Information Technology Again Looks Promising for College Graduates was originally published on College Recruiter.
Quick. Which profession boasts of an unemployment rate of under three percent? While few of those in the camps of the naysayers would like offer up the guess of information technology, readers of MN Headhunter likely had little difficulty in answering the question correctly.
The news is mostly great for those who have competencies, interests, and values in information technology careers. There are more I.T. professionals employed now than just before the dot com bubble burst in the spring of 2001. Most I.T. professionals do not believe that global competition will impact the pay of those with experience. Only 12 percent of I.T. staff and nine percent of managers are insecure about their jobs. Bonuses are fueling overall pay increases. So what’s the downside? Most information technology professionals believe that offshoring (outsourcing to overseas firms) will negatively impact entry-level salaries.
For those who are entering college or in college and considering their career options, listen carefully to your more experienced counterparts. Information technology is hot again. While I.T. professionals are no longer able to write their own tickets like they could in 1999, that labor market was abnormal and unlikely to be repeated soon in any sector. So if you can get past comparing the labor market of 2006 with the abnormal labor market of 1999, your future job prospects in I.T. look to be strong and personally rewarding.
Those who are most at risk of having their jobs sent overseas are those who have not developed expertise and, perhaps more importantly, those who have failed to develop their business skills. Understand that you’re a professional and that means that you will need to sit in on meetings, participate in phone conferences, and otherwise understand and further the business goals of your organization. Your mission is not simply to code. It is to increase the revenues of your organization, decrease its expenses, or both. If you can do that and prove that to your manager, then you are well suited to the world of I.T. in this new, exciting, and rewarding era.
