I’m not suggesting that IT training and IT careers are the be-all and end-all of life on this planet. Can you imagine, for example, where we would be without the football superstars who entertain us so well on a weekly basis? Yet there’s got to be a reason why more and more people are training for careers within the IT industry.

An interesting development has been the increase in IT training for those people who are seeking a career change or an enhancement to their existing skill sets. In reviewing this, I’m curious as to why IT continues to offer the attraction, and is this option really viable?

When looking at relationships, we all accept that people and key elements can change. A girlfriend or boyfriend at the age of 10 is often thought a cute thing, but it’s not expected to last. Relationships at the age of 18-20 can be less transient, but again have a greater rate of short-term life span than those formed later in life.

We ask young people to make decisions and plan their working career fairly early on in life. Yet historically there seems to be an inherent resistance to change as times passes. So if we accept that life changes, and we accept that circumstances also change, isn’t it prudent for us to accept that career paths can and indeed ought to change?

Modern society continually relies on IT, and IT related factors. Based on simple economics of supply and demand, this leads many people to assume that a career in this field would be reliable and well paid. Many people see a direct transfer of how they use IT systems socially (such as social interaction on the internet e.g. facebook and playing games etc.) into a career. What factors would actually lead towards a successful career, and is this a genuine realism of a career within IT?

I would suggest that a key element in answering this is acknowledging that a career in IT is as dependent on factors such as an employer (or client base if self-employed,) and economic circumstances, as any other career path. There is, however considerable evidence to show that professional IT personnel can move between employers and industry sectors more freely, due to the great dependence on IT services across both geographic and industry models.

One of the key elements is the term ‘Professional IT People’ – just as in any other industry, employers have consistently sought human resources where the skills can be proven by both experience and an approved benchmark. This applies whether that is a degree, or recognised apprenticeship culminating in an industry standard qualification, such as electrician and plumber.

The IT industry is no different. Just because many people have access to a computer at home, and can experience many factors of the IT industry in a refined environment, this is in many cases vastly different from the skills and resources required in the commercial sector. I’m sure we’d all agree that spending four hours a night playing games or surfing the internet doesn’t make us a qualified games designer, or a qualified webmaster.

Within the IT field, professional qualifications such as MCSE or MCSA are immediately recognisable as an industry standard. Employers know they can rely upon the skills offered, and as such there’s a reduced risk of breach of commercial insurance policies for work and services provided by such people. This applies whether they are self-employed or directly employed.

Anybody seriously thinking about a future in this field must look at how best to position themselves to become interesting to an employer – and clearly having a professional qualification will go a long way towards this. It’s the employer or client who pays the salary, so we should at least be aware of what they’re seeking in recruitment or engagement.

Data exists in abundance to support the view that the growth in the IT sector is more resilient and faster than many other industry sectors. We’re experiencing a transitional shift in industry sectors, from the first world through to the third world. The rate at which many growing or ‘tiger’ economies are embracing and adapting to long standing IT systems is very fast indeed.

So far within this article we’ve considered the trends, which with the demise of traditional industry and therefore traditional job-for-life expectancies, there will be an increasing propensity towards multiple jobs and career paths throughout our life span.

In addition, we’ve observed that as the IT industry provides both consistencies in supply and demand across industry sectors and across geographical boundaries, it remains consistently attractive. Current forecasts also predict the increasing reliance on both IT systems overall, and the professional people who develop, use and maintain those systems, as they remain integral to many organisations requirements long-term.

Salary expectations remain high within this field, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that this is achievable. However, it’s worth noting that in many other industries the top-people get paid the top-money, and simply ‘being there’ is not good enough and does not guarantee the top-money.

We have also put forward the case that employers review recruitment for IT skills as no different to any other facet of their business, and they expect the individuals to formally demonstrate their skills and qualifications, in exactly the same way as they expect their electricians and accountants to be professionally qualified to do the work they’re employed to do.

I believe that there is considerable evidence to promote a career within the IT industry as a strong and viable option to many people within today’s economic and social climate. High salaries are definitely achievable. Yet it’s equally clear and, to be fair, common sense to expect to have to achieve a recognisable professional IT qualification to be able to clearly demonstrate one’s own ability, and at the very least the attitude that you are serious about this career path and that your prospective employer can rely on you in the commercial field.

(C) 2009. Try LearningLolly.com for quality information on FileMaker Pro 10 Intermediate and FileMaker Pro 10 Intermediate Training.

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Posted by Jason Kendall Career & Employment, Distance Learning, Global Economy, Self Improvement, oBabyBoomer!  Subscribe to RSS feed