leaving the IT field

[castufari]

Originally Posted by lovinCarl

He's just tired of the BS, crawling in attics, under desks etc.

Problem is is he is 47 and w/no certs. Like I said the companies didn't see a need for him to have them since he did the jobs already w/o a piece of paper telling him he "knows" it

W/his age and lack of certs he'll be a bit harder pressed unless the company is looking for a jack of all trades type of IT man. My husband can do some of most everything and if he doesn't know it he picks it up very quickly.

I'm 45 and have no certs. I work for a gov't agency where certs don't count, we're expected to know the material. I was going to get a few MS/Novell certs but I'm going to go to college and get a 4 year degree.

I'm finally in a position where I don't crawl as much as I used to. Ran fiber for a while in attics and there is nothing worse than crawling around an unvented attic in the middle of July in NC. Now we have a contractor do runs for us. It costs them but it keeps me from having to spend my day doing pulls. I had one person want a jack moved 12" because she didn't like the way it looked in her office. When I said "144.00" they decided not to.

I do work in a small shop though. Not very tight knit but we're all over the place, I see my coworkers 3 times/yr if that. That gives me some flexibility, the directors I work with aren't too hard on me. 10 years in, 10 left until i can retire.

[B.H81]

I do work at a service provider, providing support for voice networks. I love it. Its usually high pressure from people you are supporting to get things working again, but you can't make everybody happy in this field. Keep moving with the technology is the key to this field.

[tiredofit2]

I have been in IT for 18 years and would LOVE to find a job somewhere near as lucrative. I am sick and tired of working 12 plus hour days seven days a week, including Holidays.

I have a stellar resume and lots of firms desire my services. However, after I interview the perspective employer as much as they interview me, I am always lied to and wind up in a sweat shop type situation.

I like IT work, especially as a Senior Architect/Engineer. It is not the job I despise, its upper management who believes we live on their plantation. I do not let them treat my team members as bad as they do me, but they honestly believe I am their personal man Friday. I hate it and I have no life outside of work. I am about to quit my current job without another to go to, for the first time ever. because I have had simply enough! For the past five years, I have had one week off, precious few Holidays off, and virtually 10 weekends off total per year. I have almost convinced myself to go on welfare rather than keep up this pace. I have not even been able to go to a dentist in 4 years since I have no time to go!

If you want a personal life, stay a sfar away from programming, software design/architecture, and software engineering. as you can! You will soon find yourself in a mental hospital, divorced, and lonely. Yes you will make good money but you will have no time to spend or enjoy it.

It certainly was not like this 8-20 years ago, but with the H1Bs who fill the ranks with Management threatening to fire them unless they are allowed to chain them to their desk (which means that they have to leave the country), it is no longer a field I wish on my worst enemy!

If you are like me and stuck in a field with clueless management whose claim to fame is a MBA (I have a doctorate) who are penny wise and a pound foolish, look to work for an open source firm. Never work for a software company or you might as well practice up on your plantation speech.

Maybe one day when enough people with fortune 500 system experience start walking away they will finally get a clue. Personally I wish all IT workers would unionize and shut these businesses down for a while. Perhaps then, they will get a clue how to treat competent professionals whose IQ far outweighs those barking the orders.