Posted on 09/15/2004 10:00:28 AM PDT by Mini-14
SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 Instead, it's a sober assessment stuffed with information of value to anyone hiring or looking for work in corporate IT. Much of that information is clearly presented in the report, which you can get at www.itaa.org/workforce/studies/04wfstudy.pdf. And then there's the stuff that's hidden between the lines. Officially, the report's executive summary says the U.S. IT workforce grew about 2% between March 2003 and March 2004 -- from 10.3 million to 10.5 million IT workers. Another 230,000 IT jobs should be created by next spring. Technical support, networking and programming are the areas that account for the most new jobs, and the biggest increases were in the Northeast. But digging deeper -- and then slicing and dicing the numbers -- yields a somewhat different story for corporate IT people. Add in some information the ITAA isn't anxious to admit, and the picture isn't pretty. • How many new IT jobs? According to the hiring managers surveyed, 230,000 by spring 2005. But historically, the people the ITAA polls are, to put it kindly, optimistic. Each year, they typically predict they'll hire twice to four times as many people as the following year's survey indicates they actually did hire. So a prediction of 230,000 new IT jobs suggests there will really be 100,000 new IT jobs -- maybe less. • Where? The highest IT job growth by percentage was in the Northeast, sure enough. But the largest number of new IT jobs last year was actually in the South, the region that now leads the nation, with more than 3 million IT jobs. The West actually lost 20,000 IT jobs from 2003 to 2004. • What kind of employers? A whopping 77% of corporate IT jobs are at companies with fewer than 100 employees. Those companies also say they value employee loyalty far more than larger companies. • What kinds of jobs? Security jobs in networking and databases will be hot. Tech support will be the largest category of new jobs, about 30% of the total; last year, it represented nearly half of all new IT jobs. Web development and the "digital media" category -- the people who create graphics, text, sound and animation for software -- are growing slowly. But here's where it gets ugly for corporate IT workers. Programmers are in trouble: 28,000 jobs lost last year, with only 29,000 new jobs expected next year by the most optimistic estimates. Tech writing is flat. Enterprise systems integration is barely showing a pulse. In other words, if you're in operations, bone up on security and you may find a job. But if you're looking for work developing traditional corporate IT systems, you're toast. • What qualifications? Forget certifications -- for a new job, you need four years of college and at least a year of experience, all directly related to the job. Certification and on-the-job training are good for promotions, though. • What else? Interpersonal skills are what roughly half of all companies of all sizes rate as most important among "soft" skills -- more than project management, team building, or oral and written communications. All this may not be comforting. No rah-rah, no pipe dreams, just chilly reality. That's not what we expect from the industry cheerleaders at the ITAA. But for delivering the cold, hard goods, they deserve our thanks -- just this once. Frank Hayes, Computerworld's senior news columnist, has covered IT for more than 20 years. Contact him at frank_hayes@computerworld.com.
Not surprising, companies have been getting burned on promises for years.
How much of this is due to the technology itself, and not globalization?
I still have a great IT job, but I know if I ever lose it I'll never get another (over 40; fairly specialized industry knowledge; small number of potential future employers). It's been a good run, but I'm already looking for alternative career paths when it ends.
Do what I did - transition to being a business analyst or a quality assurnace analyst. Any knucklehead can program a computer, anywhere in the world. But business knowledge is very specific and also tends to be culturally isolated from country to country - you conduct business differently in Japan than you do here - and someone from India who doesn't live here and isn't familiar with American business would have a hard time being an analyst.
I already have done that to a certain extent - my job is about 50% business analysis/design - 50% programming/database. I'm in no danger of losing my job (yet) but I would probably have to take a huge salary hit to stay in the game if I do.
Raw curiosity - what kind of things are you looking into? It seems like career-transitioning will be a hot area soon (if not now).
Alot. This same article keeps getting written in different media every 2 or 3 months.
Hmmm, I should have thought of that. Got laid off from my Job last November. So what did I do? Changed to a totally new field - construction management.
Gets me out from behind a desk for a change.
Good idea, but what exactly do you do as a business analyst? For example, what's a typical day like?
bump
Health-related fields are positioned for the strongest growth due to the aging of the baby boomers.
"What would you say ya do here?"
"Well look, I already told you! I deal with the [gosh darn] customers so the engineers don't have to! I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?"
"Look, I already told you! I deal with the customers so the engineers don't have to! I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!"
Great minds!
LOL!
I wanted to find the first part of that exchange, but couldn't find it on google.
:)
1st Bob: What you do at Initech is you take the specifications from the customer and bring them down to the software engineers?
Tom: Yes, yes that's right.
2nd Bob: Well then I just have to ask why can't the customers take them directly to the software people?
Tom: Well, I'll tell you why... because... engineers are not good at dealing with customers....
1st Bob: So you physically take the specs from the customer?
Tom: Well.. No. My secretary does that... or they're faxed.
2nd Bob: So then you must physically bring them to the software people?
Tom: Well.. No. ah sometimes.
1st Bob: What would you say you do here?
Tom: Look I already told you, I deal with the @#$% customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people, can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?!
That's it! Oh I may have to watch that tonight.
Brain-numbing confernence calls. Writing of change requests and functional specs. Meetings with developers to explain to them how things are supposed to work. Coordination with QA. Ad hoc data requests. Monitoring of operations. Complaints to the clients about all the invoices that are 90 days past due.
Fun stuff like that.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Do what I did - transition to being a business analyst or a quality assurnace analyst. Any knucklehead can program a computer, anywhere in the world. But business knowledge is very specific and also tends to be culturally isolated from country to country - you conduct business differently in Japan than you do here - and someone from India who doesn't live here and isn't familiar with American business would have a hard time being an analyst.
Did the same. Was a programmer in 1986. Now I do business analysis and requirements analysis. In my area a BA can do $60-90K; six figures if you have a big security clearance or are willing to go independent on a 1099.
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