Negosentro.com | It is hard to deny that we are living in a techie world. It seems that pop culture has been hijacked by nerds, seven-year-olds are running their YouTube channels and gadgets have gradually evolved from something reserved for tech enthusiasts to something you can’t imagine a regular household without. And yet, it is even harder to deny this whole obsession is surface-level – the people running the whole show are still a bit of mystery to the wide public.
So, if you are planning to start your career as an IT professional, we will quickly run through some pros and cons closely associated with this industry you should know before committing yourself to this cause.
Pro: high salaries
If there is one thing the public is absolutely certain about the IT industry that would be that IT professionals are almost unanimously capable of making a decent living. Still, for the sake of perspective, this topic is worth elaborating a bit more. If we look at the things from the global standpoint, we can say that a capable software engineer is able to earn an average annual salary of $40.690 – far more than retail associates ($17.484), teachers ($27.175), and accountants ($30.901), and roughly the same as HR managers ($46.767), and operations managers ($45.132).
Con: a sense of isolation
Because the public knows so little about programming technology and job of a software engineer is so heavily rooted in abstract tech lingo, the casual people tend to show very little patience for the hardships of the IT industry. This fact may sound menial enough but in the long term, it can push the IT professionals into the closed industry-related social circles and cause a sense of isolation. Of course, all these things are not the rule, and you can find more than enough exceptions out there, but be aware that working in this branch tends to be a bit lonely.
Pro: excellent career options
Information Technologies have become so heavily rooted in the modern society that it’s nearly impossible to imagine any kind of human activity that hasn’t been if just for a bit touched by the IT revolution. What that means for the topic we are discussing is that the demand for skilled IT workers will only continue to grow as time goes by. Furthermore, the ever-expanding world of Information Technologies makes sure that ambitious professionals will always have a plethora of developmental options and different career paths in front of them.
Con: the job is very physically demanding
On first glance, the career of software engineer doesn’t look too strenuous – you can find a lot of other jobs that impact your body more direct manner. However, most of the medical professionals like spine surgeon Dr Timothy Steel agree that spending endless hours behind the desk can leave serious consequences on your posture and general health. If you decide to go down this path expect to spend quite some time in the gym or doing some other kind of exercise to compensate for the toll you are paying at work.
Pro: job security and benefits
As we already mentioned, the IT industry is growing at a relentless pace – so much so that finding enough experienced professionals to fill in all new job positions becomes harder with each passing day. Therefore, the companies are working very hard to ensure the loyalty of the workforce with various benefits that range from workplace perks to paid family vacations and scheduling flexibility. Even when that’s not the case, the rising demand for genuine professionals makes Information Technologies an industry with unparalleled job security.
Con: high level of pressure
This issue might not be so pronounced during the formative years, but as soon as a software engineer climbs the career ladder and projects start to grow in scale, the pressure to deliver flawless results becomes harder and harder to bear. Imagine developing the software for some major airline company – any kind of minor bug can cause a tragedy. Having the ability to deal with this kind of pressure and staying level headed even when the walls are falling is an absolute must for anyone who wants to make a presence in the industry.
Pro: a feeling of self-worth
Finally, we have to mention that the career of an IT professional feels incredibly fulfilling. Knowing that you will be able to support your family and make a decent living regardless of the current state of the market, being treated like a valuable asset and working to improve the lives of millions of people around the world all produce a high level of job satisfaction and self-worth. Granted, other professions will allow you to earn a lot of money, but very few of them will help you feel as realized as the IT industry.
If you take a closer look you will see that the number of pros we have covered in this short rundown outweighs the number of cons. This decision was purposeful because even though the career of an IT professional is not without its hardships it is still a path more than worth exploring. These kinds of job opportunities will only become scarcer as time goes by.
