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New Grads Shun IT Jobs As "Boring"
whencanistop writes "Despite good job prospects, graduates think that a job in IT would be boring. Is this because of the fact that Bill Gates has made the whole industry look nerdy? Surely with so many (especially young) people being 'web first' with not just their buying habits, but now in terms of what they do in their spare time, we'd expect more of them to want to get a career in it?"
I would have gone into Economics.
Or maybe Forestry...
If I had only known the IT world would turn into what it is now, I'd do something else. Too much politics... To much hype...
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
According to Computer Weekly, this is apparently not a new trend. In the TFA they link to one of their own articles from 2001 that says basically the same thing.
The TFA goes on to quote someone as saying, "We need to show [young people] the variety of roles in IT and the importance that IT carries today. IT is at the heart of business these days and there are real opportunities now to have a career in IT which will ultimately lead to a position on the board."
A position on the board? That is supposed to be "not boring"?
Sure, there are plenty of jobs in IT that allow for creativity (game design, many coding projects, etc.). But, in fairness, a lot of IT jobs involve running cabling, fixing routers, database entry, coding really dull projects, etc. that most people WOULD find pretty fucking boring.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
"Spair time?"
Seriously, this is ridiculous.
And it's not because it's nerdy (as the summary opines). It's simply because its about maintenance of poorly-designed shit. You might as well call it glorified janitorial work.
In contrast, creating new stuff, as actual programmers and engineers do -- that's interesting!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
All you do is sit and type all day and have absolutely no respect from society. It's worse than being an accountant.
FTA:
Non-IT graduates think a job in IT would be "boring,"
despite its good career prospects.
IOW:
People don't enter fields that they aren't interested in.
Film at 11.
Shit, I wish my job was boring. When something breaks it gets so exciting I worry that I'm going to keel over dead.
Anyway, the damn snowflakes need to suck it up. What entry level job isn't boring? You put in your crappy dues, so that you get a better job down the road. I've worked all kinds of jobs, and they're pretty much all boring, even things you wouldn't think would be boring. I did a stint doing wildlife tagging, where I got to roam around on a four wheeler shooting things with a tranq gun, and that was astoundingly boring...99% of the time you just sat and waited and let the mosquitos gorge themselves on your blood.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
Surely with the number of young people who crave their very own automobile, you would have a large number who want to become mechanics! read: consumption of a commodity != desire to produce commodity. If it did, I would be in the petroleum business.
Back in the late 90's/early 2000's WAY too many people were jumping into IT because it was the new field du jour which was supposed to make those starry eyed high school kids (some even drop outs) rich with no real effort. Them oversaturating the industry with underqualified and uninterested workers half-killed IT over here. It almost felt unfair working on my Computer Science degree with people who flat out hated computers and always wanted to copy each other's programming projects to pass classes, simply because they though that was the way to go for a good job. The industry could use a bit of thinning out if it means that we're left with actual bright and enthusiastic people who really do like doing this type of work.
"People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
Just b/c these younger people buy and live online does not mean they're in any way qualified to work in IT. Sure, they might not be interested, but lets not make an unnecessary connection that they should be in IT b/c they grew up with a mouse at the end of the umbilical cord.
My limited experience was installing new machines in an office building one summer. For the first few weeks, I imaged disks. This consisted of reading The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide and pushing enter when prompted. The rest of the summer was spent teaching people how to use their new machines. I'm sure there is more to it, but I have a suspicion most of the work is dealing with PEBKAC.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
"But over 60% of non-computing students do not wish to enter the sector because they think it will be boring."
Who cares what non-computing students think? I can think of dozens of other job sectors that I suspect would bore me stupid, that's why I had the sense not to study for qualifications in them.
I suspect that these graduates all have a nasty shock coming to them anyway, courtesy of real life. Most jobs are "boring" in some way. That's why you get paid to do them rather than doing them for fun.
This is what happens when you have 5% unemployment over a sustained period of time. In my neck of the woods, where unemployment is even lower, high school kids have their pick of summer jobs. They learn they can be picky about where they work.
This is not necessarily a bad thing (low unemployment is better then the alternative) but it does bring with it a certain attitude in the young.
Those young whippersnappers should try haying in 95 F (35 C) weather. They would learn to appreciate an IT job, I tell ya.
Computers were nerdy WAAAAY before Bill Gates came on the scene.
Seriously, BillG gets way too much recognition and way too much blame. All he is is an obscenely rich, lucky bastard who happened to be in the right place at the right time and played his cards just about perfectly.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
For the first 20 years, being a developer was cool. You were a hero, you worked during emergencies, you had a bit of freedom as a result, the pay was decent- never superior unless you became a contractor. And there is/was a problem with constantly becoming obsolete and having to retrain a lot more than other professions.
I finally left to be project leader and then a team leader. I see my developers suffering from the boredom.
It's mostly SOX. It's also a view of developers as generic by management. Executives do NOT WANT heroes. They want grey reliable processes that consistently take 3 times as long (and are not random between 1/10th as long and 10 times as long without anyway to predict it).
Programming in business is just not fun like it used to be. It's okay- but you code about 1/10th as much as you used to because of all the paperwork overhead. And you are a LOT more accountable. this is a good thing for slackers but it stifles the good people.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
If jobs were very exciting and fulfilling in and of themselves, we wouldn't need to pay people to do them.
Life requires labor. Civilized life requires even more labor. Most of that labor is unpleasant in some way. We face the grind anyway, day after day, because it keeps the ball rolling, and because it gives us the money we need to do the things we actually like doing.
If you manage to find a job that you actually like a lot, that's great. If not, hopefully you will be strong enough to accept the realities that most people face, get a boring job, be useful, and earn a decent living.
1. bill gates doesn't work in IT, he was the CEO of a huge company, which couldn't be less related to IT.
2. bill gates is worth billions of dollars. There's nothing boring about having billions of dollars.
3. IT jobs are boring but they beat the crap out of day labor, warehouse, etc. in about every way... so I would seriously consider how much work you think a job should be before you turn down an IT job.
stuff |
Even if you dont find it boring to begin with you really need to ask yourself the question "where will I be in five/ten/twenty years?". For the majority going into software engineering or IT the answer is "prettymuch the same thing I was doing two weeks after I graduated college". You might be better at it and you might be leading a team of people, but you will still be doing about the same thing.
You see this at big companies too, its much more common to promote a software engineer to a "software engineer level 2" or something similar than it is for them to move on to something else. The career path is usually designed to keep you doing the same thing for a long period of time. For many other types of jobs (such as consulting) the entry level position is seen as stepping stone to bigger and better things.
Now I know that there are a lot of exceptions to this rule, but generally speaking 90% of people who start out in a company as an entry level software engineer or IT guy dont move on to anything else. Thats why people get bored with it imho.
I disagree. I do the IT for a small business, and I love what I do. There are aspects that I don't enjoy, especially as far as managing hardware and user support are concerned, but usually it is just downright interesting. I have had the chance to learn a few programming languages and write a couple of specialized applications, which I loved. Aside from the fact that I learn something new every day, besides the fact that every new job is an interesting puzzle, the decisions I make have a real impact on the direction of the business and the well-being its employees, and the feedback from a job well done is immediate and sincere.
On the other hand, I know people who would die of frustration in my job: there is no direction from higher and you have to write your own job description on a monthly basis.
I think the IT industry is like any other: you need to find the company with a corporate culture that is right for you. If you like independence, you work for a place like mine. If you like structure, you get a job with one of the bigger code factories. Once you have found the right place, you will like what you do.
weirdest thing I ever saw: scientology advertising on slashdot.
That's the kind of dull I can get behind.
Having to support 10 different wonky platforms and trying to make a cohesive infrastructure from them?
I'm glad those bad-old-days are over.
Check out my sysadmin blog!
> You will start by being the windows reinstaller, cable puller , desktop lugger, etc. ...ah, no.
If that's all that you can manage after getting out of school then you wasted your time.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Bell labs in its heyday was a couple thousand people. Ma Bell as a whole was nearly a million. I somehow think that most people's idea of what "work for the phone company" means is more like the guy who installs phones or the one who runs a switchboard...
Besides, alongside the Bell Labs reputation for brilliance was their reputation as the alpha geeks of their day...
Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!
That's funny--I'm the exact opposite. I think IT is (and sounds) much more interesting than CS. To me, CS was always those who only knew the theory but no practical implementation. The very word 'science' in it was an attempt to turn a field that has an awful lot of nuances into a studyable-phenomenon. Which was stupid because technology changes so fast that by time you've published a book on CS, it's outdated. IT is where you're involved firsthand--you're getting your hands "dirty" and learning the ever-evolving technology on the go, day in and day out. CS isn't like that--they are a layer removed from what's really going on as they attempt to come up with theories and see patterns. And that IS boring.
"We can categorically state we have not released man-eating badgers into the area." - UK military spokesman, July 2007
I agree with those who have said "Oh well, more work for me". The fewer folks who are interested = better long term job and salary prospects for us. You must admit that only about 20% of the folks you deal with in IT actually know what their doing anyway. They spend much of their days directing the 70% who don't really understand what they are doing but know how to follow instructions and then they spend the rest of their time cleaning up after the 10% who are complete morons.
I swear I didn't know it was loaded...
CEOs don't get paid a fortune because that's what's needed to convince them to do an arduous job. They get paid a fortune because they're in a position to directly control how much they get paid, and they like being paid a lot. Think "pirate", not "drudge".
"Not an actor, but he plays one on TV."
I have dealt with enough, paycheck hunters and shiny thing people to be tired of them. I get tired of asking the question; "Why are you buying that again? Cause it looks good?" We need to ween this populace down to the passionate individuals who get the job done well. I have been in departments saturated with shiny thing and paycheck hunters that could have been run by a quarter of the people passionate in IT and bored. hell when I left my gov't job they had to hire 2 people to replace me, technically there were 3 that replaced me if you count the one that was hired a couple months before I left.
CS: It is all sink or swim...oh and did I mention there are sharks in that water?
When I first got into computers it was exciting and new. The first computer at my work place was mine, an Apple ][. What could it do? Anything! Look at this Visicalc thing! Then I stuck a CP/M card in and got dBase II. That allowed us to build a complete accounts payable and payroll system (once we got to dBase III). More computers followed. I thought it would be very cool to get a computer on everyone's desk! People were interested and amazed at what you could do with one of these small desktop boxes. More people got involved. Then came Ethernet! Yes! We're networked! And what about gophers and email? And what was this www thing? It ws an exciting time when hobbyists and enthusiasts drove innovation and spearheaded the drive to compute the world. They were seen as intelligent, innovative saviors. To open up a box with a new computer and smell those polymers wafting in the air still gives a sense of progress! The future has arrived (it's just unevenly distributed--William Gibson) but we were evening the distribution! We were changing the world, increasing productivity.
Well.....Mission accomplished.
Now there IS a computer on every desk. Now there are more servers than you originally had computers. Now without a flashy web site you are hopelessly behind. Now everyone wants in on the action to tell you what to do. Now if you're down for a second it's all your fault and heads will roll. Now IT is a subservient class with deadlines and 'management.' The corporations, big and small finally got over their wide-eyed enthusiasm and ignorance of the field and yoked it in--hard. It has turned from an art to a science, from innovative to expected, from bleeding edge to basement cubicles.
The same thing happened with electricity. The same thing happened with radio. And now it's happened with IT. It has gone fom a hobbyist paradise to a mundane backwater. Too bad. Life was better then.
How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
I'd agree, we take the job because we like figuring out problems. "promotion" is not to management, but to get to work on harder problems... the majority of problems are pretty boring though.
I've said before, IT is like Plumbing, nobody respects it until it doesn't work. Keeping Plumbing working is pretty boring business too. Of course you see good Master Plumbers make nearly as much as good IT people. Just like IT people, even the best plumbers still lay pipe and plunge toilets.. pretty menial work, just like making, testing, storing backups and building new servers for software testing is.
A lot of service jobs do involve a high level of skills. If you don't believe me ask your doctor.
The fact is we've gotten really good at manufacturing. So good that the manufacturing we need can be done by a lot less people (just as agriculture now requires a lot less people than it used to). Services are a lot harder to optimize because you can't stockpile them.
-- Support a free market in the field of government
If jobs were very exciting and fulfilling in and of themselves, we wouldn't need to pay people to do them.
If you don't pay them, they can't afford to do the job, no matter how much they like it.Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
This is especially true the lower you are on the ladder. When you are entry level, you are probably doing help desk most of the time along with setting up new machines. Sure, when you get that eight core computer in, the computer is probably pretty exciting to check out and play around a bit while you install what is needed, but after a few installs, it's simply repetitive -- just like all the other computers you have set up and will continue to set up. Maybe you get to write reports. You'll definitely awe your friends with how you successfully joined 10 tables to create your latest report.
I think IT gets more exciting and interesting when you reach the point where you are creating solutions to new problems. There is a great deal of responsibility but a much greater feeling of reward and satisfaction. I think the saying about the lead dog having the best view is true and not just in IT.
I enjoyed reading the comment where someone said that IT is like janitorial work.
What's made it much, much worse is how much clerical work we have to do now due to regulations and general ignorance of people new to the industry. We have to document everything so that our job can be outsourced to someone less skilled and willing to work for less. We have to have reviews and justification only because the CIO wants to pretend he has some clue about what's going on. What should be a 10 minute fix turns into a two week red-tape fest. Then they have the nerve to ask why I'm not getting more done.
If ANYONE asks me if the IT field is a good choice for a career, I solidly reply "Hell, no. Run the other way and get a job *making* something that is useful or a job *helping* people."
I've been trying to leave IT for the past 10 years, but where else will I find a job that pays so much for such little work?
I think this phenomenon is mostly due to the fact that most IT jobs are boring. I know its a radical, outlandish theory, but it has a firm basis in fact. How many people do you know that work in IT and mostly surf the web for a living? Answer: a lot.
Boring...or insanely stressful and overly demanding of your time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs#1960s
Don't kid yourself friend. Bell Labs was never IT. It was innovation. Developing products and innovating never was IT. IT is generally infrastructure and operations. If you're blessed with a big R&D budget, likely you're working for a developer or manafacture on a product that actually produces revenue. Most IT shops just drain revenue from a company. And they buy technology, not create it.(of course there are exceptions flame boys)