Topics:
The Bright Side Of The Road
The steady stream of dueling reports on the health and growth rate of the economy only serves to feed the unease with which many IT professionals survey their careers. Hence the seemingly conflicting results of our annual IT salary survey, which actually goes beyond mere salary to take the pulse of the IT workforce. Although most of the 12,158 IT professionals surveyed described themselves as satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs--an improvement over last year--about two-thirds of the respondents no longer view IT as a promising career. That appears to be the case from both ends of the career ladder. For example, a recent blog commentary by Elena Malykhina on The Plight Of The 'Invisible' Young IT Worker really touched a nerve, drawing compelling comments and tips from both new and veteran IT professionals. And yet, despite the pall of worry overshadowing the high rates of job satisfaction, the survey results spotlight the very upbeat conclusion that IT remains one of the most lucrative careers for Americans, with an unemployment rate nearly two percentage points below the average for all occupations--hard as that may be to believe at times. Moreover, median salaries for IT staffers are more than double those of the average U.S. worker, and tech managers earn about two-thirds more than supervisors and executives in other fields--icing on the cake for what can be a very rewarding, forward-looking, and challenging career choice. So battered though it may be, IT is still a relevant, exciting, and rewarding field, even as it undergoes what appears to be a major transformation. Will you survive the shakeout and remolding of IT? Are you staying or going? Tell us how you perceive the future of IT--we'd love to hear from you. Drop me a line, and we'll link readers to the best of the feedback from your peers in a future edition of the InformationWeek Daily Newsletter. « You Call This A Dead-End Career? | Main | Amazon Leaks Apple Secrets » |
| Sign Up Now For InformationWeek News Alerts |
This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers.
Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service.
Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.
