Print - Are IT Pros Steering Their Children Away From IT?

As an IT professional, would you advise your son or daughter not to go into a career in computers? According to Colorado State University administrators, IT professionals might be doing just that.

The number of Computer Information Systems (CIS) majors at CSU has dwindled in the past six years, from a high of 525 students in the program in 2000, to 90 students in 2006. Administrators believe the downturn in computer majors might be caused by students of IT professionals choosing not to go into IT, in part because of having experienced the effects of a parent being laid off from an IT job. Whether or not the parent actively discouraged the student from majoring in CIS, the memory of a parent's layoff could have a powerful effect on a student now ready to choose his or her life's work.

Recruiting managers at several major computer companies are concerned about the dwindling numbers of IT students at a time when companies are actively seeking more IT employees. To stop the downturn, CSU is considering offering CIS as a double major with accounting or business, in hopes of attracting more students to the computer field, according to the Coloradoan newspaper, which first printed this story.

True, workers in many fields have experienced cyclical ups and downs in employment in the last ten years, and perhaps it's no surprise that the field of computers, formerly seen as a sure bet for employment, might not be seen as a sure thing anymore. But is that enough for a parent to tell a kid not to major in the same field as the parent? I know what I'd tell my kids about whether or not to choose English as a major and editing as a career. What would you tell your kids about choosing a career in computers?

I certainly am steering them away from IT. Considering I spend more time AFTER my regular hours working then spending time with my kids, it sucks! They always see how tired, frustrated and burnt out I am -- what else can I tell them?

I guess there are tradeoffs--most IT guys wherever I've worked made more money than I did. But that's hard when you're talking not seeing your kids. Maybe too it depends on where you work--are some businesses more IT friendly than others?

The industry uses so many recruiting agencies, short term contracts, and outsourcing that any position as an IT pro would be considered unstable. It's close to being treated like a day laborer. There plenty of techy type jobs out there that provide a better atmosphere than IT. Until direct hire becomes the norm, I wouldn't recommend anyone to IT

I see that situation with my tech writer friends--they go from contract to contract, which is great if you want to be a contractor, but not so great otherwise. Is there any way a publication and community such as Windows IT Pro can do a better job to help IT guys deal with the challenges of working in the IT industry?

The problem is that we are treated like dirt most of the time. If it is working, why doesn't it work faster/better? If it is not working, what are we paying you for? These are the attitudes at many locations. There is too much pressure to keep things running and there is no time to do preventive measures or test new tech. Half of these technologies are not ready to support people in the 5 9's way that people are used to with power and telephone. The IT fields are becoming so sophisticated and specialized that no one person can be a master of all. Yet we are expected to be experts on any and all technologies. And we are expected to support it 24/7. I have a 4 month old son and I want to take him snowboarding and to baseball games one day. But I won't be able to if I am a slave to a finicky server or application that won't get fixed due to budgetary concerns. All of this stuff is extremely expensive and the bottom line for many executives is what it costs, not what they get. All of that stress is what is leading me away from the hands on portion of the field and moving toward a Project Management function that allows a little more freedom and a little less panic.

Is there any way a publication and community such as Windows IT Pro can do a better job to help IT guys deal with the challenges of working in the IT industry? Yes, 1. companies should operate their own shops, not outsource, and 2. do there own recruiting. That means staff development for existing employees vs. throwing them out on the street and taking on the recruiting job themselves vs. using worthless recruiters. Companies are losing out on good employees because a large percentage of the salaries are siphoned off by the recruiters. The salaries through recruiters are often so embarrassing that it drives off a good candidates. Eliminate the recruiter and offer a decent salary and the candidates will come. After all, the companies are going to interview anyway. Get smart.

My inflation-adjusted salary declines by 2% a year on average, while my hours increase. I'm tied to a cell phone knowing that whatever I'm participating in can be canceled at a moments notice by a problem at work. Technology was supposed to free us, not enslave us with unlimited unpaid overtime. If companies want 24/7 support, they should hire 3 shifts of IT support. I used to believe technical competency would guarantee success. Now I realize that instead of working my tail off on a computer science degree, I should have been working on a business degree -- easier classes and a position that sets the salaries and policies instead of being victimized by them. I used to be a light-hearted, happy-go-lucky guy, but IT is turning me into a crotchety old man. So to answer your question, OF COURSE I will steer my 4 children away from IT! Besides, it's only a matter of time before they come up with a remote controlled robot that will allow our hands-on jobs to be outsourced overseas as well.

I've noticed that kids don't necessarily put a lot of stock in what parents would like them to do in terms of a career anyway. I'm not sure that any particular work choice is perfect - ultimately you've got to go with what you enjoy. I like computers which is why I like working with them. If your kids like computers and want to work with them, being an IT pro isn't such a bad choice of career

After 20+ years you are damn right I have directed my kids away from this industry. Been through layoffs, cutbacks, outsourced and more. Put up with cheap companies that want the world of experience but don't want to pay. Use money as the first excuse for laying off. Tired of 24/7 on call rotations with no extra pay. But it's all I know and at 50 years old there aren't too many options. Bills, college loans and mortgage need ot be paid. Don't get me wrong, both my daughters know their way around computers and networks. My 21 year old is good but my 18 year old is real good, picks up software real quick and has no problem opening a pc.

So IT parents, what careers would you recommend instead to your kids? A career at an IT pro's pay scale that has saner hours--does such a thing exist?