Working in Information Technology
This contractor explains why he is heartily sick of working in Information Technology. He explains that he is dying to get out of IT. He says he is getting older and he is now taking steps to escape working in Information Technology.
Why is he getting out and what is he going to do instead? He explains here.
From Aussie contractor site www.Brainbox.com.au
Made Redundant from Job Once again
Here I am again, sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring after being made redundant for the third time in seven years. Once more, my “fabulous” IT career has given me a kick in the teeth.
I look back at all the blood, sweat and tears I put in at my last employer. All the arguments, the late nights, the weekends, the difficult problems that caused my blood pressure to rise, the tense meetings, the documents I wrote, the people I tried to make friends with and the effort I put into learning their systems.
All for nothing!
The only advantage I got was the pay packet.
Getting Older and Still Working in Information Technology
But I’m not twenty-five any more, I’m almost forty now. And I’m waking up to the way things are.
If there’s anyone out there who’s interested in the advice of someone with experience it’s this. Your employer doesn’t care less about you. Forget about putting in the extra mile and trying to produce quality work. It’s not worth it.
Coming to Every Person Working in Information Technology
Sometime soon, it’s coming for every single person who works in IT. Someone way up above you will decide they don’t need your team / project / function anymore. They will cut it or send it overseas.
And nobody will give one damn how many weekends you put in or how good the quality of your work is.
All they’ll care about is how quickly and cheaply they can push you out the door.
New IT Jobs Being Created
Of course, there are always new jobs, as my agent (and one of my true few friends) keeps telling me.
For every IT job they destroy, new ones will be created. They will replace each project that gets cut by a new one that will also be cut in a year or two. But that means you have to go back in and learn the ropes again at a new company. You need to constantly upgrade your skills working in Information Technology.
Hit the books to fill the gaps in your knowledge, because your employer isn’t going to pay for you to learn their systems. If you’re an Oracle DBA and they’ve got Sybase, well you’d better learn or you’re out.
Too Old to Work in IT
And then, one day they decide you’re too old and you can’t get back in again. I’m not at that point yet, but it’s coming. At the age most other professions give you the key to the executive washroom, I’ll get the final boot out onto the dole queue.
I’m fed up with it. I’m getting out of this crappy business. It’s not worth the stress. The pay isn’t even that good any more.
I know that if I get a new job there’s some things guaranteed.
Firstly, they’ll treat me with zero respect. I could get a PhD with less reading and study than it’s taken me just to keep my head above water in this industry. But do you think that earns me respect?
HELL NO!
I know that in almost every job I have, some manager who can’t turn on a computer will be bullying me and putting down my skills. Working in information technology is no fun now.
God’s Gift to Computer Industry
I also know that in every new job there’ll be some prima donna who thinks he’s God’s gift to computers. Can I expect any respect from that person – HELL NO!
I know that I’ll have to go through months of pain and abuse to get some piece of crap system running that nobody asked for my input on and I knew would never work properly anyway.
Then, the project will probably get cut anyway, so it will have all been for nothing.
I know that I’ll be lucky to last two years before I’m made redundant by someone who I’ve never even met making the decision that my team/project is no longer needed.
And all I’ll be left with is the pay I’ve already spent and a few new lines on my resume.
Stop Working in Information Technology
What idiot would work in such an industry?
Not me anymore. I’m starting post-graduate studies in education and I’m aiming to teach Maths to mature-age students at my local TAFE, where I’ve been told there’s a shortage of skilled people.
I just need one more contract in this awful industry until I’m qualified, then it’s see you later IT. Thank God.
Bruce M
Ad – Contractor Services
If you think you can benefit from using an umbrella company, try the following:-
Umbrella Companies for Locum Doctors, Agency Nurses, Vets, Dentists and GPs
Do you need some professional advice on which umbrella company is right for you? Do you want to get better returns from your Umbrella Company? Fill out the form below to receive expert advice.
For all necessary business insurance, including IR35, try Business Insurance for Contractors
