twoblacklines

hello

basically im on a BA honours degree in IDT, which information digital tech, so we do websites, databases, graphics, animation, brainstorming, basically all the new gen stuff.

What id like to ask is, can anyone predict what the IN THING will be in 3 years, for example "artificial intelligence" as a sort of category ?

As my degree is so varied, i will eventually need to concentrate on something, I wanted to do web design as a career except now everyones doing it and i wont make much money.

Id like to start off on atleast 15k a year + car + benefits, in 3 years time, maybe this is asking too much but some of my friends with lesser degrees are on 12k a year and really struggle to live...

So if i can predict what will be the next generation of opportunity, i can tailor my degree around it.

Thanks

Turbocabbie

the next big thing will be integration of services imho.

Internal IT departments will become reduced in size as outside companys who traditionally did webhosting move towards becoming a service industrys and managing all a company's mail, database, security, backup and hosting requirements while also offering desktop support
Integrating traditional hosting environments with a companys internal IT networks is a massive task with regards to security, this however reduces the amount of money company's loose in depreciating hardware costs

A massive market will become available for artificial intelligence largely based around monitoring these different systems for connectivity, uptime, security and feature sets while having the intelligence to react to issues.

That's my opinion based on what I do for as living

dvid

I can only assume you are no where near London if you are hoping for those salaries? I got a BA Honours in Computing and Information Systems, which was mostly project management based with a bit of everything else.... Get yourself to London mate! I am doing basic 1st and 2nd line support as my first job out of uni and I'm on more than twice your hopeful salary

As for my opinion about the IN THING.... I think all the recognition technologies regarding security will be taking off, and data protection seems a hot topic at the moment

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

any IT job will pay more than 15k a year!, i've been in IT for 5 years and i started on a technology helpline earning more than 15k (the annoying helplines that say reboot the PC)

now i work more on the business side of IT.

any decent company will pay more than 15k, depending on what area of the country you live in, try and get into a biggish company to begin with, get them to pay for additonal courses etc then go for a job you really want

buy/ read IT mags as often jobs gets advertised in there, send in your CV to IT companys that specialise in what you want to do. Its all about being proavtive imo

northerner

It might be worth looking at Virtualisation - VMWare, IBM LPARs, Virtual PC

Also look at consolidation & offshoring.

RSrussell

I started off on 12k straight after leaving college and I only had a gnvq in computing. That was in 1999ish!!

Got fed up with the computing industry after 8 years though and started to work with my dad as a greengrocer

I'm in Essex, you want to move darn south mate

Markb_s1

that's the way forward.. but not just virtualisation of desktops and servers, look at virtualisation of applcations using tools such as altiris SVS.
we're running a pilot here over the next couple of months involving virtualisation of servers, workstations and applications too. excellent technology if you can work out something around licensing with your vendors, and i can see this being taken up in a massive massive way over the next couple of years or so because of the increased flexibility, fault tolerance and ease of software distribution. virtualised applications, if done properly, should almost eliminate the QA technical process for our support function, meaning savings of in the region of 250k just in my department here, let alone the decreased desktop resource required for tasks such as office upgrades, desk moves etc.

data security is also a good way to go.. especially in the wake of all this public data going missing, and the additional regulatory requirements currently coming in in the financial sector are likely to be much more widespread in other IT businesses imo. it's been a decent earner for a while but i believe that this will only increase in the future as more and more aspects of our lives become electronic/virtual.

twoblacklines

the problem with london is whilst you earn twice as much it costs twice to three times as much to live there...

Im based down in plymouth atm.

thanks

Markb_s1

another reason for virtualisation that i forgot to put... reduced carbon footprint.
you've only got to mention that to the management here and no matter what it costs, we have to have it! I expect this is also going to spread to other types of business too as companies want to present an increasingly environementally friendly image.

as for London - up to you i guess, but if you can get into the financial sector you should be earning quite a bit more than double. a reasonable desktop engineer should be commanding between 35 and 45k imo, with what is often a pretty minimal skillset.

neilm

Based on 23 years in IT and reading your post I'd say get off the course now.

If money is your motivator then train to be an electrician or a plumber the needs for these trades will never go away, there isnt much use for a virtual toilet or a distributed light swith and with the number of homes increasing year on year this is the growth market.

IT is on its arse, all the big salaries that were being earned 10 years ago which made IT seem such a lucrative career are gone.

There are too many people just like you who see it as a cash cow, a route to big money and the market is flooded with people who have qualifications and no experience and in most areas of IT experience wins over pieces of paper every time.

And by its very nature IT is eating itself, technology is replacing people all the time. Look at whats going on with Markb_s1's firm... those savings are going to come from salaries..... Redundancy isnt just about keeping your servers up.

I've been watching the contract market for ages now and jobs that were paying £20 an hour a few years back are now paying £9 and hour, I've even seen roll out work at £7 an hour... you may as well work in MacDonalds for that money at least you get free meals.


And I hate to say it but the guys I've seen fresh out of Uni know the best part of fook all they need google earth because they couldnt find their arse with both hands, most Uni courses are not in tune with what business really needs or wants.

Of course there are exceptions to this but the vast majority of ex-uni guys I've worked with over the years are no brighter than someone who's just done their A levels or even left school at 16.

The ones who make it are the ones with a genuine interest a particular area of the subject with a bit of passion rather than those who feel because they've done a degree the IT Industry owes them a living.

Markb_s1

there is still big money out there if you either work in the correct sector, (i.e. banking/finance usually) or else have a genuine passion for what you do and are very very good. i still know of one or two people freelancing on 1200 quid a day but it has to be said that these really are the exception rather than the rule... gone are the days of the y2k bug panic where you had a licence to print your own money pretty much.

stonehavencossie

I work for the local council.

Started of as a lowly IT support assistant 8 years ago when i was 18 with very little experience after dropping out of a computing degree. Started on 9k but was lucky to get my foot in the door. Now a systems enginer on 30k+.

Flexi time and very easy going so i have time to run a part time business in my spare time visiting people houses and make 6-8k from that from only doing about 4-8 hours a week (£30 an hour).

so all in all not a bad living

but

neilm above is right

private sector seems dead. i could earn 5-10k more by going private but its not worthe the hassle and theres very little job secutiry. i do have a little of that with the council.

plus my work is right across the street

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Standard rate for a freelancer doing the sort of stuff I do (programming) these days is about 250-300 ish a day versus about 300-350 10 years ago, its dropped off a little but not by the amount NeilM reckons IMHO

Graduates are totally unwanted though I agree on that, its all about experience, and the bottom line is that doing a degree does NOT have you in a position where you are actually able to do the job well IME, most companies would sooner take people on with experience for this reason, so consequently all the grad roles tend to be underpaid and shit, as if its anything important or interesting it goes to someone with experience.

Turby2

Offshore resources are becoming more and more common place due to the vast majority of contracts now being (low) fixed price and short timescales. The days of T&M contracts has long gone in the commercial sphere.

rsnissan

iTrader: (9)

Working in the Financial sector in the city I'd have to agree with what Mark says

twoblacklines

The course im doing doesnt have placements, what it does have is, starting in year two, you do projects for actual companies and get paid £6 an hour for them (in one lump sum at the end). They said this counts as experience so whilst your learning your getting commercial experience too, they said its suited to contract work as we will physically go there find out whats needed then make a solution. I can see how this works for the uni : they charge £20 an hour+ and give us a measley £6.

Hopefully that will help rather than 0 experience.

Dont get me wrong i dont just see it as cash if i did id quit and go and sell coke.

JRST

The next big thing will be software as a service.

twoblacklines

Wouldnt that need a completely new OS artitechture ?

I couldnt see ms word running as a service on current tech tbh

BlueSmoke

Chip, I work in IT and I wish I could program. I'd be over the moon to earn 25k the way it's going

Tempted to teach myself ASP.net or SQL Database management to get more money TBH.

twoblacklines

yeh teach yourself.

Websites and the databases behind them will always be needed, as companies are always started etc.

northerner

The company that I work for pays grads £20K+ and gives a sign on bonus...