Slashdot Mirror
IT Job Satisfaction Plummets To All-Time Low
cweditor writes "IT job satisfaction has plummeted to a 10-year low, according to a recent survey. Another on general job satisfaction rated IT a paltry 45%. From the article: 'The CEB's latest survey found that the willingness of IT employees to "exert high levels of discretionary effort" — put in extra hours to solve a problem, make suggestions for improving processes, and generally seek to play a key role in an organization — has plummeted to its lowest levels since the survey was launched 10 years ago.'"
As you get older, your priorities shift. Putting in extra hours is something you do because you have to do it in order to do your job well, not because you are enthusiastic. You have other demands on your time, and other responsibilities such as family. So the fact that the IT boom is long gone, job security is low due to outsourcing, and respect for the industries that pay most is at an all time low means you're not attracting as much new blood.
There is also a (somewhat well earned by some, unfortunately) pervasive view that IT staff are propeller heads with no business sense or social skills. Most work with absolutes that are either right or wrong that are difficult to describe to the IT layperson (ie most business customers). So a lot of the time when a techie goes the extra mile and comes up with a good solution it is not implemented, or worse they are chastised for wasting their time on it. Again this is even prevalent in the currently depressed economy where decreasing costs and expenses is more important than new innovative ideas in the eyes of many business people. There are only so many times an intelligent person will go that extra mile, get rewarded with a proverbial kick in the teeth, before they learn not to bother.
If you want innovation, people doing crazy hours and going the extra mile etc, I think we'll need another tech boom - one that doesn't revolve around outsourcing.
The film "Office Space" is so well known around here because it can be a very accurate picture of the life of a programmer in many companies. Complete with bureaucratic paperwork and outsourcing of jobs. A case of "it's funny because it's true".
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Back maybe a bit more than a decade ago, IT and everything around it (computers in general) were pretty specialized. IT technicians were well-respected almost to an engineering/scientist level. Most were well-versed in their field; they were professional and experts in what they did.
But nowadays, when people think of computer people, they think of Geek Squad or the neighborhood computer nerd. Just fiddle around with some software and BAM, it works. In fact, it's so "easy" to "do computers" that you can find "Idiot's Guide" books on it, people who aren't really technically savvy going to places like ITT Technical Institute, and end up working with computers in a place like help desk, or maybe in the lower echelons of the IT department... so couple this with the fact that most people don't realize that programming and information technology (especially the higher-level jobs in those departments) are basically engineering-grade/scientist-grade positions, and the fact that the knowledge required to call yourself a "computer person" or "IT technician" is getting less and less... IT people, especially professionals, become less well-respected. Some even get treated poorly by fellow employees. Management tends to treat them as "just tech guys" -- like any other employee -- not really realizing that your data-entry person or secretary might be easily replaceable, but an IT person is a valuable asset because of his/her knowledge and experience. The more they know, the more valuable they are to your company, etc.
So, being an IT guy ain't what it used to be... at least to the public at large. And I think that lack of respect/not being appreciated for the kind of work that we do/etc is what's causing a disconnect and a need for professionals to become *consultants*. Because, once you bill at several hundred dollars an hour, people start listening to you a lot more, and respecting you significantly better.
I became a sole contractor 7 years ago after 13 years in a fantasticly innovative company. There is actually more job security as I usually work for 3-5 clients at any one time and the mix of clients varies. As many in the past have been start-ups, I have seen quite a few go belly-up (especially at he magic 2 year point when they run out of money and decide to give up).
From these jobs, I came to the same conclusion as LostCluster: companies see the value in getting contractors to create and complete the product, then spend most of their time on sell sell sell. It's obvious, there is no money coming in during development.
Based on my experience, equity should be seen as a bonus. Basically there is no money in technology. You have to be very very lucky. Get the maximum exposure to possible successes and keep you eyes open for opportunities.
I also disagree with creating a cool app other than for your own excitement or if you are really an entrepreneur. It takes a team and money to create an app. And don't believe those people who say they created a commercial iPhone app in one week. It is a huge commitment to create a software company.
But working from home, having plenty of time for my wife and kids ... priceless!
Oh, and my productivity sky-rocketed.
I don't know... I have briefly tried freelancing but I can't shake the feeling of just wasting my time. I really don't like being a lone programmer sitting in my room trying to find ways to fill my time, doing whatever work I can find. Even if I go out, I waste so much time travelling from cafe to cafe. It's fun for a while, but when I really want to get stuff done, I *need* an office. Perhaps if I was freelancing in a shared office setup it would be different. I just can't work from home. I also miss things like having other people to bounce ideas off and larger projects.
Also, I found that I just don't like looking for work and worrying about finances. I want to spend as much as my time as I can actually writing software, so perhaps I'm better suited for employed life.
I find it interesting because I also see this trend towards freelancing, and the majority of programmers I meet are very happy with the lifestyle.
There are two problems with that statement: First, the app market is saturated, and not just the iPhone. Even Android's market is starting to bulge at the seams with fart apps and Tetris clones.
Second, a lot of IT people would form companies, but there are products which just can't be made in the backyard. They require some initial VC funding because it requires a machine shop, studio, crypt, or other place with specialized equipment, and money to invest in equipment.
For example, say I wanted to go into business selling some type of enterprise equipment. I'd need to have an office. I'd then need to have the machines and the raw material (studio and tapes, CNC machine and billets, etc.) Even before the first thing I wanted to sell rolled off the line, I'd have to have hundreds of thousands invested. And there isn't any way around this with a number of things. Maybe you could do a prototype on a shoestring, but you can't sell these to a customer unless you find someone ready, willing, and able to take a gamble with your product so it goes from a prototype and into customers' hands.
So, starting a business is a lot harder than you think. If your city has a SCORE, visit them with your ideas. It may hurt finding out that what you have isn't doable, but it is better to find it out there than after you sold your house and are hundreds of grand invested... and don't even have a single dollar in income yet.
If you adjust for real inflation (as opposed to government figures), it is even worse. And unless you were a union member or government employee, there never has been anything like a free lunch in the U.S.
But you can still be improperly devalued, as IT has been.
Imagine that you are a sizable corporation that relies heavily on road vehicles. You are likely to have your own automobile mechanics (a whole repair/maintenance department) on salary. And if you have half a brain, you let the mechanics do their jobs... you don't stand over them, arguing about how to tweak a carburetor.
But if you were a typical sizable corporation over the last decade or so, you also had your own IT department, and thought nothing of demanding the equivalent of a Lamborghini, as of yesterday, for the cost of a Volkswagen... and at the same time paid the IT pro less than your senior mechanics.
That kind of situation cannot last forever. Sooner or later companies will learn that this is loser behavior.
You only need to read the summary to see why job satisfaction in IT is so low. They see it as a problem that IT employees are less willing to work long hours for free, but I take this to be a very good sign. It's high time that IT workers stand up for themselves. I understand that the nature of the job may lead to occasional overtime work. But when required overtime is the norm, and it is not even well compensated, that is a sign of mismanagement and/or gross disrespect for employees. No wonder the workers are dissatisfied. (And this is just one of the ways many IT workers are treated poorly.)
It is really frustrating to me to see so many workers in this field willing to give up their lives for a job. It makes things so much harder for those of us who seek respect and reasonable working conditions. If I can't pay my bills, I don't go to my employer and ask for extra free money. My employer shouldn't be asking me for extra free work week after week because projects were poorly planned.
I was just discussing this article with my colleague and we agreed this was probably a US-oriented survey. We're Dutch and working in The Netherlands as system engineers, and compared to the US our working conditions are great! On average, we work 40 hour weeks (sometimes less!) and get an average of 24 days paid vacation a year. Overtime is PAID overtime. These conditions apply to pretty much ALL jobs here, not just IT.
Comparing that to the US, its not strange that Americans are less satisfied. From what I picked up over the years reading articles like the ones on Slashdot, Americans in IT generally work 10+ hours a day, don't even always get overtime paid for and only receive about 5 vacationdays a year. And the pay, even though admittedly living is cheaper there, sucks too.
Is it any wonder that people are dissatisfied?
"Sarcasm is for *winners*, Alan." - Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)
My anecdotal evidence suggests the job market is in better shape than ever before. I had no problem finding a new job with a significant pay raise (and had to disappoint several very interesting employers). The previous crisis (in 2002) hit my sector very hard, but this time it seems to be everybody else's turn.
Or maybe it's my country, and it's different in the US? Then the best advice is to look across the border. Immigration is usually easy when it's for a well-paying job.
Sitting in front of a terminal all day doing graphics is not an "IT" job! Come on, let's get our terms straight. Look it up.
Being a full-time programmer is also not "IT". IT means being a systems administrator or analyst (or tech).
Sort of agree. 'IT' aka Information Technology is an umbrella term originating in the early 1980's covering a swathe of job descriptions and specialities to do with computers and communication.
A 'computer operator' (pre-1985) would be certainly be classified IT but nowadays anyone operating a computer cannot be called IT. They are just skilled at operating a computer.
It would be interesting to create a generic non-IT list:
- webdesign
- graphics
- programmer
all fall into the non-IT classification, but know their systems and processes well and have more knowledge than the typical front-liner who is definitely classified IT.
I think the definition has changed over the past 20 years, but no-one mentioned it to the masses.
Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
Who said anything about living a dream? The point was that auto mechanics are usually appreciated for their skills but IT people generally have not been.
"... their jobs aren't any more difficult than anyone else's..."
Ha ha ha. You obviously are not in IT.
I had written a long response to this, explaining how what you wrote there is simply not so... but I have deleted it. If you are really so clueless as to believe that, nothing I could say would change your mind anyway.
I don't know about anyone else, but this insane bean counting has driven all semblance of enjoyment out of my job. I'm salaried of course, but I must still report my day in 15 minute increments, use archaic micromanagement tools for every aspect of everything I do as if I'm some sort of consultant who is billing back time. I'm reporting my time in no less than 3 different tools, and in some cases, up to 6.
What happened to IT that they've embraced micromanagement on such an asinine scale?
Your Father was very, very wise. I thought about what your Father told you, and at age 32, I wish I would have learned this years ago, because I have been the cheat, and I see how that decision to cheat here and there adds up.
"Man with bird in hand should not sneeze" - Confucious
Exactly, and any MBA program worth its salt talks about the MBA being a "general management degree" and attempts to expose its students to a number of different disciplines so that they learn to adapt to them and pick up new ones. Good MBA programs teach students an approach to learning and problem solving, not 2 semesters of accounting, 1 of finance, 2 of marketing, 1 of OB, etc.