IT people, career advice ?
#1
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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
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
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#2
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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
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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
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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
Got fed up with the computing industry after 8 years though and started to work with my dad as a greengrocer
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I'm in Essex, you want to move darn south mate
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Originally Posted by northerner
It might be worth looking at Virtualisation - VMWare, IBM LPARs, Virtual PC
Also look at consolidation & offshoring.
Also look at consolidation & offshoring.
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.
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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
Im based down in plymouth atm.
thanks
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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Originally Posted by neilm
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.
agree 110%
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'd agree to some extent, but also a fair amount of savings will come from reduced power consumption in this case... in a "normal" firm i'd agree though... it will mean lay offs, but I'd expect that to be fairly minimal here as IT staff will be transferred to some of our electronic broking divisions where the company is growing at a massive rate. not to mention it'll be the team i manage looking after all the virtualisation kit
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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.
also usually true ime.
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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
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
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#13
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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.
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.
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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.
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Originally Posted by Chip-3Door
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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Tempted to teach myself ASP.net or SQL Database management to get more money TBH.
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