IT Career Myths That Would be Better Ignored

There are plenty of good reasons to pursue an IT career. It’s satisfying work if you have the right personality. Job growth is pretty good. For many people, the pay is quite nice.

Unfortunately, too many people enter the field bringing along a lot of incorrect assumptions. Then there are those who stay out of IT because of career myths that scare them away. Ultimately, you will have to decide if an IT career is for you. Before you do that make sure you dismiss any myths that could be clouding your judgment.

You don’t need to learn to do every job in IT. However, having some general knowledge about other areas of IT in addition to your specialty is always a good idea. Remember that nobody in IT works in isolation. A web designer creates websites, but they have to be secured. They also have to have enough infrastructure to run properly. This means the designer must be able to communicate with the IT security team and network specialists.

Being able to understand the needs and challenges that other IT professionals have is really important. You can begin by developing a very basic understanding of what they do and picking up some of the vocabularies that they use.

Outsourcing happens in IT. There is no arguing that. Whether it is good or bad is fodder for an entirely different post on its own. What is a myth is the idea that you shouldn’t pursue a career in IT because you’ll constantly be passed over for work in favor of offshore workers in places like India?

If somebody tells you they have been looking for work for any significant amount of time, but cannot find any because it’s all going to the Indians, take their claim with a grain of salt. There is a good chance that they are in denial over some personal or professional shortcomings that are serving as roadblocks for them.

Many companies are keeping their IT operations entirely in the states. Others are outsourcing support centers, but are keeping mission critical operations in-house. Don’t let this myth stop you from pursuing an IT career.

While some IT fields can be good for introverts, this isn’t a field for the antisocial. First of all, IT people are support personnel. They exist to provide for the needs of customers. These may be actual customers who need help with products or services. These may also be internal customers who work in other business areas.

A good IT person is a good communicator. They must know how to explain things in layperson’s terms. They also need to be able to empathize when users are frustrated or worried. Most companies don’t have room for stereotypically slovenly dressed IT workers who don’t understand basic social graces, nor is there much tolerance for the haughty worker who is too enamored with their own sense of superiority to treat customers well.

This one isn’t black and white. There are some fields where the content of your portfolio and your skill set go much further than a four-year degree. Some companies prioritize certificates such as the A+ or CISSP.

On the other hand, there are definitely companies where holding a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field isn’t just the gold standard. It’s expected. It professionals is expected to have critical thinking skills, general knowledge, and good writing skills. For some, the best way to acquire the latter is to attend a quality university, and use myessayslab.com as a resource for writing and studying help.

Sure, there are definitely fields in IT where having a strong aptitude for math and science is necessary. After all, programming is really just algebra. Network designers are another example of a field that requires strong math skills.

However, there are plenty of fields where strong math and science skills aren’t needed. IT support agents and supervisors need good communication and customer service skills. Business analysts need to be able to communicate requirements and ensure that users and project team members are on the same page. Speaking of projects, the project manager needs to know how to manage human resources, keep project scope in line, track progress, and ensure that deadlines are being met.

It doesn’t matter if you begin your career as someone who is entirely self-taught, you receive on the job training, or have a college degree. There is no such thing as having finished your education in IT.

This is a field where things are changing constantly. If you want to remain marketable, you will make it a priority to continue learning and add new things to your skill set.

Yes, it is true that job growth in IT is high, especially for systems analysts. That doesn’t mean that there are tons of jobs in every area of IT for every level of experience. If you are entry level, you will need to put in a bit of legwork before your resume is noticed and you get a job. You may also struggle if you are in a saturated market or have chosen a career path that is very specialized.

Don’t let this discourage you. The solution to your job search struggle may simply be persistence. You might also need to add another skill set or revamp your resume. You might also consider seeking work at larger companies. Many have more resources to train and mentor employees.

A career in IT can be both lucrative and satisfying. If it seems like the path for you, go for it! Just be sure to arm yourself with plenty of information. The more you know, the better able you will be to make the right decisions about your career path.