to that work.
Anybody has a similar situation where they no longer work in IT or their field? Or even made changes where they took a different path in their careers?
IT today is just blue collar job unless you have enough skills and knowledge to be at a high level IT position or lucky enough to get a manager job to be a decision maker.
Almost all of the milliennials that I've met fall into either stuck in support or got help to become a manager with no IT skills. The rest of engineering, design, and high level work are outsourced or handled by immigrants on contract. That's why it was important for tech companies to fight the 7 nation ban because they get immigrant workers from those 7 muslim countries and has nothing to do with muslims at all. Just all about companies replacing American workers with cheaper labors from everywhere outside of the US.
Look at getting a PM cert or analyst work. Still IT related without the helpdesk, fast food, customer service style mess.
It's funny that you mentioned fast food. I've done that way back in High School. The other day during my lunch break at my current job, I went to get food from Arby's. I've actually envied the employees there because they're not my job and I wished I worked there instead of going back after my lunch break. Never in a million years would I have thought that when I was in college studying for IT, which another reason I feel betrayed by it.
But, if I can get a job where I am not tech support, even if it was a data entry job that pays $35,000 I think I'd be satisfied. I'd love to hear what other jobs out there that don't deal with customers all the time. I don't mind it, but not like help desk level of dealing with them.
Electronic repair, even more than help desk support, is definitely the fast food of the IT world. Repair a phone in 15 minutes and on to the next one - it's all about keeping the conveyor belt moving.
The title of this thread seems like a typo, but if you're asking if anyone's gone from a non-IT job into IT, then yes, some of us have. I recommend going to Meetup.com and looking for specific technologies you're interested in. It's a great way to network.
I am in my late 20s and always had "blue collar" jobs until 3 or 4 years ago where I started working in IT. I haven't advanced far in my career and most jobs I've had are mostly Helpdesk and Technical Support. Recently, I've been losing interests in IT as a career. Mostly because of the fast based changes and high turnover rate.
I just want a job I can tolerate and pays decently without worrying about losing it. My current job is a Helpdesk and I've never been more miserable. I can deal with that because I know I will get a better job eventually. The part that worries me is my coworkers have a lot of experience and degrees, yet they're stuck at this job because of the job security. My coworker had a job $65,000 a year which ended in 2 years because the assignment is done. This part adds my frustration with IT since I want a job that lasts at least 5 years without worrying about losing it. Additionally, most jobs now are similar to technical support and dealing with customers.
I was thinking about Development and Coding and I was planning to invest over $10,000 in it. Mostly because it's in high demand right now, and most importantly I wouldn't deal with customers as much. But, as for my current job as a Helpdesk I can't stay in it until this change happens, I am literally losing my mind and wishe I'd die before going back to that work.
Anybody has a similar situation where they no longer work in IT or their field? Or even made changes where they took a different path in their careers?
Didnt you started a thread about this already
IT is mostly customer service you can't 100 percent get away from it.
There are plenty of Stable IT positions out there changing career really doesnt accomplish a thing because most fields have the same problem like IT. Theres no perfect job out there because theres always something you are not going to like
Working for Public Sector IT its always been easy going and you don't get laid off.
Do you have a college degree? What is it that you'd want to do? Don't go and drop thousands of dollars on some coding camp when it sounds like IT is not the right fit.
My title is business analyst, but I'm really an application administrator for a department within a larger organization, working under the IT directorate. The help desk sends me tickets - I don't deal with first call issues. Still, I have fairly frequent project meetings and conference calls, weekly meetings with the department, a monthly meeting with two departments (I am backup for one). I do have customers, but it is a far different experience than working at a help desk. I worked help desk for four years after college and was actually suicidal by the end of that, and the call center job was a good part of that. I totally get your frustration and the feeling that you're going nowhere.
I started resume blasting all over the country, and eventually got an offer for a small satellite office in Indianapolis for a company based in Boston. I stayed there for two years, then moved to a retail bank as an application administrator, then moved back to my hometown when a good position opened up.
You need to be willing to move anywhere and send resumes to anything that isn't call center. There are IT support positions where you might be supporting just one product or some back office process where you are not interacting with random callers. It isn't so bad if you're getting calls - that first job in Indy, we only got calls from client IT staff, so you got to know those folks pretty well.
I am in my late 20s and always had "blue collar" jobs until 3 or 4 years ago where I started working in IT. I haven't advanced far in my career and most jobs I've had are mostly Helpdesk and Technical Support. Recently, I've been losing interests in IT as a career. Mostly because of the fast based changes and high turnover rate.
I just want a job I can tolerate and pays decently without worrying about losing it. My current job is a Helpdesk and I've never been more miserable. I can deal with that because I know I will get a better job eventually. The part that worries me is my coworkers have a lot of experience and degrees, yet they're stuck at this job because of the job security. My coworker had a job $65,000 a year which ended in 2 years because the assignment is done. This part adds my frustration with IT since I want a job that lasts at least 5 years without worrying about losing it. Additionally, most jobs now are similar to technical support and dealing with customers.
I was thinking about Development and Coding and I was planning to invest over $10,000 in it. Mostly because it's in high demand right now, and most importantly I wouldn't deal with customers as much. But, as for my current job as a Helpdesk I can't stay in it until this change happens, I am literally losing my mind and wishe I'd die before going back to that work.
Anybody has a similar situation where they no longer work in IT or their field? Or even made changes where they took a different path in their careers?
My guess is your "coworker" was a contractor not an employee if their job ended with the project.
Why do you think you'd like being a developer? It's a different type of pressure. The requirements come from PEOPLE who get them from other people. Constantly changing or misunderstood. And you have actual accountability based on other team members willingness and ability to do their jobs correctly. When one of your jobs fails in the middle of production or testing you have to be there to fix it and answer for it. (simply put). And you get ranked against your peers.
Helpdesk is a piece of cake as far as responsibilities go. Take the call and resolve the issue or refer it. Pffft.
It's very annoying when a user testing analyst calls the developer and asks to start up the online system and there's no data bases working so you call back and they say "You didn't say you wanted databases". True story.
So as a former IT person I beg you to not be one of those people who likes their computer better than other people.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 02-27-2017 at 09:35 AM..
IT today is just blue collar job unless you have enough skills and knowledge to be at a high level IT position or lucky enough to get a manager job to be a decision maker.
Almost all of the milliennials that I've met fall into either stuck in support or got help to become a manager with no IT skills. The rest of engineering, design, and high level work are outsourced or handled by immigrants on contract. That's why it was important for tech companies to fight the 7 nation ban because they get immigrant workers from those 7 muslim countries and has nothing to do with muslims at all. Just all about companies replacing American workers with cheaper labors from everywhere outside of the US.
They may win one battle but they will not win the war because the government sets the immigration policy. And H1B workers will have to pay the SAME as they would US workers, just for starters. THEN they will have to hire US workers FIRST before bringing in more H1Bs.
If Americans have any sense AT ALL. And Congress grows a spine.
Which is EXACTLY how it's supposed to be working. Just like with seasonal H2Bs. I guess the Disneys of the world thought we were just joking.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 02-27-2017 at 09:33 AM..
I don't think you understand the magnitude of companies exploiting the guest work visa programs. Many H1B workers do not make anywhere close to the limit imposed. They are represented by consulting companies that take their full paychecks and give them only a portion. That's why most H1b that I've met don't really do a good job because they are being undercut by their agencies. Many could barely speak English. IT is not their profession of choice performing IT work is just a gig for them.
Many tech companies leverage H1b through agency to get away from hiring full time workers. A lot of IT service jobs are just like retail, they can be seasonal and no careers can be had from them so outsourcing makes a lot of sense. However they have stepped up to other roles these days pushing to the ladders to other IT skill roles. Disney is a good example they have layed off developers and replaced them with cheaper H1b workers.
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