The flip side of the coin: 9 reasons why you don’t need to go into IT

There are thousands of articles on the web telling about a beautiful world of IT where money grows on trees, company employees relax on bag chairs and play ping-pong all day long, and they write code only occasionally, while solving global problems. But is this really the case, or is it time to take off the pink glasses? Yes, of course, there are certain advantages in the work of specialists in this industry, but we want to talk about the flip side of the coin and tell everyone who wants to get into the digital industry – why they should not go there.

Con №1: Demoralization

Contrary to the fantasies of newbies, in most cases their work will not be inspiring and definitely will not change the world. The reality is different!

The average IT person is locked in a typical cement box of an IT company office almost all day long, where 20% of his working time is spent trying to solve a small task which is a part of a big project about which he often knows very little. The other 80% is spent in various meetings, phone calls and storming about shifting deadlines, endless project changes or the reasons why his funding has been cut again in the next quarter. And so day after day, over and over again, the same daily manipulations.

Con №2: The big salary figures in the vacancy are not meant for newbies

There is no way a beginner will get a lot of money in the beginning. So don’t expect much from your new employer: be patient and be prepared to absorb experience and build up potential. Because in order to increase the financial flow, you simply can’t do it any other way!

Con №3: Learning – always!

The field of technology does not tolerate conservatives, and if you do not want to develop every minute, then you have no business here. You cannot achieve career results sitting in one place, because the competition in IT is enormous. It is greater only in financial and banking spheres. And you need to study all the time, combining training with work. Therefore, if you are not at the right pace from the start, it will be difficult to catch up later.

A popular saying that the programmer’s education never ends is absolutely true, and if you have exhausted the enthusiasm for learning something while still at university, it’s better to choose another field!

Con №4: Sedentary work and eye strain

A significant disadvantage of coder work is sedentary work, and if you consider that, on average, the programmer spends more than 3000 hours a year at the computer, it can not but affect his health. And even free passes to the gym will not compensate the consequences of stagnation in muscles and skeletal structure. In addition, concentrated, focused on a single point of view contributes to increased strain on the eyesight.

Con №5: Irregular working hours

Despite the fact that many IT companies have a flexible start of the work day, it very often happens that the day ends late at night. And busy weekend work and the need to stay in touch at any time of the day or night is common practice when deadlines are burning at the end of a project. And no amount of money for overtime work will ever compensate for your shattered mental health. There is also a great risk of emotional burnout and nervous breakdown. A few years in such a rhythm, and your brain, even in its free time, will not be able to relax.

Con №6: Not for introverts

Just two decades ago, programming was the domain of geeks – groups of like-minded people or loners who did not particularly try to be comfortable with the outside world, but simply did what they loved, with absolutely no thought about soft skills. Today, even the most highly qualified introvert in his field will find it difficult to get into an IT company. After all, any job interviewer will fail him or her when testing him or her for sociability and compatibility with the team. In modern hiring, a lot of attention is paid to Soft Skills and the candidate’s ability to coexist harmoniously in a team.

Con №7: High turnover

The IT industry is an endless labor market with high turnover and fierce competition, where there are no irreplaceable professionals. Before you get used to your partner, there is already another employee in his place. And considering the fact that a person spends most of the day at work, this instability can really undermine its morale. After all, social relationships at work are sometimes much more important than the work itself, and setting up a good relationship with constantly changing colleagues is very difficult.

Con №8: Complexity of work and high responsibility

Work in IT is often difficult, multitasking and requires a lot of energy from the specialist. Often quite complex tasks need to be completed within a tight time frame. And high-ranking specialists are also responsible for the work of their inexperienced colleagues, constantly correcting their mistakes. Therefore, only people with a high degree of discipline and responsibility will survive here.

Con №9: Management vs. Developers

The information technology industry is a business. Companies make a lot of money. And while the founder and the programmer work for results, it is important for the middle management, which manages the stages of product development, to report. As a rule, the well-being of middle managers depends not on the result, but on the performance indicator – KPI, which requires a good report.

Such “reporting” work is not uncommon and has a number of negative consequences, including useless work of developers with accumulated problems in the code. After all, everything is done only in order to avoid a “red light” in the manager’s scrum. And even if you want to work in a different way, you won’t be able to beat the system. And after a few years of such work, the IT specialist experiences burnout, because his work for a long time has had no meaning, no result, and no value.

Conclusions

We didn’t want to scare anyone in this article, we just pointed out the weak points of the industry and the IT profession as a whole. History knows a lot of good employers who provide excellent working conditions and take care of their employees. If you work in such a place, it’s great! And if some of the readers have a nagging feeling and the desire to speak out doesn’t give you peace – tell us about it in the comments. Good luck to all of you.

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