The news on the nation’s economic front is harsh, and all pointers seem to indicate that things will not get better anytime soon. So, what does that mean to students interested in pursuing a career in information systems? It turns out: plenty. And in all reality, there is a high likelihood that the economic downturn will actually spur growth in IT related careers.
Here’s why: when money is in short supply (for whatever reason), companies will turn to tech for labor saving solutions. However, even though the technology increases, humans will remain the same. Thus, people who are general technologists and are already coming into great demand should see and even higher demand for their skills. We are already seeing an increase locally in people who can fix general problems and have the ability to communicate with the “norms”. If you know lots of buzzwords, fine; but, it is the tech who speaks the common language which is in greatest demand.
It gets better.
Travel costs are going through the roof right now. This means a solid increase in travel-saving – even commute-saving – solutions. That means distributed and that means web. So watch for a sharp increase in demand for people with networking and web design abilities. Watch particularly for wireless web solutions as the mobile computer continues to be the “right arm” of business. Information needs to flow and workers will insist on solutions that are comfortable and familiar. CISCO should remain high on the list. Also, keep an eye on web solutions such as php and ASP.NET. Some may argue, but check the want ads for yourself.
But wait, there’s still more.
The distributed solution also demands greater attention to data design and security. See my previous posts on the amount of new data expected to be generated, and consider that when tons of petabytes are on the move, it will be the people who can capture, organize, and mine those data who will be in greatest demand; especially since there are so few of you to begin with. Look into careers that include SQL at some level and especially if the SQL solution has strong web connections.
If you are a little farther up the food-chain, watch for information management positions. It is like the difference between smart and wise. There are so many pieces to consider and a good manager can take those pieces and make a complete picture. These folks need to have strong basic business skills.
Finally, there is one more point to consider. Sure the economy is looking down; but, I’ve seen this before. In fact, I’ve seen in twice. And each time things got bad, the bad times eventually passed. I believe they will pass again this time. It may take a year or even three, but they will pass. And, if you are new to IT or looking at IT as a career choice, consider that it will take you at least 3 to 5 years before you complete your education. This means that there is a real chance that while you are in school, the storm will pass.
And, when you graduate, you could very well be stepping into a whole new opportunity for IT professionals that we have only now begun to realize.
