Death of an IT Guy

The university and sorority life was never for me. So immediately after I graduated High School, I felt the best decision for me was to pick a trade. I always had a vested interest in all things electronic, so I decided on a two-year degree at ITT Technical Institute. The degree was in Electronics Engineering Technology, though I soon found out that it was an endangered profession. Two years of learning how to create and troubleshoot circuit boards and components did not prepare me for the culture shock I received when I began my working career.

I soon discovered that as technology became more advanced and sophisticated, we no longer needed humans to fill those technical positions. Components were placed on surface mount boards using pick and place machines. Circuit boards were so cheap to create, they were considered disposable. Thus when one needed repair, it was no longer practical to pay someone to troubleshoot and fix it. Just toss it in the bin and replace it with one of those new boards over there. Not to mention that the only employment I could find were contract positions that always ended with entire departments being let go, often due to outsourcing to other countries. Some job security I had.

So after a failed stint in the Electronics field, it seemed clear to me that the only sure fire career was in Information Technology. The growth rate of the personal computer is unlike anything history has ever seen before. Society has become so dependant on computers that it would be blasphemy to even think that a company can be successful without a complicated network configuration. To the consumer, computers are like a status symbol, the more you have, the more successful you are in life. I surely don’t need to tell you that.

Within a short amount of time, I redirected my focus. I took some classes at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, obtained some Microsoft and CompTIA certifications, and found permanent employment rather quickly. I started off as help desk support, and within a couple of years was promoted to network engineer. And while the field of Information Technology currently seems glorious and ever-growing, I cannot help but notice a sense of deja vous.

In comparison to how advances in science and technology lead to the diminished need for human interaction in the process of building and troubleshooting circuit boards, managing a network of computers no longer requires as many skilled technicians as the silver age of computing. In efforts to cut costs and limit overhead, computing solutions such as virtualization, application streaming, desktop publishing, etc., have not only reduced hardware requirements, but also the need for people to administrate them. With cloud-storage eliminating the demand for storage area networks (SANs), it also takes with it a couple employees that may have overseen the data management and backup reporting aspects. Essentially, a different form of outsourcing.

So what does the future hold for positions in IT? As it seems the current trend is heading, instead of entire business departments dedicated to Information Technology, at the most only a handful of bodies are required to manage the network. I predict that the typical IT department will consist of a minimally skilled help desk team, as well as a couple of specialized network engineers to manage the network. There will be no middle ground. Thus in order to secure a position in tomorrow’s IT department, an individual needs to find his/her niche. Find an particular aspect of network engineering, such as virtualization, and focus your studies specifically on it. Certifications are always a plus, if not a requisite. Then, excel like no other in that area of expertise, and hope the next technology trend does not make your niche obsolete.