I’ve been in IT for about 8 years now and in all honesty its starting to get to me. I do PC and network support for a popular guitar and drum company now and have for the last couple years. There is no training money here for me, so no chance of getting any further than I already am. I make just over $40,000 a year. There are no, repeat NO, IT jobs that I would be qualified for in the greater Philadelphia area that pays what I am making now. Had a pretty big fight with my boss yesterday, yelling at each other and such. This turned my thoughts to job security, or in my case the complete lack of it. If she decides to fire me at some point for whatever reason, I am so screwed that tools everywhere would be seeking me out (oh that was a bad one). I sent out about 40 resumes to different companies in the area and got a grand total of one call back for a position that is entry level and pays about $10,000 a year less than I am making now. I went to tech school in 1991 for computer hardware support and have a technical degree from there, I have a certification from another local tech school in TCP/IP troubleshooting and another from a different school in Netware 5.1 administration. These are not the CompTIA industry certs, just technical degrees or certificates issued from non-accredited schools. My education is lacking as you can see.
I want to switch to another career that has some stability to it. I want to not worry about finding another job in my field should I ever happen to lose my current one. I’m not afraid to go back to school, but this is something I will have to struggle with since my current employer offers nothing at all and I have no other prospects. Hell, I’m still paying off my student loans from tech school!
Has anyone else made a drastic change to a new career? What kinds of things does everyone else do? Are you happy doing it? Secure? How much education did you get? Does a 2 year degree open any doors or do I need to focus on 4 years? Thanks in advance if you can let me know how things are from your side of the fence.
Hey Bongmaster, I know exactly what you’re on about. During a recent extended bout of unemployment I faced similar career choices.
I had worked for years as a database programmer but it was always with some oddball product that no one else used. I considered many career changes options. What I ended up doing was landing a new position doing the same thing but with main stream technology this time.
I think you’re better off taking the skills you have and rather than exploring new careers, explore new industries. When you’re an IT guy, you can move to almost any idustry that uses computers within their infrastructure.
I have almost no education beyond high school and while I know that’s not ideal, I always sell myself based on my real world experience. At the end of the day an employer want’s you to be able to keep things running regardless of whether you have a masters or an associates degree or no degree at all.
Follow the money. Try Law firms, Banking, Insurance, Finance. Want to make a paralel move? How about Security. It’s big business these days. How about Smart homes? What’s that? wiring and lots of cool tech toys. Thats a sector that’s is growing and has huge potential in the next ten years AND you can work as a contractor (ie: your own boss, hoss).
Take it from someone who got stuck in backwards technology, move on. If you think you’re not qualified think again. Most employers want reliable workers. Workers that can think and make good decisions and show up and learn. Interview as much as possible to get experience talking to potential employers. The more you do it the better you get at it.
Good luck
I’m tired of the IT circuit as well, so I’ll be watching this thread closely.
I was looking at a career as a MRI tech. Hospital work is stable but the pay (here in Canada anyways) is not great. Also, I can’t imagine there is any potential for upwards movement.
I like the idea of working with home automation. That is something I’ll have to look into more closely.
In the meantime, you should think about Microsoft certs. I know and you know they are mostly worthless, but a lot of employers have swallowed the hype and now require a MCP or MCSE on your resume…
Wow, maybe its just you and me Anonymous Coward…not much here. Does anyone know of a job list that maybe can be sorted by, say, the stability of the field? What pays well and is a relatively stable field to get into where you won’t necessarily have to struggle constantly to find work.
becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) might be a good idea for you. Its only a 1 year degree, the pay isn’t bad ($14-15 an hour, which isn’t bad for a 1 year degree), there is a major shortage and alot of places are hiring (its the exact opposite of the IT field) and there is room for educational advancement to an associates, bachelors, or graduate degree.
I am new to IT but I have been thinking if I hit a dead end I might try landscape gardening, get some colour about my face 
Hmm, I never really saw myself as a caregiver, not really my cup of tea, and landscaping would kill me in short order.
pharmacist. goodness, that sector is just taking off right now. people always need drugs.