InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
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.
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