InformationWeek

February 2, 1999

Does age matter when employers are looking at perspective IT professionals? I am 37 and have recently changed directions in my career. I recently received my master's degree in IS here in Hawaii, but have been unable to find work locally. Prior to this career change, my professional experience includes nine years as a computer graphic artist. The master's program that I took gave me a lot of general knowledge about the IT industry, but I have no specific training on any one particular operating system or any major database programs other than Access. In addition, I lack programming skills. What I am finding out is that employers are looking for seasoned pros with lots of programming experience, and/or specific vendor knowledge. If I desire to pursue a job as say a systems engineer, systems analyst, or even a systems administrator or network administrator, what specific training or classes should I take? Also, should I move to the West Coast, where there seem to be plenty of jobs?

In these times of rapid technology growth, age has become less of an issue. Making a change in the middle of your career is more common today in the IT arena. Since you have embarked in an industry that is hungry for IT talent, I have a few points of advice for you. First, use your professional tenure in the IT area to your advantage; you may find you already have your foot in the door. Look at opportunities where you can leverage your lack of formal computer training with your nine years of industry knowledge. Second, take a step back and evaluate a career development path: networking/ infrastructure or application development. If you have chosen the first, my suggestion would be to pursue certification in a Windows NT environment or gain exposure in Unix. You can't go wrong; both are in demand. And lastly, if you have the flexibility to move to the West Coast, you may find more opportunities. Take a look in Silicon Valley; you may find yourself in the heart of technology.

More Questions:
My goal is to become a VP in IT. Should I obtain the MSCE certification or go for a master's in IS?

What would be the best way for me to improve my chances in growing into an IT management position?