The Information Technology Profession: Loosing Its Appeal?
I previously blogged about the decline in available computer science skills and enrollments in computer science programs. As a member of the faculty, I find it sad that people are moving away from computer science. There are definitely signs that information technology is loosing its appeal. However, in the blog, I find it ironic because IT jobs are probably at their all time high (I don’t have the number to prove it but most of my students have decent IT jobs, a lot are even getting work abroad, there is a significant increase in the amount of job openings being posted in the local developer mailing lists and I can’t even fill in a job posting for a few developers). The growing phenomenon of near-shoring IT contracting is also increasing the size of the available job market for computer science graduates. So, there are actually MORE IT JOBS today.
The answer is APPEAL. I read this article from eWeek discussing information technology’s loss of appeal. The author says it best: IT is becoming Dilbert-ized.
In the simplest terms: too many IT workplaces have become Dilbert-ized—micromanaged, bureaucratic and stifled creatively. It’s become an environment where busy work is praised and morale is low.
IT is isn’t fun anymore, and while a lack of fun at work may not seem worth stopping the presses over, the long-term effects of depriving a field of appealing work may very likely look like this: Students are turning away from computer science at an alarming rate. There’s a huge talent shortage across the entire field, and, in confidence, enterprise IT workers say they’d probably choose a different career path if they could go back and start over again.
IT is not cool and hip anymore. It is not the place to be and be seen. IT is just about fixing somebody’s problems. When I started out my IT career as a systems administrator, I called myself a janitor. Why janitor? I basically got the idea from a friend at Skyinet. He says that all systems administrators are essentially janitors. This is because we are simply around to fix problems. If no problem occurs we are left alone. If problems do occurs we are pressured like hell. Some people do not mind because they like the trill of fixing problems (the troubleshooter mindset). However, some think of it as being the same as a janitor who is not appreciated for keeping the shop clean but is scolded severely for missing a spot. Apparently, this negative impressions have rubbed into the whole IT field in general.
The article has a few tips on how to go about fixing the appeal problem. You can read the details from the original article. I just want to add my two (2) cents.
- Go back to square one. It is always best to start from the beginning. Where to people make the first choice significant choice about their careers? Of course, the answer is in high school. The choice of academic institution and degree program is the first step towards a career. It is therefore important to make these high school students see the value of IT. They should see that IT can actually be fun, cool and hip as it was before. They should see that IT is not a dead end career. They should see a future in IT. I admire the Computer Science at the Ateneo for organizing events (such as summer camps) targeted to high school students. I just hope that other colleges and universities can do the same.
- Stop placing the blame elsewhere. Yup. I do not think it is because of outsourcing that IT has lost its appeal. If enrollments in outsource destination countries like the Philippines are also declining it must be something else. Other things to point blame to are the dotcom bust. A lot of students do not see a future in IT because of it. This finger pointing exercise must be stop. This can cause decision paralysis.
- Let IT be more than firefighters. This can be done by going “beyond metrics”. Most of the performance measures being used by the industry today focus on commoditization (the number of billable hours, the number of sick days, outage time, SLA compliance, turnaround time and others). These are not bad. But, if these are the only metrics for gauging performance then it would definitely feel like firefighting all the time. Employees must be threated like people and thus the people aspects must also be considered such as overall health and environment, happiness, career growth and learning opportunities. It is also best to give them challenging work beyond the routine.
- Better managers get better results. Of course, it is best to look at oneself. People normally feel unappreciated if they are unappreciated. Of course, manage expectations well at all times. This is especially true for managers but also applicable to peers.
Better information management with information systems has revolutionized the way people do things. It has allowed people unprecedented access to a wealth of information. It has provided a truly global means of pervasive communications. It has allowed enterprises to manage their data in new ways that allow them to scale to new heights. Information technology definitely provides a good deal of value and it can potentially provide additional value for years to come with ever increasing demand. It is critical that the pool of IT talent be replenish. With this in mind, we should aim to improve the way people think about information technology.
March 21st, 2007 at 2:17 pm
There may be a few jobs out there now, but wait untill congress and the corporate scum that own them drop the limits on H1B visas and then watch the jobs disappear. If you major in IT, you will face a lifetime of competition against third world programmers who will do your job for a fraction of your salary. Things may look great from academia, or if you’re good enough to get one of those microsoft or google jobs, but corporate IT is dead. Management values management above all else, so major in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance etc. College will be much easier, you will never be offshored, never have to reinvent, retrain etc. and your skills will never be obsolete. Do not sentence yourself to a lifetime of uncertainty and insecurity by majoring in a tech field. I told my children to steer clear of tech or any field that does not require a physical presence in the U.S.
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:27 pm
From what I’ve seen in my limited experience as a professional in tech, I’d have to say that we’d need to prioritize the points in the following order: #3, #1, #4, #2.
Beginning to fix the appeal of the industry by letting IT be more than just firefighting increases its appeal to those already in it, and if people within an industry are enjoying themselves, people from the outside will certainly begin noticing.
Next you target those who could potentially enter the industry. It’s all about perception at this point. Personally, I see the majority of the current IT industry as boring, tedious, and uninspired… I can’t see how the majority of students/graduates can possibly see a brighter picture with any certainty.
The third point is all about understanding. Manager-type people simply need to start to understand what we IT people do, how we operate, and how valuable we can really be.
Being in the Philippines and on the receiving end of the outsourcing trend, I can’t really complain, nor can I give an unbiased opinion. (Heck, I’m probably taking the jobs of one or two devs in the US.) In the end, it seems to me, that if the first three points are addressed, this last point will simply follow.
March 23rd, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Nice one bit. I never really considered the order of these suggestions.. But, you do have a point. However, I would tend to like to fix #1 first since that is something that is of immediately concern as computer science enrollments are going down. This means that there is an impression problem that needs to be immediately fixed in the short term. As for #3, you have a point that if the work gets better students will come. However, sometimes, it is a matter of solving this impression. Not all computer science work is firefighting.
March 25th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
That’s a valid point, but I’m coming from the opinion that the impression is not far from reality (as far as the real-life situation is in the industry goes) and therefore the reality must be fixed before the impression.
Obviously, I haven’t seen much of it (the industry) so you probably have a much better view of things.
March 25th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Actually, any job will have some minus point and some plus points. There are definitely IT jobs that are druggery and there are some that are ok. However, the definition of druggery will definitely depend on who is talking. What some people definte as druggery some define as their ideal job. Some it is just a matter of matching the right person to the right job.